Study Skills

Memory and Concentration Counselling Unit, UWI, Mona

Reading Effectively

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S

urvey 

Q

uestion 

R

ead 

R

ecite 

R

ecord 

R

eview Using the SQ4R Method

Darn! I just forgot it !

You never forget!!!!

“Forgetting” is either:  The inability to recall stored information; or  Failure to store information in the first place.

In the jungle there are animals, millions of them.

The animals represent all the information in your memory.

Imagine what happens as a thought, in this case we'll call it an elephant, tramps across short-term memory and into the jungle. The elephant leaves a trail of broken twigs and footprints that you can follow.

The more well-worn the path, the easier it is to retrieve the thought. In other words, the more often the elephant retraces the path, the clearer the path becomes.

The more often you recall information, and the more often you put the same information into your memory, the easier it is to find.

The second picture you can use to your advantage is the picture of many animals gathering at a clearing — like thoughts gathering at a central location in the memory.

It is easier to retrieve thoughts that are grouped together, just as it is easier to find a herd of animals gathered in a clearing than it is to find one elephant.

Imagine releasing the elephant into the jungle, turning your back on it, and counting to 10. When you turn around, the elephant is gone. This is exactly what happens to most information we receive.

The Solution

 Review quickly  Take an active role in the learning process become the traffic warden  Do not take your eyes off the animal as it crosses from short-term to long-term memory  Review it as soon as it enters the long-term memory jungle  Wear a path in your memory

Memory Techniques

Organize it  Learn from the general to the specific  Make it meaningful  Create associations

Memory Techniques cont’d

Use your body  Learn it once, actively  Relax  Create pictures  Recite and repeat  Write it down

Memory Techniques cont’d

Use your brain  Reduce interference  Use daylight (whenever possible)  Over learn

Memory Techniques cont’d

 Use your brain cont’d Use Mnemonics  Distribute learning  Be aware of attitudes

Memory Techniques cont’d

Recall it  Remember something else  Notice when you do remember  Use it before you lose it

Remember, you never forget!

Concentration

 External distractions elements in your environment  Internal distractions elements within you

Solutions

 Set aside a place for study and study only!!!

- good lighting - ventilation - comfortable - area large enough to spread out

 Divide your work into small, sub-goals - specific - manageable - reachable  Establish rewards for accomplishments

Home Work

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http://college.hmco.com/collegesurvival/ellis/maste r_student/10e/students/

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http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/html/index.

asp

References

Ellis, D. (1994) Becoming a Master Student (7th ed.) Rapid City, SD. Houghton Mifflin Co.

Ellis, D. (2003) Becoming a Master Student (10th ed.) Rapid City, SD. Houghton Mifflin Co.

The SQ4R Method of Study http://gwired.gwu.edu/counsel/asc/improve/study/ 01/10/03

Division of Student Affairs, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University.

Concentration – Some Basic Guidelines

http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/concentr.html

02/08/2001 University of Waterloo Counselling Services.

Concentration & Distraction

http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infocs/Study/concentration.html

02/08/2001