BBHS Study Program · What You Will Need 1. Standard Notecards -You can get colored cards if you prefer. Try to get cards that are ruled, so that you have lines to write on. 2. Highlighters

Created by Joe Barton, MA, LPC www.BartonCBT.com 1

BBHS Study Program

Joe Barton, MA, LPC


What You Will Need

1. Standard Notecards

-You can get colored cards if you prefer. Try to get cards that are ruled, so that

you have lines to write on.

2. Highlighters

3. Pens/Pencils

4. Rubber Bands (These will hold your notecards together)

5. Timer (You can use a watch or clock as well)

6. Study Schedule (See Pages 10-11)

7. A Personal Stereo or Ipod, etc., With Headphones -This is not absolutely necessary, but it will be useful for the relaxation

component of this method.

8. An Identified Study Area -Try to study in the same place (e.g. home office, library, coffee-shop, etc.).

Create a study area, with little distractions, that fits your preferences.


BBHS Study Techniques Joe Barton, MA Psy, LPC www.BartonCBT.com

1. Schedule Study-Time (Use the Included “Study Schedule” Form

on page 11!)

a. Write it Down and Follow it; much like a course schedule at

school

b. Pick a dedicated place, with little distractions

i. Make sure you know what distracts you most and get it

out of your study environment (see “Common

Distracters” on Page 12-13!)

c. Give Times; Length of Sessions; Place; and Dates on your

Study Schedule

2. Set Goals For Your Study-Session (Use the included “Study

Schedule” Form on page 11!)

a. “I will complete 30 notecards.”

b. “I will complete Chapter 7.”

i. Break down your study session into smaller blocks, with

goals associated with each block.

1. Study Session from 1:00 to 4:00

a. Hour 1: Review Chapter 1 and Jot Down

Questions

i. 40 minutes----10 minute Break

b. Hour 2: Create 20 note-cards for Chapter

One.

i. 40 minutes---10 minute Break

c. Hour 3…………..

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ii. Create a Reward for Completing Your Study Goals

1. If I stick to my schedule, my girlfriend and I will go

out to eat afterward.

2. *Note---don‟t panic if it takes you longer to

complete a chapter than you originally planned.

Be flexible. You‟ll get a better feel for setting

Realistic Goals the more you practice this

technique. In the meantime, allow yourself some

flexibility on your schedule. Reward yourself for

sticking to your Study Schedule.

3. Don‟t go on Marathons

a. Study for 30-40 minutes and take a 5-10 minute break

b. Change up your study activities during each session to avoid

boredom

c. Start studying at least 2 weeks prior to exam

4. Make Notecards (Read Pages 14-20!)

a. Review material

b. Think critically about how the material will be presented on a

test

c. Create notecards and study them out loud

d. Carry notecards EVERYWHERE with you and study them as

much as you can


5. An Organized Method of Studying notecards

a. Take your notecards and shuffle „em up

b. Now take 10 to 20 cards and place the rest off to the side

c. You will now study the 10 to 20 cards you have taken from the

“deck”

i. Read the cards and try to answer each one. Check your

answers.

1. If you get it right, set it into a “Correct” pile.

2. Those you miss go into an “Incorrect Pile”.

ii. Once you have your two piles established, set the

“Correct” pile aside for now. Look at the “Incorrect”

pile.

1. Pick up the top card and try to answer it, check

your answer

2. Pick up the next card and place it on top of the

card your just answered

3. Answer the card you just retrieved and check your

answer

4. Place it behind your first card

5. Answer the first card, check your answer

6. Answer the second card, check answer

7. Take a 3rd

card and answer/check

8. Place it behind the 2 previous cards

9. Now answer all three

10. Take a 4th

, answer/check

11. Put it on bottom/behind the first 3

12. Answer all 4

13. Keep doing this until you have all cards in one

pile.

14. Now return to step (5 c-i).

15. Once you have all the original 10-20 cards into

one “Correct” pile, return to step (5 c-i).


16. If you get them all correct it‟s time to choose a

new set of 10-20 from the original “deck”.

17. Set your first 10-20 that you‟ve already studied

aside and return to step (5 b)

18. Once you‟ve learned all of these add them to your

first 10-20 and return to step (5 b).

19. Continue this process until you are able to go

through the entire “deck” correctly.

20. It sounds complicated, but it‟s quite simple when

you try it!

6. Be Healthy

a. Eat a healthy diet

b. Get plenty of sleep (keep a Regular sleep schedule)

c. Exercise (you can take notecards on a treadmill or stair-

climber!)

7. Relax (Go to www.BartonCBT.com and download relaxation aides!)

a. Sit back, place both feet on the floor, and close your eyes

b. Take deep breaths and count to 6 with each inhale and exhale

c. Breath in through your nose and out of your nose

i. Big full breaths that go all the way down to your stomach

d. Again, Exercise helps you de-stress!

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8. IMPORTANT! Making the notecards takes the most

amount of time!

a. Start early and make them every chance you get.

b. Try to make notecards after each class

c. Make „em while you eat, during commercial breaks when

watching T.V., whatever----Just get them finished!

d. DO NOT try to cram in 50 notecards the night before the test!

9. Use Memory Techniques

a. Visualize the material

i. Can you see a picture of it in your head (Note: certain

material and data doesn‟t lend itself as well to visual

memories)

ii. Try to visualize the concept. Picture yourself doing it.

Attach a silly picture to the concept.

1. (e.g. the “Area Postrema” in the brain is part of the

blood/brain barrier that induces vomiting…….you

can remember this by picturing someone holding

on to a sign “post”, labeled “Vomit Area”, and the

person is vomiting into a “stream”. When they

finish vomiting, the person says, “Ahhh”. I know

it‟s gross, but I bet you‟ll remember it!)

2. Post-stream-ahhh = Postrema!

b. Set it to a song in your head

i. I can‟t remember the ABC‟s without singing them!

c. Use Mnemonic devices


i. Example: The Lines on a Musical Staff are E, G, B, D,

F. You can remember them with this simple Mnemonic

“Every Good Boy Does Fine”

1. This technique is especially useful when learning

lists or something with several parts.

2. You can also make words instead of sentences

(e.g. the great lakes can be remembered with

HOMES = Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Eerie,

Superior)

a. The class of neurotransmitters known as

catecholomines contains norepinephrine,

epinephrine, and dopamine…You can

remember this by thinking of a Cat named

NED.)

i. Get it? “Cat” for catecholamines

ii. NED = Norepinephrine, Epinephrine,

Dopamine

d. Associate new material with personal experiences or previously

learned material.

i. Attach personal meaning to new material

ii. Do Not simply try to memorize it

iii. The more personal meaning you can apply to the

material, the better you will encode it

1. The above Catecholamine example may have had

little personal meaning to you if you‟ve never

studied neurotransmitters. Here‟s some additional

information: Catecholamines are associated with

stress. You have an abundance of these chemicals

in your body when you are stressed or anxious.


2. Remember our Cat named NED? Picture him as a

cartoon-cat that is completely stressed out! Now

you‟ve got tons of information packed into one

concept. What do you think when you read

“Catecholamines” now?

10. Rehearse material over time

i. Repeat and review your study data and materials over an

extended period of time (several different days).

ii. The more repetitions, the better you will encode the

information

iii. “Cramming” is the worst way to study

Above all: Tell yourself, “I can do this! This strategy will

work if I dedicate myself to it and follow through with my

goals. I will succeed.”


STUDY SCHEDULE

(EXAMPLE)

DATE: 05/05/2005 PLACE: Library

START TIME: 5:00pm END TIME: 7:30pm

REWARD FOR

STICKING TO SCHEDULE: Watch Favorite Television Show

GOAL(S) TIME

ALOTTED

Break GOAL

ACHIEVED 1. Read Chapter One 30 mins. 10 mins. Yes

2. Complete 25 Notecards for Chapter One. 30 mins. 10 mins. Yes

3. Continue w/ Chapter One Notecards 30 mins. 5 mins. Yes

4. Read Chapter Two 30 mins. 5 mins. Yes


STUDY SCHEDULE

DATE: _________ PLACE: ____________________

START TIME: ______ END TIME: ______

REWARD FOR

STICKING TO SCHEDULE: ___________________________________

GOAL(S) TIME

ALOTTED

Break GOAL

ACHIEVED 1. _____ mins. _____ mins.

2. _____ mins. _____ mins. 3. _____ mins. _____ mins. 4. _____ mins. _____ mins.

DATE: _________ PLACE: ____________________

START TIME: ______ END TIME: ______

REWARD FOR

STICKING TO SCHEDULE: _________________________________________

GOAL(S) TIME

ALOTTED

Break GOAL

ACHIEVED 1. _____ mins. _____ mins.

2. _____ mins. _____ mins. 3. _____ mins. _____ mins. 4. _____ mins. _____ mins.


Common Distracters

Here is a list of environmental elements that make it difficult to stay on

task and study effectively. This is not an exhaustive list. Also, you may

have unique items that are particularly distracting to you. Sit down and

place a check-mark next to each item that distracts you while studying.

Once you‟ve identified what distracts you, eliminate it from your study

area. It you can‟t eliminate it, move to a new study area. At a

minimum, try to decrease the distracters as much as possible.

___Television

___Video Games

___Internet Activities

___Friends/Spouse

___Children

___Magazines/Newspapers

___Food

___People-Watching

___Cell-Phones

___Pets (Dog, Cat, etc.)

___Unexpected Guests

___Physical Discomfort

___Missing Study Supplies

___Beverages (Coffee/Alcohol)

___Other (_________________)

___Other (_________________)


Common Distracters (Continued)

Now that you‟ve identified what distracts you, plan how to minimize or

eliminate these distracters from your environment. Here are some

examples:

Distracter How To Eliminate Cell-Phone -Turn it off.

-Leave in car or other room.

Internet Activities -Disconnect during study-time

-Plan to check emails, FaceBook, etc.

before or after study-time or during breaks

(This would make a perfect Reward on

your Study Schedule).

Friends/Spouse -Study away from home and friends (e.g.

library, bookstore, etc.). Tell them your

study schedule and ask not to be disturbed.

Physical Discomfort -Adjust room temperature if you can.

-Bring a jacket or other clothing in case

you get too hot or too cold.

-Wear comfortable clothing.

-Make sure you have a proper study area,

with a chair and table and plenty of room.

Food/Beverages -Use moderation

-Take a break to eat. Set aside your books

and eat your meal (this would be a good

time to check your emails!).

Pets -Don‟t bring your pets with you to study.

-Study somewhere other than your home,

without your pet(s).

Get the idea? Plan ahead, think strategically, and create a proper study

environment. One of the first things I typically find with struggling

students is that they have terrible study-environments.

Don‟t kid yourself and say, “I just won‟t do „X‟ or „Y‟”. Most people

give-in to their distracters if they are readily available. Minimize these

distracters and you‟ve already improved your study skills dramatically.


Be An Active Reader

I see it all the time: a student comes in complaining that they study like mad, but can‟t

seem to remember or understand the information they studied. What I find is that many

of these students read their books and study materials passively. They sit quietly and read

each chapter in the same manner as they might read a novel or newspaper article, which

means they read the entire chapter without any other activity taking place.

Unfortunately, this is absolutely the wrong way to read when studying. Novels and

newspaper articles are written in such a way that they hold the reader‟s attention. They

are also broken down into smaller, more easily absorbed, segments. Think about it,

newspaper articles are generally pretty short. It might take you anywhere from 5 to 10

minutes to read an entire article. On the other hand, it might take you 30 minutes to 1

hour to read an entire textbook chapter!

Novels are generally divided into relatively short chapters. Furthermore, have you

noticed that many novels or other entertainment books have their chapters divided into

smaller segments within the chapters themselves? Why do they do that? Because it is

easier to read and retain the information. Why? Because it provides natural breaks for

the reader. It allows that reader to stop reading and mentally digest the material.

Many textbooks do not follow this “spoon-fed” type of writing. Their chapters are

generally much longer and may not be divided up at all. Also, the information may be

extremely dense and is likely completely new information to the reader. Text books are

not written in a conversational style. The information is provided coldly and in its

entirety, with little thought given to entertainment or holding the reader‟s attention.

Therefore, it is necessary to be an active reader when studying. You, the reader, must

take planned and necessary breaks. You must engage in activities that engage you brain

on different cognitive levels. Do not simply sit and read with a glazed look in your eyes.

Also, just because you‟ve highlighted something doesn‟t mean you understand it.

READING ACTIVELY

When reading, you need to think critically and ask yourself questions. For example, after

reading a paragraph, ask yourself, “What is this paragraph saying? Can I restate it in my

own words? Could I explain this to someone who knows nothing about it?” If you

answer “No” to any of these questions, you don‟t have a solid understanding of the

material you just read.


Plan Your Attack

A good starting place when reading a chapter is to plan your attack. Look at the structure

of the chapter. What is the title of the chapter? What is it about? This will help you

anticipate what will be presented in the chapter.

Organize and Subdivide

Next, determine if the chapter is divided into any recognizable sections and discover how

those sections are categorized (e.g. alphabetically, top-to-bottom, front-to-back, simple-

to-complex). For example, often times in anatomy books chapters are divided into

sections by anatomical location. They might explain the structures of the brain, for

example, from top-to-bottom or front-to-back.

Also, another common way chapters are arranged is by complexity of material, with

simpler material presented first and more complex information presented later. The

important thing is that you gain some kind of insight and meaning out of how and why

the author chose to organize the chapter the way he did. I promise you this: the author

did not simply throw the information together by chance arrangement.

Next, you need to create your own subdivision of the chapter. An easy starting point is to

use paragraphs. Read the first sentence of the paragraph and the last sentence of the

paragraph. This sounds crazy, but the truth is: you can usually get the main gist of a

paragraph using this method. Typically, the “meat” of a paragraph provides examples or

expands on the opening sentence. This isn‟t always the case, but generally a paragraph is

arranged in the following way:

1. Opening sentence or statement (sort of the “Main Idea” of the paragraph).

2. Supporting details or clarifying examples.

3. Summary or Conclusion Sentence restating the Main Idea.

Try it! Here is the above section again with the first and last sentences of each paragraph

highlighted.

I see it all the time: a student comes in complaining that they study like mad, but

can‟t seem to remember or understand the information they studied. What I find

is that many of these students read their books and study materials passively.

They sit quietly and read each chapter in the same manner as they might read a

novel or newspaper article, which means they read the entire chapter without any

other activity taking place.


Unfortunately, this is absolutely the wrong way to read when studying. Novels

and newspaper articles are written in such a way that they hold the reader‟s

attention. They are also broken down into smaller, more easily absorbed,

segments. Think about it, newspaper articles are generally pretty short. It might

take you anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes to read an entire article. On the other

hand, it might take you 30 minutes to 1 hour to read an entire textbook chapter!

Novels are generally divided into relatively short chapters. Furthermore, have

you noticed that many novels or other entertainment books have their chapters

divided into smaller segments within the chapters themselves? Why do they do

that? Because it is easier to read and retain the information. Why? Because it

provides natural breaks for the reader. It allows the reader to stop reading and

mentally digest the material.

Many textbooks do not follow this “spoon-fed” type of writing. Their chapters

are generally much longer and may not be divided up at all. Also, the information

may be extremely dense and is likely completely new information to the reader.

Text books are not written in a conversational style. The information is provided

coldly and in its entirety, with little thought given to entertainment or holding the

reader‟s attention.

Therefore, it is necessary to be an active reader when studying. You, the reader,

must take planned and necessary breaks. You must engage in activities that

engage you brain on different cognitive levels. Do not simply sit and read with a

glazed look in your eyes. Also, just because you‟ve highlighted something

doesn‟t mean you understand it.

Do you see how you can get the main idea by only reading a few sentences? Try this

with other books and articles. It won‟t always work, but it does frequently! Now, can

you go back and summarize what all those highlighted sentences are saying? You might

say something like this:

“Reading textbooks and other study materials in the same manner as you read

pleasure-materials is not the best way to read. Things like newspapers and novels

are written in such a way that they hold the reader’s attention and provide needed

breaks. When reading textbooks or other study materials, you need to be sure to

read actively, efficiently, and create breaks for yourself so that you maintain

adequate attention.”

More On Active Reading

After reading the first and last sentences of a particular paragraph, can you determine

what the main idea of the paragraph is? If so, jot it down beside the paragraph in the

margin of your book. If not, read the paragraph in its entirety. Now can you determine

the main idea? Jot it down. Continue reading in this manner. If your book has a natural

divider in place (e.g. an identified section), continue until you reach it. If it doesn‟t, or if


the section is extremely long or dense, trim it down to a more manageable size. You can

do this with several different methods.

1. Number of Paragraphs: “I‟ll read 15 paragraphs.”

2. Amount of Time: “I‟ll read for 15 minutes.”

3. Concepts: “I‟ll read the information about High Blood-Pressure.”

4. Pages: “I‟ll read two pages.”

The point is to set a manageable goal. Once you‟ve reached that goal, it‟s time to stop

reading and begin reviewing the material and making sure you understand what you‟ve

read thus far. While you read, jot down notes in the margins, highlight important

passages and keywords, and constantly ask yourself if you understand what you have just

read.

Do not read endlessly and passively. You should be active while reading. The more

critical and active a reader you are, the better the chances are that you will retain and

comprehend the information you are studying.

The SQ3R Method of Reading

A well-known method for reading is known as the SQ3R method. This stands for Survey,

Question, Read, Rehearse, Review.

First, scan over the material you are going to read. Look at section headings, chapter

titles, etc. and form a question for each section that you hope to answer after reading it.

While reading, you should be actively attempting to answer the questions you formed

while surveying.

After reading and answering your question, rehearse what you‟ve just read. Try to restate

it in your own words. Try to recall the information, in your own words, without looking

at the material. (Warning: Don‟t get fooled by your ability to recognize material.

You may believe that because you can recognize it, you will also be able to recall it.

Recognition is much easier than cold-Recall. Practice Recalling information without

any sort of clues, hints, or visual aids. Of course, if you‟re using my Notecard

method you‟re already doing this!)

Here‟s an example to illustrate the difference between Recognition and Recall:

Remember the example I gave about the part of the brain responsible for

vomiting? It was in the Memory Techniques section. Write down the name of

that part of the brain.

Answer: ____________________________

Could you recall it? If so, way to go! If not, give this a try:


Which of the following is the area of the brain responsible for vomiting?

A. Brain Stem

B. Prefrontal Cortex

C. Area Postrema

D. Temporal Lobe

Which one did you choose? The correct answer is “C”, the Area Postrema. The multiple

choice question is a Recognition task, while the Fill-In-The-Blank question is a Recall

task.

Which one did you find more difficult? Which types of questions do you find more

difficult in your studies? Generally, people find Recall tasks more difficult than

Recognition tasks.

Making Notecards

Once you have read the material and reviewed it, its time to make notecards. Remember,

those questions you formed while actively reading? Remember all those section headings

in the book. Maybe there weren‟t many headings and you divided out sections yourself.

Now it is time to use all of these to help you make your notecards.

You can use the questions you formed while reading as questions on your notecards. Or

you can write down a section heading and put a general outline of that section on the

notecard.

The easiest method is to write out questions just like you‟d see on a test, only don‟t give

yourself multiple choice questions. Instead, utilize these different styles of notecard

questions:

1. Simple Key-Terms

This is the easiest style. Simply write the key-term on the front of the card and

put the definition on the back. Or put it in a question form (e.g. “What is the

definition of Area Postrema?).

You can also reverse this method by putting the definition on the front and the

term of the back (e.g. “The area of the brain responsible for vomiting is known

as?).


2. Lists

This method allows you to create a group of terms or concepts together in a

meaningful whole. For example, the group of catecholamines is Norepinephrine,

Epinephrine, and Dopamine.

On the front write the name of the group (“Catecholamines”) and on the back of

the card write the members (“Norepinephrine, Epinephrine, Dopamine”).

Don‟t define anything with this type of notecard. Just list out the terms that

belong to the particular group. You can define each of the items on separate cards

(So, you would have a separate “Key-Term” card for “Norepinephrine,

Epinephrine, and Dopamine”).

3. Conceptual Thinking

Here, you will ask a question about a particular concept on the front and a general

outline of how to explain that concept on the back.

For example, a concept card for “Schizophrenia” might look something like this:

Front: “Explain the Disorder known as Schizophrenia.”

Back: I. General Definition of Schizophrenia

a. Hallucinations definition

b. Delusion Definition

II. Subtypes of Schizophrenia

a. Paranoid

b. Disorganized

c. Catatonic

d. Undifferentiated

e. Residual

III. Symptoms

a. Positive Symptoms

b. Negative Symptoms

IV. Medications Used

V. Prevalence Rates

Now you can take each component of this notecard and break it down into

smaller, more precise notecards.

For example, your can make several “Key-Term” cards for each of the terms

listed under the headings (e.g. Hallucinations Definition).

You can also create separate “List” cards for each of the headings and then make

“Key-Term” cards off of each of those list cards. For example, you could make a


“List” card for the Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia. Once you have all of the

positive symptoms listed out, you can make separate “Key-Term” cards for each

of the positive symptoms on your list.

The idea is to gradually divide the larger concept into more manageable “Key-

Term” cards and/or “List Cards”.

Now, when you are asked an essay question about Schizophrenia, you can recall

your general concept outline, jot it down on your test, and then run through each

section, listing and explaining in more detail!

Now You Know The BBHS Study Method.

Go Study!

Of course, feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions.

mailto:[email protected]


References

Atkinson, R.C., & Schiffrin, R.M. (1968). Human memory: A control system and its control processes. In K. Spence

(Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 2). New York: Academic Press. Bahrick, H.P., Bahrick, P.O., & Wittlinger, R.P. (1975). Fifty years of memory for names and faces: A cross-sectional approach. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 104, 54-75. Bjork, R.A. (1999). Assessing our own competence: Heurisitics and illusions. In D. Gopher & A. Koriat (Eds.), Attention and performance XVII. Cognitive regulation of performance: Interaction of theory and application. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Bower, G. H., Clark, M.C., Lesgold, A.M., & Winzenz, D. (1969). Hierarchical retrieval schemes in recall of categorized word lists. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 8, 323-343. Bransford, J.D., & Johsnson, M.K. (1972). Contextual prerequisites for understanding: Some investigations of comprehension and recall. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11, 717-726.

Robinson, F. P. (1970). Effective study (4th ed.). New York: Harper & Row.

Documents

BBHS Study Program · What You Will Need 1. Standard Notecards -You can get colored cards if you prefer. Try to get cards that are ruled, so that you have lines to write on. 2. Highlighters