Presentation on understanding adult learning presented to tutors on a university campus.

1. Behind the
Brain
Donjanea Williams
Counseling & Career Development Center

2. BRAIN TEASER EXERCISE

3. BRAIN POWER

4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
Do…
• Read in a quiet, well lit environment
• Read and study on a regular daily schedule
•Take breaks when you need to
• Be creative and thoughtful
• Keep up with your reading
•Mark and highlight your books
•Read and study when you are alert
• Read the assigned text before class meets
• Get familiar with content of your textbook/study
material

5. BRAIN BUSTERS
Don’t…
• Listen to music or watch TV while reading or studying
• Read textbooks or study in bed
• Read for hours at a time
• Read when you are tired of half asleep
• Fall behind on your reading
• Wait until the last minute to read your assignments
• Read so quickly that you miss important information
and so slowly that you labor over every word

6. FOOD FOR THOUGHT
It’s OK to Mark Up Your Book – Really!
• Research says organizing information in storage enhances
chances of successful retrieval
• Organization allows us to process information in chunks,
preventing overflow
• Retrieval from long-term memory requires a search process
and hierarchical organization makes this search more efficient
• Hierarchical organization allows us to divide a “big search
into a sequence of “little ones”

7. The Not-So Secret Secret to Active
Reading
Introducing PQ4R (6 Easy Steps)
• Step 1: Preview (What’s This All About?)
• Step 2: Question (What’s Important?)
• Step 3: Read (What It Means?)
• Step 4: Reflect (Think About It)
• Step 5: Recite (Talk to Yourself)
• Step 6: Review (Keep it fresh in your memory)

8. The Not-So Secret Secret to Active
Reading
Imagination is Everything
• Visualization is helpful once associations made
• Visualization helps create a strong, vivid memory – picture
what you wish to remember
• Visualizing also enhances concentration by forcing attention
to one thing only
• When you have difficulty remembering textbook
information, repeat procedures for associating, visualizing,
and concentration

9. The Not-So Secret Secret to Active
Reading
Getting the Right Equation
• Text material and lectures have to be learned together
sometimes, so integrating notes is an important study
strategy
• Mapping or diagramming enhances the brain’s ability
to put text and lecture material together
Example
Text Book Information Class Lecture
Christopher Columbus Native Americans
Founded America already lived in U.S.

10. The Not-So Secret Secret to Active
Reading
What Goes Around Comes Around
• Ensuring the context in which you retrieve information
is similar to the context in which we encode it is key to
successful retrieval
• Different tests = Different study methods

11. UNDERSTANDING THE ADHD
BRAIN

12. Understanding the ADHD Brain
Face the Facts
• ADHD symptoms continue into adulthood for about
60% of children with ADHD. That translates into 4% of
the US adult population, or 8 million adults
• Adults with ADHD may have difficulty following
directions, remembering information, concentrating,
organizing tasks or completing work within time limits.

13. Understanding the ADHD Brain
Behavioral Symptoms
• Chronic lateness or forgetfulness
• Poor organizational skills
• Impulsiveness (even in conversation)
• Procrastination
• Employment problems
• Extreme difficulty concentrating
• Behaviors range from mild to severe and can vary with
situation or be present all of the time
• Some adults with ADHD may be able to concentrate if
interested in or excited about something

14. Understanding the ADHD Brain
Tips for Tackling ADHD
• Refer to student to UWG Disabilities Services: (678) 839-6428 for
assessment and medication
• Encourage student to seek academic counseling at Counseling &
Career Development to develop ADHD management skills
• Avoid highly distractible environments, but have some stimulation
(upbeat sound of voice and using more interesting learning
methods such as visualization and talking aloud to you or text
author
• Estimate with the student his/her attention span and break down
the studying into this timeframe

15. Understanding the ADHD Brain
References
• “Remember What You Read” by Promoting Academic
Success for Students (PASS)
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: ADHD in
Adults by Medicine Net.com,
www.medicinenet.com/adhd_in_adults/article.htm
• “Remembering What You Read” by Saint John’s University,
http://www.csbsju.edu/academicadvising/help/remread.htm
• “Fastfacts: Learning from Texts” by University of Guelph,
http://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/assistance/learning_services/fastfacts/learni
ng_from_texts.cfm