Improving Concentration, Memory, and Motivation

Many students are surprised at the differences in studying for college courses versus how they studied in high school. Regular worksheets are replaced by vast midterms and exams which require knowledge about concepts rather than simple memorization of facts. Students frequently discover they need to adapt their study habits to the college setting. Here are some tips for getting started:

• Study in chunks
• Use daylight hours
• Rank your three classes
• Study actively
• Find the right place to study

Handouts

Where to Study:

• Places to Study at Dartmouth (32K Word)

How to Study:

• Ten Steps for Academic Success (33K Word)
• Basic Principles About Review (22K Word)
• Concentration Tips (22K Word)
• How to Retain Information (34K Word)
• How to Study Actively (27K Word)
• Motivation (21K Word)
• Ways to Increase Memory (23K Word)

Videos

Strategic Learning Video (9:00 Minutes)
Strategic Learning Video with Captions (9:00 Minutes)
Dartmouth College Library

Learning Links

Concentration and Memory:

• Strategies for Improving Concentration and Memory - Virginia Tech
• I Just Can't Seem to Concentrate! - University of Pennsylvania
• Increasing Motivation - University of Victoria
• Improving Your Memory - Texas A&M University

Study Tips:

• Basic Study Techniques - Texas A&M University
• Study Hacks - Blog created by Cal Newport
• Ten Traps of Studying - University of North Carolina
• Top 11 Study Skills - Stanford University
• Study Environment Analysis - Virginia Tech
• Study Skills Checklist - Virginia Tech
• Putting Your Extracurricular Skills to Use in Your Studies – Princeton University
• How to form a successful study group – Duke University

PLACES TO STUDY AT DARTMOUTH

Residence halls are poor places to study due to the proximity of Blitzmail, computer games, TV, a refrigerator, a phone, and friends.  Learning in a place with fewer distractions will improve your efficiency.

BY YOURSELF

Comfortable Places

·        Sanborn Library is a great place to curl up with a book on a rainy afternoon.  This library, located on the first floor of Sanborn House, the building next to Baker, features   cozy alcoves and arm chairs.  Tea is served daily at 4 pm.

·         Top of the Hop features lots of light and well-cushioned chairs by the windows.  Unless groups are meeting to study together, the Top of the Hop is usually quiet and fairly empty. 

Places with Few Distractions

·         Dartmouth Hall is just one example of a classroom building that usually has vacant rooms in the afternoon.  No blitzmail, no intruders.  Just complete silence and wooden chairs guaranteed to keep you alert.

·         Dorm Study Rooms are a possibility depending on what dorm you live in.  Some study rooms are always empty.  Often located in the basement, study rooms may have undecorated walls, high windows you can’t see out of, and tables or study carrels.

·         The Baker Stacks are infamous for their austerity.  Hidden away among musty-smelling books, you can’t fail to concentrate.  Park yourself at a carrel and get to work.  Once you have hiked to the ninth floor you won’t be tempted to run any errands or see what flavor frozen yogurt they’re serving in food court.

·         The Berry Stacks are a new version of an old favorite. The Berry stacks offer the same seclusion as the Baker stacks but with laptop friendly carrels and better lighting.

·         The Tower Room is always silent, and there are usually empty chairs.  However, avoid the Tower Room if you are feeling sleepy because the warmth and still air may lull you to sleep.  On any given day, half the people in the Tower Room have their eyes shut and their mouths open.

·         Feldberg Library at the end of Tuck Drive, near residents of the River Cluster, provides a motivational environment.  The presence of business-like Tuck and Thayer graduate students, the silent study area on the second floor, the availability of either carrels or large tables, makes Feldberg Library an attractive study option.  If you get hungry, you can stop by nearby Byrne Hall for a snack.

·        Rauner Special Collections Library holds the college archives. Rauner is not well know so it is often quiet.  Special care is taken to keep the library at a cool temperature to preserve the old books which makes this a great place to study in the summer.

Social Places

·         The Novack Café located on the ground level of Berry is a great place for those late, late nights. Open 24hrs a day, seven days a week, Novack give students access to public computers and the print out window located on the ground level of Berry. 

·         The Collis Living Room is where you study for half an hour between class and lunch, or when you're too tired to walk anywhere else.  There is a constant stream of people passing through, including large tour groups, so don’t expect to get any serious work done here.

·         The Green truly becomes the center of campus life in the late spring.  On a given day, half the people there will be studying and half will be chatting or playing frisbee.

·         The Reserve Corridor is a mixture of students who are trying to read their reserve readings in the two hour limit and those who like to talk while they study.  Although  popular in the summer as it is air conditioned, the Reserves may be drafty in the winter.  The acoustical effect of the long hall creates a sort of low hum when there are a lot of students there.

WITH A GROUP

·         Classrooms are the best place to study with a group of people.  You can take turns writing problems on the blackboard and explaining them to each other.  You will not disturb other people or be disturbed by them, and there are plenty of seats for everyone. 

·        Rocky is in a central location, is open until midnight, and has space on both the first and second floors for groups to meet.

·        Berry has several group study rooms on the third and fourth floors.  These rooms are in a central location with easy access to food, computers and a supportive library staff.

·         Outside, on the nearest patch of grass, under a shady tree, provides a good group meeting place.  You can be as loud as you want and move around as much as you want (if you are preparing a skit).  Of course, there are only a couple months in the school year when studying outside is practical in New Hampshire.

HOURS AND RATINGS

	HOURS	NOISE LEVEL	TABLE SPACE
Tower Room	8 am - midnight	very low	good
Novack Cafe	24hrs a day	medium	good
Reserve	8 am - mid	high	excellent
Berry Stacks	8 am - midnight	low	excellent
BakerStacks	8 am - midnight	very low	good
Sanborn	8 am - midnight	low	fair
Rauner	8 am-4:30 pm	low	good
Dana	7 am - midnight	low	good
Math Lib.	8 am - 10 pm	low	good
Paddock	8 am - 10 pm	low	fair
Sherman	8 am - midnight	low	fair
Feldberg	8 am - midnight	low	excellent
Kresge	8 am - midnight	low	good
Top of Hop	7 am - 11 pm	medium	fair
Collis	7:30 am - 1 am	medium to quiet	fair to excellent
Dartmouth	7:30 - midnight	very low	good
Rocky	7:30 - midnight	low	good TEN STEPS TO ACADEMIC SUCCESS 1.     Set individual academic and personal goals. 2.   Choose courses carefully, especially during your first year. 3.   Know and use resources. 4.   Meet and get to know faculty. 5.    Learn actively. 6.   Manage your time well. 7.    Know and actively use reading skills. 8.   Develop strong listening and note-taking skills. 9.   Develop and improve your writing and speaking skills. 10.Get involved in co-curricular activities; learn skills and             gain experience. Want to know more? Pauk, Walter.  How to Study in College.  5th edition. Princeton: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993 ©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001 How to AVOID CRAMMING for Tests Basic Principles about Review ©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001 I. ORIGINAL LEARNING must take place. You have to learn the material before you can review it. II. EARLY REVIEW is most efficient, most productive. A. Before you attempt to learn new material in class or through reading: ·         Glance over previous chapters or notes. ·         Run through your mind what you know already. Since memorization of new material is most effective when it is associated with the material already known, this process brings all available mental "hooks" to the surface. B. Immediately after learning: ·         Rework your notes, adding material that comes to mind. (Don't recopy; this is wasteful.) ·         Order and organize what was learned. (Star, use arrows, additional comments, etc.) ·         Integrate new material with what you already know. Forgetting is most rapid right after learning. Review helps combat this. Relearning is easier if it is done quickly. Don't wait until it's all gone. III. Space initial early reviews to support original learning. Several brief periods spread over 5 or 10 days is usually enough to ensure good recall for intermediate review. IV. Intermediate review  is important when work is spread out over several months or longer. For example, when the final is 4 months away, follow this schedule: ·         original learning ·         immediate review of limited material same day (5-10 minutes) ·         intermediate review of material covered so far, after 2 months ·         final review, before exam Intermediate and final reviews should stress understanding and organization of material. V. Final review is a REVIEW, not "cramming" of unlearned material. No new learning takes place except to draw together the final main currents of thought. ·         Be brief. Review entire semester's work in 2-4 hours. (Set a limit and stick to it.) ·         Outline and organize from memory. Don't bother copying. ·         Recite (in writing or out loud to a friend or self) VI. USE SPACED REVIEW rather than MASSED PRACTICE. 60 minutes used in 3 groups of 20 minutes each is more effective than 60 minutes used all at the same time. ·         break up learning period for any one subject ·         avoid fatigue ·         review and strengthen previous learning ·         increased motivation, better concentration Concentration The Problem    In many colleges over 8% of the students report problems concentrating on their studies. Most of these students blame outside distractions for their problems.    Many research studies manipulating noise levels and distractions have found that such disturbances may increase, decrease, or not even affect concentration. These researchers have therefore concluded that distracters don't cause concentration problems directly. It is the way the distracters are interpreted by the students that disrupts their study. Creating a Study Environment [1] Find a place to study and keep it for study only. [2] Tool-up the environment with all study needs. [3] Control noise level and the visual environment to acceptable levels. [4] Avoid relaxing while working; create a work atmosphere. When to Study [1] Best during the day and early evening; you'll remember better. [2] Best when there are the fewest competing activities in progress. [3] Best when adequate rest periods are provided. [4] Stop studying when fatigue or lack of attention occurs. How to Study & Concentrate [1] When distracters are present, become intensely involved. [2] Keep a pad of paper handy to jot down extraneous thoughts that cross your mind while studying, get them out of your mind and on to paper. [3] Set study goals before you begin each period of study    (number of pages, number of problems, etc.) [4] Design adequate rewards after specified goals are attained. [5] Break-up the content of study by mixing up subjects and building in variety and interest and removing boredom. [6] Make the most of rest periods-do something quite different. [7] Don't try to mix work and play. [8] Start with short study periods and build to longer periods only as fast as you maintain concentration. [9] If necessary, make a calendar of events to clear your mind of distractions. [10] Realize that you won't lose friends, respect, or a "good time" just because you're studying... these will keep. [11] Plan the length of your study period by the amount of material you have decided to cover, not by the clock. (Often the clock is one of the most serious distracters.) Diagnostic Matters    It is probably necessary that you identify which subjects are related to the most serious concentration problems. You may notice that you really don't give yourself a chance with these subjects because of the time, order, or place you use to study. It may also be valuable to assess what your motives are for studying in the first place? What is your reward for your efforts? ©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001 MEMORY IS LEARNING THAT PERSISTS Why We Forget 1.         Negative self-concept: we think of ourselves forgetting things. 2.         We have not learned the material well.                         If something is to be retained, it must be correctly, clearly and forcibly impressed on the mind.                         We must give it the necessary attention and interest. Self-questioning and spaced or periodic                           reviews are essential. 3.         Psychological reasons: defensive forgetting                         Generally, unpleasant things are remembered better than pleasant things (especially by pessimists) and                           both pleasant and unpleasant things are remembered better than materials we are indifferent to.                         Freudian theory holds that unpleasant things are often barred from consciousness. This is often referred                         to as active forgetting. 4.         Disuse                         Memories fade away rapidly when not reviewed or used. The curve of forgetting is like a playground slide;                                     we forget most immediately after we learn -in the first 24 hours; then it proceeds slowly. Motor learning                                     seems to be better retained than verbal learning because a motor act has to be completely done to be                                done at all and so requires a higher degree of organization and competency which involves over-learning.                         But "forgotten" material can be relearned in less time than is required for the original learning, even after                           many years' disuse. EVEN MATERIAL THAT WE DO NOT RELEARN HAS UNDOUBTEDLY BEEN                                   TRANSFORMED INTO ATTITUDES AND VALUES THAT FORM THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR                                          JUDGMENT. EDUCATION PAYS IN SPITE OF ALL THE DETAILS THAT ARE FORGOTTEN.                         Forgetting through disuse is normal and unavoidable. The mind is a marvelous instrument, but not a                                perfect instrument. 5.         Interference                         Forgetting was formerly thought to be mainly the result of disuse, but now it is believed that disuse may be                         a less important factor than interference due to emotional problems, anxieties, distractions, intense                                 concentration on something else, and intellectual interference.                         Intellectual interference or mental overcrowding can be minimized if we reflect on our reading and                                                 experiences, understand them, clarify them, associate, synthesize and organize them so they will not                                     interfere with each other. Above all, we must avoid pushing, cramming and overcrowding our learning                                     hours with unorganized material.                         Forgetting caused by later learning is called retroactive inhibition. There is more interference                                          between two similar subjects than between two unlike subjects. (Follow study of history with chemistry                             rather than English history or literature. )                         Since we cannot be awake without thinking, it should follow that there is more loss of memory for learned                                     material when one is awake than when one is sleeping. (Study and then sleep.) Next to sleep,                                          nonintellectual activities like exercise, music, dancing, recreation and the like cause the east interference                               with  remembering what has just been learned.                         When previous learning interferes with subsequent learning, this is called proactive inhibition. (An                                   old poem interferes with a new poem-the more familiar the subject, the more interference.                         Life, it seems, should be more organized, certainly our mental life, and should be approached with a                                degree of deliberation. There should be rest periods at intervals to allow the brain to lie fallow. Continuous                         undifferentiated activities apparently fight for a place in the memory; some things are pushed out and                              forgotten. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU WILL LOSE MOST OF THE KNOWLEDGE IF YOU QUICKLY READ                                BOOK AFTER BOOK WITHOUT ORGANIZING THE INFORMATION, REFLECTING ON IT, AND                                          CLARIFYING IT.                         Blocking is another kind of interference. It occurs when one wishes to recall some quite well-known                                 information but cannot do so, such as names. Relax and try association. 6.         Changed Cues You may have all the information you need stored away in your mind somewhere but be unable to get at it if the right cue is missing. Recall what happens on tests. You studied the material one way, the test question was presented in another (cues were changed). If you learn material with too great dependence upon the phraseology of the textbook, you may be at a loss to remember some of the material if you cannot recall the exact wording of the text. As with your outlining assignments, restate or rephrase the ideas in your own words to insure remembering. 7.         Lack of Attention and Effort                         The art of memory is the art of attention-attending to the material WHOLLY. Moreover, there must be effort                         to remember. Memory Improvement General Principles 1.         Attention (Concentration)                         To remember something, we must attend to it; concentration is attending to something intensely or                                  wholly. We may be able to do several things at once if some of them are habitual, but we can attend to one                                     thing at a time, especially when studying. The learner must use determination. Often when we say we                                     have forgotten something, it would be more correct to say we never learned it because we never gave it                                  proper attention in the first place. 2.         Interest                         Inattention is often due to lack of interest. The subject of most interest to everyone is himself or herself.                         Take sides in the issues and problems you read about. Ego involvement not only promotes interest and                         attention, it aids intention to remember.                         Give an "uninteresting subject" a chance; if you learn something about it, this will create some interest                              which will promote more knowledge and the circular spiral of interest-knowledge will continue to your                               benefit. Remind yourself, if necessary, of your secondary interest in the subject-the grade or credit                         Nonsense material (material which we do not understand) fails to awaken interest and is quickly forgotten.                                     While the assignment may be nonsense to us at first, attempts to work through it step by step-interpreting,                   associating, analyzing, synthesizing-will soon make it meaningful and interesting. 3.         Intention to Remember                         Bending of one's energies toward a given end is called a mental set, and a positive, open mental set                               affects memory positively. Ego involvement promotes intention to remember. 4.         Confidence When we intend to remember without having confidence that we can remember, the intention is weakened into mere hoping. The memory strengthens as you lay burdens upon it and becomes trustworthy as you trust it. Use written notes as a prompting device, but form the habit of trying to rely on your memory before referring to your written reminders. 5.         Starting Right                         Be cautious in learning a new knowledge and habits right at the start. Concentrate on accuracy, not                                  speed, at the beginning. A mistake once learned is difficult to unlearn. Become self-conscious about the                                     error first and then little by little work slowly to replace it with the right information. 6.         Selection                         Concentrate on the most significant things, as it is impossible to master any subject in its                                entirety. The selection should be judicious in that for some subjects  the fundamentals, major ideas,                               concepts, patterns, and trends may be important, but in some subjects details are also important.                         Select a field of interest for intense cultivation. Maximilian Berlitz became so interested in languages, he                         spent his life studying and teaching them . Before he died he learned 50 languages. His grandson                                   Charles knows 20 but hopes to equal his grandfather.                         Any book will have some material you already know, some material you can easily recall after one reading,                                     and a great deal of explanatory and illustrative material. Give your attention to that which is new, difficult to                                 understand, and that you must remember. 7.         Understanding                         There are two ways to memorize: by rote (mechanically) and by understanding. Multiplication tables,                                telephone numbers, combinations to safes, and the like are better learned by rote. ideas, concepts,                                 theories and significances and the like are learned by understanding. Sometimes they work                                             simultaneously.                         The more association you can elicit for an idea, the more meaning it will have; the more meaningful the                            learning, the better one is able to retain it. Always note similarities in ideas and concepts, and put them in                                     their proper place in a larger system of ideas, concepts and theories. A bare literal understanding is often                            of little value. Never be satisfied with a hazy idea of what you are reading. If you are not able to follow the                                  thought, go back to where you lost the trail.                         Experiences-both real and vicarious-that are systematically related or associated with previous knowledge                                     will improve your memory. What do they suggest? What do they remind you of? Note differences as well as              similarities, or else there will be confusion. 8.         Building Background                         The more background we have on a subject the better we form associations and discern relationships. It is                         difficult to fully understand anything that stands alone. Every event is compared or associated with others.                         A WELL STOCKED MIND ALLOWS MORE POSSIBILITIES OR ASSOCIATION between new material and             previously known material. The best way to improve your memory of a subject, hence,  is to learn more                           about it.                         The more background you bring to a subject or reading, the more interest and understanding you will                               have also.  Indeed, if we do not have sufficient background for something, our learning will be more                                difficult, even suffer. 9.         Organization                         A place for everything and everything in its place applies to the mind also. A good memory is like a well-                         organized and well-maintained filing system. When a new fact presents itself, the first consideration is                             whether to keep it or throw it away. If you keep it, then you must decide where to out it. Thus, after                                  understanding it and associating it with other facts already filed, you will file it in its natural or logical group.                         Organization is the innate tendency of the mind and it prevails above the chaos of stimuli it can process.                         Dr. George Miller or Harvard found that college students can remember only about 7 separate items from                                     one presentation. He/she feels, however, we can go beyond this go beyond this barrier by classification                             or organization or categorization. Items are learned in rememberable bunches, and these little bunches of                               knowledge are tied together with other little bunches... ever and ever into larger and larger bunches.                                   Textbooks present  materials in small bunches or bite-sizes; it is for us to establish the chain of relationship               and through related organization master much more information. Shakespeare's 37 plays are less difficult                                     to remember if you remember them in 3 groups: comedies, histories, tragedies.                         Keep the larger pattern of the chapter and of the book as you progress through it in mind so that you can                                     relate or hook subordinate ideas or details to the larger pattern. These latter will be lost or meaningless                              unless you can bunch them with, associate, or relate them to the big bones of the article, chapter or book. 10.        Whole and Parts                         Survey the reading. When studying it, break it into parts, but keep in mind the whole. If not extremely long,                         tackle the whole. 11.        Recitation                         Recitation should first take place as you read through each paragraph or section. Quiz or test yourself.                            This promotes understanding as well as faster  learning because it is a more active process than reading or                         listening. It also tests understanding, revealing mistakes or gaps. Recite in your own words.                         Auditory learners should spend more time in reciting orally what they are learning than visualizers. Read                            aloud passages you find difficult. 12.        Notetaking                         Visual learners should take fuller notes during lectures and their readings, as they learn more readily by                            visualizing than hearing. Auditory learners should take fuller notes perhaps on their readings. Notes                                  should be in your own words, brief, clear but succinct. They should be legible and neat. Writing notes                              better reinforces memory than mere underlining, which is frequently done mechanically , often to excess                         and does not check understanding.                         Review notes when study of chapter is completed. Use notes to test yourself. 13.        Review                         The best time to review is soon after learning has taken place. The beginning and the end of material is                            best remembered, so pay close attention to the middle which is likely to be forgotten. The peak of                                  difficulty in remembering is just beyond the middle, toward the end. change your method of review.                         The best review is immediate use. 14.        Spaced Practice or Distributed Practice                         The principle of spaced practice involves periodic review such that forgetting is made nearly impossible. If                                     the intervals between the practice are too long, this useful principle is negated. 15.        Overlearning                         Reviewing something that has already been learned sufficiently is called overlearning. Everything you can                         recall instantly without effort has been overlearned, probably through frequent use. The more important                            and the more difficult the learning, the more we should reinforce it with frequent practice. Don't waste your                         time on easy material. 16.        Sleeping Over It                         Study before going to bed unless you are physically or mentally overtired. freshly learned material is better                         remembered after a period of sleep than after an equal period of daytime activity because retroactive                              interference takes place. However, for some people this may not work.               ©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001 ACTIVE STUDY Adapted from: Ann Algier, Everything You Need To Know About Learning A.    Introduction Learning takes time. Very few people have photographic memories. Learning requires repetition- meaningful repetition. This is why active study techniques are so vitally important. The "recording disk" of the brain accepts new material much faster if it "hears," "sees," "feels," "tastes," and detects motion (kinetic energy) during input or recording time. Then too, the more times around the learning circuit, the longer lasting the impression. If you are able to place abstract ideas into diagrammatic form, you will remember the concept. B.    Mnemonics Material that is difficult to master can be organized by finding the key words in each point, noting the first letter, and arranging the letters into a sense or nonsense word (the sillier, the better). Examples: What are the qualities of a scientist? (mnemonic answer: PIPOC) P erserverance I ntelligence P atience O riginality C uriosity Why did the U.S. enter World War I? (mnemonic answer: SPRENCZ) S ubmarines, Germans lifted restrictions on use of P ropaganda, British control of R ussians overthrew the tsar E conomic ties of U.S. with Britain and France N eutrality, German violations of U.S. C ultural ties with Britain Z immerman telegram             Note: in example 2, the student has devised a mnemonic based on key words. If you have a basic understanding of each point, you ought to be able to write a complete essay from the mnemonic SPRENCZ. Example 1, however, represents the type of mnemonic a student could use to learn a short list of items for an objective test. If you need to memorize a long list of items such as the states in the union, alphabetize and learn in small "chunks." You can always depend on the alphabet. Break down a list, rearrange, put on a study card and master. In the example of learning the states in the union, it is easier  to remember that there are four states whose names begin with "A," no "Bs," one "D," etc., then to try to memorize the list. C.    Study Cards In printing study cards, the student is using kinetic energy (energy in motion), thus making the impression stronger on the brain, and the student will be able to use the cards for overlearning. Another reason for having students make study cards is that they are convenient to carry and flip through for mastery. Reading the cards silently, however, is too passive. Go over the cards orally. A student will not master the cards by passively reading them. Learning requires the expenditure of energy. The student must be actively engaged in producing the sounds, using muscles and burning energy to make the sound. D.    Memory General points to consider a.     The student must focus his or her attention on whatever needs to be remembered. If you intend to remember something, you probably will. b.    The student must be "sold" on the course. Why is this subject worth knowing? Correlative reading may enhance the student's interest. For example, historical novels are a marvelous way to learn history. The greater the knowledge, the greater the interest. c.     Help the students classify and associate. Many authorities feel that you will master information faster if you learn in groups of seven or fewer at a time. d.    Have the students overlearn through repetition. Association is a key to memory: a.     You remember approximately 10 percent of what you read. b.    You remember approximately 20 percent of what you hear. c.     You remember approximately 30 percent of what you see. d.    You remember approximately 50 percent of what you hear and see together. e.     You remember approximately 70 percent of what you say (if you think as you are saying it). f.     You remember approximately 90 percent of what you do. Motivation             Motivation has a strong influence on how well you do your job.  Students often develop a "Slave Mentality."  That is, they see themselves performing tasks which are required by their teachers but which are utterly meaningless to them.             In contrast, the students who see how their schoolwork fits into their plans for themselves become willing workers.  It is quite true that "you can do anything you want to do" because wanting makes the necessary work easy.             Determination to work does not mean the same as motivation.  "Will Power" will not work over a lengthy period of time.  You can force yourself on occasion, but there are definite limits to the success of such an approach. How to Gain Motivation Step 1:  Decide what you're trying to do in college.  (You may need a counselor or other advisor to help with this, but that's why they're there.)  Find out exactly how you go about achieving what you want.  (What classes are required.  Equally important, what classes aren't required.  How long will it take you?  How much will it cost?)  With this information you can see the end of the tunnel.  You can see yourself progressing, and you can avoid a lot of "wheel spinning." Step 2:  Make college your job.  Don't let the incidental business of earning a living and leading a social life interfere with your central task of getting through school.  If something must be neglected (and good planning can usually avoid this), then neglect something other than school.  Your job is probably a short-term, dead-end proposition anyway.  Don't get bumped out of school just to work 48 hours a week for the minimum wage. a.  Real students own their own books, have a suitable place to work, and keep their materials conveniently available. b.  Most distractions come from within you.  If you have trouble concentrating, try to see what's bothering you and take steps to eliminate it.  Most problems yield to direct action, but you must do the acting. Step 3:  Set short-range goals a.  Analyze your study task.  What do you want to achieve?  How can it best be done? b.  Set a definite time limit.  You can get as much done in one hour as six if you know you must.  Work expands to fit the time available. c.      Evaluate your success or failure.  You can learn best from making mistakes, provided you recognize that they are mistakes. NINE WAYS TO AID YOUR MEMORY It is more natural to forget something than to remember it.  If you intend to remember something, apply as many of the following techniques as possible. 1.     Be flexible.  Experiment with many learning procedures.  Be willing to abandon outmoded and faulty learning procedures so you will be free to acquire new and more efficient methods. 2.     Overlearn.  In order to retain anything learned, you must practice and reorganize it into your current ongoing activity.  One way to do this is to incorporate the learned material as part of your present habit system.  Use it in speaking and writing.  Act out the material as a rehearsal of a part in a play-a process known as role-playing.  This is especially helpful in learning a foreign language. 3.     Schedule.  Schedule your study time so that the time at which something is learned or relearned is close to the time at which it will be used. 4.     Rephrase and explain.  Try a little role-playing.  Take the point of view of the teacher, for a change.  Rephrase and explain the material, in your own words, to a classmate.  Allow your classmate to criticize your presentation.  Then let the classmate be the teacher, while you criticize.  If you can't explain something, you don't really know it. Many students adopt the so-called warm-body attitude toward learning.  A "warm" feeling toward one particular answer becomes the basis for its selection, regardless of whether one really knows why the answer is correct.  This attitude is the result of classroom examining procedures in which true-false and multiple-choice items are used exclusively for testing.  Testing in this manner encourages the attitude that mere recognition of the most probable answer constitutes learning. Even though a particular course may not require adequate recall by using more penetrating recall-type questions, don't allow yourself to fall into this warm-body learning trap.  Insist on testing yourself!  If you can explain the material, most certainly you can pass any "objective" test calling for superficial recognition.  However, the reverse is most certainly not true.  Learning only to a point of recognition, and depending on your ability to ferret out the correct response, is insufficient for total-recall kinds of tests.  Sooner or later this habit will result in total failure in a demanding test situation. 5.     Eliminate accidental and unrelated associations.  A study situation in which a phone is constantly jangling produces breaks in the mental association process.  Remove the receiver.  The only suggestion that can be made for the elimination of television during the study period is to donate the set to a family that is not involved in higher education. 6.     Eliminate previous mistakes.  Take note of all previous mistakes and make every effort to eliminate them from future practice.  It has been shown experimentally that consciously reviewing mistakes, making note of exactly why they were incorrect, helps to reinforce the correct response.  This process is sometimes referred to as negative practice. 7.     Decide on an order of importance.  Some things are more important than others.  In a particular study unit, decide what these are and organize the important material into an outline or framework.  "Over-learn" this particular framework. 8.     Become emotionally involved.  Assume the attitude that you fully believe the viewpoint of the author.  Strive for perfection.  You may never achieve it, but you will most certainly improve your performance.  Learn to discuss your current beliefs calmly with people holding different attitudes.  Cite authorities to back up your position. 9.        Use mechanical memory aids.  When material is complicated, it may be necessary to use mechanical memory aids.  For example, suppose you had reason to believe that a certain table showing all of the endocrine glands of the body with their secretions and functions would be called for in an examination.  In order to be sure that you would be able to recall all of the glands, you memorized the first letter or syllable of each gland, and organized them into three very strange words: Anpothy Paramed Adcorpan, the novelty of which aided recall.  This could be deciphered as follows: An=anterior pituitary, po=posterior pituitary, thy=thyroid, par=parathyroid, amed=adrenal medulla, adcor=adrenal cortex, pan=pancreas, etc. ©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001    Counselling services » Learning Skills » Motivation » Increasing Motivation Increasing Motivation Motivation is a complex issue, with a number of causes and solutions -- many of which are of interest to university students, who usually know what they should be doing, but occasionally complain that they "lack the motivation" to do it. At this point, you get to do a little "self-diagnosis," so we can point you in the right direction. If our first guess about what you need isn't any help, be sure to check the other sections. "I did fine in high school and/or at work -- I wasn't late and I was able to get things done on time, even if I didn't enjoy doing them. But here, I can't seem to get organized." If this is you, click here. "I get fed up with school. I tend to be apathetic, and procrastinate a lot. Sometimes I feel alienated and school loses meaning for me." If this is you, click here. "I get distracted a lot. There is always something to do other than school -- and usually, it's more fun." If this is you, click here. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm even doing this. I don't enjoy it: it's not 'me'" If this is you, click here. "I get bored with studying. Often when I'm reading, my eyes are tracking along, but nothing is sinking in, and before I know it, my head is down on the table and I'm asleep." If this is you, click here. "I have had a terrible term: something happened that was totally out of my control (e.g. I was in an accident; my partner dumped me; I was involved in a court case, etc.) and I was so upset or distracted that I couldn't do my school work." If this is you, click here. Self Help-Memory Improving Your Memory Myth: Most people remember fewer than 10% of the names of people that they meet. Fact: We remember the face, but we have made no real connection between the face and name. Myth: Most people forget 99% of the phone numbers given to them. Fact: Most people don’t really choose to remember most phone numbers. Myth: Memory is supposed to decline rapidly with age. Fact: Memory declines with age only if it is not used. It can improve throughout your lifetime. Myth: Most people confess to having a bad memory. Fact: Most people use the excuse of "only being human," because they don’t know how to improve their memory. Our memories are far better than we give them credit!! Most people have dreams of family, friends, places, and situations that they may have not experienced in 10 to 30 years. Most of these images are perfectly clear with color and in great detail. Everyone has had the experience of turning a corner and suddenly recalling events from the past. A single smell, touch, or sound might at any time bring back a flood of memory. A Russian journalist named Shereshevsky never took or made notes. He could, however, listen to long speeches and recall line for line, word for word, what he had just heard. Scientists concluded that he was not a freak and did not have anything more than an average intelligence. Shereshevsky did use basic memory principles in his everyday life. Professor Rosenweigs studies in the 1970’s concluded that if our brains were fed 10 new items of information every second for the rest of our life, that we would never half fill our memory potential. While working on a side project, the noted Professor Penfield found that by electrically stimulating certain brain cells, his patients were vividly recalling happenings from their past. The memories included the smells, tastes, colors, noises, and movements associated with the happening. Professor Anokhin proved that memory is formed in small electrical patterns among the interconnecting cells of the brain. We know that the brain contains over a million million (1,000,000,000,000) cells. The possibility of different combinations or connections of memories between these cells is limitless. In near-death type happenings, most people confess to having "my whole life flash before my eyes." We laugh and tell them they probably just sorted through a few highlights. Studies show that most of these people are serious and that they even recalled events totally forgotten for many years. Studies show that if you are shown 1000 pictures at the rate of one picture per second, that you could, with 99 percent accuracy, pick those pictures out even if someone mixed in 100 new pictures that you had not seen. We all border on the limits of having a photographic memory. Memory techniques are not new and have been used since the time of the ancient Greeks. Recent studies show, however, that if you can master any one technique and score 9 out of 10 on a standard test, that you will proportionally score 900 out of 1000 and so on. Memory techniques work across the board with different cultures studying different type subjects. Why don't we use our memory to its fullest potential? For some odd reason, we tag certain information and remember it well. On the other hand, we poorly tag information that must be remembered and are never able to recall it. The "GIGO" syndrome does not work well for students at Texas A&M. Students who poorly tag or attempt to put "Garbage In" will most certainly not be able to remember and will get "Garbage Out" at test time. If you have habits of losing things like eye glasses and car keys, or forget everything you study for tests, you probably are passively tagging these mental images. Things that are done and remembered as everyday ordinary occurrences have not been tagged in your memory as important. Memory that has not been tagged as important will in most cases be stored as FYI and your mind does not see the need to remember it with any authority. Tagging input information in different way to make it memorable is not a new concept. "Mnemonics," or memory enhancement techniques have been studied since the time of ancient Greeks and Romans. In the following pages, we will discuss several simple techniques that scholars and memory tricksters use to improve their memory abilities. The Link System The link system is the quickest and most simple to learn. It creates a memory foundation that makes learning advanced systems easier. The link system is best used to positively tag information like shopping lists or class test lists. By using principles like imagination, symbolism, sight and touch we incorporate both left and right brain memory strengths. The key to connecting any series in a list is to tag each entry with as much information as possible. Making any list something unusual or bizarre keeps it from being routinely stored and easily forgotten. Example: Pick any list of items you wish to remember. It could be a shopping list or a listing of answers for a particular test. For my example, we will use a short shopping list. In most cases we forget to make or bring our shopping list. We then get home and remember exactly what we forgot to buy. Here’s our list. Hair comb 2 Glass tea pitchers Grapes 1 Bar of hand-soap Eggs Clothes detergent Dental floss Bread The Link System: Now imagine yourself walking out the front door with a large metal comb in your mouth. Feel the smoothness of the metal and then the point of each tooth on the comb. Balanced on that comb are two large tea pitchers that glimmer in the afternoon sun. Hear the tinkling of the glass as each of your steps makes the pitchers bump together. You now hear a smushing sound and you stop. From under your shoe you see a river of grape juice and seeds flowing. The cuff of your jeans is now stained deep red. This alarms you and your first reaction is to step back. As you step back, you find your self on a foaming bar of soap in the shape of a surf-board. Now see yourself surfing on a sea of grape juice leaving a trail of suds from your soap surf-board. Feel the soap as it squishes up from between your toes. Smell the contrast of grape mist and clean soap aromas. Suddenly you take a big spill and now your clothes are all stained with grape juice. You’re now so nasty that you have to return home. Now you’re really tired. It took you 8 hours and 12 boxes of detergent to get that grape stain out of your favorite jeans. Tired, hungry, and out of detergent, you forge out to go shopping again. You’re really getting good at balancing the tea pitchers on that comb. So good that you will jump rope and balance the pitchers all the way to the mall. Can you guess what the jump rope is made of? If you guessed it was made of thousands of strands of dental floss, you were correct. See and feel the rope in your own mind. Now that you see how the Link System works, finish this story so that you can incorporate the last two items on our shopping list—bread and eggs. The Number-Shape System Most of us are fairly familiar with the numbers 1 through 10. For each number, all of us can come up with an image or shape that (maps) reminds us of that number. For example, I can see a curved swan’s head and neck matching the curved top section of the number 2. Some people use a boat or sailboat for the number 4 because it looks like a boat’s sail. The key point is to associate a word that represents a specific number for you and only you. Examples: 1. = Paintbrush 2. = Swan 3. = Heart 4. = Boat 5. = Hook 6. = Elephant’s Trunk 7. = Cliff 8. = Hourglass/Time 9. = Stick & Balloon 10. = Bat & Ball The Number-Shape System: Let’s say you wanted to memorize this short list of items. This might be a grocery list or a list of possible answers for a major test. Symphony Prayer Watermelon Volcano Motorcycle Sunshine Apple Pie Blossoms Spaceship Field of Wheat We would then construct this Number-Shape System: 1. (Paintbrush) The Symphony painted a good melody. 2. (Swan) He bowed his head in prayer like a swan. 3. (Heart) He loved Watermelon. 4. (Sailboat) We sailed away from the harbor as the Volcano erupted. 5. (Hook) He became hooked on Motorcycles. 6. (Elephant’s Trunk) Dumbo lifted his trunk towards the Sunshine. 7. (Cliff) I’d jump off a cliff for Mom’s Apple Pie. 8. (Hourglass) It took time for the Blossoms to bloom. 9. (Stick & Balloon) The Spaceship floated like a child’s balloon. 10.(Ball & Bat) Our old baseball field has been converted into a Field Of Wheat. These are, of course, the examples I would use. You must personalize your Number-Shape System to fit your own style. Your own system and images will tag the information you wish to remember in a much more efficient manner. The Number-Rhyme System The Number-Rhyme System works much like the Number-Shape System except we substitute sounds for images associated with the numbers 1 through 10. Examples: 1. = sounds like bun or sun. 2. = sounds like shoe or pew. 3. = sounds like tree or flea. 4. = sounds like door or poor. 5. = sounds like dive or drive. 6. = sounds like sticks or bricks. 7. = sounds like heaven or eleven (7-Eleven). 8. = sounds like skate or gate. 9. = sounds like line or wine. 10. = sounds like pen or men. The Number-Rhyme System: Lets say you wanted to memorize this short list of items. Again, this could be anything from a shopping list to a list of possible answers for a test. 1. Atom 2. Tree 3. Stethoscope 4. Sofa 5. Alley 6. Tile 7. Windscreen 8. Honey 9. Brush 10. Toothpaste We would then construct this Number-Rhyme System: 1. (Sun) The Atom blast glared brighter than the sun. 2. (Shoe) Not everyone owns a shoe Tree. 3. (Tree) The tree-doctor put a Stethoscope around the trunk. 4. (Door) We moved the Sofa near the door. 5. (Drive) We had to drive in the Alley. 6. (Bricks) The western house had bricks arranged like Tile on the floor. 7. (Eleven) The car drove through the Windscreen at the 7-Eleven. 8. (Bait) We used Honey as bait for the flies. 9. (Line) The artist used a fine Brush to paint the line. 10. (Men) The shipwrecked men had not used Toothpaste in 2 years. This is again, an example I would use. The more vivid and/or ridiculous the rhymes are made will have a greater impact on how well your memory attempts to tag this information. Remember to personalize this system so that it fits your imagination and learning style. The Major System: How to remember Phone Numbers and Dates in History The Major System is the ultimate memory enhancement tool. It has been used, studied, and improved upon for nearly 400 years. This versatile system will allow you to memorize limitless lists of facts, dates and series of numbers. It also enables you to organize lists in a variety of orders, so that memorization is customized to best fit your learning style. The basic structure of the Major System is to designate consonant letter codes for the numbers 0 through 9. Example: 0 = s,z = s & z are the first sounds of the word "zero." 1 = d,t = d & t have one pen downstroke. 2 = n = n has two pen downstrokes. 3 = m = m has three pen downstrokes. 4 = r = r is the last letter in the word "four." 5 = l = the top of the number 5 is an "L." 6 = j,sh = j is the mirror image of the number "6." 7 = k,ch = k is shaped like two "7’s." 8 = f,v = f, when handwritten, has two loops like an "8." 9 = b,p = b & p are mirror images of the number "9." Examples: The Major System for Phone Numbers Your Tennis Partner 640-7336 = (7336/c,m,m,sh) = Can Make Masterful SHots Local Theatre 869-9521 = (9521/p,l,n,t) = Produce Laughter -N- Tears Favorite Restaurant 354-6350 = (m,l,r, - ch,m,l,s) = My Local Restaurant CHarges Moderate Lunch Specials Examples: The Major System for Appointments 10:00 am - Dentist fill cavity. = (10:00/d,s,s,s) = Dental Surgeon Saves Smile 9:20 pm - Movie with friend. = (9:20/p,n,c) = Preview New Cinema Examples: The Major System for Historical Dates. 1666 = Great fire of London = (666/sh,sh,sh = aSHes,aSHes,aSHes 1454 = First Printing Press = (454/r,l,r) = RoLloR 1789 = French Revolution = (789,k,f,p) = King Fights People The more you practice the Major System, the more powerful your memory will become. This system will strengthen both the short and long term memory. Increasing any memory will help you recall more data for tests. Other Tips for Memory The best system is one you customize and create yourself. When reading to remember, scan graphs, side-notes, margins, intro, and summary paragraphs. When Highlighting: Highlight areas you are not comfortable with. Single words or sentences that "define" headings. Skip explanations and extra examples. Also highlight your notes when possible. Understanding what the concept is saying or explaining helps increase long-term memory. When trying to remember words, it’s always helpful to see the parts or construction of the word rather than the whole word. Memorization is as easy as teaching yourself to "cue" and "review." The Roman Room System The Romans were great advocates of mnemonic systems. In their time, they created a system popularly called the Roman Room. Each Roman would detail a permanent vision of their own home within their mind. The home is a familiar place that each person generally visits several times a day. To this permanent vision they would attach items they wished to remember. Try to picture your present home’s front door in your mind. See the trim and fixtures like a Roman would see the stone entry-way and marble pillars of the olden Roman home. If you can’t visualize your own home, create a vision of what you might imagine as any Romans doorway might look like. Remember to always see your door and trim like the Romans’ pillars and stone archway. The Roman might, for example, have constructed his mental image of the entrance and front room with two gigantic pillars at either side of the front door, a carved lion’s head as the doorknob, and an exquisite Greek statue on the immediate left as he walked in. Next to the statue might be a large sofa with the fur of one of the animals the Roman had hunted. The Roman would then start a typical day by arranging a shortened list of things he/she wished to do and remember for that day. Let’s say that the Roman wanted to remember to buy a new pair of sandals, to get his sword sharpened, to buy a new house maid, and to finish the weeding in his grape vineyard. He would simply imagine the first pillar outside his doorway arranged with thousands of sandals, the leather polished and glistening in the sun, with the smell of fresh leather filling the air. He would imagine sharpening the sword on the second pillar, hearing the scraping with each stroke, feeling the edge as it gets sharper and sharper. The Roman would then pull on the ornate doorknob, revealing the front room, and looking to see if the new house maid had arrived yet. She would be there, sitting on the lion skin sofa, which would materialize into a raging lion that gave the servant a galloping ride over to the only statue in the room. The servant would then pluck a withered, discolored grape from the dense matting of vines that encrypt the statue. The servant would then say, "Sorry I cannot offer you better fruit, but the weeds have been so bad this year that the grapes will not grow any better than this!" Once you construct your Roman Room for each group of things you wish to remember, always mentally walk around that room a second time to familiarize yourself with the sequence, placing and positioning of all the items you place in that room. The Roman Room System eliminates all boundaries on your imagination and allows you to remember as many items as you wish. Many people find this to be their favorite memory system, and will make lists hundreds of items long to put in their gigantic Roman Room. Remembering People's Names One of the most important things we use our memory for is to recall people’s names. Although it’s important, most of us put ourselves in embarrassing situations where we can and do remember the face, but cannot remember the name. Our recent ancestors were lucky enough not to have this problem. It was common knowledge that people who baked bread were named "Baker." The same is true for "Blacksmiths," "Carpenters" and "Tailor’s." Today the name game is a little more complicated. In college, we meet people in large group settings and it is extremely difficult to remember just a few of the names for any real length of time. Thankfully, there are two systems that can help us remember and connect the face to the name. Used correctly, each system builds and strengthens the other. The first system derives from the early colonial rules of social etiquette, and the second is taken from the Mnemonic Methods we have learned about earlier in this handout. The first or Social Etiquette System follows a series of steps that progress to the goal of remembering names for social interaction purposes. Whether for social or professional purposes, the steps will set an easily learned pattern that can help you start associating a particular name with the corresponding face. Don’t "know" that your memory is terrible and not attempt to really "hear" how each person’s name is pronounced. Greet people by looking them straight in the face. Look for one distinguishing feature such as hair, eyes, lips, nose, forehead, wrinkles or facial hair. Find something that makes this person unique. Listen to "how" this person’s name is pronounced. Always ask to repeat the name. "Did you say Joe Smith?" If the name still puzzles you, ask for the correct spelling. If you were panicked by introducing yourself, this is a good way to hear the name again without being totally obvious Find closure with steps #4 and #5. Make sure that you can spell or say their name. Exchange business cards if you can. You then have a hard copy for review. Repeat that person’s name in conversation as much as possible. "John, do you know Joe Smith? Joe is a business major from Houston." During any pauses in the conversation, internally repeat that person’s name to yourself. During longer breaks, step back and recite each persons name along with the facial characteristic that helps you to remember them. When the group breaks up or you leave, use that person’s name in your farewell. "Well Mr. Smith, it was a pleasure to meet you." After you leave the scene, write down people’s names and the facial characteristics that set them apart from others. Set your goals slowly. If you have not tried to remember names in the past, you won’t be an expert right away. Make a goal of remembering 5 people’s names each time you get into a group setting. When this becomes easy, push your goal up to 6 or 7. You will find that once you get the 5 goal down that increasing the limit is extremely easy. The second system in "remembering people’s names," is the Mnemonic System we have learned about in the earlier sections off this handout. By using simple association and imagination, we can mentally flag information that we choose to make interesting enough to remember. A combination of this and the Etiquette System works best for long term retention of memory. Make sure you are clear about the correct way of spelling and pronouncing that person’s name. Make sure you mentally repeat the person’s name at least twice in your mind. Look for that one obvious head or facial characteristic. Mentally reconstruct that person’s face. Use your wildest creativity to exaggerate the head or facial characteristic much like a cartoonist would. Repeat that person’s name while imagining the intensified feature you made up. It sometimes helps to rhyme or spoof the person’s name. You might remember John Pane by thinking "John Wayne" Pane. Self Help-Basic Study Techniques Basic Study Techniques Attitudes and Goals Set your goals and priorities for the semester and then develop a plan for achieving each goal. Some of your goals may relate to your education; others may concern such areas as personal growth, physical fitness, relationships, etc. Example goal: To give academics top priority this semester. Example Plan Attend all classes. Turn in all homework on time. Study 4 hours daily. Gain control of your study environment. Find a place to study that is free from distractions. Study only in that place and do nothing else there but study. Arrange to study regularly; allot some time each day for study. Learn to manage your time effectively. Make a time schedule and stick to it. Make a daily list of things to do. Assign each item a priority rating, and assign each "A" priority a time slot. "A" priority is assigned to tasks that have high value to you. These are tasks that you want to do because they will help you meet your goals. Also included in this category are tasks that have immediate deadlines. "B" priority is assigned to tasks that have medium value. "C" priority is assigned to tasks that have low value; these tasks can be put off or left undone entirely. Recognize that priorities can change. What was a "C" task last week may become an "A" or "B" task because the deadline is approaching. Ask yourself two questions. "Is what I'm doing now helping me achieve my goals?" "What will happen if I don't do this?" Encourage yourself to study through rational thinking. Recognize your irrational ideas about studying and replace them with more helpful ideas. For example, "There's not time for both study and fun" can be changed to "There's plenty of time for both study and fun when I use my time effectively." Eliminate thinking that results in procrastination. For example, statements like "I have plenty of time to do my project" often result in putting the project off until the last minute. Develop a positive attitude toward schoolwork. View school work as helping you achieve your long range goals. Look for points of interest and practical application in each subject. Get to know each of your professors. Knowing your profs will help you become more positive about your courses, and it will make it easier to seek help from them if you need it. Study Techniques Read the assignment before class. Active involvement in reading the text is important for comprehending the material. One frequently suggested method for reading textbooks is the SQ4R method. S=Survey Briefly survey the chapter, noting the divisions, headings, tables and figures. Read the chapter summary. This provides an overview of the chapter content and a framework for organizing the material. Q=Question Turn each section heading into a question that you want answered. Also, try to guess questions that might appear on the exam. R=Read Read the chapter, section by section, trying to answer your questions. R=Recite Answer the questions and state the main points verbally. You may also write down the answers and key points for later reference. R=(W)Rite First, write the question and then write the answer to the question using only key words, lists, etc. R=Review Briefly look back over the material to assure that you have included all the main points. Reflect on the meaning and application of the major points. Use 3" x 5" index cards. Write the questions on one side and the answers on the other side, and use them as flash cards. If you carry them with you, you can get through several cards while waiting for the shuttlebus, riding the elevator, walking to class, etc. Work all assigned problems, and then work some more, even if the assignment will not be collected. In math and science courses where memorization is crucial, it is helpful to over learn the material. Small amounts of practice spread over several days is more efficient than one long memorization session. Recognize the importance of regular review. Review class notes on a daily basis, and set aside review time for each course on a weekly basis. Start studying the first day of the semester and keep up. It is easy to spend the first month of classes "adjusting" and "organizing", but often the result is falling very far behind in your work. That sets up the vicious cycle of dropping everything to prepare for an upcoming exam in one class, and following that routine for each class in turn. The best way to deal with such a cycle is to prevent it from happening. Taking Lecture Notes It is important to take lecture notes so that you will have a record of what the professor thinks is important. You should take down the main ideas and as much additional information as necessary in order for you to have a fully developed concept for later review. Preparation For Notetaking: Read the assignment before class. Review your notes from the previous class. Sit where you can hear the professor and see the chalkboard. Signals That Indicate Main Ideas: Enumerations (first, five steps, four causes) Summations (therefore, consequently) Verbal cues such as pauses, voice inflections, repetitions Everything written on the chalkboard and all handouts are important. Mechanics Of Notetaking: Write your notes legibly the first time; do not plan to rewrite them because you probably will not have time. Write on only the right 3/4 of the page. Use the left 1/4 of the page for your own questions, summaries, comments, notes from outside readings, etc. When reviewing the notes, cover the right portion of the page and try to recall the covered information using the cue words on the left. Try to take notes in your own words rather than writing verbatim what the prof says. Use abbreviations where appropriate, but do not abbreviate so much that you are unable to "decode" your notes later. If you miss a point, skip some space and continue taking notes. You can get the information later from the prof or a classmate. Pay attention the entire class period. Immediately after class review your notes; add or clarify information while the lecture is still fresh. Review your notes on a daily basis. Example: Use left quarter of page as a recall column Take lecture notes on right 3/4 of the page Note-taking prep Preparation for note taking: - Read assignment before class - Review notes before class - Position yourself to see and hear How main ideas are shown Main ideas are indicated by: - Verbal cues (pauses, tone of voice, repetitions, etc.) - Summaries (at beginning and end of class) - Lists of things (five steps, first, four reasons) - Handouts, overheads, material put on chalkboard Test Preparation Check List Did You... Yes No Points for a "Yes" Answer 1. Attend all classes     1 2. Review your notes daily     3 3. Read material prior to it being covered in class     1 4. Study daily     3 5. Have at least one conference with the professor     1 6. Develop and learn a word list for the course     2 7. Read materials to improve your background in the course (other than text)     1 8. Attend help session     1 9. Attend learning resource lab when available     1 10. Develop a list of possible questions     2 11. Ask questions in class     1 12. Study an old exam (when available)     1 13. Avoid a last minute cram session     1 14. Sleep at least 8 hours the night before     1 Add your total points, plus one point for each hour you spent in preparation over 20 hours; in other words if you spent 25 hours, add 5 points.       25-30 points: Good preparation 20-24 points: Fair preparation 20 or less points: Poor preparation Work Smarter - Not Harder Time Management Self-Talk Ask yourself: "What is the best use of my time right now?" Practice asking yourself that question until it becomes a habit! Your Job: Student Being a student is job and it's a full-time job. In order to function effectively, you need to learn to manage your time effectively. Remember, part of your learning experience as a student consists of learning to manage your own time. All Time Is Free Time Everyone has the same amount of time available to do whatever it is they need to do- 168 hours per week. But, you say, how can all of my time be free time when I have classes, labs, work, and so on? True, but remember YOU have chosen to be a student, YOU have chosen to participate in whatever extracurricular activities you are involved in, YOU decide when to eat, sleep, socialize, etc. So remember - YOU make the choices as to how you spend your own time. Where Does Your Time Go? Remember - Time which is unplanned tends to be frittered away on nonessential or low priority tasks which could better be postponed or even completely ignored and forgotten. How To Plan Your Time Self-Monitoring Keep a diary of your daily study activities for one week. Record the date, place, the time you start and stop studying, the type of study activity engaged in, any thoughts and feelings which you may have had before and after studying. After collecting data for 1 week, implement a program for gradual self-improvement. How much time did you spend in study? Was it good, quality time or were you daydreaming or distracted? Did you avoid certain subjects which you dislike? Were the places in which you studied conducive to good study? What were you telling yourself about studying? Did you associate any particular feelings with study, e.g., anxiety, depression, anger, joy, well-being? Make Up A Living Schedule Not Just A Study Schedule Record all fixed time commitments throughout the week - classes, labs, working hours, etc. Schedule other routine daily activities - eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Schedule your study times in twenty to fifty minute blocks followed by 5 to 10 minute breaks. Schedule specific subjects for specific times. Schedule times for recreational and social activities following your periods of study. Avoid too much detail and over-planning. Allow adequate time for sleep, well-balanced meals, and exercise. Adjust your schedule when necessary - BE FLEXIBLE. Your schedule is meant to allow you to control your own time, not to let time control you. If you deviate from your schedule or if you don't follow it for several days or even weeks, don't be discouraged! Get back to your schedule or revise it if it is unrealistic. How Much Should You Study? There is no hard rule. The old maxim of 2 hours of study for each hour of class-time is probably unrealistic and even unnecessary for most students. Experiment in order to find the amount of study time appropriate to meet your needs. As a rough guideline, try spending at least 30 to 35 hours per week in academic activities (classes, labs, and study). Make A Daily List of "Things To Do Today" And arrange priorities on your list. Time Management Tips Learn to say "No!" to those who would interrupt your study periods. Use waiting time to study notes, read your text, etc. Beware of perfectionism. Remember you need personal and social time as well. If you have been putting something off, decide to work on it for five minutes at a time. For projects that have a due date of 3 to 6 weeks later, it's easier to put in half an hour a week than to ruin the whole weekend just before it's due. Don't blow off the weekends! Getting all your work done during the week plus feeling comfortable with your study progression then allows the weekend to be yours. Make notes on easily portable cards or cassette tapes. The highschool setting is different than college. The amount of time you spent in weekly study for highschool academics will probably get you behind at Texas A&M. Gradually adjust yourself to the faster pace. Self-talk that Interferes with Studying When confronted with the decision to study or not to study, you engage in a little talk with yourself. In the list below you will find some of the statements you make to convince yourself not to study. These statements lead to the conclusion "I will not study now." However, the statements are not always true, rational or realistic ways to describe your situation. By learning to identify your self-defeating self-talk you may be able to talk to yourself in more helpful ways, thus leading to more self motivation, less procrastination, and better study attitudes. Some of the more common negative self-talk is listed below. When you hear yourself talking or thinking these thoughts, recognize that you are giving yourself permission not to study. Although you may enjoy not studying at the moment, the long-range outcome is often one that you do not enjoy (for example, poor grades, cramming, or feeling guilty). Check this list every day to see how many negative self statements you are using. Try to eliminate as many as you can. __ I don't feel like studying... __ I'm hungry... __ I'm sleepy... __ I'm bored... __ I'm not in the mood to study... __ This material is too difficult.. __ This is too hard... __ I don't have the background for this... __ It's hopeless... __ I'll never need to know this... __ This is stupid stuff to spend time on... __ I don't need to study now... __ I studied this yesterday (in the past)... __ I can do it later... __ I have plenty of time to do this... __ If I study this now, I'll forget it by test time... __ This is too much material to cover... __ I won't have time to finish anyway... __ The prof just expects too much... __ It doesn't make any difference whether I study or not... __ It's really no use to study... __ Studying doesn't help in this course... __ I don't like the prof... __ The prof doesn't care... __I can't concentrate... __ My mind wanders too much... __ People distract me... __ I can't study here, (or any other place)... __ I can't study now; I'll miss... __ I'll miss things I want to do if I study now... __ I can't study and do things I want to... __ I have other things I need to do now... __ Things are happening that I'll miss if I study now... __ Nobody else is studying... How to Avoid Study Without Really Trying (avoid these at all costs) Don't have the appropriate materials that you'll need. This will allow you to get in a lot of conversations with others who live on your hall. Realize after you begin studying that you need to go to the bathroom, or are hungry, or that you need to write a letter, or that you aren't clear about an assignment, or that you have to find out the details of a friend's date. Dwell on how dull the course is and thoroughly believe that if you just had a half-way decent instructor all the material would be easier to understand and be more interesting. Plan to study all the time and schedule no recreational time. This will allow you to feel virtuous and help keep you from seeing that you actually put in very little productive study time. Develop a kind of smug, superior attitude that can be used to impress others with the fact that you don't need to study, that it somehow is beneath your dignity and that it is not worth your serious consideration. Only study in your residence hall room with the door open. This will assure you of being there if friends call or drop in. When people do come and interrupt your study, don't send them away because you'll hurt their feelings. If your room is too quiet, find a place to study in the library where there is a lively social gathering. (An alternative to the library would be in the snack bar, next to the TV, and sitting at a table with a group of people playing cards.) Why be bored when you study? Remember and practice the things you learned about studying when you were in high school. College isn't any different. Always drink beer while you study. It helps you relax, and popping all those cans builds strength in your hands and arms. Remember that "A clean and uncluttered desk is a sign of a sick mind." Never study material you don't enjoy since you'll obviously never use it anyway. Always remember that people will think you're smarter if you flunk a test because you didn't study rather than flunking it when you did study. Sources of Help for Academic Problems Seek help as soon as you recognize that you have a problem. Professors are usually willing to help you or to refer you to other sources of help. Ask questions in class when you don't understand something, or make an appointment to see your professor outside of class. Attend help sessions. Academic deans and department advisors are available to help you. If you don't know who your dean or advisor is, ask in your departmental office. Find a tutor. Services of Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma are free. Many department offices have lists of graduate students who tutor for pay. The Learning Skills Center, at the Student Counseling Service, has a Tutor Reference List, which contains some on-campus and off-campus resources. The Student Counseling Service offers special programs for students experiencing academic difficulties.     Work Smarter , Not Harder See also Taking Tests