Study Skills
Read each of the study skill
tips listed in the table below. Click on the link at the bottom of each
section and complete the corresponding assignment. Email your answers to
me at [email protected] or fax them to 344-7058. Some assignments are
not to be emailed. Be sure to complete each of the 12 readings and
assignments listed below. They are all required to pass Summer School.
1. Collect all equipment first -pens, pencils, erasers, books.
2. Find a quiet, well lit area with a table or desk. (turn off the
TV)
3. Study everyday at the same time. Routine is important.
4. Plan, in order of importance, what must be done.
5. When reviewing make notes. Don't expect yourself to remember a chapter
if you have only read it. Re-read notes.
6. Set a realistic goal. For example: perhaps start with studying French
verbs for ten solid minutes.
7. Set another goal -proceed until all homework is done.
STUDYING IS A HABIT: HABITS CAN BE MADE OR BROKEN
Your report card is a tool that gives you information about your
achievement in class. Use it as a measure of how you are learning and how
well you are playing "The Game".
Ask yourself questions about your report card. For example....
1. Have you achieved at the level you hoped to? Why or why not?
2. Do you know and understand how your marks were calculated?
a) If your course preview says that assignments
are 50% and participation is 50% you teacher is telling you that participation
is VERY important. Perhaps the assignments are given a weight of 70% of
you total mark. That means you need to make sure you get them in or there
is no way you can pass. Find out what the teacher wants and give it to
her/him.
b) There are roughly 100 hours in each course per year. You can just about bet that each hour is worth 1%. That might not seem like much but if you waste 3 weeks of school (in a linear course) you have lost approximately 10% of your total grade. Wasting 3 weeks in a semestered course will cost you 20%. That is hard to get back. Like a basketball game, 10 points in the first quarter is just as important as 10 points in the last quarter and if you get the points in the first quarter, you probably won't have to work so hard in the last quarter. Get as many marks as you can in the first part of the course so you aren't so worried about failing in the last part of the course. It can really help you reduce your level of stress at the end of the year.
c) Most teachers now-a-days will give you the marking criteria for each assignment. That tells you what you are being graded on. Make sure you know what is being marked and concentrate on that part of the assignment. Extra work is nice but doesn't give you any more marks. Think of it like a 220m race. The runners only get timed on how fast they run from the start to the finish. A runner can do all kinds of twists, turns, jumps, cartwheels etc. and wear the fanciest running attire, but the only thing that counts is the time. Make sure you spend your time completing the assignments that are going to count for marks.
3. What subjects do you need to concentrate on for semester final exams?
4. What goals have you set for every course as a final mark?
5. Is attendance or tardiness a factor in your achievement level?
6. How do you plan to discuss your achievements with your parents or
guardian?
7. Check average and weighting of terms. Remember that approximately
40 -50% of the course material is covered by the 1st report in a semestered
class.
Talk to your teachers. Ask them what you can do better next time to increase your marks. You will be surprised at how much that simple effort to talk to your teachers will increase your marks. Talking to your teachers shows them that you care and that you want to succeed. They will be more interested in helping you if you show them that YOU really care.
During class, some students slump in their seats, take no notes,
day-dream, and only occasionally catch what is being said. Such students
are not listening and rarely do well.
1. Start to think about the lesson as soon as the class begins. Raise questions in your mind as the teacher talks.
2. As the teacher talks, listen for clues to what is important. Good
listening is an active process. You must pay attention to be a good listener.
Try to determine what the main point of the lesson is. Be sure you understand
exactly what you are required to do to 
demonstrate
your learning.
3. Sit up, be alert, make an effort. A statement that is repeated may be important.
4. Try to discover the points that the teacher feels are important.
-if the teacher takes the time to write something
on the board it is important. Jot it down in your notes. Review it.
-if the teacher repeats something two or three times.......it
must be very important.
5. Evaluate what is said, not how it is said.
-if you don't like your teacher........GET OVER
IT. This is where maturity comes into play. Just like the world of work,
sometimes you can't stand your supervisor or fellow employee, but you need
to learn how to work together. Set aside your differences if you can. It
shows a great level of maturity if you can overlook things you dislike
about another person. Don't let school get in the way of your education.
In other words, don't let differences with a teacher ruin your opportunity
to learn and progress. There will be many other great learning opportunities......and
also other not-so-great learning situations also. Don't throw away those
opportunities just because you don't like the teacher. You can learn lots
if you learn to overlook personal differences.
6. Listen for definitions of words that you should know.
-if you don't understand what has been said or what
you read, ask for help. Don't worry about being the only one that doesn't
know what is going on.......If you have a question, other students probably
have the same question too. Asking for clarification will also let the
teacher know that you are interested in learning. That alone will help
your marks.
7. Keep your mind on the subject, not the teacher's mannerisms, not the pictures on the wall or the view outside or other students.
8. Don't worry about how the teacher acts, looks or sounds. YOU ARE THERE TO LISTEN AND LEARN!
BLOCK OUT ALL DISTRACTIONS. PAY ATTENTION
Where do you study at home most of the time?
A good space for studying at home has the features listed below. CHECK
each feature that your home study space has. (If you can think of another
good feature, list it as No. 9.)
1. Privacy (You cannot see the TV or family moving about; they cannot see you.)
2. Quiet (You have a buffer between you and family noise; no radio or TV; perhaps an agreed-on "quiet time".)
3. Good lighting (Above the spot where you read and write there should be a fairly bright light.)
4. Roomy writing surface (You should have a desk or table with enough clear space to put the materials you are using and still have room to write.)
5. Firm Chair (Your chair or seat should be comfortable but firm; if
it is soft
you might fall asleep!)
6. Room for storing study supplies (A bookcase, file, drawer, or table should be nearby for storing supplies when you are not using them.)
7. Writing supplies (You should have some paper, pencils, pens, erasers, marking pens, and "white-out" on hand, in a container.)
8. Study equipment (It is good to have a stapler, tape dispenser, ruler, glue, paper clips, rubber bands, and other equipment on hand.)
9.
What are your goals for the future? Do you
want to go to college? University? Earn a trade certificate? Open your
own business? How are you going to get there from where you are right now?
Do you find it hard to know how to answer these questions? You may have
discovered that you haven't thought a lot about your own goals.
Do you want to finish high school and go on to college? If so, working
for good grades in school now would be a goal that makes sense. Good grades
would be some of the bricks in your foundation.
Do you want to get a particular job after high school? If so, taking
courses that will teach you the required skills would be a goal that makes
sense. Those courses will be some of the bricks in your foundation.
Here are some possible goals for you to be thinking about now:
a) Finding out about education you may need after high school.
b) Talking to people about jobs or other opportunities.
c) Saving money.
d) Doing volunteer work to learn skills and meet people.
The Power of Setting Clear Goals Summary:
When you learn how to set goals and make decisions, you learn how to
design your own life. You learn to build and create what you want
your life to be .
If you haven't decided yet on clear goals for yourself, that's OK.
The idea is to be aware that it's time for you to start thinking about
your goals.
There is an old saying, "One thing you can count on is that things will change. " You will find that this is true throughout your life. Your dreams and your goals will probably change over the years. If you decide now that you want to go to college, for instance, you may find later that another kind of education after high school is better for you. If you decide on a particular career now, you might change your decision later. Many people start out in one career and change to a different one and they do this five or six times in their lives!
So, if you are having trouble making up your mind about what you want, don't think there is something wrong with you, You don't have to figure out the rest of your life right now.
But do start planning the next few years as much as you can. Laying a foundation for your future, and planning the design of your life, will give you an advantage in the job market someday. And even if you don't know what your goals are yet, a good education is a basic part of your foundation for just about any career or lifestyle you might choose. If you do your best in school, many doors will be open to you later.
Look back at the examinations completed during the school year.
The feedback you can get by using the following information will help
you to begin next year with the best chance of succeeding on upcoming tests.
Using feedback is essential to learning.
1. Post-test analysis
A. Ask: "In what ways was the examination similar
to and different from the way the instructor said it would be?"
B. In regards to my preparation for the test:
i). What did
I do correctly?
ii). How can
I improve my preparation?
2. What should I do differently the next time?
Below are several reasons for making mistakes on tests. Circle the reason(s) that best explain why you made the error.
1. I did not study the material pertaining to this question because:
a. I did not take time to read the assignments.
b. it did not seem important enough to know.
c. it was too difficult (I avoided it).
d. I did not take notes on it.
2. I studied that material, but:
a. I did not understand it.
b. I was distracted or fatigued at the time.
c. not as thoroughly as I should have.
d. I tried to memorize, not understand it.
3. I knew and understood the material before the test but:
a. I "read into" and misinterpreted the items.
b. the questions were stated differently from
the way I studied the material (too much memorizing?).
c. I was too anxious.
d. I was not mentally alert at the time.
Answer A -represents attitude errors and may reflect a lack of motivation
and goals,
inadequate listening and note taking, or time management problems.
Answer B -errors may be caused by problems occurring during the learning
and review process.
Answer C or D -errors occurred during the examination, even though
you knew the material in advance.
If your analysis of errors does not sufficiently reveal the reasons for unsatisfactory test performance, make an appointment with your teacher, teacher-advisor, counselor, or vice principal. Prepare your questions in advance so that your time is spent efficiently. Be persistent in trying to learn how you can improve.
Directions: If the statement is true about you, circle "Y" for yes.
If the statement is false as it applies to you circle "N" for no. Be
sure
to circle "Y" or "N" for each statement. Answer carefully so that you
get accurate information.
1. I do not get enough sleep the night before a test. Y N
2. I worry about my grade on an exam. Y N
3. I study hard, but when I get the test in front of me, my mind sometimes
goes blank. Y N
4. I frequently change where I sit in class.
Y N
5. I feel I am under a lot of pressure to get good grades.
Y N
If you answered "yes" to two or more, you need to pay special attention to this section.
Often students suffer from stress. There are many factors associated with stress. Some of these factors are natural because of your stage in emotional and physical development. Other factors deal with your level of physical fitness, your expectations, the expectations of others, and even your ability to complete tasks.
Emotional Development:
Teenagers have a need to feel acceptance by their peers. They are concerned about the clothes they wear, their complexion, hair styles, how they smell, if they are popular and a million other things too. Don't be discouraged, you will find that EVERYONE else worries about the same things. Just be yourself and don't worry so much. If you just lost the love of your life......another one will come along shortly and everything will seem alright again. Try not to get caught in the game of pleasing everyone. Do nice things for others and you will feel good about yourself. Feel good about your accomplishments. Find good friends and you will grow in self esteem and the world will be a better place for you too.
Physical Fitness:
Regular exercise helps you deal with stress. If you actively participate in Phys. Ed. 3 times each week you are probably in half-decent shape. If not, try to eat a little less and do a little more each day. You will be surprised at how much better you feel about yourself. Exercise is a great way to deal with stress.
Expectations:
You need to have certain goals to meet. Don't expect too much that you can't possibly succeed though. Many people are taught to fail. In fact, they feel more comfortable failing than succeeding. These people set goals that NO ONE can reach and when they fail at them it reinforces their (negative) self-image. Nobody is perfect. Set goals that will make you stretch to reach them, but are still attainable.
Expectations of Others:
If your parents, friends or others have unrealistic expectations that stress you out.....it is time to talk to them. Let them know what your goals are. Ask for their help.
Work Habits:
If you leave things to the last minute you are putting yourself under
stress. Don't procrastinate. Deal with things as soon as you can. Here's
an example. You want to break up with your girlfriend (or boyfriend) but
you don't want to do it today because you are afraid of backlash. Each
day you wait just gets harder and more stressful. Deal with it. Then get
on with life. The same thing happens with your school assignments. You
don't want to do the work now because it is difficult and time consuming.
But if you put it off, things pile up and you end up spending stressful
hours just before the deadline finishing off your assignment. The work
you do like that is generally poor work too because it is rushed and you
end up settling for a lesser mark than you could have earned.
Studying too much for tests can result in stress, particularly if
you feel the main point of studying is to get high grades. Studying for
a grade is fine. It might help your anxiety level if you would also study,
for the value of thinking, the value of the information, and the value
of increasing your store of facts and knowledge. Studying for these values
makes studying worthwhile and usually
improves your grade. Regular exercise (approximately 30 minutes per
day) is a great way to manage stress.
If you are one of many students who experience test anxiety, try the following:
1. Stop scaring yourself. Pep talks are not a good idea especially when you are in the middle of an exam. ! !
2. Give yourself time before the test. Don't wait until the last minute to get to class. It helps if you are a little early so you can practice a relaxation exercise.
3. Sit where you usually sit. You will feel at home in that seat and, therefore, feel more "secure".
4. The night before the test, picture yourself at the desk for the test. Picture yourself as being successful in doing the questions.
5. Get plenty of sleep the night before the test.
6. Make sure you have some sugar in your blood stream. Eat a good breakfast and don't skip meals. Your brain is fed by nutrients carried in the blood. Good food gives you good nutrients that help you to think. Junk food (chips, pop, chocolate, candy) gives you a quick energy burst, but then you go through an energy low. You don't want an energy low during a test! Eat good food!
7. Use relaxation exercises for any occasion when you are subject to stress (for example- before a test, a date, an appointment, a job interview, or a class presentation).
A RELAXATION EXERCISE !
Get comfortable. Close your eyes. Block out all sounds that
you hear. Focus on the beat of your heart. Now take a slow deep breath.
Hold it for 30 seconds. Let your breath out slowly. As you let your breath
out, let your anxiety out with each breath. Feel the stress leaving your
body. If you find yourself distracted, focus on the sound of your heart.
Inhale.
Breathe in. Inhale tranquillity and peace. Feel the calming effect
throughout your body. Exhale the tenseness. If you notice any muscles tensing
up, tighten them even more, then let the muscle relax. Feel the tenseness
go out of your muscles and out of your body. Visualize the tenseness leaving
your body and calming peace entering your body. Breathe slowly. Open your
eyes. (very important! don't got to sleep in the exam!)
1. Arrive exhausted because you tried to cover the whole course
in one night.
2. Read the exam questions very quickly. If you do misread them, your answers will be brilliant enough for full marks anyway.
3. Begin the exam without any plan or schedule and rely upon animal instinct "to pull you through."
4. Don't take instructions seriously; for example if a diagram is required give three pages of writing instead. The teacher won't know the difference!
5. Write so fast that no one can read your writing (a faint pencil helps here). The teacher will assume you are correct on all points that can't be read.
6. Make A's look like H's, C's like G's, 7'5 like 9'5, V's like 11'5, and so on. Obviously your answer must be right, so anyone can see that you mean A or 7, or whatever.
7. Use a lot of "padding." It looks like a complete answer, but in reality only states one or two pieces of information.
8. Leave out part of an answer. Why bother with details if you are in a hurry?
9. Do not put your name on your paper. The teacher will enjoy a little break from routine, trying to identify it.
10. Abuse your diet. Drink lots of coffee, eat a lot of junk food, and don't eat breakfast. You will feel so exhausted and nervous that you will convince yourself that you must have been working very hard!
How to Fail an Exam Assignment
Things you have to memorize in school:
Dates, Lists, Names, Rules, Definitions, Numbers
1. Make a picture in your mind.
Turn the thing you need to remember into a picture. The picture can
be silly. A picture is usually easier to remember than words.
Lets say that you need to remember that Isaac Newton discovered three
laws of motion. Form a picture in your mind of Isaac Newton riding with
three friends on a roller coaster. The roller coaster will remind you of
motion. The three friends will remind you of three laws.
2. Think of something you already know.
Think whether you already know something about the new information.
This will make the new information more familiar to you, and therefore
easier to remember. Suppose you need to remember that the capital of Alberta
is Edmonton. You recall that you have an aunt who lives in Edmonton.
When you have to remember the capital of Alberta, you will probably
think of your aunt and remember that she lives in Edmonton.
3. Use a sound.
Sometimes the sound of the thing you need to remember can help you
memorize it. This method works well for remembering numbers. Perhaps you
need to remember that the earth contains 92 elements. How can you remember
92? The sound of "9" rhymes with "line." Form a mental picture of 2 lines.
When you have to remember the number of elements, you will think of 2 lines.
The lines will help you remember the 9, and also the number 2.
4. Make up a word or sentence.
This technique is useful when you have to remember a list. Take the
first letter of each thing in the list. Use these letters to form a word
or sentence. The word or sentence can make sense, or it can be silly.
Suppose you need to remember the names of the five Great Lakes: Huron,
Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. In this order, the first letters
of each name form a word, HOMES. If you prefer, you can use the letters
in a sentence, like "Harry Owes Me Eight Slurpees."
You must take complete charge of your time. High School is limited
so you must try to maximize your success. Remember when you manage time
well you "BUY FREEDOM" to pursue the activities which are best for you.
There are two basic points I must ask myself to help me with organizing my time.
1. Have I recorded the exam dates, assignment due dates and other specific
academic, social and personal events on my monthly calendar?
HINT: (Use a different colour pen for each of the categories listed)
2. Have I structured some of my free time to ensure that I reach my
short term goals.
HINT: (Use a daily planner to help structure free time)
HOW TO MAXIMIZE TIME
1. Account for ALL of your waking hours each day of the week. Schedule
fixed commitments (ie. class schedule, meals, team practices, family commitments,
assignments due, etc.). Purchase and use a daily planner which has each
day broken into manageable segments (ie. 1/4 hour to 1/2 hour)
(Remember: weekly planning prepares you for the next 168 hrs.
2. Prepare a tentative schedule for the next two or three weeks for COMMITMENTS which are not fixed. A tentative schedule can be changed if your situation changes (ie. study time, review of material, etc.). Pencil this tentative schedule into your daily planner. (Keep your commitments to yourself.)
3. Carry your daily planner and use it to remind yourself of WHAT needs to be done and WHEN it needs to be done.
4. A daily DO-LIST will also be very helpful in managing time. A DO-LIST is made as we progress through the day and we write down things which need to be done in the future. Some will be added to your daily planner for tomorrow others will fit in later.
ALL STUDENTS can benefit by using and following Time Management
and Study skills.
Time Management
The simplest way to successfully manage time is to:
1. Decide what is most important
2. Balance school work and other extra-curricular
activities
3. Be organized. Keeping track of your assignments
is very important. Use a "TO DO" list to record daily assignments and use
a monthly calendar to indicate upcoming tests and assignments.
A week-at-a-glance planning diary is a must and you must get into the
habit of weekly and daily planning in order to have good time management.
Say to yourself each period: "What three things will l get done in this
period and how long will it take me?"
Study Skills
Listening and Note taking:
To be an effective learner it is necessary to be an "active" listener. An active listener is one who tries to make sense of the information and who tries to identify the main points.Talk to yourself. Ask three key questions:
1. "Do I understand this?"
2. "How would I explain this to another person?"
3. "How can I relate this to other information?"
If you can answer all three questions about what you are listening to
then you are listening effectively.
Note taking is a way for students to enhance their learning. Take notes
to help you remember key points and to help you to answer the three questions
you need to answer when you are actively listening.
Reading Critically:
Reading is a very efficient way to learn. We must know the "PURPOSE"
of our reading. If we are reading for pleasure we are hoping to have "pictures"
develop in our heads and to experience "feelings" which the story characters
give us.
Much school work involves gathering knowledge. This is hard work! A
technique which helps involves SKIMMING through material before you begin
in-depth reading. Skimming will (with practice) allow you to focus
on key words and phrases and you will use these as a framework when you
do your in-depth reading.
When you read in-depth do the following:
1. Ask yourself questions about the material. "Do
I understand this?" "What is another way to explain this?" "How can I relate
this to other information?"
2. Identify the main ideas and supporting details.
3. Write notes as you read.
4. Review the material which has been read.
5. Put the book down and recite the main points
from memory.
This is hard work but is will become easier with practice.
Memory Techniques:
1. Put the material in your own words.
2. Use as many senses as possible to experience
the material. (This is best done by asking yourself "In what context would
I feel... see... hear... taste... this new material?)
3. Spend some time practicing (by yourself or with
a friend) recalling the information you have learned.
4. Use the memory techniques you have studied above.
To be successful, whether as a student or as a worker, takes time and energy. The skills which are mentioned, if followed will greatly enhance your chances of success.
Be serious about your success. It helps to determine your quality of life.