College 101: Blog 6 of 8 - Preparing for exams

Major exams should be announced in the syllabus given at the beginning of the semester.  It is not uncommon for an exam to be rescheduled, usually to a later date so the professor can cover the material covered by the exam.   Here are two scenarios for preparing:

#1 – You have been studying and learning throughout the semester.

• Be sure you know what the exam will cover.
• Be sure you have all of the information.   If you missed a class, get the notes from a student you think will earn an ‘A’ in the class.   You will learn better if you rewrite the notes in your own style.  Hopefully when you were absent you left a few blank pages in order to insert these notes where they belong in the sequence of the information.
• Know the format – essay, multiple choice, short answer, etc.?
• One week prior to exam, go over all notes and identify the main topics.
• Make an over view chart
• Take one topic per day and do an in-depth review including self-testing.
• Each subsequent day review the previous information and do next in depth.
• Last day(s) review all
• When available go to tutoring, professor-led review sessions, or study groups. 

#2 – If you have not been learning all along.

• Do the first three items on scenario #1.
• Identify main topics as above and make a review chart.
• Go through notes and identify subtopics under each main heading.  Write them on chart.
• Depending on time, write next level of material on chart.
• Review chart.  Refer back to notes and textbook for anything you are not sure of.
• Go through chart, cover information and practice self-testing as much as time allows.
• Do NOT stay up all night!! 

Blog 7of 8 will examine the next step – test taking strategies.

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First Semester Success, 2nd Edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  The book is now available as an eBook through Amazon.  Click on the upper right link.

College 101 – Blog 5 of 8: How to take usable lecture notes and what to do with them!

When you are taking notes in your classes you are really creating an entirely new document that you will use to learn the course material.  Your professor may or may not review the material in the textbook.  They also may not plan class activities to help students learn the material in the lecture.   The bottom line is that you are solely responsible for recording, understanding and learning the information.  So, where do you start?

1.       During class, take usable notes from the lecture:

a.       Read the textbook BEFORE class.

b.       Write down everything the professor says.

c.       Pay particular attention to what is written on the board or Power Point.

d.       If possible, print out any Power Point slides before class and READ THEM.

e.       Look for the overall organization of the lecture.

f.        Look for connections to what you read in the textbook BEFORE class.

g.       Leave white spaces between topics.  Your goal is to have usable notes, not to save paper.

2.       After class:

a.       Read your notes and identify any missing information, questions, misspellings, etc.

b.       Fill in any gaps using the textbook, fellow students, peer tutoring, or during an office visit with your professor.

c.       If your notes are a mess, rewrite.

d.       Use recitation – read a logical section of notes, shut your notebook and try to restate in your own words what you read.   If you can, move on to next section.  If you cannot, reread and try again.

e.       Create a study guide to help you learn – study cards with important people, events, etc.; concept maps to show comparison and contrasts review chart over several topics; whatever format works with the information.

f.        Study the study guide!

3.       Long term:

a.       At least once a week, review all of the lecture notes that will be on the next exam.

b.       Look for over-riding themes or topics.

c.       Create larger study guides where appropriate.

This is what you are doing on a daily and weekly basis.  The next blog will deal with preparing for a major exam.

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Coming soon !   First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and wordassociation.com.  

College 101 – Blog 4 of 8: How Does Learning Happen

Many college students (and the rest of us) do not understand how learning happens.  When students sit down with their lecture notes and textbook and start to “study,” they often do not know exactly what to do besides reading and rereading their notes.   This does not get the information effectively from your working memory to your long-term memory.   There are four important ingredients to learning that will ensure the information is stored properly and available when you need it (like on the exam!):

Repetition – Learning does not happen with only one exposure to the material.  You have to work with the information multiple times.

Variety – In order to truly know the material, you have to study it in a variety of ways.   Think about doing something visual (add color, make a review chart, rewrite your notes, add some pictures), using sound (read the information out loud, get someone to quiz you, go to tutoring and talk about the material), and adding movement (rewriting, constructing a chart, review notes while at the gym) that will help you learn what you need to know.

Self-testing – This is crucial!  What you are actually doing it practicing recalling the information like you will on an exam.  You can read your notes or textbook passage and then cover the information and restate it in your own words, make study cards and go through them testing yourself, take practice quizzes if available online, make a quiz and take it a few days later, or form a study group and take turns quizzing each other.

And last – Spread all of these strategies out over time!  It takes time for information to be solidly stored in your long-term memory.  In addition to reviewing your notes after every class using the above strategies, weekly go over everything and then kick it all into high gear when actively preparing for an exam.

The above suggestions are far from a complete list of strategies.  Use your creativity and combine the ideas to create strategies that work for you and also with the particular information you need to learn.

The future blogs are:

#5 How to take and study lecture notes

#6 How to study for an exam

#7 Test-taking strategies

#8 How to stay motivated

*****

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, barnesandnoble.com and wordassociation.com.  Click on the upper right link.

College 101 - 3 of 8: How to Read Textbooks

Reading textbooks is very different from reading for pleasure.  Your goal in academic reading is to understand and remember the information in the textbook, relate it to what is happening in class and combine all the information from various sources for the exam.  This changes how you approach the text.   I like to break the strategies into three steps: before you start to read, while you are reading, and after you are done.

Before reading:

• Preview the assignment – what aids has the author provided (headings, bold print words, Learning Objectives, definitions, pictures, charts, etc.).   Take a look at these before reading so you have an idea about the information you will be reading.
• Know your purpose for reading – general background information in preparation for class, material will be on exam but professor will not cover in class, to prepare for a class discussion, etc.?
• Check the length and time you have to read, and estimate how many pages you will be able to read.  It is better to read logical sections in two or more sessions than to race through with no retention or understanding.
• If the material is very dense with little help, skim first and then read in depth.

While reading:

• Monitor your comprehension and reread if necessary.
• Actively think about the overall organization of the material, how it all fits together and how it fits in with the class lectures, etc.
• Consider forming questions from the subheadings and then read to find the answers.  You can do the same if there are Learning Objectives.  Turn them into questions and read to answer them.
• Take notes in the margins or separate notes.
• Pause periodically and review what you have read.  Try to restate the information in your own words.  If you can, move ahead.  If not, reread.

After you are done:

• Take a few minutes to go back and review what you have read.  This will make a very big difference in your retention of the material.
• If you need to know the information in depth, make a study guide or study cards.
• Take advantage of any quizzes, review questions or online quizzes available.  Look up any answers you do not know.

Blog #4 in this series will look at how learning happens.  What are the ingredients to successful learning?

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

College 101 – Blog 2 of 8 - Managing Your Time

One major challenge facing first-time students (or anyone, really!) is how to manage time.    For the college student this is particularly challenging because each day is different, several professors are scheduling exams and papers, it is expected that you are studying even when there are no specific assignments, there are large blocks of “free” time, and many distractions. 

Here is a review of four time management tools from my book, First Semester Success. 

 #1—Semester calendar

At the beginning of each semester, write all of your exams, major papers and projects and important social events on a monthly calendar. Post this and check it often to see the big picture of the semester. Look for when you have clusters of exams and major things due, and then plan your life around those.

 #2—General weekly schedule

Graph out your class schedule for the semester. Add in anything that happens regularly on a weekly basis such as work or meetings. This will give you an idea of when you can study and how to fit in other activities. This weekly schedule needs to become a habit.

 #3—Daily planner

Write down daily assignments as they are given by your professors or listed in the syllabus. This is where you will plan each individual week including special events, appointments, etc.

 #4—To-do list

Use this to plan your goals for each day. Write this out either before bed or first thing in the morning. This will help each day be more purposeful and productive. If you have a busy week, you can make a to-do list for each day of the week either Sunday night or Monday morning. This helps reduce stress because you plan exactly what you will do and when you will do it.

 Many students feel that they don’t want to be so scheduled and want to be able to “go with the flow.” By planning your time, you will actually have more free time and be able to enjoy it more because you are not always thinking about what you should be doing.  Try it!

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

College 101 - Post 1 of 8 - Getting Started

Most colleges and universities have started classes by now.  This series of will cover eight strategies and advice for freshmen or returning students to follow in order to have a successful semester.

First, resolve to go to every class.  It is a mindset – the question is NOT, "Will I go to class today?"  It is a given that you will go!  And:

·       Be rested and fed.

·       Take water is desired and permitted.

·       Sit as close to the front as possible.  (It is true that the ’A’ students sit in the front!)

·       Be prepared!  This means paper and writing utensils.  Don’t be the person whispering to those around you to borrow what you didn’t bring!

·       Be active – listen and take notes.

During the first week:

·       Review all syllabi.

·       Record all exams and project due dates on your calendar.

·       Preview the textbooks and start to read.  (If there is a financial problem that prohibits you from purchasing a book, talk to the professor or see if you can get one from the Library.)

·       Start to review and learn any notes you take this week.

The next post will look at how to manage your time.  This is crucial to any success and often a problem for students.

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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.

Summer of Reading #7 – Higher Level Thinking

A final benefit of reading is that it helps us develop a higher level of thinking so that we can evaluate the validity of what we are reading and hearing, understand ideas and opinions different from our own, develop empathy for others (see post #1), and increase our knowledge in general.

I feel it is important to read articles and editorials that have a different point of view than our own.   Instead of thinking about why they are wrong and you are right, try to understand their position.  You may find some good writing and solid thinking that will help you expand your thinking and understand other’s.  I particularly enjoy reading Tony Norman in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette even though I do not always agree with him!

Three books I have read lately that helped me understand people and see things from a far richer viewpoint are:

• When the Killing’s Done, by T. C. Boyle, about species extinction and animal preservation.  While this was not a popular book in my one book group, I had an increased understanding of the issues when I read an article in the paper a few weeks later about efforts to save species that are becoming extinct.
• The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life, by Lauren Markham, about immigration.  This was a particularly interesting and well-written book as it alternated between chapters telling the personal story of two young boys and chapters that gave nation-wide statistics and general information.
• Tomorrow Will be Different, by Sarah McBride, about being transgender.   Like Far Away Brothers, I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review.   It is a book I would not have chosen on my own, but I was very glad I read it and came away with a much deeper understanding.

(Discussion Guides for all three of the books plus my reviews for the last two are available at www.ReadtoEnrich.blogspot.com.)

The benefits and joys of reading are endless!  Hopefully this series has given you some insight and motivated you to KEEP READING!!

*****
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, barnesandnoble.com and wordassociation.com.   Click on the upper right link.