This is a model and outline of how to learn the Gemara based on the sefer of Rabbi Abenson (a student of Rav Mattisyahu Solomon), Rav Yitzchak Kanpanton, "Darchei Hatalmud," and Rabbi Nosson Stein's style of Torah study.
First, get your Gemara, open it up, sit in a comfortable spot, remove distractions, and take your technology out of your pockets, for studies show that the possibility of oncoming distractions also distracts.
Begin with a short section of the Gemara, about ten lines or so, and read it aloud twice or thrice in a singsong chant. Four times is ample.
Now, Translate every word into your common tongue, English, Yiddish, or Hebrew. Follow the most basic meaning you can come up with. To help with translation, rack your brain for other times you have seen this same word and try to translate it based on context. Look for the root of the word and build on that. If you need more help, ask a friend or teacher.
Now, move on to the next step: try to make sense of the text, stay as precise as possible, and remove any filler words or pre-assumptions. Refrain from explaining the Gemara according to how you can make it make sense, be strict, and let the Gemara speak. Ensure you are as clear as possible and can outline a general theme of the Gemara to an inexperienced fellow.
Now and only now, glance towards the inner margin and see how Rashi explains the Gemara. Compare his understanding to yours, and utilize Rashi as a yardstick of truth. (Rashi is well known to have written with divine inspiration and precision, and the terse nature of the commentary requires due contemplation to enjoy fully) Then, decipher what bothered Rashi and what point he is coming to address. Remember that Rashi only comments when something needs explaining; if he doesn't comment, you have enough information to understand the Gemara without him.
Things to look for in Rashi: Recognize his Dibur Hamaschil (comment heading), and wait to move forward with your studies before clarifying every nuance and subtlety in Rashi's commentary. This will aid you when you begin to study and spar with Tosafos.
Remember, clarity makes study enjoyable. When you journey through the Gemara through the lens of these super brilliant and saintly Torah scholars, who were perfect and precise in their wording and engaged in verbal warfare to discover the truth of God's will, you will learn how to think critically, search for the truth, and make your mind synonymous with God's will.
If you are stuck on a certain section, try Rambam's work Mishneh Torah to clarify the topic before returning to a piece of Talmud again. However, some scholars will finish the full topic before opening Rambam to begin reworking the Gemara, according to Rambam, and to uncover how Rambam came to his halachic conclusion. Often, this requires a more in-depth or distinct perspective.
Try teaching the Gemara using a voice recorder to ensure you understand it and see the steps the Gemara took. You can also write the steps down step-by-step. Utilizing diagrams and charts will also help keep things simple and clear.
Now that you have a basic knowledge of the Gemara look at the outside gloss, which will be Rashi's grandsons, whom we call "Tosafos." They often compare and contrast this piece of Gemara to different sections of Gemara that require distinctions to bring harmony between these two Gemaras.
To fully maximize the study of Tosafos, proper understanding, and research of the section of Gemara that Tosafos asks from must be understood. You will find that Tosafos frequently questions Rashi's interpretation, so be sure to recall subtitles noticed in Rashi that you saw earlier where Rashi may have addressed questions that will be proposed regarding his interpretation. For possible questions on Tosafos's concerns and for assistance with Tosfos's new deductions, see the Maharsha.
Understanding the Gemara according to how the Rishonim understood it is one of the central pursuits of Gemara learning. To widen the subject, see Rashba and Ritva for further explanations and other questions addressed and posed. It would be smart to compare Rishonim's opinions to Rashi and Tosafos's to see where they differ and to begin to ponder what caused them to take different routes.
The writings of the Rif, Rosh, and Rambam should studied to find Gemara's practical law, conclusion, and straightforward Halacha. For a codification of practical law with definitive and exact decisions, see Tur and Beis Yosef's detailed commentary. For an index of the law and brief conclusions, see Shulchan Aruch and Rema.