STUDY STRATEGIES
* Please review it regularly – Review should be ongoing if you want to gain a deep understanding of the subject. It should not be superficial and hasty. Cramming can help you remember some facts, but it will not give you the general understanding of a subject, which you should study in your college education.
* Be systematic: You should start organizing a study schedule as early as possible at the beginning of the semester.
* Use a variety of techniques: In addition to summarizing your lecture notes, use a variety of strategies for your revision. Create diagrams that show the relationship between the concepts you have studied in your courses or form study groups with your classmates to discuss the different topics and the relationships between them to reinforce both understanding and memory.
* Using the relationship to memorize: Understanding the relationships between pieces of information, such as their similarities and differences, and using their relationship with already known information is a definite advantage during the stress of an exam.
* Practice past exams – You should get copies of past exams as early in the review process as possible. Taking these exams in the required time limit will give you practice applying what you have learned to specific topics and practice exam technique. This will also give you a good idea of the format, time limit, and number of questions on the test.
* Attend Lectures: Pay attention in lectures and tutorials etc. to get relevant information for exams. For example, what topic could be expected in a test, etc.?
Emphasize the following areas in your review:
o Points emphasized in class or in the text
o Areas that the teacher has recommended for study
o Questions in study guides, back questions, and reviews at the end of textbook chapters.
STUDY CLOTHES
* Decide what to study (choose a reasonable task) and how long or how many chapters, pages, problems, etc. Set and meet the deadline.
* Do the difficult tasks first. For procrastination, start with an easy and interesting aspect of the project.
* Have special places to study. Consider lighting, temperature, and availability of materials.
* Study 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break. Stretch, relax, have an energy snack.
* If you get tired or bored, change the task / activity. Stop studying when you are no longer productive.
* Perform rough memory tasks and review, especially details, just before falling asleep.
* Study with a friend. Quiz each other, compare notes and predict test questions.
STUDY SKILLS
o Physical environment: choose situations that make you feel comfortable, for example, a particular space in the library, in your own home, or study hall in university residences.
o Plan a schedule: Use a schedule to prioritize study times and try to stick to your schedule.
o Mental activity: remember that your ability to concentrate is limited. So don’t sit for 3-4 hours straight from a page of notes. Allow an hour or so to read and take additional notes. Write or use actual test questions from past jobs and consider how little you know and understand
o Stop for a break- Have a coffee or walk a bit and mentally review what you have accomplished. Go back to your studies.
o You will find the activity and review process helpful and will help you establish a pattern of study.
o Study quality- Remember that it is not the time spent studying that matters, it is the quality of the study exercise. Develop an understanding of the material you are working on. Information simply memorized will rarely see you safely during your exams.
o Choice of material: Do not walk away from the material that is most difficult for you to understand because, if you do, it will be precisely this material that you will find problematic in the exam. Take this material first.
o Problems: If there are sections of the syllabus that you cannot understand, try to find the right teacher to help you. But try not to leave this for the day before the test. Ask someone in the same grade as you. If these strategies don’t work for you, try using a variety of different textbooks—some authors explain difficult concepts better than others.
CONCENTRATION
Concentration is the ability to direct one’s thought in any direction
Butler. We all have the ability to concentrate at some point.
Think of the moment when you were engrossed in a super soap opera or in a movie -Total
concentration. But at other times your thoughts are scattered and your mind races
one thing to another. Learn and practice concentration strategies.
Poor concentration – External causes
-Internal causes
REVISION
Review is a process of reviewing previous work in preparation for the exam. It is an activity that can produce good results and reduce “exam nerves” if carefully planned and carried out consistently. Black coffee and sleepless nights right before exams rarely allow you to do justice to your talents.
Toward the end of a course, a review of your completed written work and past exams will often indicate close links between exam questions and essays, homework, and project work. On this basis, he selects his best work and uses it for the review. The work, which has been less successful, must contain the advice of a tutor and this can be followed up.
What reviews can do for you:
* Expands your ability to assess your own knowledge and understanding.
* Provides an opportunity to discuss this in relation to the exam requirements.
* Allow you to pass the exam and get recognition for your talents.
GUIDELINES FOR A SUCCESSFUL REVIEW
* Make sure you know well in advance what topics will be covered on the particular exam.
* Keep copies of all course documents, projects, essay questions, assignment title, and reading list on file.
* Make this the basis of your review. Resist the temptation to try to start your course from the beginning.
* Review on your own the evaluated works, making a selection of those with the best qualification.
* Compare your own work with the question asked in previous questionnaires.
* At this stage it is vital that you have enough material to answer all possible questions.
* If you decide to expand on what you already have, look at the less successful works and see if you can improve them by careful editing, filling in gaps, correcting errors of fact or understanding.
* Reduce each piece of work to note shape.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Avoid overload.
Plan your hours to include plenty of time to rest, relax, sleep, eat, exercise, and socialize.
Break study time into manageable amounts of time to avoid boredom and loss of concentration. Sessions lasting 20-30 minutes are best Studying for six half hour sessions is much more effective than studying for 3 hours straight.
Do not leave everything for the last minute.
PRACTICE EFFECTIVE STUDY SKILLS
Have adequate study environments.
Break large tasks into more manageable tasks.
Read to understand rather than reach the end of the chapter.
Be prepared to ask questions as they arise during your study, rather than waiting until just before the test.
Don’t wait until the last minute to complete your projects.
Read the syllabus as soon as you receive it, and write down all due dates (and milestones) on your calendar.
Be a model student.
Be attentive and participatory in class and punctual, prepared and eager to learn.
BE ABLE TO BE FLEXIBLE
Unexpected events, for example, illness, must be able to fit into our schedule.
Know how to rearrange your schedule when necessary (so it’s not running you, it’s running you).
HAVE A VISION
Don’t forget the big picture.
Why are you doing homework? Is it important to your long-term goals?
Have and follow a personal mission statement (personal and professional) Do your activities ultimately help you achieve your goals?
Know what is important to you.
(What do you value most)
Have a positive attitude.
