HOW TO GET THE BEST GRADES WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EFFORT
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Transcript of HOW TO GET THE BEST GRADES WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EFFORT
HOW TO GET THE BEST GRADES WITH THE RIGHT
AMOUNT OF EFFORT
Carrie Carson, MA, C.OGuidance Counsellor
4 KEYS TO SUCCESS
1.Know your outcome
2.Take action, ANY action
3.Find out what WORKS and what DOESN’T
4.Adapt and Overcome*
#1 KNOW YOUR OUTCOME
To succeed, you need to know when you HAVE
Make CLEAR goals and BE PRECISE
I would like to be a good student
vs.
I am going to get an 80% in English
EXERCISE # 1
In one minute, write ten key words that define this term for you; first ten words that come to mind
GOOD STUDENT
YOU SHOULD NEVER BASE YOUR GOALS ON OTHER PEOPLE’S
PERCEPTIONS OR EXPECTATIONS
#2 TAKE ACTION, ANY ACTION
You do NOT need a hard and detailed plan!
Make a list of all the things that will help you get closer to your goal
Example:
I will make a list of all my courses
I will start to write neatly
I am going to clean my desk tomorrow
EXERCISE # 2
On the back of the sheet you already used for
exercise 1, make a list of ways that could
help you study better!!
#3 FIND OUT WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T
1. Observe your classmates
2. Find the strong students in the class
3. Ask what they do to achieve those grades
4. Ask for the specific things they do/ Ask questions:
How long do you study? How often do you study? What way they study?
#4 ADAPT AND OVERCOME
Unfortunately, we DON’T always reach our goals the FIRST
time around
Making small adjustments each time around is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT in order to succeed
First Time: I read the chapter
Second Time: I read the chapter quickly and then re-read it again
slowly
“SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS”
As you become successful in one aspect of your life, the others seem to come around in an almost magical fashion
The 80-20 Rule
20% of the course material will represent 80% of the marks in an exam or course
20% of your studying time will yield a grade of 80%. It will take the other 80% of the time to get the other 20%
The trick is knowing how to study in order to yield better results with less amount of time!!!
URGENCY AND IMPORTANCE: WHAT GOES WHERE?
IMPORTANT & NOT Urgent
*Project in a month = 35%
IMPORTANT & URGENT
* Final Exam in 2 days = 70%
NOT important & Not urgent
*Book report = end of semesterWorth 10%
You should start ASAP but not urgent
NOT important & URGENT
*Quiz Tomorrow = 5%
You need every percent you can get, you should be doing this between
other things
URGENCY
IMPORTANCE
EXERCISE # 3: FILL IN YOUR PERSONAL MATRIX
IMPORTANT & NOT Urgent IMPORTANT & URGENT
NOT important & Not urgent NOT important & URGENT
URGENCY
IMPORTANCE
5 STEPS TO HELP YOU GET EVERYTHING DONE
1. Make a to-do list
List all of the tasks that you have to doThis list can be as long as you NEED it to be
2. Assign a time to each task
Estimate (guess) the amount of time you will need for EACH task
If you are unsure about the time it is better to overestimate
5 STEPS TO HELP YOU GET EVERYTHING DONE
3. Total time by subject and by week
Item List Time Week 1 Week 2 Week 3
HISTORY
Read Ch 3 1 hour 30 min 30 min
Notes Ch 3 30 min 15 min 15 min
Assignment 1 hour 30 min 30 min
Total hours 2 hr 30min 45 min 1 hr 15 min 30 min
5 STEPS TO HELP YOU GET EVERYTHING DONE
4. Schedule the blocks of time (week 2)
Time Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
4:00
5:00 Ch 3 Ch3 Notes
6:00 Assig. Assig.
7:00
8:00
9:00
Total 15 min 30 min 30 min
5 STEPS TO HELP YOU GET EVERYTHING DONE
5. Know important dates in your life
School = midterms and finals
Sports = scheduled games and competitions
Personal = parties and holidays
LEARNING STYLES
1. Visual See things more than they hear Learn quickly Don’t need things shown repeatedly
If you are predominantly visual, you will describe what things look like, what people were wearing, what the surrounding looked like, the relative position of things,
and the brightness or darkness
LEARNING STYLES
2. AuditoryNeed to hear things Need to repeat it to themselvesNeed to take a lot of notes
If you are predominantly auditory, you will describe what you heard during the event, what people said and
how they said it. Intonations and rhythms make a difference to you. You can decipher different sounds;
i.e. quickly and easily recognize peoples voices on the telephone.
LEARNING STYLES
3. Kinesthetic Highly developed sensory perception (touch)Greatly aware of their environment Learn differently than visual or auditoryHave a harder time in school as they need to place
themselves in the material
If you are predominantly kinesthetic, you will describe your feelings during the event. You will mention the temperature, and weather. You will also describe the proximity of others around
you
Learning Styles
You simply need to understand the type of learner you are in order to benefit
HOW TO WRITE DOWN AND REMEMBER EVERYTHING THE TEACHER SAYS
Use colored pens and pencils
The more visual cues you can create, the easier it will be for you to recall later
Underline and accentuate important items
Multistroke
Be Creative
BoxesCircles
HOW TO WRITE DOWN AND REMEMBER EVERYTHING THE TEACHER SAYS
Draw figures, charts, and graphs
Blue + Yellow Green
HOW TO WRITE DOWN AND REMEMBER EVERYTHING THE TEACHER SAYS
Write notes legibly
If your notes are not clearly written, there is a good chance they were never really understood
Studying for exams can be extremely frustrating if notes are not legible
You can use abbreviated words: relat. (relationship), psych (psychologist), w/in (within), w/out (without), etc.
You can create acronyms: ASAP (as soon as possible), TTYL (talk to you later), NBD (no big deal), etc.
HOW TO WRITE DOWN AND REMEMBER EVERYTHING THE TEACHER SAYS
Review your notes regularly
Not at the last minute = STRESS and possibility of researching a difficult topic or asking for extra help
If you review your notes after each class, then you know what problem areas you need to work on and you then have the option of getting extra help
If you have extra time, your notes is always a good way to learn them
re-writing
STUDY SHORTCUTS
1. Carry something to read everywhere you go
Waiting for a bus; waiting for our parents; etc.
2. Give yourself feedback and reinforcement
Give yourself a goal and then reward yourself for accomplishing it
• One hour of reading = one hour of TV
STUDY SHORTCUTS
3. Don’t beat yourself up over non-successes
You are human! Humans make mistakes!!!
STUDY SHORTCUTS
4. Try to simplify things
The simpler your answer to a question, the better your understanding
5. Study by objectives, NOT by time
Give yourself a goal and work towards it, do not base it on how long you think it should take or how much time you are giving yourself to complete the task
Objective: complete the task
STUDY SHORTCUTS
Read before going to class
Math = listen and then go home and read the materialOther classes = read the material ahead of time
• This will give you a better understanding of what the teacher is going to talk about
You will be ahead of the game at the end of the semester if
you can come to class already aware of what the teaching
will be talking about. While your peers will be hearing
about it for the first time, you will already be hearing it for
the second time
WHAT WILL BE ON YOUR NEXT EXAM?
1. Preparing for exams
Refer to Past ExamsAsk your teachers if you don’t remember the last exam or
check the returned test
Identify Exam QuestionsAs your teacher is going through the notes, put an “E” in the
margin next to areas that could be good test questions.If you don’t understand something put a “?” in the marginAsk your teacher…over and over and over again!!!!!!!!
WHAT WILL BE ON YOUR NEXT EXAM?
Does cramming work?
Yes and No – Very RiskyIt works better if you only have exam to study forCramming results in mediocre grades, who knows what
you could have received if you hadn’t crammed
IF …..
you are pumped and full of energy while cramming and
can maintain this throughout the exam, you will increase
your chance of remembering
HOW TO ACE EXAMS EACH AND EVERY TIME
Check the details
Know the time and place
Make sure you have EVERYTHING you need
Know how much time you have for each question
Start with the easiest questions and move to the harder ones = that way you get as many points as possible = this will also build your confidence
HOW TO ACE EXAMS EACH AND EVERY TIME
Essay Questions
Read each question from start to finish
Jot down any ideas you have so you do not forget them
Do not ramble - If it’s not necessary to the point you are trying to make then DON’T SAY IT!!!
Practice before the test date
HOW TO ACE EXAMS EACH AND EVERY TIME
Math or Problem Solving Exams
Scan through the exam quickly Start with the easiest questionsSkip questions you don’t know; there may be a trigger in
other questionsMake sure you are answering the question being
asked (i.e. if they ask you for the value of x, do not give the value of y)
Take your time = easy to make calculation errors
BUILDING THE ENDURANCE TO MAINTAIN SUCCESS
Eat well and drink a lot of water
Sleep well
Exercise: healthy body = healthy mind
QUESTIONS?