STUDY SKILLS

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STUDY SKILLS

• A STUDENTS SURVIVAL GUIDE

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The Power of Learning

• Many of us assume learning is something we SHOULD
  BE ABLE TO DO
• that some people are GOOD learners and others
  POOR LEARNERS

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Define

• - LEARNING
• - A GOOD LEARNER

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Learning

• is an ACTIVE PROCESS
• That can be learned and applied to a wide variety
  of situations
• (not just those related to school or
• academic studies)

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Give an example

• of a learning situation that is not related to
  school or academic studies

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Improving learning skills

• People who feel they are poor learners need to
  see how the active process of learning works and
  learn how to use it when they are studying.
• In the same way, people who believe they are good
  learners may need to re-assess their methods. Are
  their methods efficient? Can they be used in a
  variety of learning situations?

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Learning to learn is a skill for life

• In a world of accelerated change and progress the
  ability to keep on learning, unlearning and
  relearning is vital for you to be successful !

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The HOW and WHY of Learning

• If you want to learn anything then you need to be
  clear about two things
• Why you want to learn it (desire)
• How to learn it (technique)

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• If you have no idea WHY you are trying to learn
  something your brain will simply say Why bother
  and turn off.
• If you dont know HOW to learn it (or worse, all
  your attempts to learn it have failed) your brain
  say Dont go there, its too hard

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The WHY is often badly affected by the HOW!

• Many of us never get as far as asking WHY we want
  to learn something because we have not learnt the
  HOW part of learning. (And thats why were
  looking at this today!). Many of us have
  experienced being taught something in a way that
  doesnt work for us. Very often we believe we
  simply cant do it, eg Im no good at spelling,
  I cant do maths etc

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Finding our own HOW of learning

• In a few minutes well look at the
• HOW of learning and
• THE WAY YOU LEARN
• (all our individual styles of learning)

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When we fix the HOW the WHY becomes much easier

• The WHY of learning
• To be successful you need to be able to answer
  3 questions
• 1. What is it that you want? (eg to know how to
  find the area of a triangle, a particular grade
  in a test?)
• 2. How much do you want it?
• 3. What are you prepared to do to get it?

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Personal wish list

• To kick start the process of building and
  motivating the WHY try to get in touch with the
  things that matter to you. Find 3-5 things under
  the following headings
• Which countries in the world would you visit if
  you knew you had one free year to do this?
• What things would you try if you knew you
  couldnt fail? (does not include robbing a bank!)
• What jobs in the world would you try if you could
  try any for one day?
• If you had complete control what five things
  would you do to make the world a better place?

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Whats in it for me?
Fear
Success
Failure, Embarassment
Choice, Freedom
Pay-off
Risk/Effort
W.I.I.F.M. (Whats in it for me?)
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Self responsibility and success

• As Henry Ford once said

Whether you think you can or think you cant,
you are probably right.
If this seems a bit confusing, it just means that
the only person in charge of how far you go is
you !
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HOW WE LEARN

• REGISTERING how to process and take in
  information.
• RETAINING how to make information stick.
• RECALLING how to make sure you can recall
  information when you need it.

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HOW WE LEARN

• By the time you were about 9 months old you had
  perfected the art of learning.
• Heres an example

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Someone shakes a rattle
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• As a 9 month old child
• You hear it
• You turn to look at it
• You reach to touch it
• You put it in your mouth to feel, taste and smell
  it

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You recognise the sound of a rattle because

• Youve listened
• Youve looked
• Youve touched
• Youve smelled and
• Youve tasted one
• as a little baby.

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This is calledMULTI-SENSORY LEARNING

• And you (and your teachers) probably used this
  technique best when you/they were about nine
  months old.
• ( By the way did you know that a babys sense
  of hearing is fully developed before they leave
  the womb! )

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USING YOUR SENSES

• One of the best ways of REGISTERING and RETAINING
  information is to use more than one sense to
  learn something. We have five senses with which
  to take in information from the outside world
• seeing,
• hearing,
• tasting,
• smelling and
• feeling

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Stock-check of learning senses

• Try to recall something you have learnt or
• remember because of the following senses
• seeing,
• hearing,
• tasting,
• smelling
• feeling
• Have you used more than one of these senses to
  learn/ or remember this?

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Learning Style Questionaire

• Read through each question
• Rate yourself against the three answers by
  putting a number in the WHITE BOX opposite each
  answer.
• 1 for 1st choice, 2 for 2nd choice and 3 for 3rd
  choice
• Use all three numbers against each question.

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Preferred learning style?
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Preferred learning style?
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Preferred learning style?
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Result of Learning Style Questionnaire

• The totals in A, B and C columns should add up to
  54. If they dont count or re-do answer again.
• If A is your lowest score you have a preference
  for VISUAL LEARNING
• If B is your lowest score you have a preference
  for AUDITORY LEARNING
• If C is your lowest score you have a preference
  for KINAESTHETIC OR PHYSICAL LEARNING

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Mix the styles for greater learning!

• Whilst we all have a preference as to learning
  style we will all learn more if we can try to use
  all or more of the senses realted to out learning
  style.
• So dont get stuck in the groove. Do a wicked mix
  (try to use other learning styles) and learn even
  more!!

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Tips for Visual Learners

• Write down key facts on fact cards that you can
  place out in front of you
• Aim to visualise what you are learning. Try to
  see a picture of the ideas or information. Eg if
  youre trying to remember Stalins 5-year plans
  try to see him sitting at his desk with the
  elements of the plan laid out in front of him
  model farms, factories and hospitals.
• Write important facts on post-it notes and stick
  them in strategic places eg on the mirror in your
  room
• Use mind maps, pictures, story boards, photo
  stories and diagrams to summarise information
• Watch relevant tv or internet video clips

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Tips for Auditory Learners

• Summarise the subject in your own words
• Read your notes out loud maybe in strange
  theatrical voices.
• Deliver your notes as a speech given to a very
  important audience
• Record your notes or the information you need to
  learn into your computer or mp3 player and play
  them back (especially just before you go to bed
• Explain the subject to other people
• (especially those that have no prior
• knowledge of the subject)
• Try to hear the subject explained to
  you on TV, internet video clips, talks,
  lectures, cinema

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Tips for Kinaesthetic Learners

• Move about as you learn. If you cant do this use
  hands or arms to learn ex. your 9 times table.
• Use action to imprint information on your body.
  Eg when memorising gender in French clap once for
  masculine noun, clap twice for feminine, click
  fingers for plural.
• Write down the information you need to learn on
  key fact cards.
• Re-type the information on a computer, using
  colours and fonts and type size that appeals to
  you.
• Make big, bold MIND MAPS that allow you to
• express the info freely
• Make models of lego, clay, paper
  etc that
• represent the information you need
  to learn.

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Mind Maps and how to make them

• Most well known method of absorbing information
• Take a large piece of blank paper, the bigger the
  better. Turn the paper on its long edge
  (landscape format)
• Design a logo or icon that sums up the subject
  you are learning eg a globe for geography. Put
  this in the middle of the paper.
• Draw a number of branches coming off the central
  icon one for each major topic. Make branches
  curved and write topics on each.
• Write only topic names along the branches and
  draw a picture that summarizes the topic at end
  of branch
• Create sub branches on each branch with sub
  topics related to main topic.
• Mind mapping helps us organize and retain
  information in our memory.

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Basic stuff

• The following are vital for effective learning
• SLEEP
• SWITCHING OFF (RELAXING)
• FOOD, DRINK AND OXYGEN
• POSITIVE BELIEFS

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SLEEP

• Dont kid yourself! Youre not Superman or
  Superwoman.
• YOU NEED 8 HOURS SLEEP !
• ( best remedy for most problems such as stress,
  worry and even illness! )

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Switching Off and Relaxing

• Practising relaxation techniques can really help
  reduce stress and help you to get to the deep
  sleep state that you need to get to for
  re-charging the batteries etc
• Dont work too late into the night. Try to switch
  off work before going to sleep.
• Relaxation Cds and internet video clips may help
  you relaxing. Worth trying. Try mindfulness
  exercises such as
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vNcKP5_Bo9DI

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Food and drink

• Fruit, salads and oily fish are the best things
  to eat for your brain.
• Beware of all the sugary stuff such as sweets,
  power drinks and fizzy drinks. They may pick you
  up quickly but theyll drop you just as quickly
  !!

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Exercise and Oxygen

• Your brain and body needs exercise.
• So walk the dog, skip, swim, cycle, play
• a sport etc. Doesnt matter what you do as long
  as you get the heart and lungs working hard.
• Brain gym exercises or computer programmes are
  good to keep your brain at top level

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Belief

• How do you talk to other people about yourself?
  Are you positive about yourself or do you run
  yourself down. Its not about bragging or
  becoming big headed but if you tell people often
  enough that you think youre not very good at
  something, your brain will start to believe you
  and perform accordingly!
• Keep words like but, cant, should, never, must,
  impossible out of your vocabulary.
• Instead use words such as hope, might, can, will
  and do instead.
• Visualise pictures of yourself succeeding. Top
  sportsmen and women do this. They dont focus on
• failure.

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• GOOD LUCK !!!!!!