This is an excellent web page for making learning easier!!!!!!!!!!
9 Types of Mnemonics for Better Memory
By Dennis Congos, University of Central Florida
"Mnemonics are memory devices that help
learners recall larger pieces of information, especially in
the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts,
phases, etc. We knew back in 1967 from a study by Gerald R. Miller
that mnemonics increased recall. He found that students who
regularly used mnemonic devices increased test scores up to 77%!
Many types of mnemonics exist and which type works best is limited
only by the imagination of each individual learner. The 9
basic types of mnemonics presented in this handout include Music, Name, Expression/Word, Model, Ode/Rhyme, Note Organization, Image, Connection, and Spelling Mnemonics. "
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I found this website with some Excellent tips on Study Skills!!!
So if you would like to make life easier, more productive, and efficient please go to the links provided and learn more!
I recommend studying these skills and then
practicing them with Biology and your other classes. If you can master
these skills now, you will be well ahead in your college or future
school years!
"Concentration - Basic Guidelines
Divide your work into small, short-range goals
Don't set a goal as vague and large as: "I am going to spend all day Saturday
studying!" You will only set yourself up for failure and
discouragement. Instead, take the time block that you have scheduled for
study and set a reachable study goal (for example: finish reading three
sections of chapter seven in my psychology text, or complete one math
problem, or write the rough draft of the introduction to my English
paper, etc.). Set your goal when you sit down to study but before you
begin to work.
Set a goal that you can reach. You may, in fact, do more than your goal but set a reasonable goal even if it seems too easy."
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"Control of Study Environment
Studying takes more than just sitting down, opening a textbook, and
reviewing notes. If your study environment is not conducive to getting
work done, then the retention of information will be severely
undermined. Below you will find information on how to choose a study
location, structure study time, concentration, retention, and
relaxation. All of this will help to control your environment and make
it the perfect place for studying."
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Before you begin an assignment, write down on a sheet of paper the
time you expect to finish. Setting small goals will make the workload
easier to split up and finish. Keep a record of your goal setting. This
step will not take much time at all, however, it can be extremely
effective. It may put just the slightest bit of pressure on you, enough
so that your study behavior will become instantly more efficient. Keep
the record of your goals as a measure of your study efficiency. Try
setting slightly higher goals in successive evenings. Don't try to make
fantastic increases in rate. Just increase the goal a bit at a time.
Set small, short-range goals for yourself. Divide your assignment
into subsections and set a time for when you will have each section
finished. If you are doing math, set a time goal for the solution of
each problem, if you are reading, set a goal for each page or chapter.
You will find that this is a way to increase your ability to study
without daydreaming.
If your mind wanders, stand up and face away from your books. Don't
sit at your desk staring into a book and mumbling about your poor will
power. If you do, your book will soon become associated with daydreaming
and guilt. If you must daydream, which we all occasionally do, get up
and turn around. Don't leave the room, just stand by your desk and
daydream while you face away from your assignment. The physical act of
standing up helps bring your thinking back to the job. Try it! You'll
find that soon just telling yourself, "I should stand up now," will be
enough to get you back on the track.
Relax completely before you start to study. One approach to
concentration is to ask yourself, "Does studying and bookwork scare me?"
If you have to do something unpleasant, something that you know you may
do poorly, how do you react?
You probably put it off as long as possible, find yourself
daydreaming, and welcome reasons to stop studying. If you do react this
way, you might suffer from learned book-anxiety. The key to breaking
this book-anxiety daydream series is learning how to relax. It is almost
impossible to feel anxiety when you are physically, deeply, and
completely relaxed. Associate the book with relaxation, not with tension
and anxiety.
Note Taking - The Cornell System
The Cornell system for taking notes is designed to save time and be
highly efficient. There is no rewriting or retyping of your notes. It
is a "do it right the first time" system.
Preparation
Use a large, loose-leaf notebook. Use only one side of the paper
(later, you can lay your notes out to see the direction of a lecture).
Draw a vertical line 2.5 inches from the left side of you paper. This is
the recall column. Notes will be taken to the right of this margin.
Later, key words or phrases can be written in the recall column.
During the Lecture
- Record notes in paragraph form
- Capture general ideas, not illustrative ideas
- Skip lines to show end of ideas or thoughts
- Using abbreviations will save time
- Write legibly
After the Lecture
Read through your notes and make them more legible if necessary.
Now, use the recall column. Jot down ideas or key words that give you
the idea of the lecture. You will have to reread the lecturer's ideas
and reflect in your own words. Cover up the right-hand portion of your
notes and recite the general ideas and concepts of the lecture. Overlap
your notes showing only recall columns and you have your review.
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Editing Lecture Notes
There are several good reasons for organizing and reviewing your
notes as soon as possible after the lecture. While the lecture is still
fresh in your mind, you can fill in facts and examples from memory that
you did not have time to write down during the lecture. More over, you
can recall what parts of the lecture were unclear to you so that you can
consult the lecturer, the graduate assistant, a classmate, your text,
or additional readings for further information.
Immediately reviewing notes will result in better retention than
reviewing after a longer period of time. Unless a student reviews within
24 hours after the lecture, or at least before the next, retention will
drop and result in the student relearning the information rather than
reviewing it.
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Constructive Suggestions for Motivation
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Note Taking and In-Class Skills
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Remembering
College students are confronted with two types of memory. The first
and more common is general memory, or remembering the idea without
using the exact words of the book or professor. General memory is called
for in all subjects, however, the arts, social sciences, and literature
probably make the greatest use of this particular kind of remembering.
The other type of memory is the verbatim memorization of words by
which something is expressed. This type of memorization may be called
for in all subjects but especially in law, theatre, science,
engineering, mathematics, and foreign language where the exact wording
of formulas, rules, norms, laws, scripts, or vocabulary must be
remembered.
Below are some tips on how to remember things effectively:
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SQ3R - Reading/Study System
SQ3R is a reading comprehension method named for its five steps:
survey, question, read, recite, and review. Follow the steps below to
learn how to glean as much information as possible from the text
requirements from any class.
Remember: The information you gain from reading is
important. If you just “do it,” without learning something, you’re
wasting a lot of your time. Train your mind to learn while reading with
SQ3R.
SURVEY – Gather the information necessary to focus and formulate goals
- Read the title – Help your mind prepare to receive the subject at hand.
- Read the introduction and/or summary – Orient yourself to how each chapter fits the author's purposes, and focus on the author's statement of most important points.
- Notice each boldface heading and subheading – Organize your mind before you begin to read and build a structure for the thoughts and details to come.
- Notice any graphics – Charts, maps, diagrams, etc. are there to make a point. Don't overlook them.
- Notice reading aids – Italics, bold face print, chapter objective, and end-of -chapter questions are all included to help you sort, comprehend, and remember.
QUESTION – Help your mind engage and concentrate
Turn the boldface heading for each section into as many questions
as you think will be answered in that section. The better the questions,
the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always add
further questions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching
for answers to questions it becomes engaged in learning.
READ - Fill in the information around the mental structures you've been building
Read one section at a time with your questions in mind and look for
the answers. Recognize when you need to make up some new questions.
RECITE - Retrain your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads
After each section, stop and recall your questions and see if you
can answer them from memory. If not, look back at the text again (as
often as necessary), but don't move to the next section until you can
recite the answers from the previous one.
REVIEW - Refine your mental organization and begin building memory
Once you've finished the entire chapter using the preceding steps,
go back over the questions you create for every heading. See if you can
still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory and then
continue.
Strategies for Difficult Questions
Study Environment Analysis
Vocabulary - An Ongoing Process
Developing a vocabulary is an ongoing process that continues
throughout your life. As you grow, your method of learning and adding to
your new vocabulary has slowed. When you were younger you learned
something new day in and day out. You kept squeezing every moment of the
day into a new and different learning situation. You continually asked
questions and drove yourself to learn more. Look at the following
examples:
Writing Papers
Online Study Skills Workshops
Cook Counseling Center provides in depth information on different
topics that will improve several crucial aspects of academic strategy
and knowledge. These Online Study Skills Workshops gives students the
tools they need to study and test better.
Online Study Skills Workshops
