Effective Study SkillsEffective Study SkillsEffective Study SkillsEffective Study SkillsMarcus SimmonsMarcus Simmons

Coordinator – Coordinator – Office of Supportive and Disability ServicesOffice of Supportive and Disability Services

Itawamba Community CollegeItawamba Community College

Basic RationaleMany students entering post-secondary education seem to lack the study skills needed to be successful. The research I conducted through this project demonstrated a need for postsecondary study skills courses. Most telling was a survey I conducted at Itawamba Community College. A survey was given to teachers and students to see what their feelings were concerning students study skill abilities and the need for an effective study skills course.

71 Instructors at Itawamba Community College responded to the Survey and these are some of the results: Question: Do you feel that students come to college knowing how to study appropriately? Instructors answering “NO”

70 instructors or 98.6%

Question: Do you feel students come to college prepared to take good and useful notes? Instructors answering “NO”

54 instructors or 76.1%

Question: Do you feel students can read for content material in their textbooks? Instructors answering “NO”

52 instructors or 74.3%

Question: Do you think students would benefit from a seminar or class on effective study skills? Instructors answering “YES”

67 instructors or 94.4%

254 Students at Itawamba Community College responded to the survey concerning Effective Study Skills. These are some of the results and responses:

Question: I think students would benefit greatly by having an effective study skills class. I strongly agree

I agree Not sure Disagree Strongly Disagree

89 or 35% 112 or 44%

44 or 17% 9 or 4% 0 or 0%

Question: I think a study skills course should be offered at community colleges. I strongly Agree

I agree Not sure I Disagree I strongly Disagree

103 or 41%

114 or 45%

32 or 13% 3 or 1.2% 0 or 0%

Question: How would you rate you study skills or ability to study effectively? I know how to study very well

I know how to study somewhat well

I know my study skills are not good

54 or 22% 147 or 58% 46 or 18%

Contents• Note taking• Time Management & Organizational

Skills• Effective Study Skills• Taking Exams or Tests

COMPLETE LIST OF ALL OBJECTIVES:

Lesson – Note taking

1. The student will demonstrate their ability to identify the five types of note

taking techniques discussed in class.

2. The students will exhibit their understanding of the note taking techniques

by completing notes in one of their other classes.

3. The students will demonstrate their understanding of the differences in the

five methods of note taking by distinguishing when they should use the

different types of note taking.

Lesson – Time Management/ Organizational Skills

1. The student will be able to explain the importance of time management,

factors affecting time management, and how to prioritize their activities by

completing written assignments.

2. The students will be able to demonstrate his ability to manage their time

and activities by completing a Time Analyzer and estimate what amount

of time they will have to devote to studying and other required activities.

3. The student will be able to demonstrate his ability to recognize ways to

organize their time schedules, learning environment, and life style by

completing a written assignment.

4. The student will be able to describe and implement the Plan, Gather,

Draft, and Produce (PGDP) model for organizing written assignments by

completely explaining the process through a written assignment.

Lesson – Effectively Studying

1. The students will exhibit their understanding and ability to use the SQ3R

study technique by completing written assignments.

2. The students will be able to identify the steps of the SQ3R method of

studying by completing written tests.

Lesson – Taking Tests and Exams

1. The students will show their ability to identify general test taking tips by

completing a written test.

2. The students will be able to describe valuable test taking tips and

suggestions for taking different modes of tests including; essay tests, true

& false tests, matching tests, multiple choice tests, and math and science

tests by completing a written test.

3. The students will describe “Do’s and Don’ts” suggestion for taking test by

completing a written test.

Title: Note Taking Objectives: 1a. The students will demonstrate their ability to identify the five types of note taking techniques

discussed in class. 1b. The students will exhibit their understanding of the note taking techniques by completing

notes in one of their courses. 1c. The students will demonstrate their understanding of the differences in the five types of note

taking by distinguishing when they should use the different types of note taking techniques. Materials: 1a, 1b, 1c Power point presentation slides (teacher made) providing an overview and example of each

type of note taking technique. 1a & 1c Written examination (teacher made) to check for understanding when to best use each type

of note taking technique and understanding of the differences between the five type of note taking techniques.

Procedures: 1a & 1c The teacher will provide an overview of the five types of note taking techniques by

discussing the five types utilizing the power point slides. The teacher will also explain which type of note taking technique would be best for what type of class presentation.

1b The teacher will model and demonstrate how each type of note taking technique should be

used and correctly performed. Evaluations: 1a & 1c The students will complete a written test based on the information on note taking techniques

provided in class. (Appendix 1ac) 1b The students will complete an assignment of taking notes in one of their general classes and

using one of the techniques learned in class. The students will also write a paragraph explaining why they chose the note taking technique they used. (Appendix 1b)

Note Taking• The Cornell Method• The Outline Method• The Mapping Method• The Charting Method• The Sentence Method

The Cornell Method

Jackson Mississippi

The US Senate

The capital of Mississippi.

Serves for 6 years before having to run again. Each state has 2 senators

The Cornell Method

• Advantages– Organized and easy to review– Good format for major concepts and ideas– Simples and efficient– Saves time

• Disadvantages– None

• When to Use– In any lecture type situation

The Outline Method

• Extrasensory Perception– Definition: means of perceiving without use

of organs• Three kinds

– Telepathy: sending messages– Clairvoyance: forecasting– Psychokinesis: perceiving events external to a

situation• Current Status

– No current research to support or refute– Few psychologists say impossible

The Outline Method

• Advantages– Well organized if done correctly– Reduces editing– Easy to review

• Disadvantages– Requires more in class thought– May not show good sequence relationships– Cannot use if the lecture is too fast

• When to Use– Great to use when the lecture is presented in outline format– Best when there is enough time during the lecture to really

organize your thoughts well– Best when you have mastered the note taking skills and are a

better note taker than most people

The Mapping Method

Extrasensory Perception

Telepathy –Sending messages

Psychokinesis – Perceiving events

Clairvoyance – Forecasting

3 types

The Mapping Method

• Advantages– Can visually track lectures easily– Little thinking required and relationship can be tracked

easily– Easy to edit later– Reviewing easy conducted– Easy to transfer to other means of studying like flashcards

• Disadvantages– Hard to hear changes in content from major points to facts

• When to Use– When the lecture is well organized– Can be useful with guest lecturers when you are not

familiar with what the lecture will be about

The Charting Method

Period Important People Events

1941-1945 FDR WW II

The Charting Method

• Advantages– Helps to track conversational style lectures better– Reduces the amount of writing– Easy to review facts and relationships

• Disadvantages– Learning the system and being able to distinguish good

categories or headings– Must be able to understand the lecture well

• When to Use– When tests focus on facts and relationships– Content is heavy and presented very fast– When you need to reduce editing time– When you want to get a large overview of all of the material

The Sentence Method

Example Lecture: A revolution is any occurrence that Affects other aspects of life, and so forth. ThereforeRevolutions cause change. (see pages 29-30 in your Textbook about this).

Sample of Notes: Revolution – occurrence that affectsAspects of life…eg… econ, soc, etc… text pp. 29-30

*Develop your own set of abbreviations and symbols.

The Sentence Method

• Advantages– Slightly more organized than paragraphs– Gets most all of the information

• Disadvantages– Hard to determine the major and minor points– Difficult to edit without re-writing– Difficult to review unless edited or re-written

• When to Use– Lecture has to be organized well– When you can hear the points but are unsure of their

relationship during the lecture– The instructor present points, but points are not grouped

together well

Student: _____________________________ Date ______________ Complete the following essay type and short answer questions. (worth 7 points each)

1. Name one disadvantage and one advantage with the Cornell Method of note taking as described in our class discussions.

2. What type of lectures are the best suited for the Cornell Method of note taking as discussed in our class lessons?

3. Name one disadvantage and one advantage with the Charting Method of note taking as described in our class discussions.

4. When is it best to consider using the Charting Method of note taking according to our class discussion?

5. Name one disadvantage and one advantage with the Mapping Method of note taking as described in our class discussions.

6. Name one disadvantage and one advantage with the Sentence Method of note taking as described in our class discussions.

Washington, D.C. The capital of the USA Southern States MS, AK, AL, FL, GA, TN LA

1. Name one disadvantage and one advantage with the Outline Method of note taking as described in our class discussions.

Answer the following fill in the blank short answer questions: (worth 5 points each)

2. When using the Mapping Method of note taking, the lecture should be well _______________________________.

3. When tests focus on facts and relationships, which note taking method

would be the best to use? ____________________________________________.

4. This technique is note taking works best when the lecture is presented in

an outline format. ________________________________________.

5. This type of note taking technique works very well with any type of lecture format. _____________________________________.

6. This is an example of which note taking technique?

____________________________________________.

7. This is an example of which note taking technique? ______________________________________________.

RED

YELLOW

Orange

Student: _____________________________ Date ______________

The state of MS – Considered rural state, largest city of Jackson (pop. About 200,000). 3 level 1 state colleges; UM, USM, MSU

Dates Events Effects USA? 1950’s Civil Rights movement yes 1960’s Vietnam crisis yes

1. This is an example of which note taking technique?

_________________________________________________.

2. This is an example of which note taking technique?

_______________________________________________.

3. This is an example of which note taking technique? _________________________________________________.

The Civil War -South -States of the South -North -States of the North -Neutral -States that were neutral during the War

Evaluation: Rubric Evaluation standards for Assignment Lesson Objective 1b. (Notes) Standards Letter Grade The student should demonstrate that: [1] The notes in the correct format to match the note taking technique chosen. [2] The notes should look complete and pertinent to the lesson or lecture. [3] The notes should be legible and easily read.

A

The student should demonstrate that: [1] The notes in the correct format to match the note taking technique chosen. [2] The notes should look complete and pertinent to the

B

The student should demonstrate that: [1] The notes in the correct format to match the note taking technique chosen.

C

The student did not meet any of the criteria above.

The teacher will review the material with the students and the student should re-do the assignment or take a failing grade.

Evaluation standards for Assignment Lesson Objective 1b. (Paragraph of Justification) Standards Letter Grade The student should show evidence that: [1] Their choice of note taking technique matches their reason for the choice. [2] The student recognizes some of the advantages and disadvantages of the technique chosen. [3] The student can identify what type of class or lecture is best for the note taking type they chose.

A

The student should show evidence that: [1] Their choice of note taking technique matches their reason for the choice. [2] The student recognizes some of the advantages and disadvantages of the technique chosen.

B

The student should show evidence that: [1] Their choice of note taking technique matches their reason for the choice.

C

The student did not meet any of the criteria above.

The teacher will review the material with the students and the student should re-do the assignment or take a failing grade.

The Effective Study Skills class open to all students has been accepted and I will be teaching one of the classes this fall semester.

Also – An article from the paper I wrote in favor of Effective Study Skills class was published and can be viewed at:

Articles for Educatorshttp://articlesforeducators.com/dir/general/study_skills/college_study_skills.asp

ReferencesDeveloping your studying method. (n.d.) Certification Crazy. Retrieved January 6, 2006 from, http://www.certification-crazy.net/study- advice%20method.htm

Doyle, B. (2004). Effective study techniques. Retrieved January 6, 2006 from Arkansas State University web site: http://www.clt.astate.edu/bdoyle/effective_studytechniques.htm

Ellis, D. (2006). Becoming a master student. (11th ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Landsberger, J. (2005). The SQ3R reading method. Study Guides and Strategies. Retrieved February 10, 2006 from, http://www.studygs.net/texred2/htm

Lorphevre, T. (2005). Core Skills Survival Guide. Retrieved February 10, 2006 from London South Bank University Core Skills Survival Guide web site: www.lsbu.ac.uk/caxton

Note taking system. (n.d). Retrieved February 10, 2006 from California Polytechnic State University web site: http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/html

Richards, R. (2002). Memory strategies for students. LDOnLine. Retrieved October 4, 2005 from, www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/teaching_techniques/memory_strategies.htm

Seidman, A. (2005). Program justification. Learning Support Centers in Higher Education. Retrieved February 2, 2006 from, http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/~lsche/resources/program_just.htm

Test taking and anxiety. (2001). Retrieved January 6, 2006 from Pennsylvania State University Learning Center web site:http://www.ulrc.psu.edu/studyskills/test_taking.html