Tips for Effective Studying

In order to excel in college, you must first learn how to study properly. Contrary to historical opinion, there are many effective ways to learn information; it is a question of figuring out what works for you. What type of studying best suits you? What time of day are you most efficient? What is the proper environment for you to study in? Before you can answer these questions, you have to do a little research. It takes an effort but the rewards are more than worth it.

Memory
When we first learn something, information is processed into the brain to form a neural trace. This trace first enters your sensory memory, and then, if youre paying attention, to your Short Term Memory, or STM. If you keep working to process the information and adapt it correctly it then moves to your Long Term Memory, or LTM. The information processed into your LTM is more or less permanent; with occasional reviewing you will not forget it. The trick is to adapt the information you really need into your LTM as quickly as possible. Your STM has a small capacity and a short duration; you may learn something very quickly, but in 24 hours you will lose 80%% of that information. The STM is fast and easily accessed, the LTM is slower but larger.

Repetition
The key to learning something well is repetition; the more times you go over the material the better chance you have of storing it permanently. Before you begin this process, however, it makes sense that you determine the type of learner you are. There are three basic types of learning: Visual, Auditory and Haptic. Most of us are, in fact, some combination of the three, but chances are one style will suit us more than the other two. Take some time to look over the types and figure out which category best describes your method of learning.

Learning Types
Visual Learners:
Visual learners study best when the material is graphic, ie. charts, tables, maps, etc. When in class, visual people should look at the professors when they are speaking, participate in class discussions and take detailed notes during lectures. When studying, study alone in a quiet place and try to transcribe your material on paper. When possible make drawings, graphs or tables of complex abstract ideas and work alone. Visual learners often have trouble working while having a dialogue, even if the dialogue directly pertains to the subject matter.

Auditory Learners:
Auditory people work best when they can hear the material. Read aloud, go over your notes and talk to yourself about the important points. Before reading, set a purpose and verbalize it, after youve finished be sure to summarize out loud what you just read. Speak your ideas into a tape machine as if you were having a conversation with someone, if you can, talk to your friends about the material. Because Auditory learners sometimes have trouble keeping columns aligned, try doing math computations by hand, on graph paper.

Haptic Learners:
Haptic learners are the most maligned division; they are the people that cant sit still. Haptics have to pace around the room, they must have music or a television playing in the background and are almost constantly finding themselves distracted. Despite what parents and teachers have been saying to the contrary, Haptic learning is just as effective as the other two, more traditional, types. Instead of fighting against your nature, adapt to it and find a method that really works. Make studying more physical; work at a standing desk, pace around the room, do reading while on an exercise bike, chew gum. Try to use color when you can; highlight your readings, read with a filtered light, put posters and bright colors around your desk. Haptic people should vary their activities, if you feel frustrated or clogged up do something different for a few minutes. Try and keep a list of distractions as they come to you; once you write them down, they wont bother your concentration as much. If you want to, play music in the background at whatever volume you choose to. When reading, try skimming over the chapter to get a solid basic meaning before you really dig in. Try to visualize complex projects from start to finish before you begin them. Visualization is a useful tool for Haptic people, it helps you keep a positive, productive outlook on the task at hand.

SQ3R
The SQ3R method is the reading and studying system preferred by many educators. Reading research indicates that it is an extremely effective method for both comprehension and memory retention. Its effective because it is a system of active reader involvement.

Step 1. S= Survey
Before you actually read a chapter, or go over a particular section of notes, take five minutes to survey the material. Briefly check headings and subheadings in order to understand the authors organizational pattern of ideas to be discussed. Scan all visual material. Read introductory and summary paragraphs. This preview will enable you to anticipate what the chapter is about.

Step 2. Q= Question
Create interest in the material by asking: What are the main points of the chapter? As you read, keep the question in mind and figure out the most important points. It gives you a clearly defined purpose for reading, and helps you maintain interest in the material.

Step 3. R= Read
Read the chapter actively for meaning. Go through the paragraph before underlining, then underline key words and phrases to help you recall the main points. Be selective, you dont want to highlight nonimportant points or miss anything that can help your comprehension. Summarize main concepts in your own words in the margins. The more active you are in the reading process, the more you will retain.

Step 4. R= Recite
After every few pages, close your book and recite aloud the main points to the questions you posed in step 2. Try to recall basic details as to the authors intent by putting them in your own words. Verify your answer by checking the text. If you cant remember the text, read through it again. If you dont get it now, you wont remember it for a test. Take as much time as you need to answer your questions. Dont be frustrated, this takes more time but the information will be clearer in your mind.

Step 5. R= Review
Finally, review the chapter every so often to fix the material in your mind. Keep rereading your margin notes and underlinings. Verbalize the sequence of main ideas and supporting facts to aid retention. Numerous reviews are a lot more effective than one cramming session the night before an exam. Review once right after youve finished reading and then every couple of days. The SQ3R is time consuming at first, expect it to take ten to fifteen percent longer to read a given chapter when you first begin. Research indicates a 70%% increase in retention after two months of using the system and, eventually, a reduction in time spent preparing for exams.

Note Taking Techniques

The most comprehensive note taking systems require attention on your part. You must be alert enough in class to take legible, meaningful notes. You cant rely on writing everything down because a lot of information in a given lecture wont help you actually learn the material. If you have problems determining the specific relevant points in a particular class, you can always ask the professor to clarify them for you.

The 2-6 Method

The 2-6 refers to the way you divide the space on your notepaper. Make two columns, using the red line on the left of the page as your border. Then, when you take notes in class, use the 6 column for the notes and the smaller 2 column on the left as a highlighting system. Write main headings and important points on the left, including material you think you will be tested on. When youre finished, you should have a comprehensive page of information that you can quickly scan for important points.

Finally
If you have any questions or need more help, stop by and talk to one of our counselors. Studying is 99%% perspiration; if you give it a real, concentrated effort over the course of a semester you will see an improvement. Your academic success is entirely up to you. Self-Development Center George Mason University A Service of the Counseling and Student Development Center SUB I Room 350, 993-2999

M.U.R.D.E.R.
A Study System Study is nothing else but a possession of the mind Thomas Hobbes 1651 English

Mood:
Set a positive mood for yourself to study in. Select the appropriate time, environment, and attitude Understand: Mark any information you dont understand in a particular unit; Keep a focus on one unit or a manageable group of exercises Recall: After studying the unit, stop and put what you have learned into your own words Digest: Go back to what you did not understand and reconsider the information; Contact external expert sources (e.g., other books or an instructor) if you still cannot understand it Expand: In this step, ask three kinds of questions concerning the studied material: If I could speak to the author, what questions would I ask or what criticism would I offer? How could I apply this material to what I am interested in? How could I make this information interesting and understandable to other students? Review: Go over the material youve covered, Review what strategies helped you understand and/or retain information in the past and apply these to your current studies.

Thinking Aloud/Private speech

Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.
Herman Hesse, German 1877-1961 When we learned as infants and children, thinking aloud or saying what we are thinking (private speech), was accepted as a way of demonstrating our knowledge, or of opening ourselves to get it right. We sounded out words, expressed ideas, formed sentences. When corrected, we practiced until we imitated correctly, or conformed to the model of our family, neighborhood, school, etc. Thinking aloud was essential to our early learning. Thinking aloud is also called private speech. As we grow older, thinking aloud is internalized, and speech shifts to communicating with others. Nevertheless, the need to engage in private speech never disappears. Whenever we encounter unfamiliar or demanding activities in our lives, private speech resurfaces. It is a tool that helps us overcome obstacles and acquire new skills. We tend to use only phrases and incomplete sentences in private speech. What is said reflects our thoughts, but only what is puzzling, new, or challenging. We omit what we already know or understand. So also private speech decreases as our performance or understanding improves. Applications of private speech in learning include planning, monitoring progress, or guiding ourselves in working through challenging tasks and mastering new skills. It can help us manage situations and control our behavior by verbalizing our feelings, or venting to ourselves. Private speech is a useful tool in learning. The more we engage our brain on multiple levels, the more we are able to make connections and retain what we learn. We read, create images or diagrams, listen, use music or motion, talk with others (collaborative learning) and with ourselves. Some of us like to talk things through with someone or in a group, either to help us understand or to remember better. And some of us dont need another person around to talk with in this process! This can be a learning style, and a very effective one. We use multiple senses and experiences to process and reinforce our learning, and the combination of these strategies is very individual.

Applications of private speech in learning include;

Memorizing vocabulary by saying the words Appreciating poetry by dramatizing it Editing papers by reading the text aloud Talking through math problems to arrive at solutions

Using Memory Effectively

Acronyms and Acrostics: (for information involving key words)
An acronym is an invented combination of letters. Each letter is a cue to an idea you need to remember. Example: BRASS is an acronym for how to shoot a rifleBreath, Relax, Aim, Sight, Squeeze. An acrostic is an invented sentence where the first letter of each word is a cue to an idea you need to remember. Example: EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FUN is an acrostic to remember the order of Gclef notes on sheet musicE, G, B, D, F.

Memory Techniques and Mnemonics (link) Rhyme-Keys: (for ordered or unordered lists)
First, memorize key words that can be associated with numbers. For instance, bun with one; shoe with two, tree with three, door with four, hive with five, etc. Next create an image of the items you need to remember with key words. For example, if you had to remember the four basic food groupsdiary products; meat, fish, and poultry; grains; and fruit and vegetablesimagine cheese on a bun, livestock with shoes on, a sack of grain suspended in a tree, and opening a door to a room stocked with fruits and vegetables.

The Method of Loci: (for approximately twenty items)

Select any location that you have spent a lot of time in and have easily memorized. Imagine yourself walking through the location, selecting clearly defined placesthe door, sofa, refrigerator, shelf, etc. Imagine yourself putting objects that you need to remember into each of these places by walking through this location in a direct path. Again, you need a standard direct path and clearly defined locations for objects to facilitate the retrieval of these objects. For example if you had to remember George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Richard Nixon, you could imagine walking up to the door of your location and seeing a dollar bill stuck in the door; when you open the door Jefferson is reclining on the sofa and Nixon is eating out of the refrigerator.

The Keyword Method: (for foreign language vocabulary)

First, after considering the foreign word you need to remember, select a key word in English that sounds like the foreign word. Next, imagine an image which involves the key word with the English meaning of the foreign word. For example, consider the Spanish word cabina which means phone booth. For the English keyword, you might think of cab in a ... . You could then invent an image of a cab trying to fit in a phone booth. When you see the word cabina on the test, you should be able to recall the image of the cab and you should be able to retrieve the definition phone booth.

The Image-Name Technique: (for remembering names)

Simply invent any relationship between the name and the physical characteristics of the person. For example, if you had to remember Shirley Temples name, you might ingrain the name in memory by noticing that she has curly (rhymes with Shirley) hair around her temples.

Chaining: (for ordered or unordered lists)

Create a story where each word or idea you have to remember cues the next idea you need to recall. If you had to remember the words Napoleon, ear, door, and Germany, you could invent a story of Napoleon with his ear to a door listening to people speak in German. Adapted by Bob Nelson from The Complete Problem Solver by J.R. Hayes, 1989.

Becoming a More Effective Listener

Effective listening begins with recognizing how poor we really are at listening, and with developing a determination to work hard to improve our listening skills. We need to develop an attitude that says, Im going to get something out of this lecture that I can use no matter what it takes. Here are a few suggestions that will help you improve your listening skills. First, work hard to keep your focus on the message and make a determined effort to return to focus when your mind begins to wonder. To help in maintaining focus, make mental summaries of the speakers main ideas. Second, try to predict the speakers next main idea. These two hints will help to keep you actively involved in what the speaker is saying. Listening is a very difficult and an active process. Listening is just plain hard work. Dr. Bert Miller, Speech and Communication Studies Keys To Good Listening: The TQLR Process

Tune In
Right as the lecture begins, determine the speakers topic and recall what you may already know about the topic. Question early in the lecture, continue the listening process by asking questions in your mind such as: What point is the speaker making?, What devices for support is he/she using?, What do I need to specifically remember? This process, if continued throughout the entire lecture, helps lead to an understanding of main ideas, the speakers organization of the material being covered, and supporting details.

Listen
This part of the process includes determining the basic message and answering the questions being raised during the total process. In order to accomplish this, you must anticipate what will be said, and take in what is said. Active alertness is ALWAYS REQUIRED.

Review
This is the process of checking on the anticipated message after the message is delivered. To review, you must evaluate the message against your questions, fit ideas together, summarize ideas, and evaluate the meaning and impact of the message based on your circumstances. This review process should lead to further questions and keep you constantly tuned in to the lecture.

Effective And Ineffective Listening Habits Effective

Finding or creating something to arouse interest in a speech or lecture you must listen to. Trying to get the message rather than worrying about how it is presented. Listening to all that the speaker has to say before criticizing. Looking for major ideas and relationships among various points. Determining the speakers organization first, then taking notes that reflect his/her pattern. Really paying attention so that at any time you can summarize the speakers main ideas up to that point in the lecture. Sitting where you will hear, then listening. Listening with a purpose. Subordinating specific words to the total meaning of the context. Anticipating what the speaker will say next, identifying ideas and support, recapitulating every few minutes what the speaker has told you.

Ineffective
Calling the subject uninteresting. Criticizing the speakers delivery. Getting over stimulated about specific points in the speech. Listening only for the facts. Trying to make an outline of everything. Faking attention to the speaker. Tolerating or creating distractions. Evading difficult material.