Week 2, Day 2 - Basic Study Skills

Topics: Study Habits, Syllabi

Why these topics now?

Now that we’ve covered what to do in class, it’s time to talk about study habits. This is the really basic but make-or-break stuff like finding a good place and time to study, using your syllabus, etc. Now is the time to start forming good habits!

Preparation

●Students:

Assign students to read “Using Your College Syllabi” and “Effective Study Habits” and fill out the “Study Habits Self-Evaluation”; print out and bring or send.
Assign students to watch “What is a Syllabus?” on Canvas (7:22 min). Look for at least 4 comparisons that professors make to a syllabus. Which works best for you?

●Peer Mentors:

Ask peer mentors to read “Using Your College Syllabi” and “Effective Study Habits” in the Guidebook.
Also ask them to be prepared to give input on establishing good study habits and using course syllabi.

●Put on Canvas

Campus Resources Quiz for those who miss class
HOA 2 - Basic Study Skills assignment

Bring to Class:

●small treats to reward those who are ready to take notes

●simple toolbox with a few tools (4)

●bigger tool box with more tools (14)

●(optional) essential oils: lavender, lemon, peppermint, spruce

●(optional) access to Baroque music online

●copy of Campus Resources Quiz for each student

●copy of Third Week Check-In sign up sheet

Grading:

□ attendance (10) [in class]

□ Improving your Note-Taking Skills (20) [collect papers]

□ Study Habits Self-Evaluation (10) [Guidebook, paper or e-mail]

Lecture Outline

1. Announcements (could be given by peer mentor)

●The Drop/Audit Fee began Wed - it now costs $10 to drop a class or switch to audit.

●Fri, Sep 4 is the last day for a full refund; the 50% refund period begins Tues, Sep 8.

●Mon, Sep 7 is Labor Day - no classes.

●Please sign up to meet with me next week on the sheet that I’m passing around. Please bring your goals that you made the second day of class, and be prepared to talk about your reading in Becoming a Learner.

2. Assignments

●Collect “Improving Your Note-Taking Skills” worksheets.

●Collect “Study Habits Self-Evaluation” from the Guidebook.

●Ask students if they read the sections on Study Habits and Syllabi and watched the Syllabus video.

3. Introduction

Who is ready to write? Give out small treat.

4. Hours of studying

How many hours a week do you think that you spend on schoolwork outside of class?

Ask students to write down a number. Ask for a few volunteers.

Let's do a calculation: (do it on the board as an example)

how many credit hours are you taking? 15

multiply by 2 = 30

that's how many hours a week you should be studying!

(Utah State Board of Regents policy: 3 credit hours = 3 hours in class, 6 hours studying; so that is how much work your professors should be giving you)

How does your number compare?

What is the peer mentor’s number?

What could you be spending this time doing? (write on board, ask peer mentor for ideas)

●reviewing notes – we already talked about this

●doing assignments and projects – do you have any assigned that you haven't started on?

●reading your textbook – is there reading you should be doing?

●studying for exams – shouldn't start two days before

●meeting with study groups – has anyone tried this yet?

●writing papers – who has a paper assigned? Have you started?

●taking exams – will take more time as the semester goes on

5. Toolbox Object Lesson

Show a simple toolbox containing a hammer, pliers, screwdriver, and short tape measure labeled with the papers in this document.

OK, during high school you developed some tools for studying. Raise your hand if you:

●took some notes

●did some studying

●worked some problems

●learned some memorizing techniques

●anything else?

And hopefully they served you pretty well.

Now that you're at a university, it is time to seriously upgrade your toolbox. You're going to be building much bigger and more complex things.

Get out a much bigger tool box. Pull out some more complex tools – needle nose pliers, adjustable wrench, bigger tape measure, different sizes of screwdrivers, etc., also labeled.

You need to learn to:

●use your syllabus to prepare for class (already talked about it)

●use class time to learn, not just be there (“)

●take good notes and review them daily (“)

●use campus resources like the Writing Center, Tutoring Center, library (future topic)

●learn good time management skills (future topic)

●organize study groups (future topic)

●read your textbook effectively (future topic)

●use active study techniques (future topic)

●write multiple drafts of papers (future topic)

●seek help from professors (future topic)

●learn test-taking skills (future topic)

●get to know your classmates (future topic)

Students who struggled in high school

●often have limited tools and not much practice with using them well.

●If this is you, resolve that college is going to be different.

●You are going to get serious and do this right,

●because your future career is at stake.

●Start acquiring tools and learning how to use them effectively!

●(It doesn't cost any money, only time and effort.)

Students who did well in high school

●often still have limited tools, but are better at using them.

●Their biggest problem is that they stubbornly stick to what worked before even if there is a much better solution.

●If this is you, don't keep using pliers to do a wrench's job!

●Expand your tool set and use them.

●What worked in high school won’t necessary work in college.

There is an underlying principle here – it's called self-regulation.

●To be an effective learner, you need to always be looking at what you're doing and asking if it's working.

●Is it giving you the results you want?

●Take responsibility for your learning.

6. Study Habits

Let's start by looking at your overall study habits. Take notes on anything you think might help you. (I'm going to mix up the order from the book a bit.)

1 – time of day: What are some good times to study?

Morning? Afternoon? Evening?

After midnight?At 5 am?

Between classes? Right after class?

After you get home and relax for a bit?

Same time each day helps your brain/body get on that schedule.

Break it up during the day – you don't have to study at only one time.

Don't leave it to chance – make a plan!

4 – length of time: How long do you study?

10 minutes? Two hours?

20 minute rule!

Switch subjects after an hour

Crazy idea – get up and move every 30 min (different chair, other side of the couch, get a drink, etc) Laboratory animals who ran on their exercise wheel learned new tasks better than those who didn't!

3 – prior to exams: How long before an exam do you start studying for it?

You should already be doing so!

Don't wait to start learning until an exam comes up – many students fall in this trap.

Master each day's material before the next class. Cramming and dumping won't prepare you for any career.

Your brain is an expert at dumping information – you'd go crazy if you remembered everything you heard and saw. How to convince your brain something is important enough to remember?

1) strong emotion (not generally useful for studying)

2) repetition: study more than once; study different ways; study in ways that forces you to recall it, not just recognize it, be creative with it, write it, sing it, etc.

2 – location: Where is a good place to study?

At home: Living room? Kitchen table? Bed? (not) Desk in room?

On campus: HCC (library)? Outdoor pavilions or tables? Tutoring Center? Hazy? Snow? Gardner? SAC? (study rooms in library have white boards! Use colors and write big!)

Use more than one place to study the same material: study with people memorizing a vocabulary list a week apart in the same room or different rooms – different rooms people remembered more.

What does a good study place need? Enough light, enough room, comfortable but not sleep-inducing, few distractions, interruptions

Other:

Study environment:

●scents: try peppermint, lemon, pine, cinnamon or lavender scents, essential oils, candles with warmer, gum, etc

●music: try Baroque music [optional - play some!] (or Enya) – no music with lyrics

Who do you study with?

Alone – ok, most common

with friends – ok if you actually studying

with classmates – really good for *some* of your studying

Do you eat while studying?

●A little snacking is ok if it helps keep you on task

●Try to stick to healthy snacks (sunflower seeds, Greek yogurt, OJ, granola bars, strawberries, celery, bananas, dark chocolate, beef jerky, cashews, apples, protein bars, almonds, carrot sticks and broccoli, raisins, etc).

●Drinking water is very good for your brain!

●Don't study while eating meals; enjoy your food.

Do you allow your cell phone to interrupt you while studying?

If you are constantly texting or checking Facebook, Instagram, etc, your learning will be shallow and ineffective. Use it for your 20 min break!

7. Course Syllabus

One more very important tool - your course syllabus

Video - What analogies did you find in the video? Which works best for you?

●itinerary (list of stops on a journey)

●road map (to success)

●tool

●manual

●contract

●treasure map to an A

●not for fire-starters

●strategic planning device

What else did you learn from the video?

●each class is different, use syllabus to get to know the class and professor

●it can help you choose between sections with different instructors

●“if it's well written” not all professors have equal skill in writing a syllabus...

●you are accountable for what's in the syllabus even if professor doesn't mention it

●it saves you from looking dumb and using class time by asking questions that the professor has already answered

8. Assignments for next time

1. Hands On Assignment 2 - Basic Study Skills Assignment

Fill in this class in the table.

Explain the rest.

You have a week to complete! It is due next Thurs.

2. For next week - Campus Resources Quiz

On Canvas; use the DSU Student Guidebook and/or the DSU website to find the answers.

You may work with other students, but do NOT simply copy their answers. Show each other where you found the answer. The idea is for you to become familiar with where to find information about campus resources.

CHEM 1001

Thurs, 3 Sep 2015

Basic Study Skills

Announcements
Assignments due today
Study Hours
Toolbox
Study Habits
Syllabi
Assignments for next time

notes / studying
problems / memorization techniques
syllabus / learn in class
review notes / Tutoring Center
manage time / Writing Center
study groups / textbooks
active study techniques / multiple drafts
professors / classmates
test-taking skills / library

Hands On Assignment 2 - Basic Study Skills Assignment

Name ______

Due Date______

1. List each of your classes in the table below, including the credit hours. Calculate the number of hours that you should be studying for that class. Then, estimate how many hours you actually study for that class during the next week. Finally, find the syllabus for that class, and review it.

class / credit hours / number of hours you should be studying / actual study hours / find syllabus
(check off) / review syllabus
(check off)

2. What are some things that you could do to in each class to achieve the amount of studying that you are supposed to?

class: ______activity:______

3. List at least 3 study habits that you could improve (location, timing, duration, etc) during the next week.

4. Do the things in #2 and #3. Then write a paragraph in the space below answering the following questions:

●What changes did you make in your study habits as a result of this assignment?

●How did it improve your learning and performance in your classes?

Campus Resources Quiz

Name ______

Due Date______

Use the DSU Student Guidebook and/or the DSU website to answer the following questions.

1.What time does the Tutoring Center close on Mon-Thurs?

2.How can you make an appointment at the Writing Center?

3.What floors can you check out books using self-checkout stations at the library?

4.Who is the advisor for chemistry?

5.When you take an exam in the Testing Center, what information should you give so that they know what test you want to take?

6.Where can you go to get help finding an internship, writing a resume, practicing interview skills, or applying to graduate school?

7.What GPA is required to be accepted into the Honors Program?

8.What is the IT helpdesk's phone number?

9.What is the hourly charge for having the Computer Service Center repair your computer?

10.What hours is the Smith Computer Center open on Saturday?

11.True or false: Taking any ROTC classes requires a commitment to serve in the military.

12.Who has a webpage where you can ask any question and get a response within 24 hours?

13.What is the e-mail address of the Registrar's Office?

14.What is the difference between a grant and a loan?

15.What is the fee for a full treatment at the Dental Hygiene Clinic for DSU students?

16.What number should you call to get an appointment to meet with a doctor at the Health and Wellness Center?

17.What is the advantage of putting money on your ID card to use at Red Rock Cafe and The Market at Dixie instead of paying with cash or a debit or credit card?

18.If you have a disability, how will the DRC inform your professors about your need for accommodations?

19.Where are the International Student Services located?

20.Who can attend Multicultural/Diversity Center events?

21.What is the website of the Women's Resource Center?

22.What the 3 criteria can make a student eligible to apply for the TRiO Student Support Services program?