Transcript Document

STUDY HABITS
DEVELOPMENT
In almost all college
courses, if you really
don’t like to read,
you are in serious
trouble.
Your study habits formed in high school may steer
you toward failure because you’ve never experienced
what it takes to perform at the college level.
That’s why the freshman year is the hardest year you
will ever experience in college.
It takes about one year
to learn how to learn
at a college level.
An hour of study is defined as
studying for 45 minutes and
a break of 15 minutes.
If you were offered $1,000,000 to earn an A in a
college course, could you accomplish the goal?
Probably!
Why?
You don’t have to be a genius to graduate
from college. You have to work hard, be
persistent, and pay attention to details.
These traits are ultimately why a college
degree is valuable.
A college degree demonstrates your
capacity to learn.
Here are some pointers to
help you improve your
study habits…
Survey
Before you start your learning task,
read over the major headings and
summaries of the chapters in the
textbook. This gives you a feeling for
the whole picture and to what
material you should pay attention to
while reading the chapters.
Research shows that students who
do this make higher grades, and this
simple step may be the most
powerful thing you can do.
Reading, underlining, and taking notes:
You must always be ahead of
your teacher in your reading.
As you read the material, take
written notes and underline. Use only
the left half of the page. Transfer to
the right side of the paper comments
your teacher made about the
material during lecture.
(The Cornell System!)
Don’t highlight or underline main
points while you read.
Most students make too many marks.
Wait until you've finished a paragraph
or section, then mark.
Research shows that the
more different ways you
present information to the brain
the easier it is to learn.
In other words,
• hear it
• see it
• say it
• write it
• practice it
• highlight it
• quiz it (with flashcards, etc.).
Underlining is a skill that must be developed.
The tools of underlining should vary based on
your preference. Use highlighters or colored pens.
One study skills expert recommends red and blue
felt tip pens. Use red for extremely important
material or to offset important material, and blue
for moderately important material.
You should use a pink and yellow highlighter when
reading the material the second time.
The 3"x5" card system
Using the colors of red and blue, make
3"x5" cards, putting the vocabulary of the
course, long lists of items, experiments,
and lecture items on the cards.
Key words should be written in red.
Put one theory, concept, or vocabulary
word per card.
The biggest problem with textbooks and
lecture notes is that we cannot separate
the material that we know from the
material that we do not know.
Because of this, we waste hours
studying what we already know, rather
than concentrating our valuable time on
what we do not know.
Writing the material
stores the information
in the brain in a way that
is not normally used.
On the back of the card, write the
definition of the material on the front.
After numbering the cards so you can put
them back in order later on, you should
start studying the cards until you feel you
know the material.
Now turn the cards over and try
and answer your fill-in-the-blanks orally.
If you get the questions right,
place the material into a
"I know this material” stack.
Now continue working on the
material that you don't know until you can
answer the questions on all the cards.
The process of reading and deciding if the
material is important enough to be
underlined increases memory for that
material. It is the decision and thinking that
creates the memory.
Reread
If you are not comprehending an idea,
go back and reread.
Restate difficult ideas in your own words.
Say the idea again in a different way.
READ to the end.
Don’t get discouraged and stop reading.
Ideas can become clearer the more you
read. When you finish reading, review to
see what you have learned, and reread
those ideas that are not clear.
Audio option
The more different ways that the
material to be learned can be
experienced, the easier it is to
remember the material. If you have
time, read the material that you have
underlined to a tape recorder. Then
play back and listen to it.
Overlearning:
The more you overlearn the material,
the easier it is to take a test with confidence
and in a relaxed manner. In addition, the more
you overlearn something, the longer you will
remember it.
Do rote memory tasks and
review, especially details, just
before you fall asleep.
Study with a friend.
Quiz each other, compare notes and
predict test questions.
What are the colors of the rainbow
– in order?
Chunking: An effective way to simplify
and make information more
meaningful. For example, suppose you
wanted to remember the colors in the
visible spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow,
Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet); you would
have to memorize seven "chunks" of
information in order. But if you take the
first letter of each color, you can spell
the name "Roy G. Biv", and reduce the
information to three "chunks".
Acronyms and Acrostics: (for
information involving key words)
An acronym is an invented
combination of letters. Each letter is a
cue to an idea you need to remember.
Example: BRASS is an acronym for how
to shoot a rifle--Breath, Relax, Aim,
Sight, Squeeze.
An acrostic is an invented
sentence where the first letter of
each word is a cue to an idea you
need to remember. Example:
EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FUN
is an acrostic to remember the
order of G-clef notes on sheet
music--E, G, B, D, F.
Applications of private speech (saying this
stuff to yourself, either silently or out loud) in
learning include;
•memorizing vocabulary by saying the
words out loud
•appreciating poetry by "dramatizing" it
•editing papers by reading the text aloud
• talking through math problems to arrive
at solutions
Other Really Great Tips…
"I'm Gonna Stay Up All Night 'til I Get This"
Avoid Mental Exhaustion. Take short breaks
often when studying. Before a test, have a
rested mind. When you take a study break,
and just before you go to sleep at night, don't
think about academics. Relax and unwind,
mentally and physically. Otherwise, your break
won't refresh you and you'll find yourself lying
awake at night. It's more important than ever
to take care of yourself before an exam! Eat
well, sleep, and get enough exercise.
"This Stuff Is So Dry, I Can't Even Stay
Awake Reading It"
Attack! Get actively involved with the text as
you read. Ask yourself, "What is important to
remember about this section?" Take notes or
underline key concepts. Discuss the material
with others in your class. Study together.
Stay on the offensive, especially with
material that you don't find interesting, rather
than reading passively and missing
important points.
"I Guess I Understand It"
Test yourself. Make up questions about key
sections in notes or reading. Keep in mind
what the professor has stressed in the course.
Examine the relationships between concepts
and sections. Often, simply by changing
section headings you can generate many
effective questions. For example, a section
entitled "Bystander Apathy" might be changed
into questions such as: "What is bystander
apathy?", "What are the causes of bystander
apathy?", and "What are some examples of
bystander apathy?"
Set aside a specific time to study.
Many students find it easiest to go
home, have something to eat, then
study right away, but if you have other
activities at that time you'll need to
find what works for you.
Study every day.
If you don't have
assignments to do, take a
few minutes to review
topics that you find
hardest. This may sound
like a drag, but it's good to
get into the habit of doing
it every day.
Don't do other things while you are
studying. This includes watching TV,
fixing a snack, and talking on the
phone. Some people claim they can
study better with music playing.
That's a matter of personal
preference. If it's just quiet
background music that doesn't make
you want to play the drums on your
books, it's probably not too
distracting.
Finally, ask for help if you need it.
Teachers and friends are usually
willing to go over something with you
again if you didn't quite get it
the first time.