III. Building Skills Students Need to Succeed 1. A Short List of 10 Commonly Confused Terms out of the 309+ Terms Students Need to Know 2. Student to Student advice letters 3. Three Choices of How to Deeply Process Material “No reception without reaction. No impression without expression” said William James in the first psych textbook. (1) Choice One: Cornell Notetaking (2) Choice Two: Flashcards (3) Choice Three: Graphic Overviews 4. Sample Graphic Overview of Psych’s Fields, Perspectives and Roots 5. College Planning Schedule 6. Student Lifestyle Survey 7. Survey of Student Study Practices 8. Value of Grades and One Response to Cheating, The Stanford Honor Code

STUDENT TO STUDENT ADVICE ABOUT STUDYING AP PSYCH   These are excerpts from letters 2011 AP psych students wrote to the incoming AP psych classes about reading, note taking, passing the multiple choice test and free response.  They also tell what chapters they liked the least and the most.  Finally, the 2011’s give advice on what to expect from the teacher, Ms. Kyung, for whom I introduce each unit and read a few sets of free response questions.  On RESOURCES:  appsychology.com was recommended as well as getting either Barron or Five Steps to a Five review books.  Videos on almost any topic can be found on YouTube.  On READING 7 to 12 pages a night and facing a Quickwrite quiz the next day on last night’s reading; “Just do it!  Actually read!  Don’t skim.  Don’t cram.  Commit an hour a day.  Find a nice quiet place  like I did in my bathroom.”  Another recommended taking short breaks to consolidate the reading.  “Make sure you know the terms hella well or you’re pretty much screwed.  Find a personal connection.  Some said to read the entire section before copying the terms so you will understand them.  Others said copy the words first then you can concentrate solely on the material.  That’s something you have to experiment and find out for yourself what works best.  On NOTETAKING and FLASH CARDS Some said the notebook is better because you can lose flashcards and the notebook has all the worksheets and class lectures or activities so they could study everything all together.   Others said using mainly flashcards worked better than the notebook for them because the notebook was too heavy and crowded to carry around to study.  Flash cards were easier.  Again, it’s something each individual student has to find out what works best for him/her.  Tips were:  Copy the diagrams and charts.  Be creative was mentioned a lot.  Make up stories or songs. Draw pictures.  Use at least three different colors.  Make your notebook unique and YOU!  Don’t just memorize the definitions but understand how to use them.  Apply terms to your life.  On STUDYING FOR THE MCTS coming up at the end of each chapter:  Review during the week.  Don’t fall behind and cram or use the summaries at the end of the chapters.  Use lots of mnemonics for example ZEF to remember the baby forms=zxygote, embryo, fetus.  Study with friends.  It helps.  You will learn a lot by either teaching them or listening to them. When it comes to choosing, don’t doubt yourself.  Your first choice is usually right.  ‘Ovaries of steel!’  On the AP MCT itself mark up the test booklet.  Cross out answers you know are wrong.    On WRITING THE FREE RESPONSE QUESTION at the AP exam:  TDA Bring a bottle of water and a snack.  Two hours is a long time.  RELAX.  Tell your self I GOT THIS! Write on the green test booklet up.  Outline.  Write term’s definitions.  Mark the time to start the second question.  It helps to remember the scientific terms.  Write! Write! Write as fast as you can.  HARDEST CHAPTERS they liked the least: In the  2nd period class, 21 said Neurobiology/Brain and 10 said Sensation/Perception.  In the 3rd period class, 20 said Sensation/Perception and 7 said Neruo.  Both classes said the problem was too many boring scientific terms they could not apply nor do activities to experience.  CHAPTERS they liked the most: Social Psych was the overall winner with Disorders/Therapy coming in second.  Personality and Motivation (sex) also were very interesting.  Emotion and memory were in the running. They especially loved the break‐a‐social norm activity in Social Psych.   ABOUT GETTING ALONG WITH MS KYUNG: Most often it was said DON’T EVER COME IN LATE!  You will be booed.   Most common comment: “She is the coolest teacher.  Talk to her.  Ask questions.  She is so approachable so go to her if you don’t understand something or have a problem.   She’ll listen.”  CONCLUSIONS ABOUT PSYCHOLOGY IN GENERAL: Psych is the best.  It can be applied to nearly all aspects of your life, to people and to yourself. One student said, “This class actually made me feel smart (not that I’m dumb) but I learned so much!” HAVE FUN! was often suggested.  One student said, “Get out of the box and participate because you remember the activities you did.  That way you will learn more than you can imagine.”  

WHAT ARE THREE NOTE TAKING OPTIONS?

1. Best for a high level student, walk on 5 ,formal operational critical thinker isFULL CORNELL= chapter's 0=question, T=term, D=definition, A=application

with a focus on APPLICATIONS,making and recording connectionsto other chapters, to personal experiences, to class demos

2. Better than adequate for the mid level student, 4's who can synthesize, highachievers, creative visual learners in a semi formal operational stage Is aGRAPHIC OVERVIEW= outline/ pictorial map of the chapter key terms

with a focus on making CONNECTIONS within the chapter's key topics

3. Good enough for an adequate and necessary coverage for the minimalist 3,or possible 2's l's who are very concrete operational have them makeFLASH CARDS with the definition on the back plus an Illustrative example

with a focus on just the main terms one has to know for this chapter/topic

ONE REVIEW/STUDY STRATEGY = put students(after assessing their skilllevelsecwork ethic) into teams of three

#1=does Cornell notes OTDA focus on applications and connections#2 =does the graphic overview/outline of the chapter topics and concepts#3 =does the flash cards of the chapter terms

Day before the chapter test they share their work, review and study together.

#3=leads off with a drill on the terms using the flash cards#2 = gives each a copy of their graphic outline overview and explains It#1= shares applications they made to their own experiences,demos and

connections to other chapters,questionsidoubts/reservations

If a student shows up without their work done they're put In the pit=can't workwith their team,must study alone, get only partial credit, and must completeeverything before test day or else!

EVERYBODY SAVES AND ORGANIZES THEIR MATERIAL TO BE USEDLATER WHEN STUDYING FOR CUMULATIVE EXAMS O R PRE AP REVIEW

I trained everybody on the full Cornell so they had to buy a notebook and get the coloredpens and high lighters. I also taught them how to do the graphic overview and naturally howto make flash cards. After doing two or three chapters in full Cornell, I would allow somestudents to elect which of the three study mote taking methods they wanted to doespecially if they just couldn't or wouldn't invest the time on the full Cornell. Everybody hadto keep a note book recording class demos, lectures,quick checks(pop quizzes) no matterwhich of the three they chose to do. This worked pretty well for me but l'd be interested inwhat works best for you.

don leach= doncleachPaol.com

7'4M gA COLORFUL INTER ACTIVE NOTETAKING SYSTEM

Before reading: 7 1 0-007 2 / d o t t o r d.T o r k i r

Chunk how many pages you have to read each night before the chapter test.Set a specific goal of how many pages you plan to do each night*Plan to finish the chapter a few days before the test so you can review,Start your sess.i on b y q u i c k ly r e v i ew i n g w h at e ve r you did the p re vi ou sl y . .

When reading:1.IN RED...pose the key question for the section you are reading by turning _ -- - -,

the dark bold neadings of the major sections into questions. I)Put these red questions at the center of your notebook page.Underline or box them so they standout. When you review, first try toanswer these key questions(in red) from memory.Practice recall.

2. IN GREEN....put the major terms that answer the question you posed. Oftenthey will be highlighted in bold print. Put the terms in your notebook at

r, the far left. When you review, to test your recall of the terms coverthe definitions to see if you know thern.Uncover and check your recallgo

3. IN PURPLE...next to the terms put their definitions.Write in the center of yournotebook whatever in the text you decide needs to besummarized o r paraphrased o r copied to explain the key

Z t e r m s / c o n c eonyjmportant dJgj aj that summarize concepts.Circle in biu fimportant researc ers or key thinkers you find.

When you review if you are unsure about a term or concept you can re–read your explanations and definitions in your notebook withouthaving to re read the text. ,•,_

4. IN ORANGE... put-youra s–ov= 1 , q u e s t i o n s , e m o t i on a l r e s p on s e s at t he

far right right, next f v fi e v e r you have written from the text in purple.When you record your thoughts and feelings about what you are readingyou more deeply process the information in a personally meaningful-way.When you review some weeks or months l a t e rot h e s e a s s o c i a t i o n s

will help trigger memories of when you first saw the material, activatingyour context clues and your state dependent memory insuring recall.

/ A fter reading5. IN BLUE ... after you finish reading a major section and/ or whole chapter sum

f, up in a few sentences what you learned. Include mar_gyakmatn441Datols and feelings about what you gained personally from the

chapter.Again you are insuring the material is meaningful and relevantto you because you have made connections to your life experience.

6. IN BLACK–write up your check up questions. These could be fill ins ,or a trial

a om u l ti p l e c ho ic e q ue st io n or potent ial essay questions.

When you review you could go directly to these check up questions.use them to drill yourself on the material or trade check up questionswith your study partner.

VRationale for the colorsThe brain likes contrast and novel stimuli. Color does that for the brain.If you find having that many pens a bother then write your notes in thetraditional black and blue but then use colored highlighters to get contrast.

P(BY... WHOTURNED ai r Experiment with this system. Be creative! Make your notebook highly individual!774E LIC1h / 0•%.1ct it t

1 0 P 1 t - O I L S 01 , 1414pkte,

VALUES to think about concerning GRADES. Agree? Disagree?

I am much more than any score, letter or number.know thy own worth. Grades can't measure me.

COMPARE MY GRADES TO OTHERS.I am like but unlike any one else in the groupOn the whole, I am as good as any one hereAt times, parts of me are better;sometime's worseGRADES DON'T SHOW WHAT I'VE LEARNED.Only time and experience can tell mewhat I have really learned and what really countsUltimately, I learn for myself and from myself.

) EXPECT PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION.I am a human BE coming ;therefore, I am entitledto make many mistakes and learn from them.(Avoid fatal errors,however, whenever possible.)

IF 1. CHEAT,I CHEAT MYSELF AND OTHERS TOO

I cheat myself out of the chance to grow strongerby challenging myself to succeed or fail on myown.Plus I miss the opportunity to really learn.

ACADEMIC HONOR CODE*I will not give nor receive aid in examinations. I will not give nor receive unpermitted

aid in class work, in the preparation of projects or in any work that is to be used bythe instructor(Don leach) as the basis of grading. I will do my share and take an activepart in seeing to it that others as well as myself uphold the spirit and letter of thisacademic honor code.

SignedWitnessed d a t e

*Taken almost word for word from the Stanford Honor Code. See I didn't plagiarize.