TABLE OF CONTENTS

• PREFACE

• INTRODUCTION

1. GETTING STARTED Reading skills, Writing Skills, Listening Skills.

2. LEARNING Developmental Levels of Learning.

3. THE TEXTBOOK Title, Copyright Page, Table of Contents, Preface, Chapter Titles, Subheadings, Chapter Summaries, Study Questions, Appendix, Glossary, Reference Page, Index, Study Guide.

4. NOTES Highlighting, Lecture Note Taking, Textbook Outlining, Study Sheet, Flash Cards, Tape Recording Notes.

5. TIME MANAGEMENT Calendar, To Do List, Studying Time.

6. STUDYING PROCEDURES Study Place, Work Area, Study Method, Studying with Others.

7. TESTS Types of Tests, Multiple Choice, True/False, Matching, Sentence Completion, Fill in the Blank, Essay, Open Book Tests, Study Strategies for Questions, Test Taking Techniques, Things to Do Beforea Test, Relax After a Test.

8. MANAGING STRESS Ways to reduce stress.

9. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE GRADE

Copyright 1992, 2005 Lamon H. Small

Text used by permission.

Chapter 1

Getting Started

There are many ingredients involved in creating good study habits. They include motivation, skills in reading, note taking, listening and test taking, among others. The most important of these ingredients is Motivation!

As with anything in life, if you are not motivated to do it, chances are you will not. Therefore, to be successful in forming productive study skills and becoming successful at it, you must first feel a need to achieve.

You will find that studying is not as difficult as you have been telling yourself. Learning to study is no different than learning anything new. You must first have a need to learn. You then go through those seemingly awkward steps, those where you are very conscious of what you are doing and seem somewhat uncomfortable about the process. It seems that you will never conquer it. Then once you learn the process or material, it becomes second nature and easy. It is then difficult to imagine that it was as hard a task as you once thought it was. It is no different with learning how to learn.

Replacing old, poor study habits with new, productive ones is not going to happen over night. The poor study habits you have are a product of many years of poor training, negative thinking, and negative feedback received from the process. The feelings you have about your abilities are also a product of those years of telling yourself you have poor study habits and not doing anything to correct them. Over the years you have probably created a learned helplessness attitude about your abilities.

How many times have you said that you are going to do something as soon as you get around to it? Well, you no longer have that excuse. Here it is!

With your new "Round To It" it is now time to start the learning process. Make a few copies of your "Round To It" and place them at your study area and other places as reminders.

You must have confidence in yourself. If you do not believe in yourself, then no one else will. Your success in college, as in life, depends on one person and one person only—YOU. It is no different with studying. You are the only one who can do anything about your study habits. Learning is no accident; it requires effort and planning. It does not occur overnight, and it involves an element of time and effort. It is the same as learning anything else. You have to learn how to learn. This requires a desire and a willingness to achieve.

Students usually feel that all material required to learn should be covered in the classroom. Some students think they can absorb enough during the class through osmosis (learning just by being exposed to the material) to learn enough to get by. The first problem with this is that it simply does not work. The second problem is learning involves much more than just getting by.

Learning does not take place in the classroom; instruction does. The classroom is only a catalyst to the learning process. It merely brings everything together. The majority of learning will occur during the studying process. The instructor in the classroom is there to help guide you through the learning process.

You probably have told yourself repeatedly that you have poor study habits. And more than likely you have convinced yourself you really do have poor study habits. You have created a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is, you have told yourself that you cannot, and now you are living up to your own beliefs and limited expectations. Once you have done this you have defeated yourself, and usually for no logical reason. Stop and think about it for a while. Really be honest with yourself. Do you have poor study habits or have you adopted that loser’s limp of "Well, I don’t do well because I just have poor study habits" or "I'm just not a good test taker." It becomes an easy way not to assume responsibility for yourself. That is about to change!

READING SKILLS

Reading skills are extremely important. Poor reading skills will dampen learning. You have a pretty good idea of your own reading skills. If not, you should be tested. This can be done in a number of ways.

If you are entering college, you will take an entrance exam. If you are currently enrolled in high school, consult your school counselor. If you are not currently enrolled in the public school system, check with the school board to see if there is a program offered to the public. If not, check with a local university or college. Testing can also be done through private sources such as a psychometrist or psychologist.

If you are not comfortable with your current level of reading skills, by all means now is the time to do something about them. If you are a slow reader or read material and have a problem with comprehending or retaining the information you read, then you need some assistance in improving your reading skills.

If this is your case, do not worry; there are many good programs to help improve reading skills. If you are currently attending college, check with the college counseling or advising office. If you do need help in reading, by all means do not delay. The better your reading skills the more effective you will be at studying.

WRITING SKILLS

Writing skills are no less important than any of the other skills needed to be successful. Writing skills do not seem that important during the process of studying, but they will help in writing out your notes and putting them in a more comprehensive format.

Writing skills will prove to be very important during essay tests, term papers, reports, and note taking. It is very important that you are able to express yourself in writing. Therefore, if your writing skills are not adequate, and most students’ writing skills are not, work on improving them. This can be accomplished through courses in English or writing or with the help from writing labs or tutors.

LISTENING SKILLS

Listening skills are not to be taken lightly or taken for granted. It is not a passive process of just sitting there quietly while someone else talks. Rather, it is an active process that requires motivation, skills, and practice. The following are some factors that will have an effect on your ability to pay attention and listen to a lecture.

• The instructor. Some will be easier to listen to than others will. With some, you will have to employ more listening skills.

• The material presentation. This will depend on the types of classes you are taking. These will range from large lecture-only classes with no student participation to small lecture classes that allow for more student-teacher interaction.

• The subject matter. The better you like the subject, the more apt you are to pay attention.

• Listener motivation. The listener must have a desire or interest in the material in order to apply the listening skills required to absorb that material.

Listening skills require a lot of practice to develop. You must first become aware of the fact that you must be attentive to what is being said and relate it to the course being taught.