Study for Success

A student’s guide to studying, reading,

listening, note-taking, memory, and testing.

Olney Central College

Learning Skills Center

Table of Contents

Chapter One Page

Study Strategies………………… 2 Chapter Two

Reading…………………………… 14 Chapter Three

How Memory Works……………. 25 Chapter Four

Listening………………………….. 32 Chapter Five

Note-Taking………………………. 39 Chapter Six

Test Taking……………………….. 47

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Chapter One

Study Strategies As you begin your career as a student, there are some basics you need to focus on. Always remember, attitude is everything. Students who have a negative atti-tude towards school, classes, textbooks, and/or studying find it will be very diffi-cult to reach their goals. Most students come to college to prepare for a career. It is a unique opportunity to change the rest of your life. Each class and each assign-ment within the class is just another stepping stone to help you reach your goal. If you view reading, assignments, projects and tests as opportunities to help you get the job you want to have, it is much easier to maintain a positive attitude. Sudden-ly, things don’t seem so overwhelming. You also have to believe in yourself. You

have to believe that you can do what you have set out to do. As a student you are making a huge commitment of time, money, and effort to attend school. It only makes sense to do whatever you need to do to make that commitment worthwhile. Develop a good study environment. This will take some thought and planning on your part. Determine what study conditions you need to be at your best. Circle the conditions that work best for you. If you don’t know which is best, do some experi-menting and find out:

Watching television does not appear on the study condition chart. This is not something most students can do while they are truly focused on learning.

Noise Level Silence Background music

Low noise Noisy

Lighting Bright Medium Low

Seating Sit up straight in chair

Lay on the floor Relax on your bed

Time Morning Afternoon Evening Late night

Motion Sit still Walk Squeeze koosh ball etc.

Chew gum

Who Alone Study group Study partner Tutor

Best Study Conditions

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Study Strategies

The purpose of the following checklist is to help you diagnose the effectiveness of your study strategies.

Check the appropriate answer:

1. Do you always study in the same area? YES NO _____

2. Do you set up your study area before you

begin with paper, pencils, erasers, etc.? YES NO _____

3. Do you preview your materials before you YES NO _____

begin?

4. Do you ask yourself questions as you study? YES NO _____

5. Do you reduce external and internal distractions? YES NO _____

6. When you read, do you visualize pictures,

words, and ideas associated with your reading? YES NO _____

7. Do you recite terms out loud as you study? YES NO _____

8. Do you review notes within twenty-four

hours of taking them? YES NO_____

9. Do you relate the information you are learning to

information you already know? YES NO _____

10. Do you approach study times with a positive upbeat

attitude? YES NO _____

STUDY STRATEGIES CHECKLIST

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When you get up in the morning your blood sugar level is low because you haven’t eaten all night. Your concentration is directly tied to your blood sugar level. When your blood sugar is down so is your concentration. Before you go to class or study, be sure you have eaten something healthy! This does not include a choco-late doughnut and a cup of coffee or a soda and a bag of chips! You don’t have to eat a lot, but you do need to eat foods with protein, grains or calcium in them. Veg-etables and fruits are also good choices. If you choose something full of sugar, your body will automatically produce insulin which will rapidly break down the sug-ar. The end result is your blood sugar will be low again and so will your concentra-tion!

Healthy Breakfast

Good Night’s Sleep

Limit

Sugar

Limit Caffeine

Focus on Basics

Increase Your Concentration

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■ Cut down on Tobacco: Nicotine stimulates the central nervous system, caus-ing insomnia. It should be avoided at least 2 hours before bedtime.

■ Decrease Alcohol Consumption: Alcohol depresses the central nervous sys-tem, and can help you fall asleep. However, the sleep is abnormal, and you are more likely to wake up in the middle of the night and have bad dreams.

■ Increase Exercise: Exercise improves sleep by decreasing the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, reducing awakenings, and increasing deep sleep. However, exercising within 5 or 6 hours of bedtime can keep a person awake.

■ Don’t Take Your Textbook to Bed: Cut down on TV, cell phones, textbooks and other clutter. Keeping the bed free from clutter can make your environment more sleep friendly.

■ Unwind: Establish a regular nighttime routine right before you get in bed. En-gage in boring repetitive routines that are likely to relax you for sleep.

■ Relax: Practice slow, deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. Start at our toes and gradually tense and release each muscle in your body.

■ No Worries: When you can’t sleep, get up and do something relaxing in anoth-

er room. Don’t go back to bed until you are sleepy. Don’t stress when you do have insomnia. You will still be able to function the next day. The less you worry about insomnia, the more quickly it will go away.

George Mason University Counseling Center, “Tips for Better Sleep-ing,” http://www.gmu.edu/departments/csdc/sleeping.htm

Stress Reduction

Stress is change plain and simple. It does not matter whether the change is good or bad, it still causes stress in your life. It is a good idea to be aware of your stress level, and how it is affecting your health. If you have a high stress score, you may want to think carefully before making any other changes for a while. It is a good idea to use stress busters to reduce your stress level. Stress as-sessments can be found online at: The Ruth Gordon Howard Company, “What is your stress level?” http://www.ruthgordonhoward.com/images/images__RGH/Holmes.Stress.Scale.pdf

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Some students have trouble maintaining their focus. It is not that they can not focus. It is that they can’t limit their focus and take in everything that is going on in the classroom from their neighbor who is tapping their pencil to the whispered conver-sation in the back of the room. It is much harder to maintain focus if you have had a lot of caffeine. If focus is an issue for you, limit your caffeine consumption. Coffee has the most caffeine followed by Mt. Dew and some energy drinks. A recent press release shows the amount of caffeine in some common beverages.

Caffeine Content

Sources: National Coffee Association, National Soft Drink Association, Tea Council of the USA and information by food, beverage and pharmaceutical companies and J.J. Barone, H.R. Roberts (1996) “Caffeine Consumption.” Food Chemistry and Toxicology; vol. 34; pp 119-129 www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm

Sleep plays an enormous role in our lives. Sufficient sleep helps both concentration and learning. Sources vary on how much sleep a person needs. According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, some people need four or 5 hours of sleep; others need 8 or 9. For the best concentration and learning, try to get at least seven hours. The best way to get a good night’s sleep is to practice good sleep hygiene. Lack of sleep can cause stress and have serious consequences over the long term. Seventy million Americans have disturbed sleep. Most of the time, there is nothing wrong with the individual; their sleep may be disturbed by work or school sched-ules, family responsibilities, or lack of understanding about how to get enough sleep. The following are good sleep hygiene habits:

■Reduce Caffeine: Caffeine stays in the bloodstream for up to 20 hours. It causes difficulty getting to sleep and/or a lighter and shorter sleep. Too much caffeine dur-ing the day can cause daytime sleepiness because it depletes the supply of norepi-nephrine and dopamine, hormones in the brain that control attention. Avoid caf-feine at least 6 hours before you sleep.

TIP: Never take a test on an empty stomach!

Coffee, brewed 135 Mt. Dew 55 Tea, bag 50 Tea Iced 18-40 Diet Coke 46 Orange Soda 42 Pepsi 38 Coke 35 Hershey Dark Chocolate Bar 31 Hershey Milk Chocolate 10

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Stress Busters

Use stress! When all else fails, and you can't reduce your stress, use it! Do some-

thing productive such as taking a walk, washing the car, cleaning, gardening, or exer-cising.

Emotions affect learning in many ways. If a person is afraid for his physical safety, doesn’t know where his next meal is coming from, doesn’t know where he will sleep, or does not feel safe in his environment, his brain automatically goes into a “flight or fight” response pattern. When this happens, learning can not occur. Similarly, stu-dents who become very anxious and worried about a test, can actually trigger this same type of response causing them to “go blank” during the test. Reducing the anxiety will allow them to access the information they studied which is still stored in the brain On the other hand, we often remember events tied to strong positive emotions such as a field trip or special project in school or a life event like a wedding, birth of a child, etc. Maintaining a positive attitude will help your brain learn and remember.

Surround yourself with people who are good for you

Give yourself a break from the stressful situation

Do something for someone else

Eat right Exercise

Get enough sleep

Think positively

Seek a balanced life

Address issues - don’t let things slide

Learn to say no - delegate

Laugh

Don’t sweat the small stuff -prioritize

Set realistic goals

Emotions

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Where Does the Time GO?

TIME SURVEY

Rarely has anyone ever heard a college student say “I have too much time.” Many students are trying to juggle school, work, and family responsibilities. In order to prioritize and plan your time, you first have to know how you are spending it. It will also help you identify “time wasters.” The survey shows the amount of time you spend on various activities. Estimate the amount of time spent on each item. Once you have this amount, multiply it by seven. This will give the total time spent on the activity each week. After each items’ week-ly time has been calculated, add all these times together. Subtract this total from 168, the amount of time in a week: 1. _____ x 7= ______ hours of sleep each night 2. _____ x 7= ______ hours of grooming per day 3. _____ x 7= ______ hours for meals and snacks per day (include preparation time) 4. _____ x 5= ______ travel time on weekdays 5. _____ x 7= ______ travel time on weekends 6. _____ x 7= ______ hours for regularly scheduled functions (clubs, church, etc.)

7._____ x 7= ______ hours for chores and errands (cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, etc.) 8. _____ hours of work per week 9. _____ hours in class per week 10. ____ hours per week socializing, etc. 11. ____other ________________________ 12. ______ Add up the totals 13. Subtract from 168 hours for the week = ________ After you build in your study time, the remaining hours are all yours! George Mason University Counseling Center, “Time Management Tips,”http://www.gmu.edu/departments/csdc/time.htm

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One of the important tools you will want to carry in your backpack is a planner. Remember to schedule both class time and study time in your planner. Look back at the time of day you circled on the Best Study Conditions chart on page 2. Try to schedule your study hours then. Be sure to:

Review notes daily

Study daily

Study for 30 minutes and then take a 3-5 minute break

Go to bed at the regular time the night before a test

Just say “no” graciously

Make cell phone off-limits when studying

Delegate chores to family members

Cut down on:

Internet surfing

TV viewing

Social Media

Parents have a different set of issues when it comes to time management. It is dif-ficult to study when you have young children especially if you are a single parent. If your children are old enough, sit down and talk with them about why you are go-ing back to school. Chances are it is because you want to make a better life for your family, which includes them. If your children have homework, work on home-work together. If they are too young for homework, have activities available for them to do. If all else fails and you are studying for an important final, rent a mov-ie! Parents with infants will have to study whenever the baby sleeps. Now is the time to call in all the favors your family members owe you for babysitting. Set up an ar-rangement with other parents to trade babysitting times. Be sure to build family time into your schedule and reward your children’s cooperation with fun family ac-tivities.

Time Management

Time Waster Solutions

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Do you put off until tomorrow what you should do today? You are a procrastina-tor! Why do people procrastinate when they know it will just make their lives more difficult? Procrastination is a habit, and just like any other habit, it is hard to break. Individuals have superhuman expectations of themselves. Faced with super expectations, a lot of us just give up. Although you might like to be super-man, you are not. Set reasonable and achievable goals. Some students have a fear of failure. They have failed difficult subjects before and are afraid it will hap-pen again! Sometimes students who don’t have good study skills don’t know where to start, so they don’t. Firsts are always hard. A student’s first term pa-per, first major project or first presentation can be overwhelming just because s/he has not done it before.

Go to Class You can’t learn through osmosis. You have to actually be in class. No other single thing you do will reduce your stress as much as this one. If you are in an on-line class log in regularly.

Think Positive! Attitude is everything! Focus on the great grade you will earn because you studied. Tell yourself you can accomplish the task, pass the test, or write the paper. Better yet, write it on a post-it-note and put it on your mirror, alarm clock, or somewhere you will see it every day. Think long term about the ca-reer you will be able to enjoy when you graduate!

Face the Music What will happen if you procrastinate? Do you really want to study all night or earn a lower grade when you know you can do better.

Study Environment Schedule time to study each day. Be sure you have everything you need to study, the lighting is right for you, and there are no distractions.

Break It Up Finish one small part of the task each day until you are done. Even if it is a large reading assignment or a big paper, it will be easier, more manageable, and a lot less scary, if you divide it up.

Procrastination

Procrastination Busters

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Set a Schedule Schedule a reasonable amount of time to complete the project. If you schedule too much time, that is how long it will take!

Avoid Complainers Stay away from negative people who complain. On test days there will always be worried students complaining about the test. Don’t stop to listen to how bad the test is going to be, just “smile and wave” on the way to your seat!

Aim for the Goal Set reasonable concrete goals that you can reach for each 30 minute study session. Take a break, and then do it again and again until you have finished studying for the day.

The Only Thing to Fear is… What is the worst that could happen? What can you do about it? Ask yourself these questions to keep your fears in check. Remember when you study and prepare every day, most likely you will succeed and there won’t be anything to be afraid of.

Multi-Task

Like the famous ad says, just “Do it”. Make study cards and study sheets to take along to the grocery store, ball games, appointments, or anywhere you know you will have a few extra minutes while you wait.

Be Prepared!

Start getting ready the night before. Put all of the tools you need in your back-pack and put it by the front door. Lay out your clothes and make sure the car has gas!

Get help! When you have attended the lectures, read the material and still have ques-tions, ask your teacher! If you need extra help, get a tutor.

Make New Habits Substitute good study habits for your old procrastination habits. Use the new study habits for 21 days, and you will be on your way to a new procrastination free you. Once you have used your procrastination busters to develop new study habits and you are getting your work done, it is time to reward yourself. The reward can be small or large as long as it something you enjoy. Adapted from Cornerstone Building on Your Best, 4th Edition by Robert Sherfield, Rhonda Montgomery and Patricia Moody, Pearson Prentice Hall 2005.

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REWARD YOURSELF

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Be a Great

Student

1. Look at your Study Environment

● Lighting

● Noise Level

● Temperature

● Time of Day

● Distractions

2. Schedule Time to Study

3. Study Daily

● Read Your Assignments

● Review Your Notes

● Review for Tests

● Never, Ever Cram

● Read Ahead

4. Eat healthy meals 3 times a day (especially before tests)

5. Get a good night’s sleep

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Chapter Two

Reading

When researchers identified the two biggest academic problems facing college students, no one was very surprised that one of these problems was reading comprehension. The ability to read and make sense of what is read is crucial to success in the classroom. It is not enough to just read the words; it is important to understand and remember what you read as well. Indeed, “There is a monu-mental difference between knowing the words on the page and being able to comprehend, interpret , analyze, and evaluate those words.” (from Cornerstone, Building on Your Best. )

When you sit down to read, make sure it is in your best study environment (see Chapter 1, page 2) in which you can concentrate on what you read. It is im-portant that your study area be free from outside noise or distractions. However, it is also important to reduce internal distractions. Internal distractions are all of the thoughts that keep going through your mind. You may be worrying about your budget; thinking about what you are going to have for supper; or worrying about the laundry that needs to be done. Whatever thoughts keep intruding, it is important to keep them from distracting from your purpose, reading. One strate-gy is to keep a distraction’s list. Every time you think of something you need or want to do, write it down. You can take care of those things during your breaks. It is important to have the tools you need nearby when you sit down to read.

Six Essential

Reading Tools

Textbooks, notes, etc. Textbooks, notes, etc.

`̀ ConcentrationConcentration

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Writing toolsWriting tools

HighlightersHighlighters

NotebooksNotebooks

DictionaryDictionary

*Adapted from Adapted from Cornerstone Building on Your Best, 4th Edition by Robert Sherfield, Rhonda Montgom-ery and Patricia Moody, Pearson Prentice Hall 2005

Use these tools to become an active reader. Never just sit and read without be-ing a part of the process. Read with a highlighter in one hand and a dictionary in the other. Be sure you are highlighting, taking notes from the text, visualiz-ing the text in your mind, and looking up unfamiliar words.

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In order to read quickly and fluently, you need a good vocabulary. This is partic-ularly important if you have a program of study that requires a lot of reading. One way to increase comprehension and speed is to increase your vocabulary. The best way to increase your vocabulary is to read. Huh? That seems very con-fusing, but as you read, be careful to look-up all of the words you don’t know to build vocabulary.

The second way to build vocabulary is to increase your knowledge of word analy-sis, which is breaking down multisyllabic words into prefixes, suffixes, and root words. There are an infinite number of words to learn but a limited number of prefixes and suffixes. Once you understand them and their meaning, you will be able combine them with root words to determine the meaning of words much more quickly. Following are prefixes, suffixes, and examples of their use. Prefixes are attached at the front of the root word:

PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLE

● a, ab from alert, abstract

● a, an without, not atheist, anemic

● ad, af, at to advance, affirm, attain

● anti against anti-theft, antidepressant

● auto self autobiography, autocrat, autoimmune

● bi two binary, binoculars

● circum around circumference, circumstantial, circumcision

● con, cor, com with, together confide, corrode, combat

● de away, undo descend, deduct

● di apart diagonal, divorce

● dis not dishonest, disable

● ex out, former ex-wife, extraordinary, exit, expand

● Il not illegal, illegible

● in not incomprehensible, incorrect, incomplete

● Ir not irresponsible, irritate

● inter between intersection, interact

● intra within, in intramural, intrapersonal, intravenous

Vocabulary

Prefixes and Suffixes in Reading and Vocabulary Development

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● hyper over hyperactive, hypersensitive

● mal bad, wrong malfunction, malnutrition, malcontent

● mis not, wrong miscommunication, misread, misdiagnose

● mono one monorail, mononucleosis

● non not, no noncredit, nondenominational, nonsense

● post after postpone, postscript, postpartum

● pre before prerequisite, predict, prefix

● pro before, forward prospect, profess, prologue

● re back regret, regain, retest, restart

● semi half semicircle

● sub under subway, submerge, subset, submarine

● super above supernatural, superstitious, supersede

● tele distance telephone, telepathy, telecommunications

● tri three triangle, tricycle, triweekly

● ultra beyond, extreme ultraviolet, ultrasound, ultrasonic

● un not unnecessary, undecided, unclear

Suffixes are at the end of the root word:

SUFFIX MEANING EXAMPLE

● able able memorable

● acy state of being democracy, accuracy

● al pertaining to ethical, critical

● an someone who comedian

● ant pertaining to malignant

● arium place for aquarium

● ary pertaining to temporary, sedentary

● cule very small molecule

● ee someone who employee

● er someone who preacher

● ess someone who hostess

● est a condition fairest

● ence, ency, ance being full of influence, fluency, extravagance

● ful having the characteristic of delightful

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● ic a condition allergic, epidemic

● ish a condition foolish

● ile pertaining to docile, hostile

● ist someone who pianist

● ive a condition festive

● hood referring to neighborhood

● less a condition worthless

● meter measure thermometer

● ne someone who comedienne, heroine

● ness a condition carelessness

● or someone who tailor

● ous a condition religious

● ship referring to ownership

● sis condition of hypnosis

● tion state of addition, communication

Being able to recognize these simple prefixes and suffixes can help you under-stand words without having to look them up. Building a large vocabulary will take time. It won’t happen overnight. However, with work, study, and a good dictionary, you can increase your vocabulary dramatically.

Another way to build vocabulary, in addition to using your dictionary and under-standing word analysis (prefixes and suffixes), is through the use of context clues. As you read you will often find that the author has included clues to the meanings of some words. These clues can usually be found in the sentence or paragraph with the word. The author may include a picture that explains the word or gives his definition. Other context clues to be on the look out for are: Synonyms- A synonym is a word that means the same or almost the same as the word you aren’t sure of. By finding a synonym in the same paragraph, you may not have to stop and look up the word you don’t know. For instance, you may not know what “compassion” means, but if you see it used with the synonym “pity,” you will have a pretty good idea of the author’s meaning.

Antonym—An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. If you read “The food was not bad”, you would know that bad is the opposite of good so most likely the food was good!

Context Clues

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The SQ3R Reading Method

Survey! Question! Read! Recite! Review!

the title, headings, and subheadings

the captions under pictures, charts, graphs, or maps

review questions or teacher-made study guides

the introductory and concluding paragraphs

● the chapter contents or summary

turn the title, headings, and/or subheadings into questions.

read questions at the end of the chapters or after each subheading.

ask yourself, “What did my instructor say about this chapter or subject when it was assigned?”

● ask yourself, “What do I already know about this subject?”

● look for answers to the questions you first raised. ● answer questions at the end of the chapters or after each subheading. ● reread captions under pictures, graphs, etc. ● note all the underlined, italicized, bold printed words or phrases. ● study graphic aids. ● reduce your speed for difficult passages. ● stop and reread parts which are not clear.

QUESTION while you are surveying, you can:

When you begin to Read:

Before you read, SURVEY the chapter and:

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● read only one section at a time, and recite after each section. ● orally ask yourself questions about what you have just read, or summarize, in your own words, what you read. ● take notes from the text, but write the information in your own words. ● underline or highlight important points you’ve just read.

● use the method of recitation that best suits your particular learning style, but remember, the more senses you use, the more likely you are to remem- ber what you read.

TRIPLE STRENGTH LEARNING: Seeing, saying, hearing

QUADRUPLE STRENGTH LEARNING: Seeing, saying, hearing, writing!!!

Day One

After you have read and recited the entire chapter, put aside your book and notes and answer the questions. If you can’t answer the questions, review again.

Day Two

● Look at the bold portions of text again. ● Read the highlighted portions. ● Read your notes. ● Read your text/notebook, and orally ask yourself the questions. ● Orally recite or write the answers from memory. ● Make “flash cards” for those questions that give you difficulty. ● Develop mnemonic devices for material that needs to be memorized.

Days Three, Four and Five

● Alternate between your flash cards and notes, and test yourself (orally or in writing) on the questions you formulated. ● Make additional flash cards if necessary.

RECITE after you’ve read a section, and:

REVIEW: an ongoing process

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Critical Thinking

Many students have difficulty with critical thinking on tests. S/he may do well on tests on which only memorization is required or in which they answer questions about who, what, where, and when. However, many pro-grams of study require the development of critical thinking skills. Often, at least some of the questions on multiple choice tests rely on critical thinking skills. The student must choose between two similar answers. In order to determine the correct answer the student must apply, analyze or evaluate the information s/he has learned. All questions are based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Benjamin Bloom and a group of educational psychologists developed a classification system which describes the cognitive domains required to answer six levels of questions. The first level of the classification requires recall of facts. Each subsequent level requires more complex thought, up through level six, which requires evaluation. Each level gives examples of verbs that represent the critical thinking activity at that level. These are the verbs used to design critical thinking questions on tests.

1. Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce, state

2. Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, ex- plain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recog- nize, report, restate, review, select, summarize, paraphrase, cite

3. Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, em - ploy, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write, extend, implement, utilize

4. Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, exam- ine, experiment, question, test, prioritize

5. Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, de- sign, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, devise, incorporate, integrate

6. Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose, compare, contrast, cri- tique, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate Bloom, B.S. (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook 1: The Cognitive Domain New York: David McKay Co. Inc.

BLOOM’S

Study Tip: In the question phase of SQR3, turn the title, headings, and/or

subheadings from the chapter you are reading into questions using the verbs from Bloom’s taxonomy. Be sure to use verbs from every level.

TAXONOMY

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Reading Fiction

Many types of fiction give us great reading pleasure Novels and short stories can be historic, westerns, science fiction, thrillers, ro-mance, horror, etc. The following can provide a framework for discussing these in book clubs and for writing book reports.

Point of View An author creates a person to tell the story, and this person is the narrator. The narrator delivers the point of view of the story. Multiple narrators of the story can also present multiple points of view.

A first person narrator uses the pronoun “I” to tell the story and can be either a major or minor charac-ter. It may be easier for a reader to relate to a story told in a first person ac-count.

A subjective narrator is generally unreliable because he/she is in the story and can only speak to his/her experience within it.

A second-person narrator uses the pronoun “you” and is not used very often since it makes the reader a participant in the story (and you, as reader, may be reluctant to be in the ac-tion!).

A third-person narrator uses the pronoun “he” or “she” and does not take part in the story.

An objective narrator is an observer and describes or interprets thoughts, feelings, motivations of the characters. Details such as setting, scenes, and what was said is stronger with an objective observer.

An omniscient (all knowing) narrator has access to all the actions and thoughts within the fictional story.

A limited narrator has a restricted view of events and does not “know” the whole story.

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Questions How much does the narrator know? Does he or she know everything, including the thoughts, feelings,

motivations, etc., or present just limited information? Do you (the reader) know more?

Time ● Do events take place “now” (verbs in the present tense)?

Is the narrator a participant in, or witness to, the action?

● Is the story second-handed, related “as told to” the narrator?

• Think of yourself telling someone something that happened.

How much of the event do you know, and how does that affect the story?

Why is the story being told, and why now?

What is the motivation?

Character types in fiction

Characters are the people of a story or the opposing forces.

A protagonist or hero/heroine is the central character of the story.

An antagonist is the counterpoint (the opposition) to the prota- gonist.

● Tension between the protagonist and antagonist creates the story. Speech, thoughts, actions, appearances, desires, and relationships re-

veal characters, and each undergoes development and/or change as the story unfolds. ● Static characters are role players, and may not “develop” completely.

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Questions

Can the protagonist and antagonist be the same person? Can events or situations act as an antagonist?

How do your characters speak? How does it affect the dialogue?● What effect does the social class of the characters have on the

story?

Environment Environment consists of the time, place, and mood of a story.

● How does the setting affect the story? ● Are the situations happy, unhappy, mysterious, joyful, what?

• Where does the story take place: in nature, in a city, within a

room? ● How does location affect the story?

● How is emotion created? ● Is it dramatic at the outset, or does it build in intensity?

● Maybe the effect is to maintain a certain evenness throughout: creating its own type of tension? ● How would you change the setting of a story to change it?

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Chapter Three How Memory Works

Unless there is a disability, everyone takes information into their brain in the same ways through the five senses. We hear it, see it, touch it, smell it or taste it. Certain information is learned through motion. When an athlete is learning to swing at the ball in baseball, s/he must learn the correct motion to make.

The information coming into the brain must form a recognizable pattern so the brain can retain it. As the information enters the brain, it goes into short-term memory. Short-term memory holds 5-7 pieces of information at a time for ap-proximately twenty seconds. Information can be retained in short-term memory for a longer period of time if it is rehearsed. No one can, or would want to, remember everything that has ever happened to them. However as a stu-dent, you will want to remember much of the information you learn in class through reading or through work-based learning (i.e. internships, clinical expe-riences, etc.).

It is important to move the information you want to remember into long-term memory. Long-term memory is the filing cabinet in your brain where you sort, organize, and store information so you can find it when you need it—for a test, in your new career, in your next class.

As adults our brain are better able to remember information that is well-organized. The new information must be associated with prior information. In other words, the adult brain needs a “hook” to attach a piece of information you already know to the new piece of information. Two ways to move information you want to remember from short-term memory to long-term memory are:

1. Take each piece of information in to your brain at least three different ways such as seeing it, hearing it, and doing something with it. 2. Repeat!

26

In order to remember information, you must first understand it. If you don’t un-derstand the lectures or comprehend what you are reading, there is little chance of remembering the information. Likewise, even if you understand what you are hearing or reading but don’t store it in your brain in an organized fash-ion, you still may not be able to recall the information on demand. Memory will be stronger if you have an emotional link or tie to the information. When reading dry or technical information, try to visualize how it applies to people or their situ-ations. Comprehension or Understanding + Memory with Retrieval Cues = Learning

Grouping information will allow you to remember more and remember it better. For instance if you are trying to remember a list of sports, organize them in some fashion such as winter sports, summer sports, indoor sports, etc. By or-ganizing the list in this way, you will remember more items, because now you can remember 7 to 9 chunks of information. You can organize any list you need to memorize using your own classification system.

Vivid Association is another memory strategy. If you are trying to remember the name of a famous figure or a specific term that is hard for you, make pic-ture in your mind that is in bright colors…with spangles,…that flash and spar-

kle! The more vivid the association the more apt you are to remember it.

Strategies That Help

27

Visual Memory strategies help all students but are especially important for visual learners. Never be a passive reader! Always make or do something with the information that you want to memorize, especially if it is difficult or tech-nical. Make a poster about the information for your wall. If you are trying to re-member dates, make a timeline and hang it in your study area. Make diagrams, charts, or tables out of the information you need to memorize. If you are artis-tic, draw pictures of the information. Study Tip: When you need to memorize diagrams with many labeled parts make two copies. Set one copy aside. Take the second copy and white out all of the labels. Once it is dry, make ten more copies. Now you have ten study sheets and an answer key you can carry with you anywhere you go and have a few minutes to study. Study cards are another tool that is easy to take with you and utilize when you have a few minutes. Study cards are great for learning because you have to make them, so they are tactile or hands-on. You read them, so they are visual, and when you read them aloud, they become auditory. Even though it is a sim-ple study tool to make, it is powerful for learning, because you are taking the information into your brain in three different ways. Use cards for definitions, vocabulary, pictures, formulas or any short pieces of information you need to remember. Acronyms are something most of us are familiar with. For instance, there are few students who don’t know what the letters NBA (National Basketball Associ-

ation) stand for. You may remember using the acronym HOMES to memorize the names of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior). As you are studying, make up your own acronyms for short lists or formal names. Sentences and/or acrostics can be helpful for all kinds of information. Math students will recognize, ”Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” as the order of op-erations in math problems. More seasoned students may remember “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” as a sentence used to remember the names of the planets. Feel free to concoct your own sentences. Rhymes and Songs work well for many students, especially auditory learn-ers who like to take in information by listening. Just set to music the infor-mation you are trying to remember. It doesn’t have to be a complicated song, “Old McDonald” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat “will work. Attention is important to memory. This seems as though it is obvious. How-ever, if students are distracted by noises, other people in the room, or the sur-

roundings, they may not take in the information they are trying to memorize in the first place. Also, a student who is thinking about internal distractions (i.e. personal problems, to do lists, jobs, etc.) may miss what is being said in lec-ture. You can’t remember something you never heard in the first place!

28

Brain Research Summary

We learn and remember after a month . . . 14% of what we hear

22% of what we see

30% of what others do – demonstrations

42% sensory redundancy – repeat seeing, hearing, and doing important skills or concepts

72% movies of the mind – learning is linked to remembered or imagined life experiences of the learner

83% performance of a life challenge activity – first-time or demanding action that applies the new learning

92% of what we teach others

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External memory aids can be anything you use to help you remember. Many people write notes to themselves and post-it where they can see it on the mir-ror, the refrigerator, the alarm clock, or the front door. One student routinely put Post-it notes on the steering wheel of her car to help her remember. Memory aids can help you remember classes, appointments, assignments, tests, important dates (your mother’s birthday, etc.) or information for classes. Memory aids include:

Planners or Appointment Books

Post-its

Calendars

A watch with an alarm

A cell phone with an alarm or one that remembers important dates

Tape record lectures

Notes and lists

Pool class notes with other students

Tape record notes or books

Make your own study guides

Take photographs

Put objects in a conspicuous place

Ask someone to help you remember

• Mentally rehearse the information

Knowing your learning style can be a big asset in memorizing and studying.

The OCC Library has a learning style inventory in the computer lab for your use. Just ask one of the librarians to assist you. The following techniques pro-vide concrete ideas on how to memorize information especially for exams.

Use as many of the senses as you can while you are studying

Place all information within a context and organized structure

Show how one idea is a development or negation of another

Repeat, rehearse and review!

Break material into chunks of three for easier recall

External Memory Aids

Memory Techniques

30

Understand how you learn or process information best in order to trans-fer information from short-term memory to long-term memory

Assist the transfer of information from short-term memory by repetition

and frequent review; use a variety of scenarios, examples, and learning methods; doing, applying, or teaching a peer are good methods of rein-forcement

Combine visualization and verbal rehearsal strategies to help with the

tendency to forget things; create a concrete image Rely on reasoning and problem-solving skills

Practice verbal rehearsal techniques using the mind’s voice, visualiza-tion techniques using the mind’s eye, or both to process information from short-term to long-term memory

Create memory logs using notebooks, 3 x 5 cards organized in a three-

ring binder, journals, laminated checklists, special notebooks, calen-dars, schedules, etc.

Discuss concepts and facts with others

Type new words or terms on the computer to assist memory processing

When studying new terms, enhance memory retention by putting the new term with a picture, thus making a concrete connection with the word and meaning

Focus on the information in the center of the chapter or lectures. Stu-

dents often remember the beginning and end of a reading or discussion but tend to forget the details at the center

You now have some good information on how to memorize general information. The strategies listed below can help fine-tune memorization for specific pur-poses.

Strategies for Specific Areas

31

Bevan Gibson, Administrator, Southern Illinois Professional Development Center.

Write them down. Pronounce them slowly

Point out any spelling oddities

Define them so that everyone understands

Draw a picture; give an example; make an analogy; use synonyms; homo- nyms; right the opposites; etc.

Using SQ3R

Following the author’s direction or argument

Distinguishing the author’s main ideas from the supporting details

Keep columns straight

Where possible, use objects you can manipulate and concrete examples

Use formula sheets

Are important for visual learners to use

When making visuals, keep them simple and uncluttered

Tape recorders

Computers

Spelling checkers

Calculators

Video cameras

Prerecorded audio and video tapes

Software

2. Working with assigned readings: If readings are very technical or very abs- tract, walk through a sample reading by:

3. Working with numbers:

4. Working with charts, graphs, and pictures:

5. Working with technology-use:

1. Working with unfamiliar or technical words and terms:

32

Chapter Four

Listening

Listening is the ability to make sense of what someone is saying.” —Coping with College, Alice Hamachek, 2005

“Listening is the “ability to hear, understand, analyze, respect, and ap-propriately respond to the meaning of another person’s spoken or non-verbal messages.” — Daly and Engleberg, 2002

“It is only through listening that you learn.” — Drew Barrymore, Actress

There are many definitions of listening. Listening is not the same as the physi-

cal act of hearing. Listening is a multi-step process. 1st prepare to listen. In

other words listening is an active choice. 2nd the message is taken in and sent

to the brain. 3rd the brain processes the message and makes sense of it. 4th

the message is filtered through prior experiences and ideas. 5th the student

reacts to what they just heard. The reaction may be as simple as a nod to the speaker, taking notes or a more complex response such as asking the speaker for clarification. To be a college student you have to know how to listen active-ly. It is not enough to sit in class and let the words wash over you while you think about your plans for later in the day. Listen with more than your ears!

33

Listen with your eyes, a good attitude, and your whole-hearted attention. To listen ac-tively, you first have to focus or pay attention. Much of what you will learn will be pre-sented verbally by your teachers. Just hearing what your teachers say is not the same as listening to what they say. Listening is a cognitive act that requires you to pay atten-tion, think about and mentally process what you hear.

Get ready by reading and completing all assignments. In addition, review your notes from previous lectures. Think about what you want or hope to learn from the lecture.

Think about what you already know about the subject. Remember, as an adult learner, you must connect new information to something you already know.

Come to class on time. You don’t want to miss any of what is being said. In school as in life, the people who show up are most likely to be successful.

Pick the best seat for focusing and listening. You also want to be able to see any visual aids or materials. A good spot is one from which you can ask questions and partici-pate in any discussions. Visual learners usually do well in the middle of the front row where they can see what is going on. Auditory learners (those who learn by listening) usually do better at the side or the back of the classroom where they can focus on what they hear. Everyone does better in the seat with the least distractions!

Bring a positive attitude about the class, the subject matter, speaker. Leave your prej-udices at home.

PREPARE to Listen Before Class Begins:

34

During class: Keep an open mind. College is a great opportunity to learn about new view-points. Avoid shutting down when you don’t agree with the speaker. It is a good idea to mentally question what is being said, but do remain open to new ideas.

Avoid distractions by making an effort to screen out your noisy neighbor or sounds out in the hallway. Focus on what is being said. Don’t daydream or al-low your mind to wander

Sit up straight and face the speaker while maintaining eye contact. It will be much easier to stay focused on what is said and the teacher will appreciate your attention!

No interruptions, please! Never interrupt the speaker, or talk to your neigh-bor. It is just not physically possible to talk and listen at the same time.

ACTIVE LISTENING

35

Listen to what is being said. Always listen for the main idea. While you are lis-tening, evaluate the new information. Try to summarize and/or organize the

information to help you make sense of it and for better memory. Wait until the speaker finishes before you judge the content.

Listen to how it is said. The meaning of a statement can be changed com-pletely by the tone, pace, or pitch of the words. Pay particular attention to volume. If the instructor gets loud, it usually means it is an important piece

of information. It can also mean it is something the instructor feels strongly about.

Listen to what is not said. Sometimes this is the most important piece of in-formation. The only way you can accomplish this is to stay focused.

Pay attention to body language. Listen with your senses. “Tune in” to body lan-guage and facial expressions which express so much more than mere words!

If the instructor is waving his/her arms in the air and appears excited about what they are saying, pay close attention, because it will most likely ap-

pear on a test!

36

Ask questions! If you don’t understand something in the lecture, it is a good idea to ask for clarification.

Participate. Ask and answer questions or enter into the discussion. For many students discussion helps focus and memory. Show the teacher you are listen-ing by maintaining eye contact, nodding at appropri-

ate times or laughing at his/her jokes!

above all

another way to

as a result of

as stated earlier

because

characteristics

due to

finally

for example

in addition

In comparison

Adapted from Roadways to Success, 4th Edition, James Williamson, Debra McCandrew, and Charles Muse, Sr., Prentice Hall 2007.

Generally, when these phrases are used, you can be assured that the teacher is making a major point, and you should listen carefully and write it down. Usu-ally, if material is presented on an overhead, chalkboard, screen, or any where else the instructor writes information; put it in your notes!!

Adapted from Roadways to Success, 4th Edition, James Williamson, Debra McCandrew, and Charles Muse, Sr., Prentice Hall 2007.

Listen for these Key Phrases

in contrast

most importantly

nevertheless

on the other hand

specifically

such as

the main issues are

therefore

to illustrate

you’ll see this again

37

Some students have a partial or complete hearing loss. Others have what is known as auditory processing problems in which the brain doesn’t accu-rately process what is said in conversation. Other students may struggle with issues that make focusing their attention on a speaker difficult. If you have any of these concerns, please contact the Learning Skills Center in the back of the library. We will be happy to provide services that will help you. Special equipment that enhances listening is available as are note takers. Here are some things that help students with listening problems.

Sit near the teacher or in the center of the room. It all depends on which is bet-ter for you. If you need to lip read, studying facial expressions, or just be close enough to hear better, sit in the front. If you need the acoustics (sound quality) to be optimal, sit in the center.

Sit away from any sources of noise such as the door where you can hear stu-dents in the hall or the window if it is mowing season. Background noises can make listening more difficult.

Record your classes. Be sure you are getting a good quality tape that you can hear when you play it back. The Learning Skills Center is happy to check out MP3 players to record with.

Ask specific questions if you didn’t understand what the teacher had to say.

Follow the class syllabus. You may not always hear or understand verbal as-signments given by the instructor. However, most classes stick closely to the printed syllabus.

See your teacher before or after class to let him/her know about your listening issues. You will find s/he eager to help you succeed.

LISTENING PROBLEMS

38

Some years ago, my husband suddenly began paying attention to every thing I said. I thought I had miraculously become more interesting, until I found out he won a pen in a class he was taking for actively listening to his wife! There are many reasons to be an active listener. Here are a few of them.

1. Active listening will help you become the kind of student you would like to be.

2. You can’t remember information you don’t understand in the first place. If you aren’t paying attention, you won’t necessarily hear it to begin with.

3. Lectures will make much more sense to you, and studying will be easier.

4. You will have a better understanding of what is expected of you on the job, in internships, or in clinicals.

5. Your friends and family will feel much more interesting. You will be the person they want to spend time with!

THE TOP FIVE . . . . . . Reasons For Actively Listening

39

Chapter Five: Note-taking One of the most important skills a student can have is the ability

to take good notes in the classroom. Everybody his/her own technique for taking notes, but for some students this is a difficult task. Some students la-ment, “I don’t know what to write down,” while others ask, “How do I know what is important?” This chapter is designed to address those issues and provide some general guidance on how to take notes. One of the most im-portant factors in good note-taking is sound listening skills. If you haven’t al-ready done so, take some time to read about listening skills in Chapter Four, before you continue.

• It is your record of the instructor’s lecture. Unless you have a fantastic memory, it is hard to remember everything that is said in class. • It gives you a record of the course content for the semester. Often read- ing the notes in sequence gives you a good idea of what information the instructor wants to cover for the semester and possibly, what he/she will present next. • Your classroom notes are a great study aid. When it is time for a test, re- viewing your notes is one very good way to prepare. • For students who have a visual or tactile learning style, the act of writing down the notes helps them remember the lecture. • Many teachers create their own lectures. In other words they don’t lec- ture from the book. Your notes may be the only source of information on what your instructor considers important!

As with most things, preparation is important. It doesn’t do any good to take notes if you can’t find them or understand what they are talking about. First: • Read your assignments. The lecture will make a lot more sense if

you have some idea what the instructor is talking about. In fact, that is how the adult brain works! You have to have something to tie new information to! So you try to tie it to something else you already know.

Second: • Use a different colored divider, or better yet, a notebook for each

class. You may even want to use a different color of ink for each class! Color helps keep things organized!

Third: • Date and label each page with the topic that was discussed. Start

new page for each lecture. Fourth: • Staple any handouts or power points from that day to your notes.

Why is note taking important?

Get Ready

40

• Show up for class • Get a good seat

• Bring your notebook and writing materials

• Develop your own code! Use abbreviations such as writing the number rather than the word, i.e. 1 instead of “one”. There are common note- taking symbols you can use.

• Use standard abbreviations for cities, states and objects (i.e. AT for Atlanta, IL for Illinois or Chevy for Chevrolet)

• Use standard scientific abbreviations such as O2 for Oxygen • If the same term is going to be used over and over in a lecture, write it out the first time along with your own abbreviation (i.e. Pythagorean Theorem, PT). After that first time use the abbreviation in your notes instead of writing out the full term. • Remove the vowels or just use parts of words i.e. Wlmt for Wal-Mart, mth for math, or eng for English.

Get Set

+ Or & ..... and

etc. ......... and so forth

approximately

← ........... as a result of

@ ........... at

.. because

be/4 ......... before

c/o .......... care of

∆ ............. change

cf ............ compare, in comparison to

cont’d. ..... continued

↓ ............. decreasing

def ..........definition

≠ ..............does not equal

$ .............dollars, money

= .............equals

esp .........especially

‘ ..............feet

ff .............following

4 .............for

ex or e.g. .for example

* .............important

“ .............inches, repeated

↑ or ^ ........increase

/g ............to indicate “ing”

The Need for Speed –Take Faster Notes

Common Note-Taking Symbols

41

Write It Down If:

• It appears on the chalk board, an overhead, or in a Power Point

• It is in a chart or graph

• The teacher gets loud, waves his/her arms or seems excited

• The teacher uses the words “This is important” or “ This will be on the test!”

Train yourself to listen for the main idea of the lecture. Listen for key words and phrases (see Chapter 4) and write them down. If you don’t know what some of the words mean, look them up.

* ............. important

“ ............. inches, repeated

↑ or ^ ........ increase

/g ............ to indicate “ing”

< ............. less than

→ ........... means; resulting in

- .............. minus; negative

> ............. more than

* ............ most importantly

ng ........... no good

# or no. .... number

p ............. page

% ............ percent

plus or addition

# or lb ...... pound

Q ............ question

re ........... regarding, concerning

. . . ........... repeats same pattern

s ............. summary

ie ............ that is, therefore

............. therefore

2 ............. to; two; too

vs ........... versus; against

w/ ........... with

w/o ......... without

wd .......... word

Students often say they don’t know what to write down when taking notes. A good rule of thumb is, if it seems im-portant to the teacher—write it down! How do you know it is important to the teacher?

Write!

42

How Much Do I Write?

Never try to write word-for-word what the instructor says. Summarize the main points. Develop your own system of symbols, abbreviations, pictures, etc. Just be sure you know what they mean. You can also use the common note taking symbols listed above. Star and underline important ideas. If you don’t understand a point in the lecture, ask questions.

What If I don’t get everything written down?

Pool notes with your classmates. Many times you will write down points that they missed and vice versa.

Always review your notes within 24-hours of taking them. You may be super note taker, but the rest of us usually need to:

• Review notes for spelling errors

• Write out abbreviations

• Fill in missing words If you wait two or three weeks to look at your lecture notes, they may not make much sense to you.

Reviewing your notes has the added benefit of assisting memorization and mak-ing connections with the reading material for class. Review your notes for tests by:

• Highlighting the important points

• Creating visual pictures in your mind

• Reading them out loud

• Summarizing them in your own words

• Using them to test yourself

• Using the notes to make up mnemonics

Translate!

Remember!

43

There are a number of tried and true note taking systems. Choose the one that

makes the most sense to you or follows the structure of the lecture the best. In

other words, if your instructor is a very organized lecturer, you may want to use a

note taking outline. If your instructor likes to give a lot of examples or case stud-

ies, a mapping system might work best.

Note-taking Date Topic: Outlining

I. Most common technique A. Uses heading and subheadings B. Works well with the “Organized Lecturer” II. Helps organize ideas A. Makes it easier to find main ideas B. Makes it easier to find important points

III. Should be combined with textbook notes

Splits page into 3 sections

Section A used for questions that summarize your notes

Section B are the actual class notes

Section C is used for your comments or a summary of the information on the page

Cornell System

Section AQuestions

Section BNotes

Section CComments

Outline System

Cornell System

Choose Your System

44

Many students prefer to take notes on their laptops while in class. In the event it is necessary to access the internet for additional information about the class, most of OCC is covered by Wireless Internet. If taking notes on the computer is a good solution for you, be sure to:

Come to class early to get a seat with enough the space to set up your computer

Sit where you can see and hear the instructor

Have the computer turned on and ready to go before class starts

Back up your notes with a jump drive as well as saving them to the com-

puter’s hard drive Print out your notes and put them in a binder behind a parti- tion labeled with the class name

See Relation-ships

between facts

Can be used with

Cornell or out-

line

Creates map of

information

Use the system that works

best for you

Visual Learners

Mapping

Mapping System

Into the Future-Using Technology for Lectures

45

Some students are unable to write lecture notes because of a physical or learning disability. Other students find it very difficult to pay attention to the instructor and the lecture content and write at the same time. For these situations, recording the lecture is an excellent solution. Two options for recording the lectures are:

MP 3 Players Tape recorders

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own, whether in writing or in speaking. Most students understand that plagiarism is illegal and that it can result in failing a course. However, sometimes students are confused as to what constitutes plagiarism.

You are plagiarizing if you:

present ideas, images, or testimony of others without citing the source of

the material and/or implying in any way that such material is your own;

paraphrase or summarize without crediting the source of the material;

directly quote with no quotation marks, footnotes, or textual citation of the

source;

submit material from one class if it was originally produced for another

class—even if it is your own material;

submit material written by someone else as your own; this includes pur

chasing a term paper or essay;

submit a paper or assignment for which you have received so much help

that the writing is different from your own;

or

copy assignments in part or in whole previously submitted or written by

another student.

More Technology

Plagiarizing

46

As you head to the library to take notes for your next paper, be very careful to cite the source of the material in your notes. Be sure to indicate in your notes if you are paraphrasing the material or directly quoting. This is the time when you need to write down all of the information you need to cite your source. Students who fail to keep track of this information may not remember that there are sources which need to be cited in the finished paper. It is easy to forget where the infor-mation came from and how closely is it quoted if the research notes are set aside for awhile.

OCC’s Anderson Library has a wonderful web-page that gives specific directions on how to cite sources. To reach the page, go to http://www.iecc.edu/occ/lrc/ and click on Citation Resources. There is a citation machine available which al-lows you to enter your source material and have the citation created in the format required for the course. There is also a lot of information on how to correctly cite sources.

Plagiarism Pitfall

Citing Sources

47

Chapter Six

Test Taking

If you started this book from the beginning, you now know how to work on and develop good study habits, time management, reading, memorization, listening, and note-taking skills. This chapter is the culmination of all

of the others. It doesn’t really help to learn new information if you cannot apply it on the job, in the next level class, or on tests. This chapter will review strate-gies for taking specific kinds of tests as well as text anxiety.

When it comes to test preparation and test taking, attitude is everything. Jane Smith gets ready to study for a regular exam for her class. She begins by determining what the test is going to cover. As she realizes the amount of reading and reviewing that is required, she leaps to her feet, pulls back her hair and exclaims with great drama, “How does the teacher expect me to read all these chapters? Doesn’t he know I have other classes? Doesn’t he realize I have a life? I can’t possibly study all this!”

Joe College gets ready to study for a regular exam for his class. As he looks over which materials will be included in the test, he mumbles to himself, “I am so lucky to have the opportunity to go to college study this information! I can’t wait to graduate and start working in my field. I wish I had started earlier!” Who will get the best grade on the test? Why? The student who sits down to prepare for the test with a positive attitude will always have an advantage. A student who has followed all of the study strategies in the first five chapters will be well prepared for any test. If you have studied daily for your tests, then you are academically prepared for your test. Be sure to prepare yourself physically for tests as well. Part of being a good student is keeping your body, and especially your brain, healthy and ready for thinking and learning. The following are necessary for good brain health:

Attitude

48

The human brain requires sleep to think and learn. Some of the recent research suggests seven hours is an optimal amount. Never, ever cram the night before a test or stay up late. A stu-dent who has had sufficient sleep performs much better on a test than one who studied until 3 A.M. and came to the test half asleep. Don’t sleep with computers or cell phones in the room. The blue light they emit can disrupt your sleep patterns.

What Works: Some research suggests that eating a

hand full of fruit and drinking water will help boost test scores. What is clear is that it is always necessary to eat before a test. In the Learning Skills Center, we have seen students come in to test on an empty stomach and do poorly. Later, the student returns to re-test after eating a healthy breakfast or snack, and the test results soar. This happens time after time. It is not necessary to eat a large meal (especially if testing causes a queasy stomach). It is necessary to eat something healthy from one of the five food groups.

What Doesn’t Work: Drinking large amounts of caffeine can be detrimental to

good brain health. Caffeine constricts the blood vessels, which allow less oxy-gen to reach the brain. Caffeine also dehydrates the body, including the brain. The brain is 70% water and needs hydration to function well. Large amounts of caffeine also disrupt the sleep cycle. However, there is some evi-dence that one cup of coffee in the morning can boost short term memory. Finally, consuming sugar causes the body to produce insulin, resulting in an actual drop in blood sugar. Blood sugar is always tied to concen-tration. If blood sugar is low, then concentration is low as well.

Daily exercise helps keep the brain working in top form. It causes blood to cir-culate to the brain and more oxygen to enter the body. A few minutes of exer-cise before a test helps as well. Often, this is just a brisk walk from the parking lot and down the long college hallways.

Sleep

Healthy Food

Aerobic Exercise

49

On the back of the test, write down any acronyms or mnemonics you

memorized before you forget them.

Review the entire test first.

Listen carefully to the teacher’s directions.

Pace yourself.

Always answer the questions you know first, go back to the others lat-er.

Always answer every question.

Always review your answers to make sure you read the question or cal-culated the answer correctly.

If you read the question correctly and did the calculations correctly, LEAVE IT ALONE! Students who second guess themselves often get the answer wrong.

Always find out what the test is going to cover.

Find out what types of questions will be on the test.

Find out how many points the test counts towards your grade.

Ask if you can do extra credit work.

Always double check answers on the Scantron answer sheet: o Match the number of answers to the number of questions.

o Use a straight edge to keep your place on the answer sheet.

When you get the test, find out if you are allowed to write on it.

If so, then Circle:

Qualifiers, words that change the whole meaning of the question (i.e. al-ways, never, all, none, sometimes, either/or, etc.)

Verbs that give directions

Tricky questions

Mark it Up

Test Taking Strategies

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If you don’t understand the question – Ask.

Come back to the question later.

Make logical connections to what you do know.

Visualize where the information was on the page.

Take a scrap piece of paper and just start writing to unblock your memory.

Guess intelligently.

In many programs of study, the majority of tests have multiple choice answers. The multiple choice problem consists of a stem (the question) and usually three or four choices for an answer. In most multiple choice tests, two of the answers will be very similar. Usually one of these two answers is the correct one. Strate-gies that help with multiple choice tests include:

If the test involves reading a passage and answering questions, read the questions first.

If the test does not involve reading passages, read the question and answer it before you read the answer choices.

Underline keywords and phrases in the answers.

Cross off the answers you know are wrong.

Read all of the answers even if the first answer appears correct.

If several answers appear correct, choose the MOST correct. Is the answer related to the question? The answer may be correct

but not relevant.

Look for clues to the answer in the other test questions.

When You Don’t Know the Answer

Multiple Choice Tests

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True/False questions have been showing up on tests for a long time. True/False questions can be tricky to answer. Be sure to read each ques-tion carefully.

Remember: Beware of negatives and double negatives. Circle the negatives so

you don’t miss them as you decipher the statement.

If part of the statement is false, then the entire statement is false.

1. A joke or funny answer is usually wrong.

2. The most inclusive answer is usually right.

3. The longest answer is usually right.

4. If the answers include a number, the smallest number is usual-

ly wrong; the largest number is usually right.

True/False Test Taking Tips

Circling key words is very important when taking True / False tests.

Watch for: 1. MODERATE words that often make the statement true — such as:

sometimes, few, generally, usually, etc. 2. UNCONDITIONAL words that often make the statement false — such as:

always, all, every, only, never, etc.

True / False Tests

Multiple Choice Test Taking Tips

1. A joke or funny answer is usually wrong.

2. The most inclusive answer is usually right.

3. The longest answer is usually right.

4. If the answers include a number, the smallest number is

usually wrong; the largest number is usually right.

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Some tests give you a list of questions and a list of answers. Basically Some tests give you a list of questions and a list of answers. Basically you have to match the correct answer to the question. When answering these types of questions, it is important to:

Start with the longest column.

Check off the items as you use them.

Match all of the answers you are sure of.

Match the remaining items.

These tests can be a little more challenging because you actually have to use your own words, instead of just choosing the best answer in a multiple choice, matching, or true/false tests. However, if you have used all of the study strate-gies outlined in this book, you will be prepared. If you know in advance that the test will be short answer, make up your own practice tests using short answer questions. As you go through the test, make sure you have filled in each blank in the question. If there are four blanks in a sentence, you will need to write in four words, etc.

Matching Tests

Matching Test Taking Tip

When you don’t know which items to match, look for clues in the matches you have already made.

Short Answer Tests

Short Answer Test Taking Tip

Look and see what article (a, an, the) is used before the blank you need to fill in. If the word “an” comes before the blank, your answer should begin with a vowel

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Often when essay tests are mentioned to a group of students, some of them groan. Others get a gleam in their eye. At least some of those students will try to write down everything they can think of and hope they hit the right answer — somehow. This is the scattergun approach to essay tests. It is not a good strat-egy! Step one in answering an essay question is careful consideration of the question. Look for the action words in the question such as list, describe, compare and contrast. They are a good guide to exactly what the teacher is looking for in the question. If the question has several parts, be sure you respond to all of the parts in your answer. The following steps will help you take essay tests:

1. Outline your ideas before you start.

2. Begin with a thesis statement.

3. Stick to the points you want to make.

4. Use details, times, dates, names to make your point.

5. Summarize your main ideas at the conclusion.

6. Watch spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

7. Proofread carefully!

Students hope for a perfect score on each test they take. However, if you do miss some of the questions, it is important to figure out why. Reviewing your test mistakes can be one of the most valuable tools you can use to improve fu-ture test scores. In order for that to happen, it is essential to figure out why you missed the question. What was the biggest problem? Nervousness

Misreading the question

Making careless errors

Making factual errors Not studying enough

Not studying correctly

Essay Tests

Learn From Mistakes

54

Analyze your mistakes. What types of questions did you miss most often? What changes will you make in your study habits and test preparation before the next test? Jot down two things you plan to do differently, and see if your test perfor-mance improves next time.

Not everyone experiences test anxiety, but for those who do, it can be a very re-al problem. How do you know if you are experiencing test anxiety? Do you expe-rience any of the following:

Can’t sleep the night before

Get sick if you eat

Are irritable and hard to be around

Think about not taking the test

Have a negative attitude

You might have test anxiety during the test if you:

Sweat

Are nervous

Have butterflies in your stomach

Worry when other students are still testing and you are finished

Worry when other students are done and you are not finished

Are afraid you will run out of time

Get Frustrated

Blank out and can’t remember what you studied

Test Anxiety

55

You might have test anxiety!

Test anxiety is really not a joking matter, but it is all in your brain. When you study, attend lectures, etc., everything you learn is stored in the neo-cortex or thinking part of the brain. The neo-cortex controls memory, logic, and critical thinking. It is the test-taking part of the brain. The information you studied is en-coded in your prefrontal cortex. This is the front section of the brain. When a test taker gets worried enough, anxious enough, frustrated enough, he is func-tioning out of fight or flight part of the brain. When a person is functioning from this part of the brain, the neo-cortex is shut down. Everything the student learned is still in his neo cortex. It didn’t go anywhere. However, the student is now functioning out of the fight or flight part of the brain and can’t access the material s/he learned. So how does the student get back to the thinking part of the brain so he can take the test? Controlling test anxiety is a process. It starts with keeping your brain healthy with sufficient hydration, sleep, exercise and healthy foods. Having good study habits helps control test anxiety as well: Study every day

Review classroom and textbook notes daily

Use SQR3 for reading

Take a 3-5 minute break every 25 minutes

Establish a good study environment

Attitude is everything, especially if you have test anxiety. At least one week be-fore the test, spend five minutes per day in a quiet spot with your eyes closed. Visualize yourself going to class to take the test, reading through the test, know-ing the answers. Continue to visualize yourself returning to class the next peri-od and getting the test back with a good grade. Visualization is a very powerful tool. This will not hurt your test performance, and it may help! Negative Visualization is what most students engage in without really thinking about what they are doing is negative visualization. In other words, they worry constantly about how terrible their performance will be on the test; flunking out of school; not getting into the career they want; and on and on. This is negative visualization. It only makes sense to substitute positive visualization for all the negatives. It also makes sense to practice relaxing. Do something that relaxes you for 30 minutes each night. Relaxation releases energy for learning and thinking.

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Read the chapters.

Figure out which memory tools work for you. Plan your study schedule for the week.

If you are dealing with test anxiety your goal is to keep the anxiety from occur-ring in the first place. Using good study habits will give you more confidence in your test taking abilities. This helps keep the anxiety down as does good health practices. A few students experience what are known as racing thoughts. Their minds race in a loop of negative thoughts that go through their brains over and over. The best recourse for racing thoughts is to slam your hands loudly on a table and yell “stop”. If your thoughts begin racing again, repeat the procedure. Nev-er do this in classroom setting! Instead, yell stop as loud as you can in your head, not out loud.

Review your notes.

Review the highlighted portions of your chapters.

If you have answered the study question in the chapter or made up your own questions, review them.

Eat a healthy supper.

Spend 30 minutes doing something that helps you relieve stress.

Go to bed on time.

The Week Before a Test

The Night Before a Test

57

Eat a healthy breakfast

Don’t try to cram in a lot of new material

Get to the test early

If there are students in the class who are complaining about how awful this test is going to be, just smile and wave and take your seat

Blow all of the air out of your lungs, and take in as much air as you can; repeat until you feel yourself relaxing

If you feel yourself tensing up during the test, repeat the deep breathing If you can’t think of anything to write, turn the test over and start writ-

ing…anything. Eventually, you will be able to remember what you were trying to write down.

Approaching the test with an “I can” attitude will help your test performance. Trust yourself and your memory as you test. Be careful not to look at your test scores as a measure of your worth as a person. It is simply a measure of what you have learned and remember. It has nothing to do with your self-worth. It is just one test. In five years you most likely won’t remember what score you earned. If you have tried all of these strategies and still feel you need more help, make an ap-pointment with the Learning Skills Center staff to sign up for a tutor and/or to talk to one of the staff about your study and test taking skills.

Has This Helped?

It is hoped this book has been of help to you. One of the most important things you can achieve in college is to learn how to learn. If you have this skill it will

benefit you not only in school but on the job and in your personal life as you begin looking at subjects you are interested in just for the joy of learning something new!

The Morning of the Test