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Teaching Study Skills


Jackie
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Stole this quote from the "What would you do differently" thread:

 

The other thing I should have done is taught him how to make study materials. ... I am finding that he does not really know how to study effectively. It is one thing to develop a skill, like mathematical problem solving that is hard fought and long lasting, it is another thing to memorize what you need to know for a test that then requires you to synthesize the information to answer deep questions. He has no technique to actually study.

Anyone want to break this down for me? How would you go about teaching study skills throughout elementary and middle grades?

 

I'll be honest, I still have no study skills. Good grades came easily until college, and then I decided to accept mediocre grades instead of learning to study. I know my daughter is still rather young for study skills, but I do best using long-term goals and then breaking them down.

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I started teaching note taking with church sermons when DD was really young-our church at the time printed an outline wi blanks to fill in, and it gave her something to focus on. We've worked on creating an outline with the Great Courses and with talks at conferences, guest speakers at herpetology meetings, and so on. The single thing that gets the most comments at conferences is that she takes notes. She's also a doodler, so her notes are often fully illustrated. I've encouraged the same thing for working from textbooks. She keeps a separate notebook of formulas and useful information for math.

 

Studying for tests, I'm not sure she has yet, although she does go through and outline chapters and major facts for the NME each year. I'm also having her create her own study tools for Latin Prep this year (which we're doing to hopefully solidify grammar. After three years of Cambridge, she can read it pretty well, and can translate fairly actively, but her understanding of grammar is pretty intuitive-which, as she discovered last year, doesn't work well for the NLE). We're going to try to start doing SAT-2/CLEP tests in large part so she can have tests to study for, although that seems to be getting pushed to the back burner.

 

whether it works...ask me in about 10 years!

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I took this Coursera online course:

Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects

https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn 

 

It was a bit more scientific than simply giving you study tips, but I enjoyed it.  Looks like they are holding the course again mid-September if you are interested.

 

I found using some of the imaginative ideas worked well with my ADHD son.  (example.You have to remember the four food groups...  Pretend you are going into everyone's bedroom.  What food do you find in you sister's room?  What food is in your room?  etc.)

 

 

BTW:  this is a document I kept on my computer, after taking the course:  http://www.oakland.edu/upload/docs/UG%20Education/Retention_Conference/Retention_Presenations/2014_Ret_Conf_Presentations/03_Learn_to_Learn_2.pdf

 

It is the: 10 Rules of Good Studying

Excerpted from A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel in Math and Science (Even if You Flunked Algebra), by Barbara Oakley, Penguin, July, 2014

 

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To be honest, I think outsourcing with online classes and me scaffolding the written aspect at home helped so much here.

 

Kiddo hated to write but wrote willingly (mostly math and science) for outside teachers he enjoyed working with. Some of these classes had built in systems or a lot of handholding e.g. with eIMACS, everything is online and you can work and review materials with just clicks of the mouse. With Derek Owens, there was a pre-formatted workbook with writing space for him to use as he watched and learned from Derek's lectures. Derek also had worksheets to download for homework with space under each problem and this taught DS to keep his work within that space, neat and readable and also learned with my help, what to do if he needed additional pages (attach another sheet and label clearly that it is a continuation sheet). Kiddo's math tutor's system was more open ended with online lecture incorporating a whiteboard where everyone could jot notes/ draw diagrams and then the teacher would save screenshots for the students. Homework for math was similar to how a kid would work with AoPS (textbook and math notebook or binder, solutions were not always available though but the teacher discussed homework solution methods the next time they had class).

 

For actual studying, with all of these materials in place, it was a matter of organizing work neatly and knowing what he didn't remember and from there what sections to review. Quizzes etc helped with consistent review practices so that come exam time, he didn't need to re-read parts that were at rock solid understanding levels.

 

I think being and learning *directly* in that situation where he had to just do, make mistakes, learn and apply almost simultaneously is what worked for him. He practiced in this low-stakes online learning environment for three years before moving on to in-person, higher stakes IRL classes where he now applies these skills almost daily.

 

ETA: with literature and history though...no we haven't practiced any of this actively yet...I suspect these areas are where he will trip up and really see a need for more extensive note taking. He has an IRL lit class this semester and I joke with him (hey, isn't joking better than panicking and making him too anxious?) that he will finally learn it someday but might have to collect some Cs in the process first. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

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I re-read my response. Maybe it comes across as being willing to accept mediocre grades, I don't know. But that really isn't what I meant. I think for my family, we just work on these things organically and address concerns when they happen.

 

What exactly are study skills in the elementary grades? I mean, yes, there are some kids who are advanced AND willing to write things down. Some like dmmetler's DD will doodle (which is btw my own preferred way to note take). Some are just very good listeners with excellent working memory or students with photographic memory. Should we really expect all kids to learn those skills in elementary? I don't know the answer to this. In a homeschool setting with an elementary level learner very eager to understand higher math, he really didn't need very long to learn how to learn the subjects he loved. Then fine tuning and adding more challenging skills developed over the years and at 11, I felt that he had enough to excel at the local community college. There were students older than him (assuming most are probably single and taking similar course loads as DS) who couldn't keep up with homework or kept asking the instructors for more time. I think the biggest challenge for them might have been knowing when to say no to the time suck of phone and online media. Mine hasn't been given opportunities to be exposed to these temptations all the time and might develop bad habits from using them later, who knows?

 

I think it makes more sense to start incorporating good habits with regards to organization from young with fewer expectations on actual note taking then ramp up towards middle school. I'm naturally organized so I have not had a problem with study skills, but I also didn't go to grad school to realize that wow, there's even more expected from me than what I did with my bachelors. But I did work in a very fast paced environment for over 10 years and that taught me a lot via actual do-or-lose-the-job application.

 

I think kids today also have many, many tools available to them. At the college, there's a study skills class offered to every new student (kiddo was dissuaded from taking this by one of his mentors because the mentor felt that kiddo had enough skill as is to do well in his first college classes). There are study skills videos available online (this was recommended by another boardie a while back). (And ETA: I dropped a class in a heartbeat at the college -- it was a freshman comp class that I wanted to take to refresh my writing skills -- and the very first assignment was to take a procrastination quiz and fill in three pages of busywork about how you shouldn't procrastinate -- no thanks, I'm going to spend my time learning something new and challenging instead).

 

Eventually, I do think it will take a few Cs for kiddo to wake up and realize he needs to apply himself more deeply in the humanities areas in order to maintain his high gpa...but that will be because he wants to do well. Like my Dad used to tell me for years while I was growing up, "I can only lead the horse to the water...". :tongue_smilie:

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The problem that my older boy has had is that he has focused his academic efforts in skill-based subjects -- math, violin, writing.  These subjects allow him to work hard, but never study.  When he walked into the Australian Math Olympiad, there was no cramming the week before because it was an exam on skill, a skill that needed to be learned over years.  Same with violin and writing. 

 

So now that he is taking physics, he needs to study.  And knowing that he had no study skills, I have decided to slog through physics with him so I can show him what to do.  The physics exams here are essay based, so yes there are calculations but there are also long complex answers that must be written.  I have shown him that in science, you need to memorize whole sentences and at sometimes even paragraphs that explain the idea really well.  The more paragraphs you commit to memory, the more clearly you think about the subject and the easier it is to write about it. It has taken textbook writers generations to get the explanations just right, so memorize them so your answers are crisp and clear.  We are currently sharing the task of making flash cards, with the question on one side and the paragraph answer on the back.  We then number the ideas that are connected, there are usually 6-8.  So we are not memorizing blindly, but rather learning to structure our argument.  Clearly, the questions will always be different than what we learned, but our storehouse of effective explanations can handle anything.

 

I'm a big fan of paper flashcards for this type of study, because I believe that the physical nature of them allows you to get a sense of the scope of the project you have before you, and because I have seen over and over again on electronic methods, "out of sight, out of mind." Finally, it is much easier to make additional note on the structure of the argument on a paper card, than to try to do this electronically.  

 

So the main thing I have done is *model* effective study by learning a subject with him, specifically a subject that does not come easy to me.  Then we have metacognition discussions regularly about what works for each of us. He is coming to the exact same conclusion as I have about the storehouse of memorized sentences and paragraphs making for a very clear science writer and thinker.  Overall, it has been a good year. 

 

Ruth in NZ

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The problem that my older boy has had is that he has focused his academic efforts in skill-based subjects -- math, violin, writing.  These subjects allow him to work hard, but never study.  ...

 

So now that he is taking physics, he needs to study.  And knowing that he had no study skills, I have decided to slog through physics with him so I can show him what to do.  The physics exams here are essay based, so yes there are calculations but there are also long complex answers that must be written.  I have shown him that in science, you need to memorize whole sentences and at sometimes even paragraphs that explain the idea really well.  The more paragraphs you commit to memory, the more clearly you think about the subject and the easier it is to write about it.

 

I find the bolded statement surprising and strange and am greatly puzzled by how you make math out as a skill based subject and physics as one that requires memorization of paragraphs.

This is completely contrary to all my experience with physics, which appealed to me precisely because it involved absolutely no memorization, but solely a conceptual understanding and problem solving skills (the two of which mutually strengthen one another.)

 

I would be concerned about a student who could only explain a concept by memorizing a passage from the textbook. I would consider something truly understood if the student were able to explain it in his own words, without resorting to memorized phrases.

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For me, a few things:

 

1. Hopefully, I can teach them to love to learn and read. I think that's half the battle.

2. Hopefully, I can teach them to try their best and be ambitious (in a good way).

3. Outlining.

4. Taking good notes.

 

That's my plan anyhow. I'll be listening in for more tips.

 

Eta: for some selections in WWE I ask him to draw pictures as I read the passage. This would be learning how to take notes.

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I find the bolded statement surprising and strange and am greatly puzzled by how you make math out as a skill based subject and physics as one that requires memorization of paragraphs.

This is completely contrary to all my experience with physics, which appealed to me precisely because it involved absolutely no memorization, but solely a conceptual understanding and problem solving skills (the two of which mutually strengthen one another.)

 

I would be concerned about a student who could only explain a concept by memorizing a passage from the textbook. I would consider something truly understood if the student were able to explain it in his own words, without resorting to memorized phrases.

 

Interestingly, both of us have found it incredibly effective.  Physics in NZ is an essay test under time pressure, and the essays are graded based on how many ideas you link when answering the question.  So initially we were using it as a way to increase speed, but then found that the method actually helped us to understand the material better, and also to explain ourselves more clearly.  We *never* regurgitate paragraphs because the questions are never the same, but the process of learning how to write clearly under time pressure has required us to do more than just understand the material.  As you know ds is very mathy and finds physics very straightforward conceptually, however, *writing* essays under time pressure is a different thing.

 

An example:

Explain how frequency affects capacitor reactance.   Answer: When the frequency of an applied voltage increases, charging time decreases.  The voltage drop across the capacitor depends on charge (q=cv). Because there is less time for a charge to build up, increasing the frequency decreases average voltage drop across the capacitor.  Thus increasing the average current and decreasing the reactance Xc=V/I

 

DS can totally understand that concept, but can he get *all* the connections?  Not likely, not without studying.  So how do you study?  You can make a list of all the connected ideas, and practice writing them into sentences.  But what we have found is that by numbering the connections (there are 6 in the above example), we can read the answer on the back of the card, and practice saying something similar.  How the model answer is written gives us an understanding of how to write tightly worded explanations and arguments with support.  The more we have drilled, the more obvious this type of science writing has become, and the more comfortable we have become in doing essay tests in science.  The words just flow out, now in a non-memorized way.  And in the process of practicing these answers, our conceptual understanding has improved dramatically.  Connections that were understandable before, can now be known with confidence.  

 

This approach is very similar to Cornell notes where you write a question on the side of your note that asks you to explain the material.  The only difference is that we are working with model answers written in sentence form, rather than lists of ideas that need to be linked.

 

In NZ if you only link 5 ideas instead of 7, you get a merit instead of an excellence on that answer.  So you need to make sure you know all the connections, and practice saying/writing it out.  We have found this method to be a very active way of studying.  The actual mathematical problem solving is a nonissue for both of us.  If you get the problems right, but can't explain yourself in a detailed paragraph, the best you can do is a merit. And before we started studying science writing, our answers were loose, sloppy, and incomplete.  I'm sure you have read these types of answers before from your students!

 

Ruth in NZ

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Here is an example between an excellence and a merit answer that my ds wrote.  This test was graded by a NZ physics teacher.  Grading is moderated nationally, so every teacher is required to give the same score for the same question.  

 

Question: When an inductor is switched off, a spark jumps from one side of the switch terminal to the other.  Explain why there is a spark between the terminals.

 

Ds's excellence answer: "As current flows through an inductor, the inductor creates a magnetic field.  When the current drops to zero, the collapasing magnetic field induces an emf opposing the drop in the battery emf (lenzs law) This emf can be quite a bit stronger than the battery emf.  Enough to create a spark."  (the model answers added in one additional idea: the breakdown voltage of air, so his answer was actually a low excellence)

 

Question: Explain why a laminated iron core is used in a transformer.

 

Ds's merit answer: "The lamination stops eddy currents inside the iron core.  These eddies produce heat which takes away from the efficiency of the transformer."

 

+++

 

So the merit answer is correct, but does not make all the required connections.  Both answers, however, are tight and clear, and this is because we have been closely studying the style of writing in the model answers. Neither of these questions had he memorized answers for, however, he knew exactly what he wanted to say and had the words to explain himself effortlessly.

 

Curious as to how you would study for an exam like this.

 

Ruth in NZ

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For elementary- one thing I had ds doing this year was underlining key ideas in his science for review for the tests.  So he had to (1) find the key ideas in the first place, and (2) review them before the test.  I let him flounder through 2 tests first, then underlined one chapter for him so he could see how to do it, then had him do it on his own the next chapter.  After 2 short tests doing that, we talked about how much better he remembered the important points (and how much better he did on the tests).  The other is in history/geography/social studies.  He's slowly learning to do outlines for material- started small, working up.  Again, reviewing the outlines and taking tests- and discovering how much better things went when he outlined and reviewed.  And I outlined one chapter entirely for him (in several different formats so he could see what kind he liked) so he really understood what I was getting at.  Then I helped him do a few.  Now he's doing it on his own.  I discovered he really needed modeling for all of these things- and at each stage I model for him what I'm talking about.  That way he understands a lot better (the first time- which is so much easier than the 5th!)

Since he's still in elementary, these are how we're starting with the ideas of study skills.  Obviously there's more for older kids, but I think this is a good foundation- since finding main points and outlining concepts are still things I used in graduate school :)

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Study skills is something we really need to work on in our home this school year!

 

IMO it depends on the type of person to determine how best to study. A traditional school teenager recently told me she just learned about Cornell note taking and found it life changing for her. She loves it. My son prefers studying out loud and having someone ask him the question and then he answers verbally.

 

My path was to read the textbook and highlight as I went along. Or if it was a lecture, I'd try and make categories and leave space after a subject so if the teacher went back to that subject later, I could add the extra notes there (instead of just writing in chronological order). Then I'd go back through it and write outline notes from the highlights. Then go through the notes and create flashcards. Then study the flashcards and create piles based on what I knew, what I sort of knew, and what I was still clueless about. Every once in a while I would still review the "what I knew" pile just to make sure. It did seem in college that studying from the lecture notes was best, rather than the textbook, because if the teacher lectured about it, it was likely on the test. 

 

Try this online quiz and subsequent helpful suggestions: http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/improving-study-habits.shtml. 

Also check out the Learning Style link, on the above website, in the left hand navigation. My daughter is visual so flashcards and pictures are helpful in studying. My ds10 is mostly an auditory learner so we're going to try out recording questions and answers. 

 

This ebook is a good start IMO: http://www.currclick.com/product/13206/Middle-School-Study-Skills?it=1

 

And this is something that I've had my eye on: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/how-to-become-a-superstar-student-2nd-edition.html

 

Good luck!

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Study skills is something we really need to work on in our home this school year!

 

IMO it depends on the type of person to determine how best to study. A traditional school teenager recently told me she just learned about Cornell note taking and found it life changing for her. She loves it. My son prefers studying out loud and having someone ask him the question and then he answers verbally.

 

My path was to read the textbook and highlight as I went along. Or if it was a lecture, I'd try and make categories and leave space after a subject so if the teacher went back to that subject later, I could add the extra notes there (instead of just writing in chronological order). Then I'd go back through it and write outline notes from the highlights. Then go through the notes and create flashcards. Then study the flashcards and create piles based on what I knew, what I sort of knew, and what I was still clueless about. Every once in a while I would still review the "what I knew" pile just to make sure. It did seem in college that studying from the lecture notes was best, rather than the textbook, because if the teacher lectured about it, it was likely on the test. 

 

Try this online quiz and subsequent helpful suggestions: http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/improving-study-habits.shtml. 

Also check out the Learning Style link, on the above website, in the left hand navigation. My daughter is visual so flashcards and pictures are helpful in studying. My ds10 is mostly an auditory learner so we're going to try out recording questions and answers. 

 

This ebook is a good start IMO: http://www.currclick.com/product/13206/Middle-School-Study-Skills?it=1

 

And this is something that I've had my eye on: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/how-to-become-a-superstar-student-2nd-edition.html

 

Good luck!

 

I took the Learning Style quiz (http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtml) and it said I was an auditory learner, which is completely unbelievable to me. I have a near photographic memory, always remembered things for tests by literally memorizing the page, and seldom recall what people tell me. Suffice to say, I am skeptical. 

 

Also, the top 10 good/bad study skills pdf, linked further up thread, suggested that last-minute cramming was not productive. But, again, I never studied in school until the last minute, and it almost always worked well for me.

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I always wanted a photographic memory!

 

The quiz was right on for myself and my kids. There are different ways to study and different opinions on which is best (just to make our homeschooling life even harder ;-) I was happy to realize my son is auditory as I am so visual and am always trying to draw him out pictures and stuff to explain things. Now I realize why he kept resisting and kept saying to me: just tell me. He's a very good reader but I'm interested in trying out auditory books and see how that works for him as well. 

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I started teaching study skills by having dd learn to outline and take notes during online lectures. Around 10yo, I had her watch me take notes for a number of lectures then for the next step during lectures she told me what was important to write and I did the writing. After she had it down, she did the writing and I helped out if she missed any important information (or we discussed why something might be considered important.

 

When she decided she wanted to learn French, she took it upon herself to make flashcards for both French and Latin.

 

One of the things I might do differently (these topics are so intertwined) would be to give her quizzes earlier. We talked about material after she completed readings and I had her write mini-essays connecting ideas in different subjects but except for math, I didn't have her take tests or quizzes. I didn't really begin doing that until last year when she was doing a biology course that had end of sections tests. Maybe that was soon enough but I am worried that she might not feel comfortable with tests (like the SAT or ACT) because she isn't used to a testing situation.

 

I guess we will find out when she takes those.

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So, my entire education in study skills was a grade 8 teacher saying "read a bit, shut your eyes and recite the main points back to yourself in your own words." Anyway, I always did this and it worked great. To be fair, I am an auditory learner, and hate to write. Anyway, wasn't I shocked to find out that this was how Charlotte Mason taught kids to remember what they read, so narration is a big part of our homeschool. This is actually pretty similar to memorizing the wording in the text book, and it does help with clarity. I also summarize the main points in the margins of particularly dense texts, and underline critical bits.

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I am working on this right now with my 6th grader. She has taken some online classes, but nothing so far that she needs to take significant notes for. This year, she really needs to take notes during her classes. I am sitting with her and prompting her when something should be written down, helping her figure out a method for deciding what needs to be included, what can be discarded, and how to organize it, and hopefully scaffolding so she is confident enough to take over independently sometime later this year.

 

She has been making her own foreign language flashcards for years, so that's nothing new. This year I want her to start drilling them herself before I drill them with her. She is also using quizlet independently for a couple subjects that have a lot of content/definitions that she needs to work on memorizing (math and science terms, historical people and events, etc.). I have found that I need a lot of material memorized if I am going to be able to do anything with it (talk to someone about it, take a test, write an essay, etc.) - like Lewelma was talking about... I need that base in order to make connections and go deeper. So I think drilling important facts/definitions/content is an important part of studying - for me.

 

She is using a textbook this year for science and the way it is laid out works very well for beginning outlining/notetaking. The book tells the student what the key points are for each section, so I am having her read her notes and make sure that all of those key points are hit upon clearly as a check that she is covering what she needs to.

 

I'm trying to go from what I would call semi- passive learning (read the book, quickly discuss, possible summary) to very active learning (have I mastered the material? Do I understand what every word means? Could I explain the topic easily and completely to someone else? Do I have a record of what I learned that I could look at a couple years from now and recall all the info I need from?).

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Last year, I started using THE MIDDLE SCOOL YEARS (achieving the best education for your child grades 5-8), Michele A. Hernandez, with my now 5th grader. A lot of information on organization and notetaking.  Some good ideas on getting ahead and staying ahead in class.     I've given copies of the book to struggling H.S'er who never picked up good studies skills. 

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