Large Community Meeting 10/5/2010

« previous | October 5, 2010 - 7:00 PM | next »

Study Skills Presentation

Bethany Smith
Student Counseling Service
(979) 845-4427
Cain Hall B103

Career Assessment Workshops

• Take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test.
• Identify strong interests to help identify career interests.

PASS Program

There for anything worth talking about (emergencies, crisis intervention, Help line 845-2700)

Biofeedback: help physically control stress and anxiety

Basic Study Skills

Generic Stuff I should already know:

1. Attend every class
2. Sit at the front
3. Meet with Professor (early on)
4. Use separate notebook for every class
5. Sunday is week-scheduling day
6. Plan for 2hrs study to 1hr in class
7. School is 8am–5pm / 40hrs/wk job
8. Determine when I am mentally sharpest
9. Find designated study area (2 or 3 places)
10. Review notes daily and use study aids

Memory

2 types: short-term (working memory) and long-term

Note-taking (what I'm doing now)

• Pay attention!
• Prepare ahead of time (read/review)
• sit in ideal location (front of class; see #Basic Study Skills)
• look for cues for important stuff
• ask questions before, during, & after class
• LOOK AT THEM LATER!

Memory leaks out quickly; keep refreshing it. Test yourself over material to see how well you know it.

Effective Learning

(NOT just "learning"; Effective Learning)

1. Pick out important information; know what you need to know.
   • Look/listen for key ideas in book/lecture
2. Build connections
   • Internal: organize information into categories
   • External: relate it to stuff you already know
3. Self-monitoring
   • Minimize distractions—DUST PARTICLE!
   • Take breaks (5-10 mins every 30 mins); switch subjects if necessary
   • Remain calm; eat a few sugary snacks (glucose is what powers the immune system)
   • test yourself

Strategies

1. Active Rehearsal (repetition, repetition, repetition)
   • Notecards/Flashcards
   • Mnemonic Devices
2. Elaboration (associate new stuff with familiar stuff)
   • Mental images and web diagrams
   • Put things in your own words
   • Learn like you're teaching someone else

Reading the Textbook: SQ4R

Survey: look at structure
Question: know what to be looking for
Read: only look for the answers; don't read everything
Recite: put main ideas in your own words
Rite: questions and answers using only key words; go back and highlight/underline
Review: questions, answers, and underlined information

Use Study Aids

From professors:

• class notes, PowerPoints
• Quizzes and suggested homework
• Old tests and class reviews
• SI sessions

From textbooks:

• Outlines, summaries, figures, diagrams
• examples, questions, and answers

From community:

• tutoring, peer support, week in review (FREE STUFF!)
• 

Set Goals

SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable Action, Realistic, Time-specific

Time Management

1. Schedule everything important and look at it later (planners, calendars, week-view)
2. Recognize when you're free and when you're busy
3. Set weekly goals
4. Break large tasks into more manageable checkpoints

Taking Tests

• Determine test type (multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, etc.)
• Predict what will be on it
• skip questions and go back
• Never second-guess yourself
• feel confident

Post-test Analysis

• Know why you got some questions wrong
• Speak with professor to clarify any misunderstood information

---

General ASPIRE Notes

Penny-Bomb Game

• Bring pennies (positive points) for your own bucket, silver coins (negative points) for others