Study Skills - Getting Ready to Learn - Lesson Notes PDF

Algerian Democratic and Popular Republic Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research University Center of EL Bayadh –Nour Bachir- El Bayadh Department of English Level: 1st year (group 1; 2) Study Skills Lesson Three: Getting Ready to L...

Algerian Democratic and Popular Republic Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research University Center of EL Bayadh –Nour Bachir- El Bayadh Department of English Level: 1st year (group 1; 2) Study Skills Lesson Three: Getting Ready to Learn Teacher: AICHA Souiah  Where Are You Now?  Take a few minutes to answer yes or no to the following questions. YES NO 1. Do you know how to increase your motivation? 2. Do you know where to go on your campus to get financial aid, a tutor, and information on clubs and organizations? 3. If you miss class, do you expect your professor to go over the material with you at a later date? 4. Do you know your preferred learning style? 5. Do you plan to take a lighter course load during your first semester in college? 6. Do you attend class regularly and stay up-to-date with your assignments? 7. Do you experience stress about getting your assignments done on time? 8. Do you make decisions without thinking about the outcome? 9. Have you really thought about why you are in college? 10. Do you expect college to be the same as high school? TOTAL POINTS Give yourself 1 point for each yes answer to all questions except 3, 7, 8, and 10 and 1 point for each no answer to questions 3, 7, 8, and 10. Now total up your points. A low score indicates that you need some help adjusting to college. A high score indicates that you already have realistic expectations. Lesson : Getting Ready to Learn  “In the beginning of the semester, I was dead set against changing my ways. I thought my study methods were tried and true and would work in college the same as they did in high school. I was wrong. I was studying, taking notes, and writing papers the wrong way. Now that I’ve learned new study methods, I’ve changed my habits, and I am getting higher grades in college than I ever did in high school.” Carlos Becerra, Student Characteristics of Successful Students Make the Most of Your College Use Learning Resources Styles to Enhance Performance GETTING READY TO LEARN Make the Get Motivated to Transition to Learn Learn 1. Characteristics of Successful Students Become a Become an self active regulated learner. learner. Become a strategic learner. a) Become an active learner. a) Become a strategic learner  Barry Zimmerman (2002) defines it as the process we use to activate and sustain our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions in order to reach our goals.  Characteristics of a Self-Regulated Learner The self-regulated learner typically engages in a 3-part thought process: Plan: Set sub-goals, such as thinking about when and where to study or choosing strategies for a given assignment, exam, or assessment format. Monitor: Reflect on how effective certain locations or strategies are during studying, think about what to do when obstacles arise, and determine how good one’s understanding of the content is. Evaluate: Think about both the outcome on the assignment/assessment and the effectiveness of the strategies used, while attributing performance to effort/strategies rather than external influences. 2. Use Learning Styles To Enhance Performance 1. What Are Learning Styles?  The term learning style refers to the preferred way that you acquire, process, and retain information—the way you learn best.  We learn new tasks in different ways; we each have our own style or preference for learning. The time of day you study, the kinds of strategies you use, whether you work alone or with a group, and even the place you study are all aspects of your learning style. 2. Characteristics of Learning Modalities Integrated Learning Styles  Using a combination of auditory, visual, and kinesthetic strategies will help you benefit from all the ways that you can learn information. However, the most successful students are often the ones who can use strategies that take advantage of all of the ways they learn or those who can switch styles depending on the demands of the course or the assignment  As you read each of the following statements, put a check mark for yes or no to indicate the response that describes you best. I remember things better if someone tells me about them than if I read about them. 1 I’d rather read about “tapping” (extracting the sap from) trees than take a field trip and actually tap a tree. 2 I’d rather watch a video of a news item on the Internet than read an article about it. 3 I’d rather build a model of a volcano than read an article about famous volcanoes. 4 When I’m having trouble understanding my text chapter, I find that reading it out loud helps improve my comprehension. 5 If I had to identify specific locations on a map for an exam, I would rather practice by drawing and labeling a map than by 6 reciting the locations out loud. I tend to better understand my professor’s lecture when I read the text material ahead of time. 7 I would rather take part in a demonstration of how to use a new computer program than read a set of directions on its use. 8 If someone asked me to make a model for a class project, I wouldrather have someone explain how to make it than rely on 9 written directions. If I were preparing for an exam, I’d rather listen to a summary of the chapter than write my own summary. 10 I would prefer my professor to give me written directions rather than oral directions when I have to do a writing assignment. 11 I’d rather listen to the professor’s lecture before I read the chapter. 12 If I had to learn to use a new software program, I’d prefer to read the written directions rather than have a friend describe how 13 to use it. If I have trouble understanding how to complete a writing assignment, I prefer to have written directions than have someone 14 explain how to do it. I like to listen to books on tape more than I like to read books. 15 When I have to learn spelling or vocabulary lists, I prefer to practice by reciting out loud rather than by writing the words over 16 and over again. If I had a choice, I would prefer to watch a video of someone else doing chemistry experiments than actually perform them 17 myself. When I have trouble with a math problem, I prefer to work through the sample problems rather than have someone tell me how 18 to do them.  Your responses in both the yes and no columns are important for determining your preferred learning style. Tally your responses using the following scoring key and then use the chart to total your responses. 1. Circle your yes and no responses as they appear in the boxes below. Not all numbers will be circled 2. Then total your circled yes and no answers in the chart below 1. Total your scores for each column. 2. Compare your total with the cut-off score. 3. If your score is equal to or higher than the cut-off score, then you show a preference for that style of learning. The higher your score is, the stronger your preference for that style of learning. You may find that you have high scores in two areas; that’s okay. You may learn well using more than one learning style. Note: Your total points for the A, V, and K columns should add up to 18. Active Learning Strategies for Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Learners Visual Auditory Kinesthetic Read and highlight your text. Read difficult passages out loud. Visualize pictures, charts, and Recite the main points at the end Take notes as you read your text assignments. diagrams. of every headed section of the text. Predict questions in the margin at the end of Take modified-block notes. Explain information out loud. each headed section. Outline information. Discuss the text assignment or Create word, question, and problem cards and Map information. lecture material with a study partner practice them in groups of 10 or 15. Create charts. or study group. Make up puzzles or games (like Jeopardy or Read related material Tape the lectures from your most the Match game) to learn text and lecture Edit your lecture notes. difficult class and play them again material. Colour code your notes and when you commute or do Practice labelling diagrams, recreating maps, study sheets household chores. and filling in charts to learn information for Write out steps in a process for Cover the details in your lecture exams. solving math and science notes and recite from the headings. Construct diagrams, models, and problem problems. Recite out loud the answers to cards to practice math and science material. Create study sheets questions appearing in the margin Make up self-tests in the same format as the Write word and question cards. or on word and question cards. actual test and take them. Write self-test questions Teach the material to someone or Participate in study groups and review Write questions in the margin something else. sessions. and underline the answers. Create a taped self-test and recite Work problems. Create visual images to connect the answers before listening to the Take end-of-chapter and online tests to information to acronyms and correct ones. prepare for exams. acrostics. Explain the steps for solving math Develop acronyms and acrostics to recall Use the method of loci to recall and science problems. information and practice using them. information. Create rhymes, poems, and songs Take online tests. Take online tests. to recall information.  Find Out More About How You Learn Best  Rank the four responses to each item according to the following scale in order to determine more about how you learn best: 4 = best, 3 = good, 2 = fair, 1 = poor. 1. I learn best when I study  ……………….in the morning.  ……………….in the afternoon.  ……………….in the evening.  ……………….late at night. 2. I learn best when I study  …………..in complete quiet.  …………..with soft background noise. with moderate levels of noise. in a noisy environment. 3. I learn best when I study  ……….by myself.  ……….with my regular study partner.  ………..with a small group.  ………..in a large-group review session or recitation class. 4. When I take exams, I generally  …………………just guess to get done.  …………………pick the first answer that looks right.  …………………read all the possible answers before I choose one.  ………………..eliminate incorrect responses before I select the correct answer. 3. GET MOTIVATED TO LEARN  What drives us to do the things we do? What is it that pushes us to accomplish things? A simple answer would be personal gain, but the question is much more complex than that. There are many ways to look at the concept of motivation,  Motivation is the feeling, emotion, or desire that moves a person to take action. Motivation is an internal process and an integral part of making changes, achieving goals, and pursuing personal growth. Once a person achieves a goal and experiences success, the accomplishment generates new motivation to tackle other challenges and create new goals. Factors That Influence Motivation  Although many factors influence motivation, your goals, your self-efficacy, and your level of effort are perhaps the most important ones for university success. Goals Self- efficacy Effort a. Goals  Your goals influence your motivation to complete a task. Without challenging, realistic goals, you may not know where to direct your effort. You may have noticed that your motivation (or lack of motivation) varies depending on the tasks that you need to complete. Students may be motivated by the promise or expectation of earning rewards, grades, or other types of external gain. Being motivated by external factors can be described as extrinsic motivation. If you were told to learn to use a computer program as part of a course assignment but have little personal interest in using it, you may find that you are less motivated Many students find that they are more motivated to work on a task when they have a personal interest in completing it or find it challenging to do so. If you are personally interested in learning how to use a computer program, for example, you may be highly motivated to achieve your goal. Working on a task because you want to learn or do something (even when you don’t have to) can be described as intrinsic motivation.  Many times, our efforts are motivated by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. You may begin to read a textbook chapter, for example, because you’re concerned about your grade in the course (extrinsic motivation). However, as you’re reading, you may find that you become interested in the material itself and want to learn more about the topic (intrinsic motivation). Your increased interest in the material may actually increase your motivation to complete the task, perhaps with even more effort. b. Self-Efficacy  Your belief in your own ability to successfully complete a task can also affect your level of motivation. If you believe that you can successfully complete a task, you are more likely to be motivated to work on it. This belief in your ability to successfully complete a task is often described as self-efficacy. Many psychologists believe that past successes lead to future successes. c. Effort  Your motivation is directly influenced by your belief in the power of effort. If you attribute your successes and failures to your level of effort, you'll be motivated to work hard. Effort is within your control, unlike luck.  Experts suggest that students work hard at the start of the semester to see the positive impact of effort on performance. Early success is highly motivating for new college students and can lead to even more success. Use this formula to bring it all together M (Motivation) E (Effort) S (Success)   Strategies for Increasing Motivation: There are hundreds of strategies that students can use to increase motivation. Accordingly; a number of basic strategies can help you get more motivated now. Set challenging but realistic goals. "Aim high, but keep your feet on solid ground." Set learning goals. "Like a tree, grow in the direction of your learning goals." See the value in the task. "Treasure lies within every task, seek and you shall find." Have a positive attitude. "Positivity is the compass that guides you to success." Use positive self-talk. "Speak kindly to yourself; your inner voice shapes your destiny." Work hard. "The sweetest fruits are reaped from the fields diligently worked; strive hard, reap the rewards." Use active-study strategies. "Study with intent, for the wise know how to learn." Break down tasks. "Divide and conquer, for great tasks bend to smaller wills." Monitor your learning. "Watch your journey closely, for progress requires a vigilant eye." Learn from your mistakes. "Golden lessons spring from errors, for each stumble births a lesson." 4. MAKE THE TRANSITION TO LEARN  Attending college requires a certain amount of adjustment for most students.  If you started college immediately after high school graduation, you’ll experience many changes in your life. You may be on your own for the first time—you may have to take on many of the responsibilities that your parents or teachers previously handled.  Although juggling work, school, and home responsibilities is a challenging task, many students do it every day. College life offers many exciting new experiences, and many new freshmen want to join in on the activities. Balance School, Home, and Work Responsibilities Decision Make the Making and Transition to Problem Solving Avoid Plagiarism Learn Manage Stress Avoid Plagiarism  Many students unintentionally are guilty of plagiarism when they write reports and research papers.  Plagiarism is a difficult concept, but can be described as taking someone else’s ideas or words and using them as if they were your own.  Why Should You Avoid Plagiarism? Plagiarism is a form of theft Using other people’s work and pretending to be your original work is theft. You won’t be different from other thieves who take other people’s property or items without consent. To build trust and integrity As a content writer, it’s essential to have trust and integrity especially if you’re creating content for academic research. Grows your reputation If you avoid plagiarism especially in the academic field, then you’ll grow your reputation in your future work or projects. You’ll get genuine academic qualifications Getting academic qualifications that you’ve not earned genuinely can be risky especially when it comes to actual employment. Manage Stress  Attending college can be stressful for many students because they are forced to deal with so many new responsibilities, opportunities, challenges, and decisions.  Stress can be described as feeling tense, overwhelmed, or under pressure.  Identifying the causes of stress and learning some strategies for coping with it can help students manage the stress in their lives.  Sources of Stress 1. Many college students experience stress because they’re concerned about their academic performance. 2. Most new college students experience stress when they realize that their courses are much more demanding and fast paced than were their high school classes. 3. Some students experience a great deal of stress about achieving the grade goals that they have set for themselves or that their families may expect them to achieve. 4. Lifestyle changes are another common source of stress for college students. 5. Balancing work, home, and school responsibilities puts additional stress on students. Some students find that after they complete all of their class assignments, there is little time left for their families or themselves. At times, this leads to conflicts and may result in even more stress. 6. Other students experience stress from living on their own. 7. Besides being responsible for managing their time and setting priorities (perhaps for the first time), they are trying to form new relationships while maintaining connections with their families and friends at home. 8. Many college students also experience stress due to personal problems. Many students spend a lot of time worrying about money, social relationships, family crises, or health problems, just to name a few concerns. 9. All these personal problems add to the stress of academic and lifestyle changes that most students experience.  Methods of Coping with Stress  Although there are many positive ways to deal with stress, some college students use negative, non-productive methods of dealing with it, such as ignoring the problem or pretending that it doesn’t even exist.  Others use escapist techniques like watching television, playing video games, or even using drugs or alcohol. Although these strategies appear to eliminate feelings of stress for the moment, they don’t bring about any productive resolution of the problem. There are, however, more positive and productive ways to cope with stress.  Decision Making and Problem Solving  During your first year of college, you’ll be making many decisions. Each time you choose to read a textbook chapter or study for an exam, you have made a decision to complete an academic task instead of socializing, sleeping, or cleaning. However even that decision involves making more decisions.  You also need to decide what to study, what strategies to use, where to study, and how long to work on the task. Although most of these decisions can be made without a lot of reflection, other decisions may require more thought and planning. You also need to make good decisions when you set long- and short-term goals.  Deciding what grades you can achieve in each of your classes, whether or not to change your major, what to do if you’re failing a class, or which courses to schedule for the next semester requires serious consideration.  Making a decision when the choices are quite obvious, like choosing between chocolate or vanilla ice cream, is fairly easy.  However, when some or all choices are unknown, you may need to use a problem-solving process. The five-step approach to problem solving shown in the next Slide will help you make a more informed decision or find the correct (or best) solution to your problem.  Define the problem. Identify the problem or the choice that you have to make. If possible, break down the problem into parts. Think about how you would like to change things. Write down what you want to do.  Consider the alternatives. Think about all the possible choices that you could make or all the possible solutions to the problem. Gather all relevant information on each alternative and consider any obstacles that could prevent you from reaching your goal (the solution). Finally, consider all the possible outcomes that could occur for each alternative.  Make a plan. List each alternative that appears to be a reasonable solution to the problem. Decide which alternative you want to try first, second, third, or fourth. Be careful not to choose the most familiar or the easiest alternative on your list because these often don’t lead to the best solutions to the problem. You may need to try several alternatives before you find the best solution to the problem.  Take action. Choose the best option from your plan and put it into action. Taking action itself requires that you make a decision. After developing a plan, some students choose not to act on it. They may be concerned about the outcome or afraid that the plan won’t work. Deciding not to act is an alternative that must also be carefully thought out.  Evaluate the results. If you aren’t satisfied with the outcome, try another option on your list. Think about what went wrong. Did you consider all the possible alternatives? Did you gather all the relevant information? Did you just use the easiest or most obvious solution to the problem? Did you take the time to implement your plan in a step-by-step manner? Finally, did you have a positive attitude—did you believe you could solve the problem?  TIP Ten Tips for Making the Transition to College  Believe that college is the right decision for you. Many students  ❏ Get to know your course instructors. Stop by your come to college feeling uncertain of their ability to succeed. Give professor’s office to introduce yourself or chat about the yourself at least one or two semesters to make the transition; course. Making this initial contact will help you feel more don’t give up too soon. comfortable about asking for help when you have a question  ❏ Make academics your top priority. Some college students get or problem. so caught up in social activities that their grades suffer. If you  ❏ Develop a support net at home. Talk to your family and aren’t working full time, you should have enough time to get your friends about why you are in school. By sharing what you’re course work done and still have time for leisure activities. Set a doing, what you’re learning, and how you’re feeling, you can goal to get your course work done before you participate in social get their support, too. Plan activities with your family and activities. friends at least one or two hours each week and during  ❏ Take a light course load your first semester. Many college semester breaks. freshmen think that taking five or six classes will be as easy as it  ❏ Get involved in campus activities. Early in the semester, was in high school. However, they don’t realize how much time you’ll have an opportunity to join clubs and organizations on they will be expected to spend on each course outside of class. campus. Pick one or two that interest you, but don’t join Taking the lightest fulltime course load available will help you do everything. Clubs provide you with opportunities to enjoy well during this transitional semester. extracurricular activities and make new friends.  ❏ Make use of the resources at your college learning center. If  ❏ Take care of yourself. It’s important to eat well-balanced you find that you aren’t getting the grades that you expected on meals, get enough sleep, and get some exercise. If you don’t papers, quizzes, or exams, go to your college tutoring or learning take care of yourself physically, you may find that you aren’t center immediately. If you wait until after you’ve gotten two or able to concentrate on your work or even stay awake during three low test grades, it may be too late to change your course class. If you don’t take care of yourself, you may also lower grade. your resistance to infection and miss class.  ❏ Take a refresher course to build your skills. If you haven’t used  ❏ Learn to use computers. You don’t have to be a computer your math, writing, or study skills for ten years or more, you expert, but you do need some basic computer skills to make probably have become a bit rusty. Taking a refresher course or it in college today. Take an introductory computer course two will help you upgrade your skills. during your first semester or check into tutorials offered through your college learning center, adult re-entry center, or computer labs. 5. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR COLLEGE RESOURCES Terms You Should Know: Make a flash card for each term Active learners Learning style Self-efficacy Auditory learner Mapping Self- regulated learners Evaluation Monitoring Will Extrinsic motivation Strategic learners Independent learners Motivation Stress Intrinsic motivation Plagiarism Visual learner Kinesthetic learner Planning