Chapter 3

Study Skills and Strategies

“Knowledge is power”
Francis Bacon
 Chapter Objectives
• Develop your study skills
• Master a note-taking technique
• Prepare for test and exams
• Improve your studying through improved
concentration
• Improve memorising techniques
• Manage your time effectively
• Be an interested learner
 Chapter Outline
• Developing your study skills
• The study process
– Where do you begin
– The study process continues
– Learning to learn
• Tips for successful and effective studying
• When and where to study
• A generic study cycle
• Tests and exams – what to do
• Improving concentration enhances your study skills
• Effective note-taking
– Guidelines for effective note-taking
– Improving your note-taking and classroom skills
– The T-Note system
• Time Management
– Setting up a timetable
• Can you influence your teacher?
 Developing your study skills
• Basic abilities, strategies and methods of
learning which are critical to academic success
i.e removing distractions, time management
and notetaking
• The ultimate goal of effective study is the
ability to internalize the information, course
content or practical skill you are confronted
with.
Developing your study skills cont…
• Internalize (make something your own)
• To master primary skills (listening,
reading, thinking, memory) and
secondary skills (note taking, mind maps,
planning, concentrating)
 Resources to aid in the
improvement of study skills
• Remove distractions
• Balance between homework and other activities
• Reduce stress and test anxiety
• Notetaking
• Study in quiet areas
• Time management
• Self motivation
• Collaborate with others
• Take practice tests
• Study when alert
• Listening
• Memory
Resource to aid improvement cont..
• Study with flashcards
• Having someone to quiz you
• Use multiple sources
• Avoid hunger and drowsiness
 The Study Process

Self-esteem

Coping with stress Internalization Goal formulation

Self-motivation
 Where do you begin?
• Before you start:
– Are you prepared before you commence
with a learning session?
– Are you equipped with the necessary
tools?
– Have you set your personal goal for the
session?
– Where are you seated or located for the
session?
 The study process (cont…)
• Takes a bit of discipline - concentration
• When attending a lecture:
– Are your thoughts focused on the topic?
– Do you pay attention to your environment and the
atmosphere of learning something new?
– Do you stay with the presenter?
– Do you take notes?
– Do you contribute positively to the session?
– Do you share critical and valid comments?
– Do you listen for clues and pay attention to graphics?
 Learning to Learn

• The road to most effective learning is through

knowing:
– Yourself
– Your capacity to learn (learning style)
– The processes or methods you have
successfully used in the past
– Interest and knowledge of the subject
you wish to learn
• All learning and studying settles into 4 basic
steps
 Learning to Learn cont…
• Begin with the past
• Proceed to the present
• Consider the process, the subject matter
• Build in review
 Begin with the past
• Your past behavior determines your future
behavior.
• Ask yourself the following:
– Do you like to read?
– Solve problem or memorize?
– Like to recite?
– Like to interpret or discuss in groups?
– Have access to information from variety of sources?
– Like quiet or to work in study group?
 Proceed to the present
• Combine the past with what you know so far i.e.
learning and thinking skills.
• Ask yourself the following:
– How interested am I in this work/task?
– How much time do I want to spend on studying this?
– What or who competes for my attention?
– What can I control and what is outside of my control?
– Can I change these conditions for success?
– Do I have a plan?
– Does my plan include my past experience and
learning styles?
 The subject matter
• What is the heading or title?
• What are the keywords?
• Do I understand them?
• What resources can help me?
• Do I rely on the textbook?
• Do I study for understanding or do I speed
through the work?
• Do I just read through the work?
• Do I need extra assistance on subject matters?
• Do I discuss issues with other learners?
 Build in review
• What did I do right?
• What can I do better?
• Was I disciplined during my study
process?
• Did I succeed?
• Did I celebrate my success?
 Tips for successful and
effective studying
• Auditory Learners:
– Explain work to a friend
– Make up and repeat rhymes
– Join study group
– Record lectures
– Use word links
 Tips for successful and
effective studying (cont…)
• Tactile Learners:
– Write while reading
– Use computer to reinforce learning
– Use role play
– Make models to demonstrate main concepts
– Spend extra time in practical labs
 Tips for successful and
effective studying (cont…)
• Visual Learners:
– Take notes while listening to lectures
– Use illustrations to remember content
– Use color-coded highlighting
– Organise the material
– Create graphs and diagrams to demonstrate
key points
 When to study?
• 3 hours study time for every hour in class
• Difficult or boring subjects first
• Avoid marathon sessions
• Use your best time of the day
• Use waiting time (waiting for transport)
 Where to study?

• Use regular study area, not where you

sleep or watch TV
• Don’t get too comfortable
• Use a library
 What about everyone else?
• Pay attention to your attention!
• Friends and family know your time
• Avoid noise distractions
• Turn off cell phone
• Learn to say NO
• “DO NOT DISTURB” sign
 Generic Study Cycle

Determine your
present knowledge Read the chapter
thoroughly

Summarise use
keywords
Revise

Study, apply or
memorise
 Tests and Exams – What to
• Do you experience?
do?
– Can’t sleep the night before an exam?
– Increase headaches?
– Hit a ‘blank’ during test/exam?
• Need to:
– Stop negative thoughts about exam
– Have continuous contact with study content
– Be prepared
– Have enough sleep & exercise
– Know date & time of test and have all stationary, student
card ready
– Read test instructions and questions carefully
– Answer easy questions first, plan answers – don’t waste
time
NB: “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are
these: It might have been.” Whittier
 Improving concentration
• Maintain interest in what you are studying
• Read magazines, articles, search web
• Focus on main points
• Vary activities or subjects in your study
session
• Switch from reading to writing
 Effective note-taking
• Student who take notes, learn more
effectively than those who don’t.
• Taking notes helps you:
– Pay attention
– Organize reading matter
– Remember reading matter
 Guidelines for effecting
note-taking
• Keywords to create a framework
• Be organized
• Be physical
• Be clear
• Be smart
Improving your note-taking and
classroom skills
• Adequate notes are vital to efficient study and
learning
– Listen actively
– Be open-minded
– Develop and use a standard method for note-taking
– Always leave blank spaces between concepts
– Do not try to take down everything that the lecturer
says
– Make your original notes understandable for your own
reading
 The T-note System
Title
Date
Page number
Title of specific topic/lecture

Detail and support info linked to

Main ideas main idea
Headings or subsections Examples and pictures

Difficult vocabulary in middle

 Time Management
• Plan your work and work your plan
• Don’t forget
– Commitment time: study time
– Maintenance time: re-charging your batteries
– Play time: free time to relax
 A practical study timetable:
• Draw up a seven-day week
• Fill the time you need to spend at the university.
• Fill in your sport and leisure activities.
• Calculate the time you use to work on homework
and assignment.
• Plot the dates and times when you will be writing
tests and exams.
• Now fill in your study time.
• Keep it well-balanced – including sport and
socialising
 Studying Methods
• PQRST : Preview, Question, Read, Summary and Test
• Re-writing notes
• Summary
– Mnemonics: methods of memorizing lists and organizing them
– Spider diagrams: mind maps
– FlashCards
• Traffic lights
– Green: essential material
– Amber: is neither essential to know or is not too time consuming
to learn
– Red: things you want to know if you had time and energy
 Influencing your educator

• Let lecturer know what you appreciate

about course
• Know and use lecturer name
• Listen and always smile
• Ask questions
• Hand in all assignments on time
 Conclusion
• We learn through studying
• We prove our knowledge when we are assessed on
what and how well we studied
• Studying starts with your attitude towards the
knowledge you have to obtain and master
• Activities include time management, note taking,
concentration skills, preparing for tests/exams
• Effective studying is actively using all available
strategies, skills and methods.