So You Think You Can Study?

Tips and Strategies for Effective Studying

[1] Find a place to study and keep it for study only..

[4] Avoid relaxing while working; create a work atmosphere.

[3] Control noise level and the visual environment to acceptable levels.

[2] Tool-up the environment with all study needs.

Creating a Study Environment

When to Study

It’s best to study:• during the day and early evening, when you'll

remember better (find your peak period).• when there are the fewest competing

activities in progress.• when adequate rest periods are provided.

How to Study & Concentrate• [1] When distracters are present, concentrate

more intensely on studying.• [2] Keep a pad of paper handy to get extraneous

thoughts out of your mind and onto paper.• [3] Set study goals before you begin each period

of study (# of pages, # of

problems, etc.)

• [4] Design adequate rewards after specified goals are attained.

• [5] Break-up the content of study by mixing up subjects and building in variety and interest while removing boredom.

• [6] Make the most of rest periods-do something quite different.

How to Study & Concentrate• [7] Start with short study periods and build to longer

periods only as fast as you maintain concentration.

[8] Plan the length of your study period by the amount of material you have decided to cover, not by the clock. (Often the clock is one of the most serious distracters)

• [9] If necessary, make a calendar of events to clear your mind of distractions.

• [10] Realize that you won't lose friends, respect, or a "good time" just because you're studying... these will keep.

How to Gain Motivation

• Step 1: Decide what you're trying to do in college.

• Step 2: Make college your job.

• Step 3: Set short-range goals.

Association is a key to memory:

You remember approximately • 10% of what you read• 20% of what you hear• 30% of what you see• 50% of what you hear and see together• 70% of what you say (if you think as you are

saying it)• 90% of what you do

Since you remember most of what you DO:

• Make studying more physical—work at a standing desk, chew gum, pace while memorizing. Read while on an exercise bike, mold a piece of clay, squeeze a tennis ball.

• Learn and practice new material by relying on your sense of touch. · Copy and paraphrase notes. · Use your computer as much as possible. · Trace words with your finger or the eraser

end of a pencil.

Mnemonics

•Are things intended to assist the memory, as a verse or formula.

Example: What are the eight planets in order from the sun?

Answer: My very educated mother just served us nachos.

• M ercury• V enus• E arth• M ars• J upiter• S aturn• U ranus• N eptune

SQ3R

Survey

• Survey - get the best overall picture of what you're going to study BEFORE you study it in any detail. It's like looking at a road map before going on a trip. If you don't know the territory, studying a map is the best way to begin..

Questions For Learning• Ask yourself the 5

W’s while reading

Active Reading• Read - Reading is NOT running your eyes over a textbook.

• Read to answer questions you have asked yourself or questions the instructor or author has asked.

• Be sure to read everything, paying special attention to bold and italicized print, tables, graphs and illustrations. Oftentimes tables, graphs and illustrations can convey an idea more powerfully than written text.

Recite

Try to recall Main Headings, important ideas or concepts presented in Bold or Italicized type, and what graphs, charts and illustrations tell you.

Review

Review

Is a survey of what you have covered. Rereading is an important part of the review process.

Review• Reread with the idea that you are measuring what

you have gained from the process.

• Go over notes to help clarify points you may have missed or don't understand. The best time to review is when you have just finished studying something.

• Do a final review before the exam. This is a "fine-tuning" of your knowledge of the material.

Lecture

• Attend every lecture.• Prepare for lectures.

• Find a “Noted Friend”.

Time Management

Start early

Set deadlines

Find One Hour per day for each course

Test Preparation

• Condense the material.

• Reading should be supplementary.

• Apply the material.

Quick Tips and Suggestions• Study actively: Ask yourself questions, review your notesregularly, discuss key concepts with peers and your course Professor. • Study in chunks: 20-50 minute time periods followed by a brief break (5-10 minutes) is the most effective way to study.

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Study? Tips and Strategies for Effective Studying

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