EFFECTIVE STUDY

EFFECTIVE HABITS FOR EFFECTIVE STUDY

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You can prepare yourself to succeed in your studies.

Try to develop and appreciate the following habits:

o o

Take responsibility for yourself

Recognize that in order to succeed you need to make decisions about your priorities, your time, and your resources

Center yourself around your values and principles

Don't let friends and acquaintances dictate what you consider important o o

Put first things first

Follow up on the priorities you have set for yourself, and don't let others, or other interests, distract you from your goals

Discover your key productivity periods and places

Morning, afternoon, or evening?

Find spaces where you can be the most focused and productive.

Prioritize these for your most difficult study challenges

EFFECTIVE HABITS FOR EFFECTIVE STUDY

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Consider yourself in a win-win situation

When you contribute your best to a class, you, your fellow students, and even your teacher will benefit. Your grade can then be one additional check on your performance o o

First understand others, then attempt to be understood

When you have an issue with an instructor (a questionable grade, an assignment deadline, etc.) put yourself in the instructor's place.

Now ask yourself how you can best make your argument given his/her situation

Look for better solutions to problems

For example, if you don't understand the course material, don't just re -read it. Try something else! Consult with the professor, a tutor, an academic advisor, a classmate, a study group, or your school's study skills center o

Look to continually challenge yourself

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Partially adapted from the audio cassette by Steven Covey,

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

"A.S.P.I.R.E." A STUDY SYSTEM

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A: Approach/attitude/arrange

o Approach your studies with a positive attitude o Arrange your schedule to eliminate distractions

S: Select/survey/scan

o Select a reasonable chunk of material to study o o Survey the headings, graphics, pre- and post questions to get an overview Scan the text for keywords and vocabulary: mark what you don ’ t understand

"A.S.P.I.R.E." A STUDY SYSTEM

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P: Piece together the parts:

o Put aside your books and notes o Piece together what you've studied, either alone, with a study pal or group: summarize what you understand.

I: Investigate/inquire/inspect:

o Investigate alternative sources of information you can refer to: other text books, websites, experts, tutors, etc.

o Inquire from support professionals (academic support, librarians, tutors, teachers, experts,) and other resources for assistance o Inspect what you did not understand.

"A.S.P.I.R.E." A STUDY SYSTEM

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R: Reexamine/reflect/relay Reexamine the content | Reflect on the material | Relay understanding

o o Reexamine: What questions are there yet to ask? Is there something I am missing? Reflect: How can I apply this to my project? Is there a new application for it? o Relay: Can I explain this to my fellow students? Will they understand it better if I do?

E: Evaluate/examine/explore:

o o Evaluate your grades on tests and tasks: look for a pattern Examine your progress: toward achieving your goals o Explore options: with a teacher, support professional, tutor, parent if you are not satisfied.

INDEX STUDY SYSTEM

• Here is a method of studying that gives you an accurate perception of how well you know the material, and forces you to think about it, rather than just look over it.

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Review your notes and readings frequently, so the material is "fresh"

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As you're reading your text or reviewing your notes,

write down questions about the material.

Imagine you're teaching the course. What questions would you ask on the exam?

Keep track of any terms you need to know

TRY THE INDEX CARD SYSTEM:

1.

Write each question or term on the back of an index card

2.

On the front of each index card,

write an answer

or an explanation for the question or term on the back.

Use your notes and text for a reference, but put the answer or explanation in your own words whenever possible

3.

Shuffle the index cards

so you can't figure out any answers based on their location in the deck

4.

Look at the card on the top of the deck:

Try to answer the question or explain the term. If you know it, great! Put it on the bottom of the deck. If you don't know it, look at the answer, and put it a few cards down in the deck (so you'll come back to it soon)

5.

Proceed through the deck of cards until you know all of the information

SOME TIPS:

o o o o

Carry your cards with you everywhere.

Take advantage of little pockets of time. Test yourself while you're waiting on line, riding the bus, etc.

If you think you know an answer

, but can't put it into words, you probably don't know it well enough.

Explaining the information is a good way to be sure that you know it. It's also a good way to prevent test anxiety

Test yourself someplace where nobody can see you

and recite the answers out loud. That's the best way to be sure that you can explain them

Study with a friend from your class.

You can share ideas and help each other out with concepts. You can use each other to make sure that you're explaining your answers adequately

CREATE, AND STUDY WITH, FLASHCARDS

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This simple study technique has proved to be one of the most effective study strategies for memorizing

• Using flash cards is a very effective strategy for studying.

Flash cards are two-sided study aids that have a cue, a question, a concept on one side, and the � answer � on the other or opposite side:

CREATE, AND STUDY WITH, FLASHCARDS

CREATE, AND STUDY WITH, FLASHCARDS

o o Effective in quick or brief periods of time and cost-effective in terms of time and money “Chunked” in small packs (Rule of 7-9 items) and convenient study tool at bus stops, on walks, in a line, etc.

o Use individually, paired, or in a group o Alternatively as a simple 3 x 5 card or a computerized program o ...as a handy note-taking strategy o ...as a matching game

CREATE, AND STUDY WITH, FLASHCARDS

o Increase the difficulty by putting easy ones aside and focusing on the more difficult o Useful for a quick review o Instead of words, use pictures, illustrations, etc.

o Take advantage of alternate learning styles and use when walking or pacing, talking out loud, etc. • Scatter about a room for visualized identity or the “Method of places

STUDYING WITH MULTIPLE SOURCES

Lectures

by teacher or guests

Interviews and biographies

eyewitness accounts or commentaries

Electronic media

such as videos, radio programs

Textbooks Duplicates/hand-outs

of (text) chapters, magazine articles

Fictional story/novels Internet

web site pages, discussion groups

Original source material

as diaries, government documents, proceedings, minutes

STUDYING WITH MULTIPLE SOURCES

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Text books

o provide a foundation of facts and viewpoints to provide an overview o sequence information and facts to understand issues o create a context for comparing and understanding other sources o are written in a neutral, objective tone

STUDYING WITH MULTIPLE SOURCES

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Problems with a single text

for a subject or course include: o information is often "academic" lacking the drama of real life experience, adventure, and experimentation o bias is hidden or concealed ignoring competing facts, priorities, minority viewpoints o a single interpretation limits how reported facts are prioritized/sequenced restricting viewpoint (Euro/Caucasian) or subject testing (white male) o original/eyewitness sources of information are secondary to interpretative accounts

STUDYING WITH MULTIPLE SOURCES

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Additional readings and alternative sources

of information can assist you to o

create a richer understanding

with additional information and perspective o

interact or engage with facts, actors, circumstances

of the material o

practice and familiarize

yourself with new subject vocabulary and concepts o

process opposing, even conflicting

, points of view in order to assess, evaluate, defend

STUDYING WITH MULTIPLE SOURCES

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Conflicting information however can impede your learning,

unless you can o

analyze it

for commonalties o

reorganize or synthesize

your model for understanding it o

consider the impact of, and evaluate, conflicts

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filter it with athe context presented in the basic text

STUDYING WITH MULTIPLE SOURCES

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Some Recommendations:

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Read your text

to provide the factual framework from which to begin (see also Taking notes from a text book ) o o

Proceed to shorter, more focused sources

of information especially if you are inexperienced in the subject

Practice with multiple texts

to improve your evaluative skills:  compare and contrast your sources  analyze them for bias or viewpoint  note when and where they were written, and how that affects the viewpoint o o

Understand the connections

between events, actors, and circumstances rather than learn a series of "facts" which can be easily be forgotten

Use in-class or on-line discussion time

to test your understanding and ask questions!

CREDITS

• • Inspired and adapted from the study "What Happens When Students Read Multiple Source Documents in History?" Co-authors: Steven A. Stahl, Cynthia R. Hynd, Bruce K. Britton, Mary M. McNish (University of Georgia) and Dennis Bosquet (Clarke County School District) as found at http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/clic/nrrc/hist_r45.html

(May 11, 00).

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