A Toolbox of Ideas for A Toolbox of Ideas for Helping Your Children Helping Your Children Study More EffectivelyStudy More Effectively

A Toolbox of Ideas for A Toolbox of Ideas for Helping Your Children Helping Your Children Study More EffectivelyStudy More Effectively

Teresa MasseyTeresa MasseyStudy Skills ConsultantStudy Skills Consultant

Chemeketa Community CollegeChemeketa Community Collegetmassey@chemeketa.edutmassey@chemeketa.edu

How We Practice Based on• Understanding of the task

• Student learning preferences

• How the brain stores and retrieves information

How the Brain Stores & Retrieves Information

• Help your brain learn• Attend• Organize• Make it memorable

HELP YOUR BRAIN

• Get enough sleep• Drink enough water• Keep a healthy blood sugar level• Eat brain-friendly food• Handle anxiety

ATTEND

Let the brain know the information is important enough to remember.

• Avoid distractions• Ask questions• Think about what you already know• Use your learning preferences

Avoid Distractions

• Learning Environment

• Internal Distractions

Learning Preferences• Auditory

• Visual

• Tactile/Kinesthetic

ORGANIZE

• Time Management

• Determine what is importantReading a textbookTaking lecture notes

• Have a Study Plan

Help the brain see the patterns and connections

TIME MANAGEMENT

Keys to Effective Time Management

• Be organized- keep track of assignments & due

dates-have organized notebooks

• Estimate how much time is needed to complete an assignment or study for a test

• Know the best times for you to study• Keep daily to-do lists that are prioritized

JCU Study Skills Onlinehttp://www.jcu.edu.au/studying/services/studyskills/notetaking/reviewing.html

RESEARCH ABOUT PROCRASTINATION

• Students who do not procrastinate are motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic forces.

• Students who procrastinate tend to be motivated only by extrinsic forces.

• Procrastination leads to lower grades and increased stress and anxiety

• Source: Brownlow & Reasinger, “Putting off until tomorrow what is better done today: Academic procrastination as a function of motivation toward college work.” Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 15(2000):15-34

Cognitive Distortions Made by Academic Procrastinators

• Overestimating how much time is left to complete your work

• Underestimating how much time is left to complete your work

• Overestimation of how motivated you will be to complete your work at a later time

• Belief that you can only do the work well if you are in the mood to work on it

Procrastination & Task Avoidance, Ferrar, Johnson, & McCowan, 1995

NOTE TAKING

Note Taking Formats

• Outline• Cornell• Split Page• Map

OUTLINECauses of Stress1. Pressure Def. - feel they must live up to standard of beh. or adapt to rapid change 2 Kinds of Pressure:

1. internal self-esteem constructive or destructive 2. external pressure to compete rapid state of change family/friends

2. Anxiety Def – doesn’t know why they are frightened or upset Psychoanalytic theory – sign of internal, unconscious conflict3. Frustration Def – prevented from reaching a goal 5 sources 1. delays 2. lack of resources 3. losses 4. failure 5. meaningless life

CORNELL METHOD3 Causes

1. Pressure

2 kinds

2. Anxiety

theory

3. Frustration

5 sources

Causes of Stress

1. Pressure

Def. - feel they must live up to standard of beh. or adapt to rapid change

2 Kinds of Pressure:

1. internal

self-esteem

constructive or destructive

2. external

pressure to compete

rapid state of change

family/friends

2. Anxiety

Def – doesn’t know why they are frightened or upset

Psychoanalytic theory – sign of internal, unconscious conflict

3. Frustration

Def – prevented from reaching a goal

5 sources

1. delays

2. lack of resources

3. losses

4. failure

5. meaningless life

SPLIT PAGETopics Details

Causes of Stress

1. Pressure

2 kinds of pressure

2.Anxiety

3. Frustration

5 sources

Pressures

Anxiety

Frustration

Def – feel they must live up to standard of beh. or adapt to rapid change

internal

self-esteem

constructive or destructive

external

pressure to compete

rapid state of change

family/friends

Def – doesn’t know why they are frightened or upset

Psychoanalytic theory – sign of internal, unconscious conflict

Def – prevented from reaching a goal

1. delays

2. lack of resources

3. losses

4. failure

5. meaningless life

Three Column Method

Term Definition Application

In terms of Quantity to act upon

Sue ran 2 miles farther than Bill. Write a mathematical sentence that describes how far Sue ran in terms of how far Bill ran.

Sue’s distance = Bill’s distance +2

CONCEPT MAP

Mind Mapping SoftwareKidspiration

From Inspiration Softwarehttp://inspiration.com

Can be downloaded for a free trial

TEST PREPARATION(aka STUDYING)

TEST PREPARATION• Organize your study• Use multiple study techniques

• Begin each study time with a review

• Predict test questions – both rote & conceptual

• Manage your time effectively• Self-test. Know you know it!

Front

Cultural Differences

In Friendship

Pg 186

Back

U.S. Others

Not expected sacrifice

to go out of essential

your way

closer in collectivist than individualistic societies

MAKE MEMORABLE

Strategies to retain information that you’ve organized. Based on

• Learning preferences• Objectives

RoteConceptual

MEMORY STRATEGIES

Rote• Mnemonics – acronyms, acrostics,

songs & rhymes, location, imagery, word associations

• Repetition• Flash Cards• Use Color, Movement

Acronyms• Order for Math CalculationsPEMDAS – Parentheses, Exponents,

Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction

(Or Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.)• Conjunctions Between Independent

Clauses that Require a CommaFAN BOYS – for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Acrostics• Order of the planetsMy Very Earthy Mother Just Served

Us Nine Pizzas.• Great LakesSuper Machine Heaved Earth Out.(or HOMES)

Memory WebsitesThe following songs come fromhttp://faculty.washington.edu/chulder/songs.htmlOther siteshttp://faculty.washington.edu/chudler.neurok.html(Neuroscience for kids)www.caine.learning.com(Has free information to download)www.dana.orgwww.sfn.org (Society for Neuroscience)(Can download Brain Facts)

Songs & Rhymes

"Old McScientist Had a Brain“

Song from third grade HORIZONS Students at Big Creek Elementary,Forsyth County Schools, Cumming, Georgia. Teacher: Stephanie Silvestro

(Sung to the tune of “Old McDonald Had a Farm”)

• Old McScientist had a brain with many neurons in it.And in that brain he had a cerebrum to help him make decisions.Cerebrum here, Cerebrum there, Cerebrum Cerebrum everywhere.Old McScientist had a brain with many neurons in it.And in that brain he had a cerebellum to help him keep his balance.Cerebellum here, Cerebellum there, Cerebellum, Cerebellum everywhere.Old McScientist had a brain with many neurons in it.And in that brain he had a Brain Stem to keep his heart a beatin'.Brain Stem here, Brain Stem there, Brain Stem Brain Stem everywhere.Old McScientist had a brain with many neurons in it!

Word Association• A principal is a pal A principle is a rule

• A stalagmite grows from the ground

A stalactite hangs from the ceiling

Conceptual• Recite – explain in your own

words.• Create charts, maps, outlines.

Then try to recreate them without looking.

• Use flash cards to create maps.

Create a Map of the Terms

• VASCULAR TISSUE SYSTEM• XYLEM• PHLOEM• TRACHEIDS• VESSEL ELEMENTS• SIEVE-TUBE MEMBERS• XYLEM VESSELS• PITS• SIEVE PLATES• COMPANION CELL• ANGIOSPERM

Angiosperm

vascular tissue system xylem pholem tracheids vessel elements sieve tube

members pits xylem vessel

sieve platescompanion

cell

Create Matching QuizTerms Definitions (mixed up)

1. Selective exposure

2. Selective retention

3. Selection

4. Selective attention

5. Stimulus

a. When brain sorts one stimulus from another

b. Incites action, feeling, thought

c. Deliberate choice to experience or avoid

d. Focus on one stimulus and ignore another

e. Choose information to retain

Self-Monitoring• Awareness• Assessment • Management