How to Study Smarter...

[Hunter's Moon]

I always see references made to studying smarter, not harder or longer. Can someone please flesh this out for me --- tell me what this would look like?

 

I never really learned proper note taking skills. I really struggle with taking notes from a book, because I feel like I am wasting paper. It isn't a waste, but it will eventually be thrown out because there is no way I will keep all of the notes for future years in school. There would be so many, it would be too overwhelming, so it would be pointless anyways. Digressing from my actual question, but a mindset I have that I am trying to break.

 

I appreciate any input.

[Twigs]

some random thoughts

 

Know what your learning style is. I like this free online test - VARK. (Visual, Aural, Read-write, Kinesthetic) There are helpsheets available with strategies for each style - be sure to check those out once you determine your style.

 

My style is Read-write, so the very act of reading and writing (copying, summarizing, etc. in writing) helps me to learn and remember. I may or may not review what I have written at a later time. Since the point is to learn the information and have it in my head, it doesn't matter whether I keep or toss the written notes - the written notes are the means to get the information into my head.

 

I tutor, and I always tell my students to never buy pre-made flashcards, but to make their own, because much of the learning is accomplished in writing out the cards.

 

Do your teachers (or your textbooks) provide learning objectives for your courses?. Write out answers to the objectives as though they were test questions.

 

Another strategy is to play Jeopardy! with your course material. The material has the answers - you come up with the questions!

Start with who, what, where, when questions, and go on to why and how questions.

 

I'm sure you will get more help!

Best wishes.

[Candid]

I think part of study smarter is to know that there is good research that shows studying earlier in the day is much, much more effective. 

 

Listen to the webinar linked in this thread to show you how to capitalize on that:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/301106-time-management/?do=findComment&comment=3030154

[regentrude]

About notetaking: I am not sure why you would not want to keep your notes. I still have my notes from college, and I actually have been going back to some quite a few times to look up stuff. (Hey, I could pull out my handwritten  notes from my classes and use them as lecture notes right off the bat.) Having the book itself is not the same thing, because my notes include a wide margin with questions I had, problems I wrestled with, explanations I found useful.

 

A few things that I found useful, and that I encourage students to do:

 

pre-read assigned reading before class. Knowing what will be happening in lecture will create a much deeper understanding, and will enable you to ask more pertinent questions and listen differently, because you already have a rough idea of the material and know which aspects puzzled you.

 

Make the most out of class by being an active participant. Ask questions. Ask more questions.

 

Taking lecture notes by hand is more effective than printing out lecture notes posted on the profs website. The act of writing it out and organizing the material on a page reinforces the understanding. (Same idea as never using printed flashcards: always make them yourself!)

 

Go over your lecture notes after class.

 

The best way to understand something is to teach it to somebody else. That is the secret behind study groups. The person who gets most out of the study group is the student who tries to explain the material to the others - not the student who sits with rapt attention and watches the brilliant person make it look easy.

 

I always liked visual charts and would organize my material with color, arrows, underlines, and bubbles on large sheets of butcher paper to hang over my desk. Worked for physics and for French verb conjugations ;-)

 

Be proactive. As soon as you feel overwhelmed, slipping behind, lost, contact your instructor and ask for support. He may be able to clarify things for you, or recommend resources.

 

[GailV]

When I read Cal Newport's book How to Become a Straight A Student http://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Straight--Student-Unconventional/dp/0767922719/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378647721&sr=1-3&keywords=cal+newport I dearly wished someone had told me that stuff while I was in college.  

 

Many of his strategies echo what Regentrude said above, by the way, so perhaps professors attempted to tell me these things but I just didn't listen. (I took 2 freshman biology classes based on the concept of teaching-in-order-to-learn -- the professor was one of those on the forefront of that research -- so I had that one down pat, and have used it ever since.)

[Twigs]

elisheba', would you mind adding tags to this thread?

 

          study tips

          study skills

 

The original poster can add a tag to the 1st post.
Underneath the Topic Title, is a field for "Topic Tags".
Just add the tags there.
As far as I know, only the original poster can add tags to the 1st post.

The original poster can later edit the original post and add additional tags.

To add tags, go the your 1st  post, click on edit.

Underneath the Topic Title is a field for "Topic Tags". Just add the tags there.

 

Thanks

[Hunter's Moon]

some random thoughts

 

Know what your learning style is. I like this free online test - VARK. (Visual, Aural, Read-write, Kinesthetic) There are helpsheets available with strategies for each style - be sure to check those out once you determine your style.

 

My style is Read-write, so the very act of reading and writing (copying, summarizing, etc. in writing) helps me to learn and remember. I may or may not review what I have written at a later time. Since the point is to learn the information and have it in my head, it doesn't matter whether I keep or toss the written notes - the written notes are the means to get the information into my head.

 

I tutor, and I always tell my students to never buy pre-made flashcards, but to make their own, because much of the learning is accomplished in writing out the cards.

 

Do your teachers (or your textbooks) provide learning objectives for your courses?. Write out answers to the objectives as though they were test questions.

 

Another strategy is to play Jeopardy! with your course material. The material has the answers - you come up with the questions!

Start with who, what, where, when questions, and go on to why and how questions.

 

I'm sure you will get more help!

Best wishes.

 

I always assumed I was Kinesthetic, but this test shows that I am Read-write. Interesting. I may have to delve more into learning styles. My problem with writing notes is, I hate my handwriting. It is not illegible, I am just a perfectionist. I know it is a stupid reason and I am trying to get over it. 

 

I like the Jeopardy! idea, too :)

 

About notetaking: I am not sure why you would not want to keep your notes. I still have my notes from college, and I actually have been going back to some quite a few times to look up stuff. (Hey, I could pull out my handwritten  notes from my classes and use them as lecture notes right off the bat.) Having the book itself is not the same thing, because my notes include a wide margin with questions I had, problems I wrestled with, explanations I found useful.

 

A few things that I found useful, and that I encourage students to do:

 

pre-read assigned reading before class. Knowing what will be happening in lecture will create a much deeper understanding, and will enable you to ask more pertinent questions and listen differently, because you already have a rough idea of the material and know which aspects puzzled you.

 

Make the most out of class by being an active participant. Ask questions. Ask more questions.

 

Taking lecture notes by hand is more effective than printing out lecture notes posted on the profs website. The act of writing it out and organizing the material on a page reinforces the understanding. (Same idea as never using printed flashcards: always make them yourself!)

 

Go over your lecture notes after class.

 

The best way to understand something is to teach it to somebody else. That is the secret behind study groups. The person who gets most out of the study group is the student who tries to explain the material to the others - not the student who sits with rapt attention and watches the brilliant person make it look easy.

 

I always liked visual charts and would organize my material with color, arrows, underlines, and bubbles on large sheets of butcher paper to hang over my desk. Worked for physics and for French verb conjugations ;-)

 

Be proactive. As soon as you feel overwhelmed, slipping behind, lost, contact your instructor and ask for support. He may be able to clarify things for you, or recommend resources.

 

One thing that I *know* I need to work on is actually reviewing and actually using the notes. I am horrible at that, which is why I never found it beneficial to save them. If I did not look back on the notes when taking the class, why would I do it years later?I definitely think streamlining my notes, as well as constant review and use will make the notes more beneficial to keep. 

 

This is great advice regentrude! 

 

I completely agree about learning best by teaching. How might I go about starting a study group? Should I approach students individually, or maybe post a sign for all students in Bio 103 interested in studying together to meet me in ____ Rm at ___o'clock? I absolutely love Biology, and I would love to tutor students in it. 

[Twigs]

elisheba'

 

Thanks for adding the tags!

Click on the "study skills" tag - there are many more resources there in past threads.

(This is the 1st thread with the "study tips" tag.)

[Twigs]

You might get some useful info here

 

Long Beach City College - Free Student Downloads

[regentrude]

 How might I go about starting a study group? Should I approach students individually, or maybe post a sign for all students in Bio 103 interested in studying together to meet me in ____ Rm at ___o'clock? I absolutely love Biology, and I would love to tutor students in it. 

 

Either would work. Do you know students, sit with them in class, chat before lecture? If so, simply ask when they study/do homework, and whether they'd like to get together.

Does your college have learning centers? We run collaborative open learning environments, and students simply come and dotheir homework there, with faculty members present to help out. Some students already are part of a group, but others come by themselves. I encourage them to join an existing group, or herd some singles together at the blackboard and have them work problems together. After a while, they all know the other "regulars" and make friends. You might want to find out if such structures exist at your college.

[Pegasus]

 

. My problem with writing notes is, I hate my handwriting. It is not illegible, I am just a perfectionist. I know it is a stupid reason and I am trying to get over it. 

 

 

My advice is going to overlap that already given (no real "secrets" being revealed here, just tried and true techniques):

 

1. Read the text prior to the lecture, but don't start at the beginning and plow straight through.  First, do a quick preview, scan the section headings, read the introduction and the summary/conclusion sections.  Read figure captions and study tables/charts.  THEN, start back at the beginning and read through. Keep paper and pencil near-by to jot down any questions you have.  If these questions aren't answered by the end of the chapter, you can bring them up to the instructor during lecture. 

 

2. During lectures, sit near the front and near the center.  You need to focus on the instructor and block out distractions from the fellow students. Take abbreviated notes during lectures. I created my own shorthand during college so that I could speed write.  When a word comes up again and again in your notes, create an abbreviation or symbol for it.  These notes can be messy.

 

3. This part is key, as soon as possible after class, RE-WRITE the lecture notes.  This is where you should expand on your abbreviated ideas captured during lecture.  Between the text and the lecture, you can really fill in the details.  You could even use this step to type your notes if that would satisfy your perfectionist tendencies.  However, studies seem to show that handwriting helps get the information into your head better than typing.

 

4. Before the next exam, use your expanded notes to create a study sheet or study cards, containing only the most critical information that you need to know/memorize.  Then, review the sheet/cards frequently for SHORT periods of time. This is a lot more effective than a single long cram session.

First off, I'm not sure there's anything wrong with studying longer, as long as you are being effective.  Most colleges recommend that you study 2-3 hours per credit hour per class, even if there isn't that much homework officially assigned, and I bet that most students don't put that kind of time in.  If your math homework is the odd problems, and you are struggling, it won't hurt to also do the even ones.  Or, find another math book for the same course from the library, and see if that explanation makes more sense.

 

I'm not sure that the idea of differing "learning styles" has been scientifically validated, but I do think that employing more than one learning technique can be helpful.  One of my favorite tricks is, before taking a test, to write up my own test.  This forces you to really think about what the material was, and what was important. and make sure you understand all of what was covered.  Bonus if you can find a friend to do the same thing and take each other's.

 

For me, the act of writing was very important.  Writing out copies of conjugation tables.  Writing out math problem sets.  Writing out summaries or outlines of history texts.

 

If I were going back to school today, I think I would also make audio recordings of some things (foreign language readings, maybe summaries of literature books) and put them on my ipod, so I could play them back during all those "filler" moments during the day.  (doing dishes, driving, etc.)