Study skills sp11

How to Succeed in College Without TryingWithout Trying was just to get your attention.

BORING

WHY DO SOMETHING THAT IS BORING?

It is the right thing to do To avoid a negative

consequence Doing the boring task will get

you something you want

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

STUDY SKILLS ASSESSMENT

ANSWER KEY

TIME MANAGEMENT – 1, 2, 3  CONCENTRATION – 4, 5, 6  NOTE TAKING – 7, 8, 9  READING COMPREHENSION – 10, 11,

16  READING SPEED – 12, 17, 18  WRITING SKILLS – 19, 20, 21  STUDY STRATEGIES – 13, 14 15

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?

Set your goal. Your goal provides you with direction.

Are you willing to pay the price to reach your goal?

HOW WELL ARE YOU DOING?

Assess your semester.• What are your current grades?• Are these the grade you want to get?• How well do you know the material?• Are you up to date in all of your

reading?• Are you having any difficulty learning

the material?• What major assignments do you have

to complete this semester?

BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCEEDING IN COLLEGE

Sleep Diet Exercise Managing feelings Making connections Know your professor

BASIC INGRDIENTSSleep

If you do not sleep at night, you will sleep sometime.

DietBrain food

Not Brain Food

Exercise

No Exercise – No Energy

Manage Feelings

Get Involved

HOW TO KNOW YOUR PROFESSOR

Read your syllabus carefully Listen closely in class Speak with your professor Ask questions

Know your professor

Course Policies:Assignments: In this course, as in the working world, you must turn in your assignments on time. All projects are due at the beginning of class on the dates given on the syllabus. Assignments turned in late will normally be penalized one letter grade unless you have made other arrangements with me in advance.

Know your professorAppearance: All work must be neatly typed, using standard margins and spacing. I require all documents to be in 12 point, Times New Roman font. Whether it is a letter, a memo, or a report, your communication should exhibit appropriate format. In general, letters and memos should be single-spaced with a blank line between paragraphs and reports should be double-spaced. All rough drafts must be typed.

Know your professor

Grammar, Spelling, Proofreading: At work, even a single error in spelling, grammar, or proofreading can jeopardize the effectiveness of some communications—depending on the rhetorical situation. My grading will reflect the great seriousness with which these matters are viewed in the working world.

Know your professor

Back-up Copies: Always prepare two copies of each major assignment. I will grade one copy and hand it back; the other copy will be for your own safe-keeping. Every student is expected to save all work in progress and every document written in this class, whether independent or collaborative, on some type of storage devise.

Know your professorAttendance and Preparation: I expect you to attend every class and to have your textbook and all works in progress with you. If you have unexcused absences, your class grade may be docked up to one full grade. Excused absences must be arranged in advance and all missed work must be made up. In the case of an emergency, you must send me an email detailing the date(s) and reason for your absence.

Know you professor

Conferences: I strongly encourage you to see me when you have questions about an assignment, when you would like to try out some ideas before a draft is due, or when you have questions about a comment on a draft. You should also see me for help with particular writing problems, to resolve differences about grades, or to suggest ways to improve the course.

Know you professor

When grading your assignments, I will ask one overriding question, “Does it work?” That is, would your communication have the intended effect on the reader you are addressing in the world outside the classroom. I will, of course, recognize the difference between a competent performance (a “C”) and good and excellent performances (“B” and “A”). A competent performance is one that stands a reasonable chance of succeeding; an excellent performance is one that seems assured not only of success but also of winning praise.

Know you professor

All documents will receive a grade from A-F. Major projects receiving a grade of a B- or lower, may be revised once after meeting with the instructor. The maximum grade for a rewritten paper is a B.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THIS PROFESSOR?

Stickler for timelines – Hand in everything in on time

Attend every class. Notify the professor when you are going to miss class.

Neatness counts – Type everything Focus on the details.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THIS PROFESSOR?

No excuses – Admit your mistakes Meet with the professor even if you

find the professor a little scary. Establish a relationship with the

professor because the professor’s grading is subjective.

Do it the professor’s way!

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCEEDING

Schedule effectively Use learning strategies that work Know how to prepare for tests Learn how to manage your

personal obstacles to learning

CREATE A WEEKLY SCHEDULE

What are you going to do?– Review each syllabus and identify the

tasks you must complete (readings-projects-quizzes-tests).

How long will completing each task take? Write down your estimate.

Where are you going to do it? When are you going to do it? How are you going to do it? How will you monitor yourself?

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

8:00 BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BREAKFAST CAP 120S BREAKFAST PAPER

9:00 SLEEP ENGL 015 READ ECON ENGL 015 BREAKFAST ENGL 015 PAPER

10:00 SLEEP PHIL 001 BREAK PHIL 001 BREAK PHIL 001 PAPER

11:00 SLEEP KINES 072 READ PHIL KINES 072 READ PHIL KINES 072 PAPER

12:00 LUNCH ECON 004 LUNCH ECON 004 LUNCH ECON 004 RELAX

1:00 READ PHIL LUNCH BREAK LUNCH BREAK LUNCH RELAX

2:00 READ ENGL READ FOR ENGL

STUDY MATH READ ENGL STUDY MATH READ ENGL RELAX

3:30 FOOTBALL BREAK MATH 110 BREAK MATH 110 BREAK RELAX

4:00 FOOTBALL READ PHIL MATH 110 READ PHIL MATH 110 ECON HW RELAX

5:30 FOOTBALL BREAK MATH 110 ECON HW MATH 110 ENGL RELAX

6:00 DINNER DINNER DINNER DINNER DINNER DINNER RELAX

7:00 PAPER ECON MATH HW STUDY PHIL MATH HW PARTY RELAX

8:00 BREAK ENGL MATH HW HW MATH HW PARTY RELAX

9:00 PAPER RELAX STUDY ECON RELAX RELAX PARTY RELAX

10:00 PAPER ENGL RELAX HW STUDY PHIL PARTY RELAX

FOLLOWING YOUR SCHEDULE

Set a specific time to start Have visual reminders Tell someone when you plan

to start “Just get started”

Scheduling

• Keep track of whether you started on time and how long it took you to complete the task.

• Make good use of this information. If you did not start on time, work on your initiation skills.

If the task took you longer than you planned, give yourself more time.

SCHEDULING A WRITING ASSIGNMENT

Use the assignment calculator:

http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/

EFFECTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES

IDENTIFY AN AREA THAT YOU USE EXCLUSIVELY FOR STUDYING If you consistently study in the same

area, you will train your brain to focus on academic material when you are in that area.

If you want to take a break, leave the area that you use for studying.

Consider studying in the library because it is conducive to completing academic work.

Beds are for sleeping; they are not for studying.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

• Who can help you study effectively?• Do you study better alone or in a

group?• Who in your class knows the material

well?• Would you be comfortable meeting

with your professor?• What resources do you have on

campus?

STUDY SKILLS

Use active study strategies.• Verbalize the material you are studying.

DO NOT passively look over your notes.• Make multiple connections among the

concepts you are learning--for example, how are they similar or different, and how can the concepts be grouped?

• Teach the material to someone who is not in your class.

• Make flash cards for vocabulary, facts, and terms.

MEMORY STRATEGIES• An acronym is an invented

combination of letters. Each letter helps you to remember a concept. For example, IPMAT can be used to remember the stages of cell division (Interphase – Prophase – Metaphase – Anaphase – Telephase).

• An acrostic is an invented sentence or poem. The first letter of each word is a key to help you to remember information. For example, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” provides the sequence in solving or evaluating math equations.

• Create a story to help you remember the information.

• Number different aspects of the concepts.

• Draw a picture of the concept you are trying to learn.

CREATE A STUDY GUIDE• Write down all of the main topics or concepts.

• Under each main idea, write down important details or facts.

• List key concepts and vocabulary and generate a definition for each one.

• Draw any charts or tables that you need to understand the material.

STUDY GUIDE FORAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity

Disorder3 Types Predominantly Inattentive Type

9 symptomsDiagnosis requires 6 symptoms

Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type6 hyperactive symptoms3 impulsive symptomsDiagnosis requires 6 symptoms

Combined Type

ADHD SymptomsInattentiveCareless mistakesFailure to sustain

attentionDoes not listenDoes not follow

throughPoor organizationAvoids tasks requiring

mental effortLoses thingsDistractedForgetful

Hyperactive/Impulsive

FidgetsOut of seatOften runs aboutDifficulty playing

quietlyOn the go – Driven by

a motorTalks excessivelyBlurts out answersDifficulty waitingOften interrupts

Can you write down all of the symptoms?

Inattentive1. _________2. _________3. _________4. _________5. _________6. _________7. _________8. _________9. _________

Hyperactive/Impulsive

1. _________2. _________3. _________4. _________5. _________6. _________7. _________8. _________9. _________

EXAM PREPARATION

Take practice tests. Review your study guide with your

professor. Ask your professor to explain the

format of the exam. Predict possible test questions.

STUDYING FOR EXAMS

• Review your syllabus and textbook. What are the objectives of the course?

• Assemble all of your handouts and notes.

• Are you missing any important information?

• Predict possible test questions.

• Use the Learning Center.• If your textbook has a web site, GO

TO THAT WEB SITE AND TAKE PRACTICE TESTS THAT YOU FIND.

• Search the Internet for practice tests.

LEARN HOW TO CREATE LEGAL CHEAT

SHEET

Study guides can become:

“LEGAL CHEAT SHEETS”

Illegal cheat sheetNot a good idea

A LEGAL CHEAT SHEET

Turn the test over Recreate your study guide Draw any charts or graphs you may

need. Write out memory strategies Make lists you memorized What does a Legal Cheat Sheet look

like?

What a legal cheat sheet for Abnormal Psychology looks like

PersonalityOCEANOpennessConscientiousnessExtraversionAgreeablenessNeuroticism

Core ConceptsHiM2AC3

Abnormal BehaviorHIDESHelp SeekingIrrationalDeviantEmotional DistressSignificant ImpairmentPERSPECTIVESBiologyGenes, brain, transmittersMedication

DSM IVI Clinical DisordersII Personality Disorders MRIII MedicalIV StressorsV GAF

SocioculturalSociety Culture familySociety changeFamily interventions

Fear/AnxietyFear immediate, basicFight/FlightAnxiety futureEmotions + thoughtsHuman emotion

PsychodynamicInternal conflictTherapyCognitiveFaulty thinkingCBT

BehavioralLearnedRelearn Change behaviorHumanisticLife experiencesPositive regard

KNOW THE OBSTACLES YOU FACE AND HOW TO MANAGE THEM Feeling overwhelmed

– Use relaxation techniques– Focus on one task at a time– Get help from Counseling Services

Trying to be perfect– Set realistic expectations– Lower your expectations

• Distracted when you are studying. Turn off your cell phone and Instant

Messenger.Reward yourself for staying focused. Keep a pad and pencil with you when

studying so you can write down other thoughts you want to remember that pop into your mind.

Vary your study activities and topics.When you notice your thoughts

wandering, take a break and refocus.

Distracted by other activities

• Post your goals and look at them daily.

• Tell your friends what you are trying to accomplish. Ask for their help.

• Stay away from distracting people.• Use a weekly schedule to stay

focused.

The material is boring

Look for something in material that catches your attention

Ask yourself how material could be useful to you in the future

Talk to your professor about the material

Use the course to discipline yourself to learn boring material

HELP ON CAMPUS

LEARNING CENTER – OLMSTED W-117COUNSELING SERVICES - SWATARA

BUILDINGACADEMIC COACH – Karen Miles

OLMSTED W-117DISABILITY SERVICES – Alan Babcock

SWATARA BUILDING

WEB SITES

General Informationhttp://www.studygs.nethttp://ced.ncsu.edu/onlinetools/http://www.bucks.edu/~specpop/studyskills.htm Chemistryhttp://www.chemistrylecturenotes.com/ Schedulinghttp://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/ Essay Tests Generalhttp://www1.csbsju.edu/academicadvising/help/essayexm.htm

WEB SITES• Graphic Organizershttp://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_go.htmlhttp://www.kathimitchell.com/graphorg.htmhttp://www.lib.byu.edu/sites/instruction/2009/11/24/graphic-organizers/• Writing and grammar questionshttp://www.grammarnow.com/• Test Taking Strategieshttp://mit.edu/uaap/learning/teach/tests/index.html• Math and Scienceshttp://www.albion.edu/asc/qsc/help_sites.asp

Contact informationAlan Babcock

aub15@psu.edu948-6025