Heavy Armor - Take damage in combat while wearing heavy armor, falling doesn't work.
Enchanting - Higher value enchants/disenchants give more XP.
Destruction - Deal damage with spells.
Soul trap works on dead bodies, granting very fast experience.
Conjuration - Cast near enemies for this to work.
Cast detect life near the living, use armor spells in combat, or use the transmute spell on iron and silver.
Alteration - More Magicka spent = more XP.
Buy out alchemy ingredients at the store, turn them into potions for profit and Alchemy levels.
Alchemy - Brewing higher value potions gives more experience.
Spells must have a valid target to gain XP, so casting detect life with noone around wouldn't work, casting destruction magic at the wall won't gain XP, and so on. Note that the weapons skills do not count damage from enchantments, or special perks toward the XP gained. Since skill levels grant the XP to level up our Dragonborn, let's look at all of Skyrim's skills and how we can gain those levels. You will notice the differences in XP gain, as your bar will move as much as 1/5 a level for a higher level skill, to barely moving at all. Lower level skills take less work, so contribute less to your character's power. So, if your Dragonborn is level 30 and gains a level in Block from 55-56, you will get much more XP toward a level than you would when raising your Alchemy from 20-21. Raising a skill gives your character an amount of XP based on that skill's level. No such methods are available to XBOX 360 and PS3 players. The stat bonuses you choose are permanent, but if you're playing on PC, a cheat exists to reset perks. You don't have to spend a perk point right away, although you do have to select between the three bonuses, one for each level you've gained since last leveling up. You'll also be granted a perk point, which can be used to invest in one of the skill trees, giving your character a bonus in a skill. Gaining a level in Skyrim means choosing between raising your Health, Magicka, or Stamina by ten points. This guide to leveling in Skyrim will teach you about the various mechanics of leveling and provide tips to helping you do so efficiently. Instead, we're given much more flexibility and still rewarded for focusing on a strong build and good leveling habits. With this simplified system, you no longer need to concern yourself with making sure you had an optimal spread of skill gains to increase attributes. Skyrim's leveling system is much more simplified, but still offers a large degree of character customization. Skyrim Leveling Guide Gaining Levels, and Earning Character/Skill Experience