Study Skills
Survival Tips
Making the Most of the
Time You Spend
Studying
Counting Vowels in 45 seconds
How accurate are you?
Count all the vowels
in the words on the next slide.
Dollar Bill
Dice
Tricycle
Four-leaf Clover
Hand
Six-Pack
Seven-Up
Octopus
Cat Lives
Bowling Pins
Football Team
Dozen Eggs
Unlucky Friday
Valentine’s Day
Quarter Hour
How many words or phrases
from the list do you remember?
How many words or phrases do you
remember?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2 or less
3–5
6–8
9 – 12
13 or more
44%
42%
12%
2%
0%
1
2
3
4
5
Let’s look at the words again…
What are they arranged
according to?
Dollar Bill
Dice
Tricycle
Four-leaf Clover
Hand
Six-Pack
Seven-Up
Octopus
Cat Lives
Bowling Pins
Football Team
Dozen Eggs
Unlucky Friday
Valentine’s Day
Quarter Hour
Now how many words or
phrases do you remember?
NOW, how many words or phrases do
you remember?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
59%
2 or less
3–5
6–8
9 – 12
13 or more
33%
9%
0%
1
0%
2
3
4
5
What were two major differences
between the two attempts?
1. We knew what the task was
2. We knew how the information
was organized
The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things
into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient
depending on how much there is to do. If you have to get
somewhere else due to lack of facilities, that is the next step,
otherwise you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo
things. That is, it is better to do too few things rather than too
many. In the short run, this may not seem important, but
complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as
well. At first the whole procedure will seem complicated.
Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is
difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the
immediate future, but then one can never tell. After the
procedure is completed, one arranges the materials in groups
again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places.
Eventually they will be used once more and the whole cycle will
have to be repeated. However, this is part of life.
Washing
Clothes!!
Connecting all the pieces (text, lecture,
clinical) helps ensure comprehension!
What we know about learning
• Active learning is more lasting than passive learning
-- Passive learning is an oxymoron*
• Thinking about thinking is important
– Metacognition**
• The level at which learning occurs is important
– Bloom’s Taxonomy***
*Cross, Patricia, “Opening Windows on Learning” League for Innovation in the
Community College, June 1998, p. 21.
** Flavell, John, “Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive–
developmental inquiry.” American Psychologist, Vol 34(10), Oct 1979, 906-911.
*** Bloom Benjamin. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The
Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Bloom's_Taxonomy
The Study Cycle
344
Reflect
Review
Reflect
Preview
Preview before class – Skim the chapter, note headings and boldface words, review
summaries and chapter objectives, and come up with questions you’d like the lecture to
answer for you.
Attend
Attend class – GO TO CLASS! Answer and ask questions and take meaningful notes.
Review
Review after class – As soon after class as possible, read notes, fill in gaps and note any
questions.
Study
Assess
Study – Repetition is the key. Ask questions such as ‘why’, ‘how’, and ‘what if’.
•Intense Study Sessions* - 3-5 short study sessions per day
•Weekend Review – Read notes and material from the week to make connections
Assess your Learning – Periodically perform reality checks
•Am I using study methods that are effective?
•Do I understand the material enough to teach it to others?
Intense Study Sessions
1
2
Set a Goal
Study with Focus
1-2 min
30-50 min
3
Reward Yourself
10-15 min
4
Review
5 min
Decide what you want to accomplish in your study session
Interact with material- organize, concept map, summarize, process, re-read, fill-in notes,
reflect, etc.
Take a break– call a friend, play a short game, get a snack
Go over what you just studied
Center for Academic Success
B-31 Coates Hall ▪ 225.578.2872 ▪www.cas.lsu.edu
Study Time
The most effective studying happens in short,
manageable CHUNKS of time -
45 – 60 minutes
Your brain becomes saturated or FULL after an hour
or so.
Studying efforts performed after your brain is full
are not beneficial.
Your Brain = Kitchen Sponge
Break Time
Get up from the spot you are presently studying in, and
do another activity for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Also…break up the types of studying you are doing:
• Read = 45 – 60 minutes
• Break = 15 minutes
• Study by watching online tutorial/video = 45 min
• Break = 10 min
• Read = 30 min
• Answer study questions = 20 min
The more you vary the study
materials and methods that you
use, the greater the chance that
your RETENTION of that material
will increase!
“Work Smart…Not Hard!”
• Adopt reading and study STRATEGIES to
ensure success with the magnitude of
academic reading you’ll be given to complete
PARROT
System for Textbook Reading
A 6-Step Reading Strategy:
• Preview
• Ask & Activate
• Read
• Recite
• Organize
• Test
Preview
Looking over the entire reading assignment to
determine:
• what concepts will be covered
– Skim the major headings, subheadings, words in
bold, italics, illustrations, charts, figures
– If there is a summary, read it first!
• the length of the reading assignment
– Determine how many pages can you read in 45-60
minutes
Ask & Activate
• Formulate questions related to the topics,
headings and sub-headings (Q-Notes)
• Activate your background knowledge (what do
you already know about the topics covered?)
• Determine what you need to know about the
topics (SETTING A PURPOSE for reading the
material)
• Determine WHAT you will read in the 45-60
minute study/reading session (chunking)
– Skim over what you’re already familiar with
Read
Active reading = Thinking while
reading
• First reading = WITHOUT a
highlighter or pen in hand (We
tend to “over highlight” when we
are unfamiliar with a topic)
• Second reading = Highlighting
and annotating the text (Engage
in a “conversation” with the text)
Recite
• Does NOT mean to recite the information
word-for-word!
• It IS the point at which you STOP to check your
comprehension of the reading by saying aloud
a summary of the material in your own words.
• Make personal connections to the information
in the text
Organize
• Organize the information in a format that will
help you better comprehend and study
–
–
–
–
Outline
Cornell notes
Concept maps
Study cards
DO NOT TAKE NOTES ON MATERIAL YOU ALREADY
KNOW! It’s a waste of time; instead, your focus
should be on the recall of complex info that you do
not have a strong grasp on.
Test
You don’t know WHAT you know until you actually test
yourself.
• End of chapter questions
• Online quizzes
• Q-notes
If you are able to answer questions successfully, you are ready
to go on to the next reading assignment.
If you get some answers wrong, only go back to the section(s)
of the chapter you got wrong.
Don’t punish yourself by rereading information you already
know!
Preparing for Lectures
• Ideally, complete your weekly reading
assignments PRIOR to the corresponding lecture
• Make note of concepts that you don’t understand
in the reading assignment
• Be sure to ask your instructor for clarification
when there is something you don’t understand
• Metacognition: Be aware of what you know and
what you don’t know. Think about your thinking.
• Reading prior to the lecture gives you EXPOSURE
to the content
Taking Lecture Notes
• Again…DO NOT TAKE NOTES ON
INFORMATION YOU ALREADY KNOW!
• The purpose of lecture notes should be to
clarify points you did not understand in the
textbook, or to explain a concept you
struggled with during clinical.
• Ask questions if you are confused.
• Be proactive…OWN the lecture!
Repetition Works!
• Type up your lecture notes after class
• Arrange the notes into some kind of concept
map
• Listen to the lecture again (if recorded)
• Don’t just re-read Powerpoint slides…
– Re-write them into a summary or organize them
into an outline
Study Groups
Tell, Show, Do, Review
• Your instructor tells you what you need to
know and shows you how it works = You retain
20 % of that information
• You go over it again on your own = Your
retention goes up to 60%
• Reviewing by sharing the info with others –
Your retention SKYROCKETS to 90%!!!