improving your study skills

1. 5/16/2014 1
Improving Your Study Skills
Presented By:
LERATO DESIREE NTSIMANE

2. GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR
READING

3.  Text Book reading is not done for entertainment.
 Work hard to get something substantial out of the exercise.
 ALWAYS use “pen in hand” to make exercise more
beneficial.

4. ~SQ3R~
The Study Technique which
gives you a purpose for
Reading.

5. SQ3R
S > survey
Q > question
3RS > 1read
2recite
3review

6. WHAT IS THE
RIGHT WAY TO STUDY?

7. @markchannon /rememberanything
Mind Maps

8. THE BASIC RULES
Studying is necessary to succeed.
You should approach
studying in the way
you would approach
a regular job, giving
class and study time
at least forty hours of
your time every week.
You need to study at the
right time, at the right
place, and under the
right conditions so that
you will give yourself
adequate preparation
and maintain the correct
attitude.

9. The Requirements of Quality Studying
Time Place Conditions
Preparation Attitude

10. HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME
MORE EFFECTIVELY
• Ownership of your time
• Planning your schedule
– Know your daily alertness pattern
– Allow sufficient time for each aspect/subject
– Long term
– Intermediate
– Short term
– Making your schedule work!

11. AVOID DISTRACTIONS/TIME WASTERS
• Computer, Internet, Xbox,
Wii
• Phone—turn it off
• Visitors—do not disturb sign
• Clear work area of clutter
• Ineffective planning
• Lack of self-discipline
• Procrastination!

12. Avoid cramming:
Tackle a subject in
smaller chunks over
time
5/16/2014
12

13. Memory Rhythms

14. WAYS TO IMPROVE STUDYING
• Develop a schedule
• Study one subject for one
hour at a time
• Keep all materials for one
class in same notebook
• Have a purpose
• Predict possible ?’s
• Go over previous tests (if
available)
• Make Charts

15. WAYS TO IMPROVE STUDYING—
CONTINUED
• Use visual aids
• Instead of highlighting, use
SQ3R
– Summarize, Question,
Read, Recite, Review,
• Avoid Cramming
• Make information
personally meaningful
• Method of Loci
• Quiz yourself
frequently and in
the way you will
be tested
• Get help when
struggling

16. USEFUL ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS
 e.g. for example
 i.e. that is, that means
 etc. and the rest
 NB important, notice this
 p. page
 para. paragraph
 Ch. Chapter
 edn edition
 info. information
 & and
 + plus, in addition to
 > greater/better/more than
 < less than/smaller
 = is the same as
w/ with
w/o without
cd could
wd would
bc because
Govt Government
vs against
therefore
Educ. Education
impt important
devt development
C19 nineteenth century
c. or ca. circa, about c.1800
cf. compare this with...
ct. contrast

17. IF YOU FEEL BOGGED DOWN
WHILE STUDYING
• Get up and move
– Stretch
– Drink water
– Shower
• Then go back and review notes

18. TAKING NOTES

19. TAKING GOOD NOTES IS AN
ESSENTIAL SKILL FOR ACADEMIC
SUCCESS.

20. NOTE-TAKING
Make your notes visual –
pictures, arrows, bubbles, link
s, colours – it will help your
visual memory!
5/16/2014
20

21. YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON WHAT THE
INSTRUCTOR IS SAYING.

22. THIS MEANS YOU HAVE TO
PRACTICE ACTIVE LISTENING.

23. LISTENING FOR KEY INFO.
 In a lecture: your goal is to capture the main ideas, points, and facts...
 Also, listen and think about:
 Why is the info. important?
 How might that info. be used in your class or in a test?
 Is this info. a basis for other info.?
 Could this info. be used as content for an essay?
 Don't pay attention to what your classmates are writing.
 Look for clues.

24. WHEN TO REVIEW
• Frequently during the
semester
• Attend study sessions run
by the professor
• Schedule several final
review sessions—not one
long one
• The night before– briefly
review main points and
get some sleep
• Do not study
immediately before test
time

25. YOU CAN DO YOUR TEXTING OR
TWEETING AFTER CLASS.

26. You’ve got to study to succeed!
We’re not all Rocket
Scientists…most students
won’t succeed in college
without putting in the time
and effort to study for their
classes.
There are no miracle
secrets or magic
formulas for getting good
grades.
You can receive the
grades you want by
taking the time to study
and prepare for your
classes.

27. The Correct Attitude
•The only way to make studying successful is to
recognize the need to study and then actually
want to study because of it.
•Don’t wait for the great “Study Inspiration” - it is
not coming!
•Don’t start to study while you’re stressed. You’ll
get frustrated and it isn’t going to help de-stress
you. Clear your mind for a little while and study
when you can focus on studying.
•If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll
always get what you’ve always gotten!

28. REFERENCES
(THIS SLIDE IS A MASHUP FR0M FOUR SLIDES )
 http://www.slideshare.net/guest04dc5c6d/sq3r
 http://www.slideshare.net/LauraTRich/study-skills-
10823911?qid=ca5afa48-1181-4942-87b4-
68e170f4d158&v=default&b=&from_search=6
 http://www.slideshare.net/briancomerford9/leavin
g-cert-2-study-skills?qid=ca5afa48-1181-4942-87b4-
68e170f4d158&v=default&b=&from_search=27
 http://www.slideshare.net/patricktrent/study-skills-
5598865?qid=3b72ac31-a455-43f2-814d-
787b482bbc18&v=default&b=&from_search=1