Study Tips From South Dakota University Learning Center
Study Tips From South Dakota University Learning Center
Make and keep a study schedule. Set aside certain hours each day for class assignments. Keep the same schedule regularly day to day. The amount of time needed for study will vary with the individual student and the courses on his or her schedule.
Study in a suitable place -- the same place every day. Is concentration one of your study problems? Experts state that the right surroundings improve concentration ability. Also, study desks/tables should be located in a quiet place -- free from distractions.
Organize all material before starting. Your study area should have certain standard equipment -- paper, pen, resource books, calculator, etc. This will eliminate unnecessary interruptions.
Don't wait for inspiration to strike -- it probably won't. We can learn a lesson about studying from observing an athlete. Can you imagine seeing an athlete who is training for a mile run sitting on the field waiting for inspiration to strike before beginning to practice? Like an athlete, it is necessary to get in training for exams by doing things on a regular basis.
Keep an organized notebook. Research shows that there's a definite relationship between the organization of a student's notebook and the grades he/she makes. Set aside a special section for each course.
Keep a careful record of assignments. Why lose time phoning all over town or campus to find someone who knows the assignment? Write it down -- in detail -- in a designated place in your notebook. Knowing what is expected and when you are expected to do it is the first step toward completing the assignment.
Use "trade secrets" for successful study. For example:
Flash Cards. Use a 3" x 5" card to learn specialized vocabulary. On the front write the term; on the back, write the definition or an important fact about that term. Carry your flash cards with you. Periodically take them out and quiz yourself.
Divided Page. Draw a dividing line down the center of a sheet of notebook paper. Write important questions on the left side and the answers on the right. Use the "self restriction" method of study. Cover the right-hand side and try to give the answer. Then check and recheck until you're sure you know the material.
Cover Card. As you are studying, look over your notebook or textbook and read what you are trying to memorize. Use the cover card to conceal what you've just read -- try reciting or writing the facts from memory. Check until you are sure you have mastered the facts.
Insure against forgetting -- take good lecture and text notes. Learn to take lecture and text notes efficiently as your instructors stress important points in class and as you study your assignments. Good notes are imperative for just-before-test reviewing. Without notes, you will often need to reread the whole assignment before a test.
How can you remember what you've studied? One secret of remembering is over learning. Psychologists tell us that the secret of learning for the future is over learning. Over learning is continuing your study after you have learned the material well enough to barely recall it.
Frequent reviews pay off -- in knowledge, grades and credits. Without review, the average student can forget 80% of what was read -- in just two weeks! Your first review should come very shortly after you study material for the first time.
How to Beat Procrastination
Recognize when you are procrastinating.
Learn to catch yourself when you start putting off tasks you don't like to do.
Do some small things to get yourself started (i.e., write the first sentence of a term paper). You will probably find it is easier to keep going once you start.
Break a large assignment or project into smaller units of work that you can complete in one sitting.
Plan rewards for yourself for completing each part of the assignment.
Make a schedule for completing a long assignment.
Set a goal of spending at least some time each day working on the assignment.
Get organized so that you are ready to begin work as soon as you sit down.
If you put off assignments because you do not know where to start or are not sure how to do the work -- then find out what you need to know.
Make an appointment with your instructor or talk to someone who is in your class.
Assume an attitude of confidence. Think positively.
Twelve Tips for Studying and Managing Your Time
Plan a definite time for studying each day. This will discourage procrastination and prevent that pile-up of work.
Shorten your study time by knowing the purpose of each assignment, what to do, and how to do it before you leave class. Keep a record of all assignments in a special section of your notebook.
Predicting the amount of time needed for each assignment causes you to work harder so that you save time. By timing your assignments, you are more likely to concentrate and less likely to become bored.
Time yourself to see how long it takes you to read five pages of your textbook or a paperback. This will help you estimate the time needed to complete a reading assignment. Because a textbook is loaded with information, you may have to read some sections more than once. Allow time for reflecting on what you read.
Pay attention to charts and diagrams. They can be shortcuts to understanding.
When a reading assignment is made, you can expect to have a discussion of the material or a quiz in class. Take a little time to review just before class so that you are ready to participate.
Every time you study, spend ten minutes in review of previous assignments. These refresher shots are the secret for long-term memory. This habit of frequent review also results in less time needed for study for a major test.
Use daytime for study if possible. At night you are likely to be less efficient.
After studying about forty minutes, take a five minute break. This refreshes your mind so that you can concentrate better and finish faster.
Setting a stopping time at night will encourage hard work in anticipation of being through by ten o'clock or whatever time you set. Sometimes you may even beat the clock. The increased impetus helps you concentrate.
Don't cram for hours the night before a test. Instead, distribute your study in half-hour segments over a period of days.
Since learning is cumulative, new ideas must be incorporated with previous learning from lectures, readings, and lab experiments. You have to continuously make the connections and associations in your own mind. Putting it all together is easier if you schedule time daily to read, to think, to reflect, to review. Improved learning is the natural result of this approach to using your time.
Study Tips for Mathematics
First things first - make sure you have an adequate math background for the class level you are taking. Be prepared to spend some time on your own to review past material.
Attend class and keep up day-by-day to stay on top of the material presented in class. Math classes are "cumulative" in that new information is often built upon past material. If you fall behind you won't know what is going on in the class.
Recognize the time commitment that is necessary to do well in class. Two hours outside of class for every hour in class is usually adequate for just a passing grade! Take into account the time necessary to review past material, do homework problems, preview new material before each class, and prepare for exams.
Rather than taking a lot of notes, watch the instructor do the exercises and mark in your textbook which parts seem important. Note page and exercise numbers in your textbook and take notes on key steps in the solution of the problem. Also note which problems from homework assignments were done in class. Exams and quizzes often contain similar exercises to those done in the classroom.
Study immediately after class. Try to solve the problems your instructor just went over. If you let more than a few hours pass between your class and when you study, it will be hard to recall the things your instructor said and did in the classroom.
To get beyond a passing grade, don't just do the easiest exercises but do intermediate and advanced ones as well. This will increase your understanding of the material. Go outside of your textbook and find supplementary materials for practice problems.
When preparing for an exam, analyze as many of the assigned problems as you can. Read through the problem completely and answer such questions as:
- What is given?
- What is unknown?
- Have I seen a problem like this before?
- How am I going to proceed?
You may analyze many problems but actually work out less than half of them.
Use practice exams to study and prepare for real tests. Ask the instructor for an old test, sample quiz, or even just one example test question. Also, study guides and computerized tutorials often contain practice tests. Practice exams can help reduce test anxiety as well.
