Transcript WELCOME TO POLY PREP’S UPPER SCHOOL

WELCOME TO POLY PREP’S
UPPER SCHOOL
In this workshop, you’ll learn the tools, tricks and
techniques to set you up for success in this
awesome, but academically rigorous school.
THE LEARNING CENTER AT POLY
The Learning Center is a comfy, cozy place
 There is a lot of cool technology there: use it!
 It’s open during the school day (when you have
frees) and after school until 6:00, Mon - Thurs
 You can come in any time to work
 We are around all day and after school as well, if
you want to schedule a meeting
 We work with ALL Poly students!
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TODAY’S SESSION: THE BASICS
First, we will talk about:
Organization and creating systems that work
 A quick touch planners and time management
 What to expect in the first days and weeks at
Poly’s Upper School
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THEN, WE WILL GET INTO THE
“MEAT AND POTATOES”
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We will discuss in depth and with specificity:
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Time management
Note taking
Getting info in (active study strategies and tricks)
Getting info out (test taking strategies and tricks)
Advocacy
Metacognition
Anything else you need to know? Just ask!
ORGANIZATION
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Does this backpack
look familiar to you?
NIGHTMARE!
Creating systems
that work for you,
and maintaining
those systems, will
be critical.
ORGANIZATION: MUST-HAVES
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A calendar planner: to keep track of short-term
and long-term project (more on that in a minute)
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A place to take notes for each class
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A place to store handouts
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A place to store returned work
ORGANIZATION: POPULAR CHOICES
Multi-subject or
single-subject spiral
notebooks
 Binder for multiple
classes
 Stand-along folders
for handouts
 Folders in notebooks
 Accordion file
 Binder for each class
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Con: handouts and
returned work tend to
get lost; messy edges
 Con: things tend to
get mixed up
 Lots of handouts =
danger of overstuffing,
ripping and losing!
 Ok, but not ideal
 OUR FAVORITE!!
Here’s why…
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THE IDEAL: A BINDER, DIVIDED
Use a small three ring binder for each class
(though some put English and Language in
one…)
 Divide WITH DIVIDERS into sections for notes,
handouts, tests and quizzes
 Hole-punch everything and put it in the proper
place! (Avoid over-stuffing the cover pockets.)
 Clean out the binder after completing a unit (but
keep everything!!)
 Many of your teachers will require this type of
system
 Take a look at our sample binder. (Ain’t it perty?)
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WORRIED ABOUT BREAKING YOUR BACK
WITH HEAVY BINDERS?
HERE’S A GREAT SOLUTION!
NOW TAKE A LOOK AT
THIS BACKPACK…
AHHHH. THAT’S NICE.
PLANNER: DO I REALLY NEED ONE?
Yes, you really really do. Here’s why:
You are going to get a lot of work.
 You are going to have a lot of long-term projects.
 You are going to (and should!) have lots of extracurricular activities that eat up lots of time.
 You are expected to keep track of and manage all
of this independently (though we are here to help
if you need us!)
 The planner is a must-have in order to do this!
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OKAY. I NEED A PLANNER. BUT
HOW BEST TO USE IT EFFECTIVELY?
GLAD YOU ASKED!
For nightly homework, write the assignment on
the due date. (I know you know this already…)
 For long-term projects, write the due-date, but
break the project down into parts (e.g.,
brainstorming, outlining, drafting), each with
their own due date. We can help with this!
 Write down EVERYTHING you have scheduled
in your planner (doctor appointments, games,
play practice, etc.)!
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WAIT: Why would I need to write
EVERYTHING down in my planner?
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To effectively manage your time each night.
To effectively manage your time each week, and to really see
a big picture of what the weeks looks like. If this week is
light but next week is crazy, you can avoid some crazy by
getting a jump on that work.
This will help you to effectively manage your time each day
(i.e., a free period to goof off vs. one where you really need to
do some work).
It will also help you stay on top of your work, and your life!
More on time management soon!
CREATING POSITIVE SYSTEMS
WE ARE ALL CREATURES OF HABIT; MAKE
YOUR HABITS COUNT AND WORK FOR YOU!
When you get into class, the binder and planner
should always be on your desk.
 Have homework due out and ready to hand in.
(Don’t do the work and then forget to turn it in!)
 Use your locker, but be sure you have everything
you need when you go home each night! CHECK
YOUR PLANNER as you pack up.
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ALSO: YOUR HOME WORKSPACE
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Avoid this….
…and this…
Make sure your home workspace is
as free from distractions as possible.
Have all materials and books ready.
Keep the space clean and free of
clutter!
WHAT TO EXPECT…
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You will have a lot of
work.
The work will be
challenging, but
rewarding – and,
sometimes, even fun!
Your teachers want to
help you do your
best…so let them!
Your teachers all have
Google sites: use them!
Don’t let fear of the
workload keep you from
joining extra-curriculars.
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It will start right away.
Expect to hit the ground
running.
Do your best to not fall
behind: ask for help if
you find yourself
slipping!
You will have a syllabus
for each class. This is
sacred!
DON’T PANIC! You can
handle the workload!
HERE’S AN EXAMPLE OF ONE
(AWESOME) TEACHER’S GOOGLE SITE
So, you have your planner…
…your binders…
…your syllabi…
…and your teachers’ websites.
You should never miss a deadline or lose a
document!
…But most do, at some point.
METACOGNITION
What is it?
Why should I care?
What kind of a learner am I?
Let’s find out!
*Note: this is not a definitive assessment tool, but a way to start
thinking about yourself as a learner. This can help you maximize
the tricks we are about to give you to make things easier!
METACOGNITION
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Teachers have their own learning styles, too –
and often they teach how they themselves best
learn.
Being aware of the kinds of strategies that work
best for you and your learning style is important!
There is no one-size-fits-all for academic work.
TIME MANAGEMENT
From A Review of The Checklist Manifesto (New York
Times best seller):
“Gawande visits with surgeons, pilots and the people who
build skyscrapers and comes back with a solution. Experts
need checklists--literally--written guides that walk them
through the key steps in any complex procedure.”
Make a checklist every night
 Do hardest and least enjoyable FIRST
 Build in breaks (per research!)
 Estimate time you expect a task to take, as well
as actual time it took
 As you work, pay attention to your attention!
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SO, THE CHECKLIST MIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS:
TO DO
History: read ten pages and
answer questions
ESTIMAT ACTUAL
ED TIME
TIME
30 minutes 40
minutes
NOTES
Math: do page 24, # 1 – 174 even
15 minutes 1 hour and I worked with a friend
10
via Video chat for 45
minutes
minutes
English: make an outline and
write intro
30 minutes 20
minutes
Spanish: make study guide and
study
25 minutes 5 minutes
Got tired, will study
more in the morning
NOTETAKING
We urge you to rewrite your
notes each night (to study
them, to fill in blanks, to
ensure you understand the
material)!
 Note-taking methods:
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Cornell Style (see handout)
 Outline Method: best used
on rewrite
 Mapping
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Trouble listening and
writing at the same time?
Try the Livescribe.
GETTING INFORMATION IN: ACTIVE READING
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Focus on one task at a time! Multitasking is
cognitively impossible.
Beware of passive reading!
Use headings, sidebars, lists, pictures… (see
history book example)
Read the questions first, but avoid just looking
for the answers. You will need to know it all,
eventually!
Take notes, annotate, use post-its, keep lists (e.g.
characters on the inside of the front cover)
Use different colors for the main ideas and the
details
GETTING INFORMATION IN: ACTIVE STUDYING
Never, ever, ever, ever cram. Memory doesn’t
work like that!
B- Break memorizing into short periods
R- Recite information out loud
E- Establish pneumonics
A- Always picture the information
K- Key words help
GETTING INFORMATION IN: ACTIVE STUDYING
(continued)
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Flashcards: ok, but be careful!
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Quizlet: pretty awesome
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Reword/reformat/rewrite
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Triple note tote (main idea, detail, strategy to
remember)
REMEMBER: The more time and energy you
put into studying along the way, the more will
get into long term memory, and the easier
midterms will be.
GETTING INFORMATION IN: ACTIVE STUDYING
(continued)
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Take breaks, move around, walk to trigger long
term memory
Use the text websites, especially the chapter
quizzes! (bio, history)
Review sheets! (See example)
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When to start studying them?
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What to do with them? (red, yellow, green)
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How to use them?
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What to do with them after the exam?
GETTING INFORMATION OUT: TEST
TAKING STRATEGIES
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Multiple Choice Tests
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Cover answers and come up with your own
Eliminate answers you know are wrong (cross out)
Read all the choices
When in doubt, make an educated guess
Often there are two similar answers, and usually the
correct answer is one of those.
Don’t keep changing your mind! Usually the first
choice is the right choice.
For “all of the above,” if you are certain one of the
statements is false it is not all of the above.
Be careful of NOT questions!
GETTING INFORMATION OUT: TEST
TAKING STRATEGIES
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Fill in the blank and matching
Do the ones you are sure you know first
Cross out the used terms
 Narrow it down as much as you can, and then make an
educated guess if need be
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Essay and short answer questions
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Often you select which to answer; read them all!
Put the question into your own words
Underline directive words in the question (compare, contrast,
etc.)
Always bullet-point your essay prior to writing
Use words from the question in your essay
Reread the question to ensure you are answering all parts
It is better to know a little and present it well, then to know
much and present it poorly!
Run out of time? Write your outline at the end!
GETTING INFORMATION OUT: TEST
TAKING STRATEGIES
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General Test Taking Strategies
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Budget your time, but don’t hyper-focus on the clock
If your attention wanes, move your body a bit.
Try to visualize where you saw the information on the
page when you studied it.
Mark those questions you guessed at or think you got
wrong, to go back to if time permits but also to focus on
later.
At the end of the test, always predict your grade and
write it down on the last page!
After the test, conduct an error analysis.
What did you get wrong? Were errors in line with the ones
you marked as guesses?
 Any patterns emerge?
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SAVE ALL TESTS AND QUIZZES!!
SELF ADVOCACY
When the going gets tough, the tough ask for help.
Mr. Cox
 Dr. Ezra
 Deans (Ms. Davidson,
Mr. Soodik)
 Coaches, teachers
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Nurse Murphy, John
the Trainer
 Learning Specialists
(Ms. Raska, Mr.
Burkhart, Ms. Bayer,
Mr. Steele)
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SELF ADVOCACY
PRO-ACTIVE VS. RE-ACTIVE CONVERSATIONS
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I wrote down
 I can’t believe I failed
everything you had on
the quiz! We never
the board today, but vs. covered this. I don’t
this one point I don’t
understand these
get.
points.
I’m having a hard
 I just bombed two
time staying on top of vs. tests because I haven’t
my workload and I’m
been able to do the
staying up much too
work, and I’m too
late at night
tired to concentrate!
SELF ADVOCACY
PRO-ACTIVE VS. RE-ACTIVE CONVERSATIONS
Here’s one we hear in the Learning Center often: “I
feel totally disorganized and I am not at all confident in
my study skills.”
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Pro-active: when this
comes up in September
or October and we have
time to figure out
strategies that work.
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vs.
Re-active: when this
comes up three days
before midterms!
(Better late than never,
but better earlier than
later.)
ANY QUESTIONS?
COME SEE US OR EMAIL US ANY TIME!