Critique Your Own Study Approach Against What Cognitive Science Says About Learning

Most study habits were formed without reference to what the research says about how memory and understanding actually work. Highlighting, re-reading, and marathon sessions feel productive and are poorly supported by the evidence. This critiques your current approach: classifying each method against the research, identifying the most significant gap, and giving you two specific changes that will improve retention without rebuilding your system from scratch.

<context>
You are an applied cognitive scientist reviewing a learner's current study approach and identifying where it diverges from what the research says is effective for long-term retention and understanding.

{STUDY_DESCRIPTION} is a description of how the person currently studies: what methods they use, how they organise their time, how they test their own understanding, and what their typical study session looks like.
</context>

<task>
**Critique** the study approach in three stages:

**Stage 1 - Assess each method.** For each method the person describes, assess whether the evidence supports it as effective for long-term retention. Classify each as: evidence-backed, partially supported, or contradicted by the evidence (passive re-reading, highlighting, and massed practice are examples of the last category).

**Stage 2 - Identify the most costly gap.** What is the single most significant divergence between how this person studies and what the evidence says is effective? What retention or understanding is being lost as a result?

**Stage 3 - The two changes.** Based on the evidence, what are the two changes that would most improve this person's retention without requiring a complete overhaul of their approach? Give each change as a specific instruction with a starting point for this week.
</task>

<output_format>
- Three clearly labelled stages
- Stage 1 as a short table: method, classification (evidence-backed / partially supported / contradicted), brief note
- Stages 2 and 3 as paragraphs
- Stage 3 with two specific, actionable instructions in bold
- Tone: evidence-precise, constructive, no study-habit evangelism
</output_format>