Motivational Goal-setting Part 2

Having goals and working toward them can be very motivational.  You can set goals of different lengths to help motivate yourself.   Here are some examples:

Long-term goals can be any length that is not immediate - end of the semester, four years from now, whatever suits your purposes.  Here are some examples from my students:

*At the end of the semester I will be off of probation.

*At the end of this semester I will be on the Deans’ List (3.25 semester GPA or higher at my university).

*This semester I will earn nothing lower than a B.

*I will earn an A in Organic Chemistry.

*I will review my notes as soon as possible after each class.

A short-term goal can be anything with a week or two time period, such as:

*I will earn a B on my History exam.

*I will study two hours a day in the Library at least four days this week.

*I will complete all of my English reading before the weekend.

A third length is a daily goal - like a “To-do list.”  For example:

*I will finish studying in time to watch my favorite TV show at 9:00 PM.

*Today I will do my laundry and go to the gym.

*Today I will write out a study plan for the week.

*I will go to the tutoring center for help with math.

(You will note that all of these goals fulfill the three necessary characteristics of an effective goal – they have a time limit, are measurable and achievable.)

An important step is to do more than just think about your goal. Write it down; post it where you will see it, tell someone else.  You have to remind yourself daily about what you want to achieve.  This makes it more concrete and meaningful.

Take a minute right now and set a goal for the next week and a few for today.  Then – go out and achieve them!!

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com and amazon.com.

Motivational Goal Setting Part 1

One way you can keep on track in your studies is to set goals and then strive to reach them.  An effective goal has three characteristics:

* It has a time limit

* It is measurable

* It is achievable

Compare these two goals:

I will study harder this semester.

I will earn a B or higher on my History exam next Friday.

The first goal really is meaningless.  What does it mean to “study harder?”  How can you measure it and when will you know that you have achieved it?   By contrast, the second goal gives you something to work toward and helps direct your activities toward achieving that goal.  Now that you know where you want to be, your next job is to arrange your time and activities so that you achieve it.

Then, when you achieve your goal the feeling of accomplishment will spur you on to continue to work toward your next goal.

One last thing – it is helpful to post your goal where you will see if often in order to keep reminding yourself what you are working for.  In class I have students write their weekly goal at the top of the weekly page in their planner.  You can also tape it to the side of your computer screen, on the door frame or on your bathroom mirror so that you see it each day.

Because there are so many distractions, particularly for college students, it is necessary to constantly remind yourself about why you are in college and where you want to be.   Effective goals will help keep you motivated, make good choices and choose activities that will help you achieve your goals.

Next week – goals for different lengths of time.

Work hard and enjoy your accomplishments!

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com and amazon.com.

 

 

Focus on Your Goals

“Keep your mind on the great and splendid things you would like to do, and then, as the days go gliding by, you will find yourself unconsciously seizing upon the opportunities that are required for the fulfillment of your desire.”

I have had this quote from Elbert Hubbard on the bulletin board above my desk ever since I went back to school to earn my doctorate in the early 1990’s.  It doesn’t mean that what you desire will just come to you without effort.   It means that if you focus on your goals, you will make decisions and look for opportunities that will help you achieve them. 

One problem many college students encounter is that there are so many distractions and other things to do that their goal (good semester grades, graduation, fulfilling career) gets lost and forgotten.   Even though it may be a very long-term goal, you have to do things every day to achieve it.  But it is hard to pass up an immediate pleasure to work toward something that you will not enjoy for months or even years.  

One thing you can do is what I did – post motivational sayings where you will see them every day.  You could write your goal on an index card and tape it to your mirror so you will see it every morning. The more you make working toward your goal a priority, the more you will want to plan your day around achieving that goal and will want to do the things that will get you there.

Next week look for information about the characteristics of an effective goal and the power of setting and achieving goals.   Have a successful week!

First Semester Success, Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

 

The Learning Process - Part 5 of 5

This is the final part to the learning process – putting it all together.  How do you combine variety and repetition with spacing your learning out over time?  Here are some ideas (don’t be surprised if you have read a lot of this before!):

* Of course you are reviewing each day’s notes after each class.  Then, at least one a week, review all of the notes that will be on the next exam.


* As you are learning each day’s notes, make study cards, mini concept maps for a specific topic or concept, write out some questions and answers, and – of course – use recitation.  After you have read a section, close your notebook, restate the information from memory, and then check yourself.


* Annotate (take brief margin notes) as you read your textbook.


* Read and outline your textbook.  OR – turn each heading into a question, read to answer the question and write out the answer.


* If you have made study cards, review them a few minutes every day.  This is above and beyond reading the textbook and learning your notes.


* Go to any additional study sessions (tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, professor-led reviews).  You are getting an additional exposure to the information in a different format and possibly from a different person.


* Form a study group.  Assign tasks such as re-teaching different sections of the notes, making practice tests or quizzing each other.


* Take advantage of any computer-based study aids that go along with the course or textbook.


* As an exam approaches, make large-concept study guides, review charts, concept maps, etc.


You get the idea.  Use as many different strategies as possible and start to study NOW for the next exam.  Then - enjoy your success!
*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

The Learning Process - Part 4 of 5

We have been thinking about learning requiring three things: variety, repetition and being spaced out over time.  This post will give you some ideas about how to space your studying over time.  You probably have figured that out from the previous posts, but here goes….

* Keep studying all of the information that will be on the next exam at least once a week in addition to studying notes from each individual class immediately after that class.

* For very difficult information, study a little several days every week in addition to your daily and weekly reviews.

* When preparing for an exam, start studying about a week in advance.  Study one main topic each day and review all the topics every day.

* Keep a semester calendar so that you can prepare in advance when you have multiple exams within a few days time.

* For a difficult subject, try to register for (and attend!) a section that meets as many times a week as possible as opposed to just once a week for a longer period of time.

* If you do have a night class that meets just once a week, studying several times each week is very important to make up for only meeting with the professor once each week.

Next week we will look at how to put it all together.  Until then, keep studying!

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

The Learning Process –Part 3 of 5

Effective learning needs three things: variety, repetition and spacing out over time.

The last post looked at variety – what different types of study activities can you do with the material you need to know.  This week we will look at repetition.  This is easy to understand – you have to go over and over and over the material (in many different ways) in order to get it into your long-term memory.

Think of your memory as compartments.  Your sensory memory is where you decide what to pay attention to – what you are reading, for example, or the TV playing in the background.  Your short-term (or working) memory is what you are using when you are paying attention, reading, thinking, etc.  This is the part you are using when you study. You have to keep thinking about the material in order to keep it active your short-term memory.  You goal is to get the information into your long-term memory so you can access it when you need it – during a test for example!  BUT information does not just move to and stay in your long-term memory after one study event.  It takes repetition - going over and over the material multiple times.  So how do you do that?  Here are some ideas:

*Review your lecture notes after every class and at least once a week review ALL the notes that will be on the next exam.

*Be sure to go to every class – that way you are working with the information at least several times a week.

*Make study cards.  Set aside 15 – 20 minutes per day to study the cards.  This is especially effective in a class that has a lot of material and/or is very difficult.

*Don’t let too many days go by without any interaction with the material.  If it is a class that meets just once a week, be sure to work with the material several times between class sessions.

*If the class is online, don’t be tempted to put off the work.  Set up a schedule for yourself where you plan to study the material several times each week, just as if you were physically going to the class.

*Schedule weekly study dates with friends. This will force you to have more interactions with the material.

*Take advantage of Supplemental Instruction sessions, professor-led review sessions, what every your institution offers.

There is one last part – spacing your learning over time.  Watch for the post next week! In the meantime, look at your weekly schedule and plan ahead when you will study so you are interacting with the material as many times as possible throughout the week.

****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

The Learning Process - Part 2 of 5

One important part of learning is to use a variety of strategies and work with the material you want to learn in a variety of ways.  If you only do one thing, read and reread for example, you will only know the information in that format and in that order.  To completely understand and know the material you need to do several different types of things with the material. 

The basics are reading the textbook, listening to the professor, writing notes, and reviewing the notes as soon as possible after class.  But this is not enough!  Some further ideas are:

* Quiz yourself – after reviewing your notes, close your notebook and restate what you just went over.  If you can, move forward.  If you cannot, read the notes again and restate again.

* Say the information out loud, either to yourself or explain it to others in a study group.

* Rewrite your notes to make them more clear and organized.  Consider adding information from the textbook.

* Outline the textbook.

* Put important information on study cards and review them several times a week.  (Remember to again quiz yourself – look at the front, think about the answer, then look at the back to check yourself.)

* To change things up, consider making the cards on a study app on your computer or device. 

* Make a review chart, concept map or timeline of the material.

* If you like visuals draw pictures or add color to your notes and study guides.

* Make use of practice quizzes available online with the textbook.

* Go to any study group led by the professor or Peer Educators/Supplemental Instruction leaders.

As you can see there are many study strategies or techniques you can use.  Next week we will look at repetition – it was implied by several of the above ideas, but we will specifically see why it is necessary.

Study well and often!

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.