The Complete Effective Study Skills Handbook - Table of Contents
Introduction
Overview
Chapter 1 - Managing Yourself - Getting Organized
One of the hardest lessons a student will ever need to learn is time management. Millions of dollars are spent on books, software programs, and equipment designed to help you manage your time. However, you are still likely to become overwhelmed with projects, assignments and the administration of your time management system. Time management styles are as complex and individual as the person. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another.
Often students have poor time management because they simply have no idea where to start with your assignments and day. A to-do list can help manage your workload on a day-by-day basis. Instead of being confronted with an entire textbook to read and feeling overwhelmed by the assignment, to-do lists break projects down into manageable sections that need to be completed each day. [...]
Everyone studying knows that procrastination is something that you have to deal with. That’s probably because you are trying everything you can to avoid studying rather than just getting on with it!
Generally people actually spend more time and energy avoiding something than it would take to just do it!
Procrastination is the No. 1 bad habit of students who are supposed to be studying – but instead they make up every excuse they can think of to avoid it. [...]
[...] Break down the material you need to study into several smaller bites. Then study one or two small parts each day. Studying in this way will make the job a whole lot easier, and help you out on the exam. Each time that you successfully complete a smaller part, you reinforce your ability to complete tasks, making it that much easier to complete the next small part. [...]
Students often find it hard to settle down and get started or they study for too long once they do get started. If you find yourself avoiding settling down and getting started, or finding endless ways to avoid studying, then try to start studying for short periods of 10-15 minutes on a regular basis. [...]
* Make a To Do List of all the things you are supposed to do everyday.
* Know what the best time for you to study is.
* Study the most difficult subjects first.
[...]
Students are under enormous pressure, and experience a great deal of stress. Keeping up with everything and making good grades is difficult in itself, but there are also the added pressures of work and relationships. When everything starts to seem overwhelming, the use of stress management techniques can make life easier.[...]
Do not wait. If you know that you have an assignment due or an exam looming on the horizon, don't wait until the last minute to open your text. When you wait until the last minute, you increase your stress and anxiety, and your performance suffers.[...]
Studying and going to class everyday means you will be using your brain more than most people, and probably more than any other time in your life. You will need to keep your body health, and your brain nourished. [...]
Whether you are working hard, studying hard, or playing hard, you have to keep your body in top physical shape or sooner or later you will crash. Physical exercise is especially important when studying, since you are using your brain more than normal.[...]
Sleep is a very important component to good study skills. Studying requires that you are fully awake and alert. Concentration and studying is hard work.
Ever heard of eating brain food to improve your study skills? Studies have shown that there is a link between IQ, mental development and certain nutrients. [...] It is important to note that the bulk of evidence supporting the effectiveness of brain foods in improving one’s study skills consists mainly of testimonials or anecdotal evidence, but we’re going to enumerate several nutrients that can help you improve your study skills anyway [...]
When you’re on deadline with a paper to write or some serious remedial cramming, the first thought is to turn to caffeine to stay awake. For some people, it helps. But is it a good idea?[...]
Where do you look for motivation? To your parents? Your friends? Within yourself? Have you written down your goals for the current term? For your college experience? For your future?
Some people are intrinsically motivated. They are high achievers because they are driven from within to do well. Some people need extrinsic motivation, that is, an incentive or a reward – or even fear of a punishment.[...]
The word study intimidates some people who automatically freeze and think they can’t do it – it is too hard and they fight it before they even begin. The approach is all wrong – you need to think positively, and to do that you must aspire to succeed so why not try the A.S.P.I.R.E. system? [...]
Give yourself time off. Allow yourself one study-free evening a week. It gives you something to look forward to, and also gives you a time cushion if you end up struggling over a particular subject or assignment.
Successful people don't just float through life; they set goals and live life intentionally trying to reach those goals. This is true of college students, as well. To truly reach your potential during your higher education, you might set challenging goals. What follows is a goal-setting strategy.
1) You must first know what you want to achieve in your studies. Ultimately this might be to get a career in your chosen area--which means your studies will focus on learning that career field. Some shorter-term goals could include raising your grade in biology or getting a 3.5 GPA.
2) From these goals, you then develop an action plan. The action plan is something set down on paper that you follow everyday to meet your larger goals. For instance, if your goal was
3) Measure your progress frequently to see how far you've progressed and what you still need to do to reach your goals. [...]
Earlier, we discussed the idea of setting goals while you're in college, but did so more on a theoretical level. Now let's get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about how to put some concrete goals down on paper and do move toward completing them. One of the best ways of doing this is by developing a goals notebook. [...]
In order to understand and retain information, you need to be able to concentrate on what you are studying and in order to concentrate you need a study spot that is comfortable and free of distraction.
Here are some tips and tricks to help you create a productive study space:
Identify your needs. Some people need absolute quiet when they are studying, while others prefer to have music playing in the background. You know what you need to help you concentrate and stay focused, so set up your study area accordingly. [...]
Productive Study Environments
Centralize everything important to your daily life either on a bulletin board, wall space, or on the back of a door. This area will be considered the area which you put everything important to you, such pictures, tickets to the concert and so on. With a centralized area, you are able to find everything you need without getting searching the whole house. [...]
When it comes time to study we often need a change of scenery to be able to concentrate and yet we want to ensure that activities of others don’t distract us. Sometimes a different atmosphere gives us a boost of energy and further enhances our study time by making it more enjoyable simply by being away from the usual routine of school and home. [...]
When you come home from class, you might go to your room to study or do your homework. And while that is not entirely a bad idea because you probably have a desk there, there is also a bed -- and many students will promptly lie down and decide to study on the bed. This is a bad idea because the minute your head hits the pillow you will likely be fast asleep. {...}
Getting Organized - Part 2
It’s important when devising a study schedule to start by organizing your schedule into a table or chart that shows all of your classes and regular appointments for each week. There should be a space to write your class timetable for each day and an area to keep track of practices, meetings and regular appointments. ]...]
By keeping a study schedule you keep yourself organized and allow yourself to get more work done in a shorter period of time (which frees up more time to do what you want.) Make sure when you organize your schedule that you allot enough time for each subject. [...]
Chapter 3 - Reading
One of the main reasons studying can be difficult is the massive amounts of reading required by just about every class you take. It is an inevitable part of being a student. Why is reading so difficult for some? Well, it can be time consuming and feel like work, especially when you don’t particularly like the subject matter that you have to read or if you have copious amounts of reading and not a lot of time to finish. [...]
Reading Do's
Break up the amount of pages you have to read into 20, 40, 60 or 80-page sections. If you are given an assignment on Monday to read 4 chapters of your biology book by Wednesday, then make a plan to read two chapters that afternoon and two chapters on Tuesday. You don’t have to get through all of it at once. [...]
It’s worth it to do a little extra reading in a subject. Your study notes will have more meaning if you are more familiar with the subject. You can elaborate on what you have learned in class, and it will not only allow you to do well in class it will also carry on into your future education. [...]
Reading for different purposes means adjusting your reading rate.
• Why are you reading?
• To get the general idea?
• To learn, point by point, in detail?
• To find one particular point or fact in something you've already read?
• To entertain yourself?
[...]
A few suggestions on showing respect to your textbooks and getting the most from them:
Take it slow. Numerous studies show that reading fast lowers your comprehension. If you're going to zip through the chapter as fast as possible, then don't waste your time. Go out for pizza or watch a movie. You'll probably learn just as much. But when you get serious about learning the material in the textbook, sit down with no interruptions and read for comprehension rather than for speed. [...]
Pre-reading:
A little research - Research can be simple, like a keyword search that gives some information about the genre you are reading; the author; the time period in which the novel is set; or the subject matter of the book. These key words can generally be found on the back or inside cover of the book and will give the reader outside information to help understand the story. [...]
Skim through the entire essay once. Glance through the pertinent points that the essay covers and read through quickly so as to get an idea as to which part of the essay covers what. This will help you come straight to the portions that you would like to take excerpts from while using the essay. [...]
Marking in a college textbook helps you become an active learner and keeps your attention focused on the information in the text. There is a reason for this: Highlighting is an effective learning tool. [...]
Often we are in a hurry and don’t take enough time to take advantage of the variety of materials even though they are available on the Internet, CD-ROMs or in print.
Following are some common reference materials and some helpful hints to make them work more efficiently for you: {...}
Put Note-Taking at the top of your study skills list. One of the key elements in passing any course is taking good notes. In order to learn the required information, your notes need to be thorough and organized in a way that makes them easy to review later. For many students, however, note taking is a difficult task, and often notes end up with either too little or too much information, or the wrong information to make them useful. [...]
Taking notes is not a skill that comes naturally to many students and is not a skill that is taught in many classrooms. Most students just 'take notes' any way that strikes them without realizing there are many different styles. There is a wide variety of methods for taking good notes, and not all methods work for everyone.
Below are 5 different styles. Read them through and try them out - use one of them or develop your own style.
First, here’s a detailed look at 5 common methods of note taking: [...]
The outline method of note taking is one that will probably look familiar.
The outline method starts on the left-hand side of the paper. The most important points are placed at the left edge of the paper.
The first step to using the Cornell method is to divide your paper into three sections. Approximately 2 inches from the bottom of your paper, draw a horizontal line all the way across the page. Approximately 2.5 inches from the left side of your paper, draw a vertical line from the top to the horizontal line you have just drawn. [...]
The split-page method is exactly what it sounds like. You split the page by drawing a vertical line all the way down the paper. The line should be located 2.5 to 3 inches from the left-hand side of the paper.
Mind mapping is a note taking technique where words, ideas, are linked to and arranged around a keyword or idea. Mind mapping allows you to generate, visualize, structure and classify ideas, quickly and easily.
Mapping as a method of taking notes is similar to another concept, mind mapping. While mind mapping can be used as a note taking method it is also a way organizing information, brainstorming, planning and arranging information.
[...]
Charting is where you create a table with rows and columns to show information and the relationship between facts.
Below is a sample lecture or sample passage from a text book. The highlighted words in red are the important points in the passage, which form the basis of the notes.
Following this sample lecture, are sample notes in each of the 5 different methods explained above.
Read through the passage and as if you are reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, keeping in mind what you would write down as notes. Then go over the 5 different note taking styles examples.
[...]
Outline Method Notes - Passage 1
Cornell Method Notes - Passage 1
Split Page Method Notes - Passage 1
Mapping Method Notes - Passage 1
Mapping Method Notes - Passage 1
Charting Method Notes - Passage 1
Outlining Method Notes - Passage 2
Cornel Method Notes - Passage 2
Split Page Method - Passage 2
Mapping Method Notes - Passage 2
Charting Method Notes - Passage 2
Sounds simple, right? But studying is a learned skill. It requires commitment, an understanding of the course expectations, time and materials. Most of all, successful studying takes practice. That means showing up everyday and viewing the act of studying as an integral part of student life. [...]
Studying can sometimes be hard when you have lots of pressure on you and you know that the test you have the next day is a major part of your grade. It feels like you are being pushed from all sides and there is so much commotion going on around you that you can’t begin to concentrate. What to do? Where to begin?
[...]
Concentration is doing one thing at a time, and focusing ALL of your mind on that one thing.
The best example of concentration is when you are doing something and you forget about time and become ‘lost’ in something. Examples are movies, reading a book, playing music or sports. [...]
Concentration Self Assessment
Turn off cell phone, TV, radio etc.
Background music is ok as long as it doesn’t distract.
Put up a sign
Problem/Issue Distractions/Interruptions
Solution
- improve study location
- get a sign
- turn off cell phone
- collect all the material you will need (i.e. textbooks, notebook) BEFORE you begin.
Study groups are a great way to supplement your individual study. Being involved in a study group provides you with the opportunity to get feedback on how well you know the material, as well as reinforcing what you have learned. In addition, a good study group gives you practice at working as part of a team, a skill that you will need in the world outside of school. [...]
Some people might feel intimidated to speak up if they disagree and might not feel confident about interrupting others. Study groups can also deteriorate into discussions that go nowhere and accomplish nothing about learning with some becoming more of a social networking group rather than serious study.
[...]
For most College courses, the table of contents of the course textbooks, as well as the course outline give a structured overview of what you need to study for an exam. Xerox the textbook table of contents, and then integrate that with the course outline and your schedule. [...]
Using your class lecture notes may not be as intuitive as reading the textbook, but once you learn how to study from your lecture notes, you’ll learn more quickly.
One of the key reasons students fail to use and study from their classroom notes is they believe the notes to be incomplete. If you feel you are missing key information in your class notes, join a study group and help each other fill in the missing blanks. [...]
One of the best way to study to rewrite and summarize your notes at home. Reading them over has value, but actively rewriting (or, to a lesser degree, typing) them has extra value because it helps you memorize them .
Rewriting your notes accomplishes several goals:[...]
If you’re going to master the art of studying, you’re going to have to master one of life’s basic skills: memorization. Relax. It’s not as hard as you’ve might think. There are actually four principles that are fairly basic; if you master them, memorization will be a cinch for you. [...]
Mnemonics are tricks to help you remember information. Mnemonics come in several varieties, allowing you to choose what works for you. Some mnemonics enjoy widespread use because they are easy and effective, but you can always make up your own. [...]
One of the most popular methods of flashcard use was developed in the 1970s by Sebastian Leitner, a German scientist. Under the Leitner system, the cards are arranged in groups according to how well the person knows each one in the learning box.
[...]
There is no need to buy flash cards because they are easy to make. Making your own also ensures that your flash cards include the information that you need to know. Flash cards can be made out of index cards, sheets from notepads, or pieces of paper cut into squares. It is not necessary that they are all the same size and shape, but it helps when storing, sorting and organizing. [...]
There are several ways to improve your studying that don’t fit neatly into a category. Take a look at these and see what you can use. [...]
Appendix 1 - Organizing your Study Environment
Study Locations Summary List
Appendix 2 - Quick Introduction to Time Management
Appendix 3 - Common Abbreviations
Appendix 4 - Note Taking Practice
Sample Lecture #3
Note Taking Practice Answers
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