Study Skills

1
Study Skills

• Strategies for Success
• Dave Mackay, MSW, RSW
• University of Waterloo
• April, 2014

2
Components of Academic Success

• Learning Styles
• Time management
• Memory and recall
• Note-taking
• Concentration
• Reading Skills
• Test performance
• Persistence

3
Learning Styles

• Visual Learners
• Auditory Learners
• Kinesthetic Learners

4
Time Management

• Organization
• Scheduling
• Setting priorities
• Procrastination
• Efficiency
• Study habits
• Lifestyle
• Procrastination

5
Organization

• Write down all of your assignment and test dates
  on a full term or school-year calendar
• Move from longer-term to shorter-term (monthly,
  to weekly, to daily) scheduling of tasks
• Try tracking your use of time for a week

6
Setting Priorities
Essential Not Essential
Urgent
Not Urgent
7
Setting Priorities
Essential Not Essential
Urgent 1
Not Urgent
8
Setting Priorities
Essential Not Essential
Urgent 1
Not Urgent 2
9
Setting Priorities
Essential Not Essential
Urgent 1 3
Not Urgent 2
10
Setting Priorities
Essential Not Essential
Urgent 1 3
Not Urgent 2 4
11
Understanding Procrastination

• Fear of failure
• Fear of success
• Perfectionism
• Rebellion
• Overwhelmed
• Lack of interest
• An established pattern

12
Overcoming Procrastination

• Plan a clear, realistic schedule in advance
• First-minute motivation
• Smallest achievable chunks
• Rewards

13
Maximizing Recall

• The 50 - 10 Rule
• Review according to the
• curve of forgetting

14
Curve of Forgetting
10 minutes
5 minutes
2-4 minutes
100
Day1 Day 2 Day 7
Day 30
15
Recall contd

• Take advantage of your learning style
  preferences
• Dont just review, practice too!
• Sleep for better grades!

16
Adults Sleep Histogram
R.E.M.
Awake Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4


1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 Hours of
Consecutive Sleep
17
Note-taking

• Read ahead whenever possible
• Review your notes according to the curve of
  forgetting
• Set up your notes with a mind for studying from
  them

18
CLASS DATE PAGE
Notes from what teacher is saying or showing
during class go here on right side of
page (leave lots of space on the
left side of the page)
Leave space at bottom of page for summary
statements
19
CLASS DATE PAGE
After class, make up questions or key words to
cue your recall of the notes you took during
class and write them here. e.g. What is it? Where
do I find it? How do I use it? What is its
importance?
Notes from what teacher is saying or showing
during class go here.
Summary statements.
20
Concentration Distraction

• Examine your place of study, then make changes
  you can or consider moving
• Eat well. Sleep well. Be physically active.
• Multi tasking?
• Write down your distracting thoughts
• Take advantage of high energy times

21
Circadian Rhythms

• 8am - 12pm High
• 12pm - 4pm Med
• 4pm - 6pm Low
• 6pm - 10pm Med
• After 10pm Rest

22
Reading Skills

• Start with an overview (introduction, summary,
  titles, subtitles, tables, charts, graphs, bold
  print)
• Always read with a specific purpose or a question
  in mind
• Dont get too comfortable

23
Preparing for Writing Exams

• Worry

24
Being Prepared

• Put in the hours (without cramming)
• Be physically mentally healthy
• Study by doing (active study)
• Practice getting unstuck

25
Do I know my stuff?

• Can I say it in my own words?
• Can I give an example?
• Can I explain it to someone who doesnt
  understand it?

26
Writing the Exam

• Have a plan and a back-up plan . (not this)
• Essay Exams
• Problem Solving Exams
• Multiple Choice Exams

27
After the exam

• Make note of what seemed to work or not work as
  you studied
• Make note of what seemed to work or not work as
  you wrote the test
• After the test is returned, look for patterns in
  your errors

28
Correlates of University Persistence

• Longitudinal study, University of Calgary (M.
  Drysdale)
• Who continues after the first year?
• Variables
• Age
• Gender
• High school grades
• Intended major/area of study
• University grades (1st semester, 1st year)
• Learning style (dominant and weakest)

29
Significant Outcomes

• Interaction between
• First term grades
• First year grades
• Declared major area of study
• Dominant learning style (used Gregorc Learning
  Styles)

30
University GPA

• First term GPA
• GPA lt 2.00 (C) 34 of those who did not
  continue
• GPA gt 2.00 6 of those who did not
  continue
• First year GPA
• GPA lt 2.00 (C) 40 of those who did not
  continue
• GPA gt 2.00 6 of those who did not
  continue

31
Intended Major

• 30 of those who had not declared a major were
  required to withdraw or dropped out vs 8 of
  those who had declared a major
• Younger students had more problems deciding on
  career

32
Recommendations

• Know and work with your Learning Style
• Put some energy into Career exploration (ongoing)
• Learn and apply effective Study Skills (ongoing)
• Ask for help! Access resources!!!

33
Study Skills Resources

• uwaterloo.ca/student-success/resources/online-reso
  urces
• Teachers, Family, Teaching Assistants, Classmates
• Find alternate textbooks for difficult courses
• Find old tests/exams and work through them
• Study skills books and tips on-line and at
  bookstores
• Private tutors, counsellors, and education
  agencies