PrOACT Approach to Problem Solving
sul118
chapter_5.pptxChapter 5 – Improving Your Study Skills
In Chapter 4 we explored the power of the brain. It has the ability to:
remember unlimited amounts of information
reason, sense patterns, and analyze information
think critically and creatively, and solve problems
These are physiological functions (mechanical) that the brain performs. But for most people, the brain does not separate the process of thinking from emotion. So, how you think is influenced by how you feel.
Likewise, how you think and feel influence your ability to learn.
Feeling
Thinking
Learning
How Do We Learn – Learning Styles
People are diverse in both how they think and how they learn.
One of the most common models used to explain learning differences include the following styles:
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic/Tactile
Several researchers have challenged the theory of learning styles. These challenges are based on the fact that:
There is no definitive test that identifies an individual's unique learning style, and,
Efforts to customize learning toward a student's particular learning style have shown no significant improvement in achievement.
It is probably better to say that we all have many learning styles but have a preference for one of them when we are learning new information or specific types of information.
We may use a different learning style than our preference to reinforce or review something we have learned.
Challenges to the Learning Styles Theory
Challenges To Learning
In some cases a learning style is not a preference, but instead, is a concrete reality.
Students who have challenges to learning, such as dyslexia, ADHD, visual or hearing impairment, may require accommodations in order to fully and equally participate in traditional classroom environments.
A learning disability is not an indication of inferior intelligence.
In high school, accommodations are arranged for these students by the school.
In college it is up to the student to seek out this assistance and advocate for themselves.
The Division of Student Services at TSU assists students in achieving their academic goals and enhancing their personal, intellectual and social development through the provision of a broad range of programs and services.
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many different ways - someone's capacity for logical thinking, abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, learning, emotional knowledge, memory, planning, creativity and problem solving (Wikipedia).
But what is less understood or agreed upon is what constitutes evidence of intelligence. How do you measure intelligence?
The IQ test is probably the most familiar assessment used to measure intelligence.
High IQ Score ≠ Future Success
Average to Low IQ Score ≠ Future Life of Failure
In his article on the significance of IQ Tests, titled Rational and Irrational Thought: The Thinking That IQ Tests Miss, Keith E. Stanovich proposes that dysrationalia - the inability to think and behave rationally despite having adequate intelligence - is a large domain of cognitive life that intelligence tests fail to assess.
Theory of Multiple Intelligences
The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes nine different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. These intelligences are:
Linguistic intelligence ("word smart")
Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart")
Spatial intelligence ("picture smart")
Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart")
Musical intelligence ("music smart")
Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")
Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart")
Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")
Existential intelligence (“cosmic smart”)
Dr. Gardner says that our schools and culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. We esteem the highly articulate or logical people of our culture. However, Dr. Gardner says that we should also place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: the artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world in which we live.
Which intelligence(s) does Stephen Wiltshire possess?
Stephen Wiltshire was in Houston, Texas, April 2016.
Preparing To Study
“Location, location, location…”
Where should you study?
Library, dorm room, home, Starbucks?
Internet access; electrical outlets
Supplies and resources
External Sounds - too much/too little noise
Visual Distractions - isolation or a room with a view?
Discomfort - furnishings, temperature, lighting, hunger
"Are You Regular?"
Scheduling regular study time
Establish a regular time to study
Chunking - study in smaller intervals
Pick a study time when you are least likely to be tired
"Just two more pages...and then I'll quit"
Set study goals
Set chapter or page number goals every time you study
Plan to go beyond just finishing your assigned homework
Considerations for setting up a study area
Other Helpful Techniques
Studying:
Previewing - skim, look through the chapter, read the headings and sidebars, read sentences that are in bold and italics.
Read, then reread, then reread again.
Take notes - write in the margins, put question marks next to parts you don't understand.
Outline and diagram - this relates back to one of the memory techniques we discussed, visualization
Build your vocabulary - list or underline words you do not understand and look up their meaning.
Test-taking:
Skim over the entire test before answering
Pace yourself - know how much each question is worth and how much time you have left
Answer easy questions first - identify difficult questions and come back to them later
Make sure you understand the question - underline key words or ideas; ask your instructor for clarification
Look for clues to the answer within the question itself
Look for answers to questions in other places on the test
Choosing To Study
For most of us, the major problem with studying is that it means we are missing out on doing something else we would enjoy more - socializing, listening to music, watching movies or videos, surfing the Internet or doing some physical activity.
Choosing to study instead of engaging in these other activities is something we know we should do, but sometimes decide not to do.
Which would you choose - an entire semester of only attending class and studying with a semester GPA of 4.0, OR, a semester with some studying along with socializing, entertainment and free time, and a semester GPA of 2.9?
Your choice may be based on your ability to resist the temptation of immediate reward, and instead, hold out for a larger reward that comes later. This is called delaying gratification.
Assignment 6 – Improving Your Study Skills
ASSIGNMENT 6 - Improving Your Study Skills
The objective of this assignment is to examine the way you currently study and then apply the ideas and suggestions from Ch. 5 to improve your study effectiveness and productivity. You will be reviewing the way you currently study, make proposed changes, apply the changes over a 2-week period, and then report the impact these changes had on your study effectiveness and outcomes.
This assignment will be posted in Blackboard.
