The Two Parts of "Studying"

When you sit down to “study" there really are two parts to the process: understanding and learning.  You cannot learn something if you do not understand it first!  Here are some strategies for each step.  Many strategies overlap!

Understanding

·         Go to class!  (What a surprise!)
·         Read
·         Take notes – from textbooks and in class
·         Look for the organization of the material
·         Look for associations between class and book and among all classes
·         Rewrite you lecture notes and combine with textbook information
·         Put the information into study guides (concept maps, review charts, time lines, Venn Diagrams, etc.)
·         Use recitation (restate in your own words from memory) when reviewing notes and reading textbook
·         Go to tutoring or Supplemental Instruction (talk to someone else about the information)

Learning

·         Again – recitation!
·         Make study cards
·         Practice recalling the information multiple times spread throughout the time leading up to the exam
·         Make and take a practice test
·         Use any practice quizzes/exams on the book’s website
·         Do the practice problems/questions in the textbook

Studying takes time and effort!  Interact with the material in multiple and varied ways and you will be great!

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

Get into the HABIT of learning

Learning requires repetition and variety spaced out over time.   This is one of the first things I tell my students in the Learning Strategies classes I teach each spring.   Students often think they can take lecture notes but then never look at the notes again until a day or two before the exam.  This does not work!   One way to practice this repetition is to follow this study cycle each time the class meets:

Ø  Go to class >>

Ø  Review and start to learn notes >>

Ø  Read textbook (either to prepare for next class or review what the lecture covered) >>

Ø  Briefly review the notes again before the next class.

This works best for a Monday/Wednesday/Friday class.  If the class only meets once or twice a week, review and learn notes at least two or three times during the week.

Of course this is just the beginning, but by getting into this habit you have incorporated both repetition and spacing out over time into your schedule.  (Habit is an important word – do this all the time and it will be second nature and not at all a chore.)

The next blog will address variety – what are different strategies you can use with learning notes to help your understanding and retention.

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

Start the New Semester With Success

One thing I like about academics is that you work hard, finish the semester and get your results (your grades!) and then get a fresh start to do it all over again.  Here are some things to think about as you start a new semester:

• As far as your learning strategies, what worked and what did not work last semester?  Exactly WHAT did you do that worked when you sat down to study?   This is a major problem for many students on academic probation.  They will tell me they are going to study MORE or HARDER, but they do not have any idea about what to actually do.  Future blogs will focus specifically on this, but here are some early tips:
• Before you start to learn it, make sure the information is organized.  If this means you have to rewrite your lecture notes, do so.  It is not busy work but will enhance your learning.
• Consider putting the information into some form of a study guide.   Any way you actively work with the information is getting it more strongly into your memory.  
• Test yourself – after you have read a section in your textbook or lecture notes, see if you can restate the information in your own words.  If yes, go to next section.  If no, reread and repeat.   
• How did you manage your time?  How can you improve on that?   Did you use a planner?  How did you record your assignments?
• Be sure you have a clear picture of your priorities.  This will greatly affect your time management.  You need to be spending the bulk of your time and energy on what is important to you.

Watch for future blogs that look into each of these topics in more detail.  In the meantime, get a solid start on the semester.  It goes by fast and it is hard to catch up after a poor beginning.

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

You got your grades. Now what?

Once you have seen your semester grades you have some decisions to make before the start of the next semester.  Here are some different scenarios and things to think about:

Your grades are great!  Congratulations!  Take some time to enjoy your success!  Then think about:

• What went well this semester that helped you earn such good grades? 
• How did you manage your time? 
• Where did you study?
• What study strategies did you use that worked?
• Think about your schedule next semester.  What did you do this semester that you can repeat?
• What class do you think will be your biggest challenge next semester?  How will you handle that?

Your grades are disappointing.  Think about:

• Where were your problems areas?  Time management?  Study environment?  Knowledge of how learning happens?
• What happened in your hardest class?  How did you study?  Looking back, what strategies might have helped?
• Did you seek help by talking with your professors or going to tutoring? 
• Examine the classes you struggled with.  What made them difficult?  Are there any indications that you should change your major to focus on classes in which you did well?
• Look at your schedule for next semester and plan exactly when and where you will study. 
• Review previous blogs on this site to get information about study strategies you can use.
• See if you should retake some classes to erase low grades and bring up your grade point average.
• Look for a Learning Strategies class at your institution and enroll.

If things are really bad:

• If you are not returning, check with the financial aid office to see if there is anything you should do to put any type of aid or loan on hold.
• If you are going to take some classes at a local college, be sure they fit into your course of study.
• Take a class in learning so you do not repeat the same  mistakes.
• Examine your priorities.  Is college one of them?

Whatever your situation, be sure to set yourself  up to be successful.  Focus on what went well and change the roadblocks that held you back.
*****
First Semester Success: Learning  Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

Successful Finals Week Strategies

Students tend to get stressed during Finals Week, but if you are prepared there is no need to do so.  Often students relieve their own stress by talking about it and giving it to someone else!  You are calm and prepared, so don’t let someone else share their stress with you!  Here are some things to keep in mind:

* Do NOT stay up all night!  That is the worst thing you can do.  A tired brain does not function well and the lack of sleep will not only affect your performance on the exam you studied for but the future exams as well.

* Shower, eat breakfast and scrub your teeth before going to the exam.  It is amazing how better you will do if you feel awake and alert!

* Get to the exam early so you are not feeling rushed.   If the exam is given in a different room than the class it is helpful to get there extra early in order to get a good seat and review the information in that particular setting. (If the exam is given to a large group in a lecture hall it is very helpful to go there a few days before the exam to be sure you know where you are going and also, if possible, to sit in the room and study.  We do better on tests if we take them in the environment in which we learned the material!)

* Continue to maintain your exercise schedule.  Only positive things happen with exercise!

* If you are feeling stressed, focus on a positive event that will happen after exams.  Or think about how great it will feel to look at your grades and see your hard work pay off!

* Maintain a positive attitude.  If you do not know the first answer move on until you find a question you do know.  That will activate that knowledge center in your brain and the information will start to come to you.

* If you do feel especially stressed when the exam is distributed, pause and take a few deep breaths.  This will help you relax and think.

In the next blog we will look at strategies to consider if you grades are great and if (unfortunately) they are not.  Work hard and 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 amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

Approaching the End of the Semester

At my institution we only have three weeks of classes and one week of finals left in the semester.  Here are some ideas to succeed in this busy time:

• Map out the final weeks day by day.  Include what assignments are due, regular exam and final exam dates.
• Plan ahead when you will start to work on projects and papers.
• Plan when you will start to study for each exam.
• Check to be sure you have all material – class notes if you have been absent – and handouts.  Rewrite the missing class notes in your style and include in your notebook.
• Realistically look at your grades so far and set a goal for each class.  Set your goal a little high but make it something you can achieve.  Post your goal grades where you can see them each day.
• If you are close to a higher grade in a class, put in extra effort to achieve the higher grade.
• Plan some time to relax.
• Take care of your health – eat well, exercise, sleep!
• Plan a pleasant treat for yourself after the semester ends.
• Imagine how sweet it will be to check you grades for the semester and see your hard work pay off.

The next blog will discuss how to keep your learning fresh over Thanksgiving Break.
*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

 

Imply and Infer

One reading skill we work on in my class is making inferences.  This reading and thinking skill is heavily stressed on the Praxis and PAPA exams freshman students take to enter the College of Education curriculum.  When you make an inference you take the available information combined with what you already know to understand what is being implied but not directly stated.
Remember:

• The writer and speaker imply.
• The reader and listener infer.

You make inferences all the time.   For example, when you meet someone for the first time, you take what you see (their appearance, facial expression, demeanor) and what they say and form an impression of their personality.


Read the following three pairs of sentences and pay attention to your thought process as you read the second sentence in each pair.  You will be using context clues to make an inference about what the first sentence means.


Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.


Mary had a little lamb.
She liked it served medium with mint jelly.


Mary had a little lamb.
The vet arrived just in time to help with the birth.


Usually textbooks directly state what they mean.  In persuasive essays, conversations and fiction writing implications are very common.  Be sure you are looking for any subtle meaning as well as what is directly stated.
*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.