Good ways to Study?
 

Whenever I sit down to study i always get distracted by something and I cannot seem to concentrate. My grades are not so hot and I was wondering if you guys have any study tips. Help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Jimmy

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Thanks for that. Any more ideas are welcome!


Jimmy

Heh. In History (which is one of my worst subjects this year), my teacher puts notes on the overhead that are in paragraph form. I usually put them in my own words in outline form, throwing in whatever inside jokes or other stuff. Example? For some notes on the Articles of Confederation:
*Libertarians, re: AoC: Woot. SoOooOO GooD!1!1!1!1@*!(@&!(*@
*Favorers of strong, central gov't: Boo!! NoOO GooD!1!!1!

Seriously, I wrote that down. :laugh:

And on the Peninsular Campaign:
- McClellan (Army of Potomac) brought order & drill back to U troops
- Lincoln orders MC to commence attack. He approaches Richmond, L sends him back to chase Stonewall
- Lee sends MC back to the sea. [drawing of chubby guy (McClellan) by sea & some mountains saying "show me the way back... to the sea."]

So if I can make anything goofy or connect it to something, it helps me out. You should see my Theory of Knowledge notes. I can connect that stuff to ANYTHING. Requiem For A Dream? Yep. Buffy? Yep. There are arrows everywhere. It's insane.

Meanwhile, with studying... don't ask me. I never study, but I can get away with it. If I can remember what we talked about in class, I can do pretty good. The most I do is look over the stuff in the book or my notes. Which isn't helping in APUSH. -_-

I hate you, APUSH.

The only big study tip I can give you is to figure out how you learn best. Check this out: Learning Styles Survey It should give you some indication as to how you process information more efficiently and learn better. I tend to lean toward the visual/verbal side (especially when I'm reading to myself silently, I have to listen to the words in my head) but it seems like every time I take the test it comes up with something different -- one time last year it was visual/nonverbal, then a few months later it was kinesthetic. I've got a suspicion that I'm somewhere on the milder side of the autistic spectrum and there might be a slight case of sensory integration dysfunction playing into this, so it depends on how my senses are working as to how I learn that day. One day I have to hear it to understand, the next day I just want to sit and read on my own, and the next day I need to type it out for that kinesthetic/tactile stimulation. It's amazing how much senses play into how you learn.

As for the study techniques I use -- I can only study in total or near-total silence. It depends on the class as to what I do, really... for history I go back and reread all the chapters we went over and highlight my notes along with them. Sometimes when I'm reading I'll have to get up and move around and read out loud to myself so I'll understand it better. I do a lot of summarizing -- I used to write it all out or type it and now I'm getting a little better at doing that mentally. And give yourself plenty of time to study -- I'm way too guilty of putting it off until the night before, but for something that isn't really hard I can pull it off... I work pretty well under pressure. Figure out what works for you. I've also read that you remember information more if you study some right before bed; I did that a lot in junior high and high school. Whatever you have to do, even if it's walking around and reading, don't be ashamed to do it! There's no harm in it as long as it's working for you :)

Hope this helps... :wavey:

As much as I used to hate the idea of study groups and such in high school and college (which always turned into gossip sessions, TV watching, and the like), I find them pretty helpful in my post-grad work (maybe because the material is a lot more difficult and requires more focus). Usually it's just me and one other person talking. I'll take, for example, cirrhosis and just sit there and tell my study partner (who happens to be my roommate) everything I know about it, even the smallest details. Then he'll ask me questions, and sometimes I'll have to look stuff up, and then answer his questions. And he'll also interject with additional information that I left out. Lately I have found that teaching someone about a subject really helps me remember it better as does the extra input they give. And then later you also recall the questions someone asked you and remember what you told them. You'll remember the conversation you had, and it comes back to you more easily.

I dunno, that's a suggestion anyway. That's how I've been doing things lately and it seems to work for me. But with anything, it's all about whatever style works best for you. In college, I would just re-read chapters and my notes over and over ad nauseum until I could glance at the page, look up from it, and say what was on the page basically verbatim, then look back down and see if I missed anything. This works but only if you're studying well in advance of the exam and have plenty of time because it is very time consuming. Another thing I used to do, and still sometimes do, is rewrite notes over and over and over. Again, time consuming, but I think it really helps to engrain it into your memory.

Good luck. Maybe these suggestions will work for you. Hopefully you'll find a style that suits you best.

Brad

how old are you Jimmy? i'm an excellent student myelf (my average last year was 98, i'm not kiddin) so my advises may be good, but i can't recommend them to everyone.

If I really had trouble focusing on a page I would read it out loud to myself. Also, taking notes while reading can help. I used to write little notes in the margin of the textbook. To get rid of extraneous noise, classical music really helped me alot. It didn't distract me from my work, it masked the noises that would have, and it is soothing. Also, to make a chapter seem less overhwhelming, I flip through it and glance at every page before I begin. That way, every page looks familiar as you go through the chapter. Good luck with your studies!

Hmmm...widh I knew what grade or subject you were in, but on a general basis:

Highlight when you read, hey I even used to color code my highlights, it makes you decide what is important as you read...

Flashcards, I hated them but they were essential when studying the sciences esspecially if you have to memorize the periodic table of elements...I usually used to listen to music when I would make up the flash cards, it made the task more tolerable.

Reading: usually I did my assigned reading, if it was english I was careful to write down the characters...Sometimes though, especially in college books are supplemental and sometimes confusing (I did better in one class after I stopped reading the book).

Note taking: master outline form, in several classes I rewrote my note b/c it made them easier to read and made me think about how they related when I outlined them...

Good advice from everyone. I really have to do that highlight thing, or I won't pay attention. I have "monkey mind" really bad, and my homework is so boring, that i really have to go through a little process. I light insence, put on music with NO WORDS (cause i would rather be singing my ass off) that's calming, and a lot of times i do yoga or stretching, which is the thing that really helps calm my mind. It helps slow my breathing and clear my thoughts, so i am not as excitable and I can concentrate waaaaay better. It also helps if i put on soft, low lights and have some warm, calming tea.... :wavey:

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Thanks for that Link to that page. This is my learning style:

The Visual/ Verbal Learning Style


Learning Strategies for the Visual/ Verbal Learner:

To aid recall, make use of "color coding" when studying new information in your textbook or notes. Using highlighter pens, highlight different kinds of information in contrasting colors.

Write out sentences and phrases that summarize key information obtained from your textbook and lecture.

Make flashcards of vocabulary words and concepts that need to be memorized. Use highlighter pens to emphasize key points on the cards. Limit the amount of information per card so your mind can take a mental "picture" of the information.

When learning information presented in diagrams or illustrations, write out explanations for the information.

When learning mathematical or technical information, write out in sentences and key phrases your understanding of the material. When a problem involves a sequence of steps, write out in detail how to do each step.

Make use of computer word processing. Copy key information from your notes and textbook into a computer. Use the print-outs for visual review.

Before an exam, make yourself visual reminders of information that must be memorized. Make "stick it" notes containing key words and concepts and place them in highly visible places --on your mirror, notebook, car dashboard, etc..

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Tommer your help would be great also.

Jimmy

I'm the same one, I find especially the copying thing works well for me. The more i rewrite it, the better.

:lol: :lol:
best advice yet.