Student Success uide Study Skills Robert Todd Carroll
Student Success uide Study Skills 1990 by Robert T. Carroll. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including electronic storage and retrieval, or translated into a foreign language without prior agreement and written consent from the author as governed by United States and International Copyright Law. Robert Todd Carroll e-mail: rtc@skepdic.com Website: The Skeptic s Dictionary (www.skepdic.com) Other books by Robert T. Carroll The Common-Sense Philosophy of Religion of Bishop Edward Stillingfleet, 1635-1699. (1975). (International Archives of the History of Ideas / archives internationales d'histoire des idées). Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague Student Success uide: Writing Skills (1990). http://www.skepdic.com/refuge/writingskills.pdf The Skeptic s Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions. (2003). Wiley and Sons. Becoming a Critical Thinker A uide for the New Millennium. (2005). 2 nd edition. Pearson Custom Publishing. Chapter One available online at http://www.skepdic.com/refuge/ctlessons/ch1.pdf
Preface The purpose of the Student Success uide: Study Skills book is to provide a systematic approach to learning the skills needed by every successful student: skills such as vocabulary building, time management, listening and concentration, reading and studying textbooks, taking notes, reviewing and preparing for tests. The Student Success uide may be used independently by the student who wishes to improve his or her chances of success in humanities and social science courses. The book could also be used as the sole text in a Study Skills course or as an adjunct text in an English or Humanities course. The driving idea behind the Student Success uide is that methodical and purposive studying is the most effective and efficient. I don't claim that my method is the only one. In fact, I can't even call it my method, since very little of it has been originated by me. I have taken the work and suggestions of many people and applied them as I saw fit. What has resulted is a work unified by the idea that purpose, method, practice, and a way of measuring achievement are central to any effective and efficient learning. The Student Success uide is easy to use and understand, but it does not make studying effortless. Any method which promises amazing results but requires no work is a sham. I can't promise that if you follow the program here you will be able to learn Mandarin Chinese in a week during your sleep (as one text I reviewed promised!). The successful student will have to work hard. If you do, I can promise that you will not be uncertain about the payoff for the work put in. It has been said before, but it bears repeating: you will get out of it what you put into it. Robert T. Carroll Sacramento City College March 1990 Acknowledgment and dedication. For the first half of my teaching career at Sacramento City College I was fortunate to have had Les Read as my colleague in the philosophy department. Les was one of my closest friends until his sudden death at age 48. Ed Stupka who taught college success classes Les, and I spent many fruitful hours discussing, arguing, and evaluating various teaching techniques and ideas. Without their insights and criticisms, this guide would not have been written. The Los Rios Community College Board of Trustees granted me a sabbatical leave in the spring of 1986 to complete this project. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Two Essentials 4 Vocabulary 11 Motivation 13 Study Skills 13 Time Budgeting 15 Concentration 15 Listening 19 Reading and Studying 19 Reading Skills/Effective Studying 19 Textbook Orientation 21 Previewing Textbook Chapters 22 Focused Reading: The Structure of a Chapter 24 Focused Reading: Types of Questions 26 The Language of Questions 30 Taking Notes 31 Taking Notes: Marking Your Text 34 Taking Note of Relations 35 Using a Notebook 36 Taking Visual Notes: Mapping 37 Taking Notes in Class 39 Critical Reading Note taking 40 Reviewing 40 Memory 40 Declarative Memory 45 Procedural Memory 46 Reviewing Daily 48 Taking Tests 48 Preparation for Taking Tests 48 Kinds of Tests 49 Reading Tests iii
INDEX OF ACTIVITIES PAE ACTIVITY 2 1. Vocabulary Cards 3 2. Vocabulary: Prefixes 5 3. Vocabulary: 14 Master Words 6 4. Vocabulary: Building Words from Prefixes 7 5. Vocabulary: Building Words from Roots 8 6. Vocabulary: Combining Prefixes and Roots 9 7. Vocabulary: Prefixes and Roots 10 Independent Activities: Vocabulary Building 12 8. Motivation 13-14 9. Time Management 16 10. Concentration 18 11. Listening 19 12. Textbook Orientation 21 13. Previewing a Textbook Chapter 23 14. Focusing on the Structure of a Chapter 25 15. Identifying Types of Questions 29 16. Anticipating Questions After Previewing 29 17. Anticipating Questions: Making Study Cards 29 18. Anticipating Questions: Marking Your Book 33 19. Taking Notes: Marking Your Text 35 20. Taking Note of Relations 36 21. Using a Notebook 37 22. Mapping 38 23. Taking Notes in Class: Paragraphs, Maps Key Phrases 38 24. Taking Notes in Class: Paragraphs, Maps Questions 39 25. Taking Notes in Class: Emphasis on Mapping 40 26. Critical Reading: Questions Comments 44 27. Memory: Acronyms, Nonsense Sentences Visualization 44 28. Memory: Visual Connections 46 29. Reviewing a Text Book Chapter 47 30. Reviewing Lecture Notes 47 31. Reviewing Text Notes 47 32. Skimming Your Text for Review 48 33. Skimming Your Text Notes for Review 48 34. Skimming Your Lecture Notes for Review 50 35. Preparing for Tests 50 36. Taking Tests iv
Two Essentials: Strong Vocabulary and Motivation The good college student--the one who can read, write and study well--must have an adequate vocabulary. Since a vocabulary cannot be inherited, it must be earned. We are all born equally ignorant in this respect: even the one with the biggest mouth was born with no words. As you read for your college courses, you will find that at times you do not understand what the author means. Sometimes this will be due to poor writing. Even the greatest thinkers sometimes write poorly. Very often, though, your lack of understanding will be due to your weak vocabulary or your lack of background knowledge. In such cases, you may be tempted to throw up your hands in disgust and quit reading. Alternatively, you might set aside the book for a while to do the research needed to understand the author. However, a reasonable alternative would be to continue reading. Admit that you cannot understand this part of the book; but move forward, trying to understand as much as you can. If you cannot understand something in your text due to obscure writing or due to lack of knowledge or experience, skip it and move on to what you can understand. Of course, before you begin reading an assignment, you should read any introductory material that your book provides. Also read any comments, notes or outlines provided by the author or editor. Introductions, notes, comments, outlines and summaries can provide vital information. They can help you understand the meaning and significance of the material. Above all, keep a good dictionary at hand while you read. Of all the books you will purchase in your college career, none can be as useful as a good dictionary. A good dictionary provides more than synonyms or lists of meanings; it will give examples of words used in sentences and describe subtle differences of closely related words. Not only should you look up the meaning of any word you do not know and which hinders your understanding, you should keep a notebook or card file of new and important words or expressions and their definitions. Every day you should study your word list. Set a goal to learn one, two, five, or even ten new words a day or week. If, after having read the introductory material to a written work and after looking up unfamiliar words in your dictionary, you still do not understand a sentence or passage, skip it. Don't worry about it any further. You have done your best. If, after finishing the whole reading assignment, you still think you should understand a sentence or passage which you had to skip, ask your teacher what it means or go to the library and do some research [see Appendix A: Using the Library] 1
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Activity 2 - Vocabulary: Prefixes Dr. James I. Brown of the University of Minnesota put together a list of 14 words, which he claims can be used to build a super vocabulary. Each of the 14 basic words consists of a prefix and a root. The 14 master words are: detain, intermittent, precept, offer, insist, monograph, epilogue, aspect, uncomplicated, nonextended, reproduction, indisposed, oversufficient, and mistranscribe. Since six of the words have two prefixes each, the list which follows consists of 20 prefixes rather than 14. Your task is to look up each prefix in a dictionary and write down its meaning. (Note: if your dictionary does not list prefixes, you need a better dictionary.) Alternative spellings of the prefixes are also given. The first one is done for you as an example. $)*/01 '%*)2'*3$*%%024 -*'2024 5*6 (02 *)6 $)*6 78.6 896:8/6:8$6!02 6 ;-8286 <*$06 ='56 >?26 @98-6 2826 (*16 )*6 7$)8 6!02 6 ;5036 <8A*)6 =3?.6 >- 036 (@)'236 0-6:0%6:0)6 '96:'46:'%6:'26 '$6:')6:'36:'6 986:98%6:9826:98)6 *6:*/6 0)6:0%6:0-6 506:50/6 3?)6 3?6:3?96:3?/6:3?46 3?-6:3?$6 )'26:)'6 3
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Activity 5 - Vocabulary: Building Words from Roots / 7 (+ #9 (# #? ROOT NEW WORD MEANIN SENTENCE USIN NEW WORD ' 02! 6 ', E,B,, 7
Activity 6 - Vocabulary: Combining Prefixes and Roots #9 7 (# #? (Use your own paper to complete this exercise. Some examples are given.) 2* 8)5-*'2024 3*2*29*?30242* 8)5 5*9*0A*, ", 5*/*) ",0 # 0, 5*303 E 5*5? 9 5*$8 3* 5*/090 5*39)0.* 8
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'('() You may have a rich vocabulary, but it won't do you much good if your attitude toward studying is poor. To be a successful college student, it is not enough just to want to be successful. Nor is it enough merely to have the skills necessary for success. Desire and skill are necessary, but they aren't sufficient. You will need motivation, also. WHAT IS MOTIVATION? Many people confuse drive or energy or commitment with motivation. But, having a strong desire to learn, or putting a lot of energy into your studies, is not the same as being a highly motivated student. Motivation has to do with setting goals and moving toward them. Each of the following is essential to being a highly motivated student: 1) Knowing what you want from college; 2) Planning how to achieve what you want; 3) Knowing what aids and hindrances there are to achieving your goals; 4) Committing yourself to a plan of action which takes advantage of the aids and deals intelligently with the hindrances; and, 5) Coming up with a meaningful way to measure your successes, short term as well as long term. Motivation, like vocabulary, is not something you are born with. You can develop and systematically improve your motivation. In short, a motivated student has a purpose, a plan and a yardstick. You must know what you want out of college, how to get it and how to measure your progress. It is as simple as that. 11
Activity 8 - Motivation The following activities are designed to help you focus on your purpose, plan and yardstick. Each question should be answered in a careful, reflective manner. I ( I I 7 I! I ;B I56 6 IB I 12
*'+*,(* A successful college student must possess a number of skills. You must be able to read and write well, to listen and take notes well, to concentrate and take tests well, to participate in class and manage time well. The better developed these skills are, the better able you will be to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. Each of the following sections aims at helping you develop one or more of these skills. * 4 3 6 " # 0 H 0 H B 6 @ * H H C 5C 5C " 9H J#0 Activity 9 - Time Management 5. 2 6 H C 0 3! "B #3 H / H H 13
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Activity 27: Memory Acronyms, Nonsense Sentences Visualization o through your notes for an assigned chapter you have read or for a lecture, and create acronyms, nonsense sentences and visualizations for any lists or sequences of material to be learned. (The example provided is based on the notes presented as an example for activities 17 18.) EXAMPLE. Civil liberties are the freedoms of thought, speech, press, religion and the right of dissent. 1. the Tall Squirrel Pounded the Rice and Donuts. T>hought S>peech P>ress R>eligion D>issent 2. Imagine a preacher at the pulpit (Religion) with a cartoon bubble over his head (Thought) with the word "NO!" in it (Dissent), waving a newspaper (Press) while preaching (Speech). 3. Imagine a priest (Religion) hitting a protester carrying a sign (Dissent) with a newspaper (Press) while saying "NO THINKIN OR SPEAKIN ALLOWED!" (Thought and Speech). Activity 28: Memory - Visual Connections To help remember a list or sequence of items, create a visual connection between each item in the list or sequence and some item in the classroom where you will be tested. For example, to remember that the civil liberties are the freedoms of speech, press, religion, thought and the right to dissent, you might focus on the tiles (for Thought) and imagine someone saying, instead of `a penny for your thoughts', `a tile for your thoughts.' Focus on the poster on one wall (for Press) and imagine posters coming off the presses. Focus on the sink (what? you don't have a sink in your classroom. I thought everybody did!) (for Speech) and imagine some soap, then a soapbox and somebody standing on the soapbox giving a speech. Focus on the ruler on the wall (for Religion) and imagine rules flying out of the ruler, rules to bind you with, the Ten Commandments, for example. Finally, focus on the door (for Dissent) and imagine your teacher throwing students out the door for disagreeing with him). If all goes well, during the test you need only do a visual survey of the room to help you recall what freedoms are part of our civil liberties. Looking at the poster should trigger the image of the posters coming off the press; when your eyes get to the door, you should recall the dissenters being dumped, etc. 44
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# 0 ' "0 F # - " # @! % 2 ) 3 0 @ @! A-!$B / H 8 Activity 29: Reviewing a Text Book Chapter o to a chapter of your text which you have already studied. 1. Read the chapter title, each section title and subtitle and the first and last sentence of each subsection. 2. Read the outline or summary at the beginning or end of the chapter, if there is one. 3. Read any material you have marked out as significant (by boxes, highlighting or through symbols such as asterisks). 4. Read the instructions for any exercises at the end of the chapter. 5. Make a list of questions that YOU would ask on an exam. 6. Exchange your list of exam questions with another student in the class. Write down any questions the other student asked you didn't but think you should have. 46
Activity 30: Reviewing Lecture Notes o over your notes for a lecture and do the following: 1. Read what you wrote on the right hand side of the page. Write questions--for which your notes are the answers--in the space on the left hand side. 2. Box off key terms and underline definitions. Write the terms in the space to the left of your notes. 3. Put asterisks by important points. 4. Make a map of the material. (See activity 22.) 5. Write a brief paragraph summarizing or outlining the material in your notes. 6. Make a list of questions that YOU would ask on an exam. Activity 31: Reviewing Text Notes o over your notes for a chapter you have read and do the following: 1. Read what you wrote on the right hand side of the page. Write questions--for which your notes are the answers--in the space on the left hand side. 2. Box off key terms and underline definitions. Write the terms in the space to the left of your notes. 3. Put asterisks by important points. 4. Make a map of the material. (See activity 21.) 5. Write a brief paragraph summarizing or outlining the material in your notes. 6. Make a list of questions that YOU would ask on an exam. Activity 32: Skimming Your Text for Review For a chapter of your text which you have already read do the following: 1. Read all heads and subheads, and the first and last sentences of each subsection. 2. Quickly go over only main ideas you have highlighted, asterisked or boxed off. 3. Read the chapter summary or outline, if there is one. 47
Activity 33: Skimming Your Text Notes for Review For the notes you have taken on a chapter of your text do the following: 1. Read all key terms or questions you have written on the left hand side of the page. And, read the boxed off or highlighted material on the right side. 2. Read your summary or outline, if you made one. 3. Look over any mapping you have done. Activity 34: Skimming Lecture Notes for Review For your notes on a lecture do the following: 1. Read all key terms or questions you have written on the left hand side of the page. Read the boxed off or highlighted material on the right side. 2. Read your summary or outline, if you made one. 3. Look over any mapping you have done. 8 6. 6 $ R R R 48 )!;<=(>@ 0 H /. C 0
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