Idea Number 1
SKILL: Memory, Following Directions from Steve Runge Academic Skills Coordinator St. Lawrence U. Canton, NY 13617 srun@music.stlawu.edu
Give two groups of students the same list of 20 or so words. Pick keywords at random from an upper-level textbook, so that a good many are unfamiliar to them.
Tell the students it's simply a memory exercise. Give one group a simple set of directions, such as "Memorize the following 20 words. You have 10 minutes to review the list right now. You will be quizzed tomorrow morning."
Give the other group more directive instructions: "Memorize the following 20 words. You will have 10 minutes to review the list right now. You might find it helpful to write the words down to review them later. Try grouping the words into categories, either by meaning, by the roots or prefixes or suffixes, or even by initial letter. Quiz yourself a few times between now and tomorrow morning, to make sure you can, indeed, recall all 20. You will be quizzed tomorrow morning."
Quiz the students, and have them compare notes about scores and how they prepared.
The exercise may help raise consciousness about careful reading of instructions and taking initiative in learning, especially if a student opines, "But I thought I only had 10 minutes!" Students will, one would hope, start seeing good memory less as a function that one either has or doesn't have, and more as a result of memory-reinforcing habits.
Idea Number 2
Diane Van Blerkom [mailto:dvanbler@imap.pitt.edu]
During the first week of the semester, I spend about 15 minutes helping my students learn each other's names. I ask the students in the first row (next to the wall) to say their first names. After they do, I ask the class to repeat the names with me. Then I ask someone to say all the names. After we learn the first row, we continue on to the next using the same method, but this time asking one or two students to recall the names of the students in both rows. After working through all the rows, I try to recall them all and ask for a couple of volunteers to do the same.
When we complete the activity, I explain that this was also a mini lesson on how to learn information when preparing for quizzes and exams. The main points are lots of repetition, working on small sections of the material at a time, and lots of self-testing. The students enjoy the activity, learn the names of many of their classmates, and get some tips on how to study in a more active way.
Idea Number 3
Re: Study skills activity question
Gary Probst
Last week I gave a suggestion on how to put students into vocabulary shock. Here is another suggestion on how to give them reading shock at the same time.
After you have the students count the number of new vocabulary terms introduced in each textbook chapter have them note the number of pages in each textbook. Then have the students determine the number of pages they must read in a semester. The number of pages of information, which must be read in a week by a student who is taking five courses, will come as a big shock. Some courses not only require textbook chapters to be read, but also require other information to be read such as journals, newspapers and supplementary books. I also know a few instructors who assign two textbooks.
For example, an average college student taking a normal load of five classes would have to read at least five textbooks a semester. If a textbook averages 500 pages, this means in fifteen-week semester 2500 pages of information must be learned from textbooks. Additional reading assignments could easily cause a student to have over 3000 pages to read in a semester. THIS COMES TO 200 PAGES A WEEK OR 30 PAGES A DAY OF INFORMATION THAT MUST BE LEARNED.
This can be an overwhelming task to a slow reader or a student who is working a twenty-hour a week job. Students need to learn study skills that will make them more effective in their approach to studying. For example, suggest outlining on note cards is the best way to review because there is not enough time to reread textbook chapters.
Idea Number 4
EXAM PREP--JEOPARDY STYLE
Hillary O'Connor Learning Skills Specialist Learning Resource Center Saint Joseph's University 610.660.1846
Goal of activity: A fun exercise based on the quiz show Jeopardy that will engage students and teach them the 4 steps of Exam Prep and how to apply them to all exam situations.
Time: 20-50 minutes
Start with this exercise. I usually make it a handout, but it can be verbal.
Jeopardy Prep
It's summer break and you've just been chosen to be on Jeopardy. You are planning to make enough money on Jeopardy so that you don't have to work at all this summer. You have 6 uninterrupted weeks to prepare. By stroke of luck, your best friend's brother works for Jeopardy so he can give you an idea of the topics that will be on the week you are to appear. Look at the following topics and list the five steps you would take to prepare for your appearance.
Jeopardy Topics:
Music
Video
Chaucer
Bicycles
Road Signs
Ancient Chinese
Literature Beer
Games
Cartoons
Dogs
You have ample use of both a library and plenty of time. Take a few minutes to think what would you do first?
First step:
Second step:
Third step:
Fourth step:
Fifth step:
End of exercise. Their answers should all be things that would fit into the 4 steps of exam prep below. For example, they will say start with the toughest (obviously Chinese lit); then go to the library and pull out books on then topic, then group ideas into major themes (i.e. religion, military, styles of poetry, etc.); then study a little at a time and so on. At the board, the instructor should write the 4 steps to exam prep and as students give their responses to the Jeopardy exercise write them into the corresponding step. Then discuss how these 4 steps apply to the student's next exam.
4 Steps of Exam Prep
1. Pre--Studying
To determine how to approach preparing for an exam, you need to ask yourself some questions and make a list of what will be covered on the exam to inform your plan for preparation. Ask yourself: -What wills I be expected to know on this exam? -How much of this information do I already know? -Make list of topics, chapters, ideas or themes that will be covered on the exam The difference between what you already know and what you need to know is the informational gap that you fill in while studying. The size of your gap depends on the amount of time and energy you have expended since the course began as well as the professor's expectations. You want to be sure that your energy is expended in the most effective way possible. It's worth taking the time to assess the situation and create an optimal study plan for you.
2. Categorize the Information after confirming the concepts, theories, information and/or formulas required for the exam, test yourself to see what you know. Check for recall and understanding, not merely recognition. Write out or say a definition; don't merely say, "Oh, yeah. I know that one." -Determine your "gap": the weaker areas you need to focus on. - Categorize information into a chart of Know/Need to Know.
3. Study
This is your opportunity to fill in the information gap between what you know and what you need to know. Focus your study into 1.5-hour sessions several times a day. Study what you don't know first with a focus on re-learning until you can categorize into the KNOW category. Study actively. Do problems; create charts, concept maps, timelines or summaries; write outlines.
4. PROCESSING
At this point, you will be able to deeply process the information you have learned by manipulating it. Deep processing brings about long-term memory. There are many ways to do this. You need to find the way that best works for you, which may vary depending on the subject matter and the test format.
Some suggestions:
-Make connections to your prior knowledge, other course work and other interests.
-Note your critical reaction and creative ideas about the material.
-For essay tests make up possible questions and write or outline answers.
-Draw a visual concept map showing how the specific informational material relates to larger ideas.
-Discuss the subject with a classmate or in a study group format.
-Explain what you have learned to a friend or a roommate.
Check out our On-line Writing Lab at http://www.sju.edu/OWL!
Idea Number 5
Bonnie Orr
In Volume 10, Issue 5, 1993 of the Research in Developmental Education, Martha Maxwell summarizes research which indicates that students who manage time successfully feel they are in control of their time.
I designed the following curriculum based on her summary.
If I waste 30 seconds every five minutes, at the end of an hour I have wasted 6 minutes.
At the end of the day, I have wasted 21/2 hours.
At the end of the week, I have wasted 17 1/2 hours.
At the end of the month, I have wasted 73 1/2 hours or 3 twenty-four hour days 5 fifteen-hour days.
At the end of the year, I have wasted 36 twenty-four hour days or 60 fifteen-hour days!
And we all say we could use a bit more time in our lives!
From that point, I give the assignment for the students to keep track of their time in 15-minute increments for an entire week.
If they are in class for an hour, they can say, "In class" for the entire three 15 minute periods of time. If they have a job which has no free time, the can mark" working" for the entire time period. And, they do not have to wake up every 15 minutes to mark "still sleeping"! They also can mark time as "private time".
About the third day into this project, I hear the complaints about how time consuming this project is! The weekend time is especially important, so students learn how their " free-time" evaporates. When the assignments are turned in, I am amazed at the clever and functional formats some of the students have devised to track their time. I leave the format open-ended on purpose to allow students to be creative and responsive to the assignment. When I read the turned in assignments, I comment on the format. I also make encouraging comments to those students whose time is really filled and to those whose time has sort of willed itself into oblivion.
At the term's final evaluation, this project consistently ranks as one of the most valuable activities that we did in class.
Idea Number 6
Tammy Badger
Sorry it took me so long to respond. Actually my husband and I share an E-mail so the info I sent you on study skills was from me, Tammy Badger. Anyway to answer your question...no I was not promoting a specific note-taking method. The lesson I devised was mainly for secondary high school students. Most students, surprisingly, do not know the first thing about taking notes.... not even the BASICS (they have no idea what or when to write things down). The following list was presented to the students when teaching the lesson plan I sent you!
Note-taking skills
10). Review notes I hope this helps you understand my motives behind the lesson plan! Thanks
Idea Number 7
How to Study
Source: Ruth Turiel
Objective: To show and model a learning technique based upon short spurts of study time and frequent review sessions.
Projected time for activity 15 to 30 minutes
Activity description and script
Ask students to describe how they study-what and how long they do what they do. Explain that the method described on the handout is a good explanation of a learning technique Have students read the first four paragraphs of the handout.
When they have finished, go over each of the seven suggestions emphasizing #3 and #4. Then, take a textbook from one student and show them how you would read the text using the technique described below. If textbook is not available or is inappropriate, ask a student what course(s) he or she is taking and improvise.
Model a study session
Handout
MIND LOADS UP BEST IN SPURTS
There are many theories about learning. Most theorists do not agree on the definition of learning so it is difficult to synthesize learning strategies and teach people how to learn. What is probably more important is the information we know about forgetting. We know, for instance, that your learning is restricted by your span of attention, and we know that the average span of concentration for a student on a single subject is 45 to 50 minutes.
We know that you learn meaningful material more easily than you can memorize nonsense syllables-and that you can retain the meaningful material longer. We know that most forgetting occurs immediately after learning because the continued flow of new material makes it difficult for a new concept to "take." On the other hand, if you can remember something the day after you learned it, you can be sure you won't forget it easily.
This just scratches the surface of learning theory, but it's enough to help you plan your study time more intelligently. For instance, if your span of concentration is only 50 minutes, isn't it silly to study one subject for three or four hours? If the continued flow of new material makes it difficult to remember, shouldn't you consider shorter study periods and more frequent review sessions in order to let the information "take"?
And if meaningful material is the easiest to learn, isn't it pointless to memorize without trying to understand what you are memorizing?
Here's the way you ought to study to make the process of learning work for you.
SIUE Homepage URL: hppt://www.siue.edu/SPIN/ PUBLISHED by: Learning and Study Skills Spin Group of NADE Last Update: 02/20/02 by jharris@siue.edu