infrastructure. Walking city. Roads & planning zoning renewal gentrification. â¢What. â¢Why. â¢How. â¢Problems.
AVOID THE ALL-NIGHTER: 7 STRATEGIES YOU CAN START RIGHT NOW.
Study Strategies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Plan to Study Take an inventory Create study guides Memorization Techniques Join a Study Group Practice questions Test your knowledge
Plan to Study • Mark all exam dates on the calendar (include any
assignment deadlines that fall in the range of your study time) • Prioritize each class – does one course require more
time or attention? Do you need to catch up on a particular course? • Plan time (1-2 hours for each session – more on days leading up to exam) for each course • Plan meetings with a study group (more on this later)
1. Plan 23 GEO IDS
24 ERS GEO – grp PYSC
25 IDS PSYC
26 POST IDS GEO
27 ERS GEO – grp PSYC
28 IDS POST
29 POST ERS – grp PSYC
30 GEO IDS
1 ERS GEO – grp PYSC
2 IDS PSYC
3 POST IDS GEO
4 ERS GEO – grp PSYC
5 Last day of classes POST PSYC
6 ERS – grp POST
7 PYSC POST
8 Exams begin
9 IDS PSYC
10 GEO ERS PSYC
11 GEO – grp PSYC
12 PSYC 1030
13 ERS – grp IDS
16 GEO 1030
17 ERS 1000
18
19
20
DONE!
DONE!
Last day of exams
POST 1000 14 GEO ERS IDS
15 GEO IDS
IDS 1000
Create a Study Schedule 1.
Break your days into sections and set goals for each section
2.
Where do you study best?
3.
Study BOTH alone and with others. Think about the most effective use of study groups.
4.
Be realistic and honest with yourself
5.
Remember to be wellrested and well-fed!
Day
Task
Monday
11am: ERS – syllabus review & inventory 3pm: GEOG- study group 8pm: PSYC - flashcards
Tuesday
2pm: IDS – syllabus review after final lecture 8pm: PSYC – study guide: behaviours 10pm: PSYC - flashcards
Wednesday
10am: POST – review old exams 1pm: IDS – flashcards 4pm: GEOG – study guide: urban development
Setting Yourself Up for Success • Get as much information as you can from your
Professor or your TA about the format, length, and requirements of the exam. See past exams.
• Attend the last day of classes and seminars! • Organize all of your course materials. Use this
as an opportunity to make an inventory of all of the materials that you need to look at while you study.
2. Inventory • Read the syllabus • Understand the course objectives
Look for themes and connections – lecture and reading topics; assignment topics • How is the course organized? •
• Review the table of contents (textbook) • Chapter titles; chapter organization •
How does information connect – how does one chapter inform another?
Seeing the Forest and the Trees Understand the larger goals and themes of the course (the forest) as well as the facts, events, and details of the topic (the trees).
3. Create a Study Guide • Step I:
Read through lecture notes, reading notes and list the main themes/divisions of the class. This is not a list of facts, dates, events, authors, but themes or ideals. • For example, if you are making a study guide for English 1000, your list would NOT be a list of authors that you have read. Instead, it would a list of themes that are common to them: literary techniques, self and society, etc. • Similarly, Hist 1500 would NOT be a list of events or dates. It would be themes: terror and the state, religion and terror, the “other” • BIO 105: consider connections: system – tissue – cells
• Step II: Now go back and read through notes again. • This time, you are looking for details – key terms, definitions, events. Use
the details to flesh out your study guide – to show how the details build your understanding of the themes.
Sample Concept Map Walking city
Roads & planning
infrastructure
zoning
Urban development renewal
recreation parks
gentrification •What •Why •How •Problems •Benefits
Study Chart • Make a table to organize themes, concepts or content
Course
Themes/Concepts/Content
Psychology
Concept/ Theory
Key Theorist
Historical Context
Main Idea
Application
English
Author
Title
Major Characters
Key Events
Important Themes
Business Admin
Concept/ Skills
Main Theorist
Historical Context
Main Ideas
Application for Workplace
History
Module
Time Period/Reg ion
Major Events
Key Vocabula ry
Connection s to theme of course
Memorization Techniques • Flashcards
• Re-copying text • Timelines & Charts • Picture/Symbol associations • Mnemonic devices – acronyms, stories, songs
5. Study Group • Discuss it. •
Broader themes, concepts, categories (forest) and identify details like examples, thinkers, terminology, formulae (trees)
• Teach it.
Explain, illustrate, define, demonstrate ideas, concepts, theories, skills. • Each group member takes responsibility for parts – which part do you know best? In which area are you weak? •
• Practice it. •
Answer questions. Do equations. Write essay outlines. Compare responses.
6. Review & Practice • Understand material to remember it. • Analyse and synthesize material to
demonstrate your understanding. • Note the specifics; details are key.
Activities That Promote Thorough Understanding • Exams will often demand that you recognize a
fact/event/idea when it is worded/presented in a form other than the one in which you originally learned it. So, you need a very thorough understanding of the topic. • Try pretending to explain a concept to your
10-year old brother. • Break it down into smaller pieces.
Activities that Promote Synthesis • Try to guess the questions. What have been the most important
themes? What topics could be combined into a question? • Pretend that you are organizing a conference or a museum
exhibit on the topic. What displays/panels would you have? What order would you put them in? What would be the title? • Consider a real-world application for a concept or theory. What
would be the process (step-by-step)? How does the example demonstrate the core ideas of the concept?
7. Test your knowledge •
Using flashcards •
•
Using study guides •
•
One by one, define or explain term/idea – check your answer and keep the wrong responses in the pile to review again.
Read column or row heading only. Identify what/who/how. Check your answers. Highlight the wrong responses. Review again.
Practice MCQs and short answers •
Complete small bank of questions. Check responses. Identify wrong responses; break down question and response.
In Summary • We understand familiar material. • We remember material we understand. • We can explain material we remember. • We can analyze material we can explain.
• For more help, visit www.trentu.ca/academicskills
