Studying 101

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Studying 101

• Studying is not something that comes naturally to
  any of us.
• We have to learn how to study and then practice
  it until it becomes as automatic as breathing.
• Its best to learn how to study efficiently now,
  so that when we hit a class that is
  particularly challenging we are can rise to the
  challenge
• We must learn to study smarter not harder

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Studying 101

• You have to take responsibility for your own
  learning.
• You could blame it on everything else
• the teacher is boring
• the class is too hard
• the textbook doesnt make sense
• the presentations are boring
• the teacher doesnt care about my grade
• But who is ultimately responsible for learning
  the material and earning the grade?

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Studying 101

• We have all picked up some study habits at this
  point
• Some are effective, while others are simply
  inefficient
• Its important to determine what works and
  continue those, but also to determine the what
  doesnt and to nip those in the bud
• Here are some tried and true and quick-fix
  methods to improve your study habits

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Studying 101

• A common mistake is that students dont when to
  start studying.
• Effective studying should be something thats
  done continuously
• Studying doesnt happen the night before the
  test.
• Studying begins as early as in the classroom when
  you are taking notes.
• You need to strive to be an Active Learner

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Be An Active Learner

• Before you come into class you need to be
  mentally prepared for learning.
• Test yourself over the previous lecture the night
  before the next class.
• Review your notes, and look over your homework to
  see what questions you might have for the next
  day.
• Do what you can to improve physical and mental
  alertness by getting a good night sleep and
  eating some breakfast.

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Be An Active Learner

• Come into class intending to listen.
• Resist distractions, emotional reactions, and
  boredom.
• There are always distractions going on in a
  classroom so its all in your attitude.
• During class listen for the structure and
  information in the lecture.
• Pay attention for verbal, postural, and visual
  clues to whats important
• Label important points and organiza-tional clues
  main points, examples.

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Be An Active Learner

• When possible translate the lecture into your own
  words
• try to own the concepts, make them yours.
• use the margins to leave yourself reminders
• PLEASE ask questions if you dont understand
  whats presented.
• Your best weapon for understanding is to get
  things clarified
• Get in the habit of raising your hand and asking
  for help

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Be An Active Learner

• Listen carefully to information given toward the
  end of the class
• Summary statements may be of part-icular value in
  highlighting main points
• When appropriate, clear up any questions you have
  of the material by asking either the teacher or
  your classmates.
• Fill in missing points or misunderstood terms
  from text or other sources.

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Be An Active Learner

• Do more than fill in missing infor-mation in your
  notes
• Label main points by adding recall clues (circle
  them, underline them, do something)
• Jot down any questions that occur to you to
  get answered later
• Label pictures (why was a graph shown, what was
  the focus of an illustration, etc.)
• Pay special attention to any connect-ions you
  recognize with previously presented material

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General Study Tips

• Continuously, review your notes glancing at
  your recall clues
• Quiz yourself continuously.
• Try writing your own test questions.
• Plan two hours of study time per hour spent in
  classSeriously
• There are exceptions, but this is a good general
  rule.
• It takes a lot of time effort to learn
  Chemistry, Math, Social Studies, and English, you
  cant learn anything if you dont devote time to
  it outside of class

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General Study Tips

• Study difficult (or boring) subjects 1st
• If your chemistry problems put you to sleep - get
  to them first, while you are still fresh
• Most of us tend to do what we like first, yet the
  courses we find most difficult require the most
  creative energy
• Save the subjects you enjoy for later.

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General Study Tips

• Avoid scheduling marathon study sessions.
• Cramming doesnt work very well for anyone, and
  it is next to impossible to get an A by the Cram
  method
• Study in shorter sessionsthree
  3-hour sessions are far more productive for most
  students than one 9-hour session
• When you do study in long sessions, take a
  planned break every hour
• Work on several subjects and avoid studying
  similar subjects back to back

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General Study Tips

• Be aware of your best time of the day
• Many students learn best when the sun is up, once
  the sun goes down it is a natural indication for
  your body and mind that its time for sleep
• Observe yourself and, if this is true of you,
  schedule study time for your most difficult
  subjects during daylight
• Or be sure to study in a bright room

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General Study Tips

• Use your waiting time.
• We all spend a lot of time waiting for the next
  thing to happen, use that time
• Waiting for the bus, waiting for popcorn to pop,
  waiting for text message to be answered, waiting
  during commercials, etc
• Any amount of time is beneficial
• Have short study tasks available for just these
  occasions
• Carry 3x5 cards of equations, formulas, or key
  terms, etc. available

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General Study Tips

• Use time between classes or breaks during work to
  review class notes
• Review, review, review, - if youre sick of
  looking at it youre almost there.
• A solid review of a lecture can be completed in
  15 minutes, and even 5 minutes can be
  valuable if you are prepared
• Use your time tracker or day-planner.
• Keep track of all your assignments, tests, and
  papers due dates
• Keep track of when papers are returned and your
  grade on each

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General Study Tips

• Make a weekly to-do list of important tasks and
  assignments that you need to complete
• Be sure to prioritize the list and do the most
  important tasks first.
• Use a regular study area
• Using the same place to study day after day, your
  body becomes trained
• Arriving at that particular place, cues your
  mind that its time to study focusing your
  concentration more quickly

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General Study Tips

• Dont get too comfortable
• You want a spot that is well-lit, contains a
  comfortable seat, with lots of flat space to
  spread out materials
• Like a kitchen table
• Put yourself into a situation where your mind
  stays alert
• Consider a study group
• A study group forces you to articulate concepts
  and makes review more fun and productive
• It also helps you avoid procrastination

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General Study Tips

• Pay attention to your attention
• Breaks in concentration are often caused by
  internal interruptions
• Your own thoughts jump in to distract, especially
  if you arent used to concentrating
• If this happens too often, try a different study
  time or place
• Dont do major studying in front of the TV
• Its just too distracting commercials are
  designed to grab your attention

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General Study Tips

• Turn off the stereo
• Many students insist that they study better with
  music, but it should be carefully selected and
  controlled music
• It should only be background music, so the volume
  should be low
• You dont want a lot of breaks or interruptions
  (like commercials), so it is reasonable to listen
  to a familiar cd
• The overwhelming majority of research indicates
  that silence is the best form of music for study

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General Study Tips

• For math based subjects, like Chemistry
• PleasePleasePlease review your homework
  problems, and any problems done in class.
• Print out a blank version from the website and
  rework several of them and check yourself
• Do not just do the easy ones, its the hard ones
  that will help you the most for tests
• If you dont understand how to work something,
  come in and get help!

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General Study Tips

• If you get stuck ask what
  can I accomplish toward my goal?
• This is a good technique to use on large,
  imposing jobs
• Pick out one small accomplishment, then do it
• The satisfaction of getting one thing done often
  spurs you on to get one more thing done
• Meanwhile the job gets smaller

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General Study Tips

• If you get stuck ask yourself is
  this a piano?
• OrIs perfection necessary?
• A piano must be perfect if it is to make
  beautiful music
• If you can complete a job 95 perfect in two
  hours, and 100 in four hours
• Is the additional 5 improvement worth doubling
  the time spent.
• Sometimes a tiny mistake can ruin an entire lab
  experiment, so accept lower standards where
  appropriate, especially when time is short

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General Study Tips

• If you get stuck ask yourself how did I
  just waste time?
• Notice when time gets away from you
• Review your actions and note the specific way you
  wasted time
• We operate by habit and tend to waste time in the
  same ways over and over again
• When you notice things you do that kills your
  time, you are more likely to catch yourself in
  the act next time
• Observing one small quirk may save you hours

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General Study Tips

• If you get stuck ask yourself can I do
  just one more thing?
• Ask yourself this question at the end of a long
  day
• Almost always you will have enough energy to do
  just one more short task
• If you get in the habit of working until you are
  tired, and then doing just one more thing
• those end-of-the-day tasks will soon add up
• The overall increase in your productivity will
  surprise you

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Listening Skills

• You can think about 4 times faster than a
  lecturer can speak
• Effective listening requires the expenditure of
  energy to compen-sate for the rate of the
  presentation
• You have to be INTENTIONAL about listening
• In chemistry, listening will be the primary
  source of information.
• Listening is a skill which must be practiced and
  developed.

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Listening Skills

• Be an active listener and get the most out of
  attending the lecture.
• Concentrate on what the speaker is saying.
• Determine internally why what the speaker is
  saying is important
• If you dont have an immediate, vivid reason for
  listening to a speaker, you are an unmotivated
  listener
• Practice the habit of paying attention.

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Listening Skills

• Prepare to get the most out of lecture by
  reviewing the important points from the previous
  lecture.
• Determine what you know and dont know about the
  material in order to focus your listening as an
  opportunity for learning.
• Listen for the pattern of organization in the
  lecture
• Does it begin or end with a summary of the main
  concepts, themes, or ideas?

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Listening Skills

• How are details or examples used to develop
  specific points?
• What is the relationship between points presented
• Ask yourself
• What questions does this lecture answer?
• What are possible exam questions that information
  from lectures could be used to answer?
• What is the relationship between the lectures and
  any labs or activities done?

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Listening Skills

• Not everything is equally important in lecture.
• Hold yourself accountable for being selective and
  differentiating between levels of importance.
• Organize your note-taking as a way to review
• Test your understanding of major ideas
• Get a partner and quiz each other when preparing
  for exams

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Homework

• Email your answers to these questions, to me by
  next blockThe subject line must contain your
  name (First and Last and the block you have
  chemistry)
• What are three of your normal study habits?
• What are two of the tips in this presentation
  that you might incorporate into your study
  habits?
• Give me your strategy for becoming an Active
  Learner.
• Give me your strategy for being a better listener.