Best Methods of Study

Vivian Nguyen

BEST METHODS OF STUDY

Chapter 1: The Importance of Efficiency

• Inefficiency is due to carelessness and ineffective habits of study

• It is not all about being quick just to get the job done, it is about using effective methods to help you understand and remember what you are studying

o Use reference materials

o Use helpful hints when studying a particular subject

• Learn all the subjects you study-quickly, thoroughly

• Do everything with efficiency

o Efficiency: doing things on time, in the way that is best for you

o To do this, you must check up on your daily habits of study, plan ahead and select useful suggestions for experimental application

▪ Make up a schedule for studying, discipline yourself to follow this

▪ Set up a comfy place to do your work

▪ Concentrate and stay focused

▪ Keep up with daily assignments

▪ Focus on one thing at a time

▪ Keep yourself busy, no daydreaming

Chapter 2: Reading

• 3 types:

o Quick reference: Obtain info, to answer questions, follow directions

o Study: Master ideas and organize, interpret, and evaluate facts

o Aesthetic : For enjoyment and appreciation

• Preparation

o To improve efficiency on these types of reading, develop a plan and carefully decide what to read. Set aside time and avoid distractions

• Efficiency in reading

o Speed and comprehension are two most important factors in being efficient

• Speed of reading

o Being speedy helps you cover more stuff, and gives you extra time to go over the material again

o Speed comes with practice

o Speed is not important in all cases though; use good judgment in adapting speed to the kind of book you are reading

o Some texts that you read might require more reflection or analysis, or the level of difficulty is much higher and requires more time

• Reviews

o Analyze the topic before reading it

o Do a quick review on the knowledge you have of the topic

• Careful study

• Summarize what you read

o Restate the ideas in your own words to increase understanding

o Digest the material and go over parts you like best/or don’t like at all

o Re-reading is helpful

• Self correction

o Test yourself on what you read

o Ask questions, and verify answers w/in text

o Correct mistakes and learn from them

• Memory

o To remember ideas, you must understand them clearly

o See its significance, be interested in it, give it your attention, relate to it

• Persistence

o Sometimes the things you read aren’t interesting but you have to get through it by connecting with the material to make it more interesting

• Mechanics of reading

o Read the titles and topical headings to give you the main idea

• The introduction

o Intros give you a general overview of what the book is going to be about and gives you hints on the best way to use the book and how much you expect to get out of it.

• Index

o Is located in the back of the book used as a reference

o Numbers refer to the pates but also in some cases, paragraph number

• Illustrations, chars, maps, diagrams

o Visuals are important, full of description so it is important to go over them and learn how to interpret them

• References and questions

o Make use of the references given and answer all the questions listed b/c they will help later on

• Appendixes

o Full of supplementary, explanatory, informative nature; be sure to refer to this when studying the subject

• Glossaries

o This section is for looking up terms you don’t know and gives you the page number to look it up in the text itself

o And if that is still not helpful, look the term up in a dictionary or encyclopedia. And apply in discussions/writing

Chapter 3: Underlining

• Underline weak spots

o If you aren’t sure whether or not you have mastered the material, insufficient review

• Underline key facts

o Main points you want to remember

• Underline doubtful statements

o Put a question mark near the passage you disbelieve or cannot understand and underline it so that you know to go back to it later

• Underline passages to review

o Select points you want to review later and

• Underline special passages

o Double line important passages that you think you will need for future references

• Analyze underlined sections, criticize, evaluate , and apply to own ideas

Chapter 4: Note Taking

• It is important to take notes when you read or are listening in class

• Write down main ideas

• When listening to lecture, observe the emphasis made on repetition of points

• Pre-read the topic before lecture and check notes after lecture

• Using a notebook/notecards can be helpful

• Organize notes

• Be brief but clear about you write so that you can go back to your notes afterwards

• Explain ideas in your own words and abbreviate when you feel comfortable

• Don’t forget to review your notes, hence your note taking

Chapter 5: Outlining

• Outlines are brief summaries of entire subjects

• Stick with one system of outlining

• The length depends on the subject

• Distinguish the major and minor points and arrange them that way

• Make subdivisions when applicable

Chapter 6: Reviewing

• Reviewing is necessary to retain all the info and make your studying worthwhile

• Review immediately after learning the material, and review at frequent intervals

• When doing so, understand everything and relate one point to another, plan reviews carefully

• Test yourself

• Put emphasis on weak spots

• Test your knowledge about the topic before studying it

• Write down main questions you have, and list points you have previously learned about the subject

• Outlining is also helpful in study

• Use review books

Chapter 7: Writing

• In everything important you write, consider:

o Purposes you have in mind,

o Types of reader for whom you write

o Logical or psychological arrangement of material

o Elimination of unnecessary or confusing words and items, inclusion of all essentials

o Corrections and revisions, especially as to the choice of the best possible phrases and vocab and

o Standards of accuracy, fair-mindedness, and neatness

• Essays, articles, theme papers

o Include subject in first paragraph

o Show variety for sentence structure

o Follow outline

o Quote sources

o Go back and revise work

• Hints for exams

o Read and follow directions carefully

o Look through the whole test and note parts that are difficult

o Do easy parts first, re-read questions

o Try not to guess, and write clearly, pace yourself

• In research documents

o Figure out whether or not you can find enough information on that subject

o Pick a topic that you are enthusiastic about

o Find other books and sources that are credible

o And analyze them critically

Chapter 8: The Library

• 80% of learning involves reading

• Use libraries as they are offered to you, there are so many references and sources available to you and you should make use of them and they will help improve your education

• If you are looking for a specific book, ask a librarian or look it up on the catalog and it will tell you the exact destination of what you are looking for

Chapter 9: study of English

• To write well, you need to be able to organize your thoughts

• Choose a topic you feel strongly about and have a lot to say and jot down ideas

• Brainstorm and begin outlining those ideas

• Write about topics you think would be interesting to readers

• Compare your own work with others to learn what you should/should not do

• Practice spontaneity, so that you can prepared to write about anything that is thrown at you, especially for in class essays which are timed

• Analyze a well-written essay. Look at:

o Choice of words

o Variations in sentence structure

o Flow of ideas

o Phrases that make the paragraph effective

• Write often, practice makes perfect

• Follow an outline

• Develop your own style of writing

• Every paragraph should relate to the main idea

• Choose words carefully, no repetition, now is the time to use your new vocab

• Be careful of your grammar and punctuation

• English literature

• When reading lit, analyze the style and literary qualities, like the mood and different characters and how you could apply it to your own life.

Chapter 10: Punctuation

• A mark of a punctuation is a conventional symbol with a definite meaning, just as a written word is a symbol with a definite meaning

• Punctuation is important to good writing because it gives the reader certain meanings which cant be stated by word symbols

• Each mark has one meaning

• Capital letter, period, question mark, exclamation mark, sentence fragments, dashes, parentheses, brackets, three dots, hyphen, apostrophe

• Comma: pauses, or used to list

• Semicolon: middle of a compound sentence

• You will learn all the symbols as you write more and learn in your English classes

Chapter 11: Study of Fine Arts

• Include: architecture, music, painting poetry, culture, drama, dancing

• Express creativity and appeal to our senses of beauty

• Spontaneity: express yourself as best as you can

• Art has rules and techniques you need to follow

• Don’t become discouraged, you need to be patient

• Be sincere in your performance, express your real emotions

• Rhythm and coordination are important

• Participate in group activities

• Practice in the right way, form correct habits and achieve superior results

Chapter 12: Study of Foreign Languages

• Appreciate the language and be able to use its rhythm and swing of phrases

• Think in terms of the language and giving the words correct emphasis and speed of delivery

• Grasp the meanings of sentences as wholes without having to dissect or analyze each word without translation

• Accent, swing, pitch, tone need to become habitual in order to improve

• Reading, writing, listening, thinking about the language will help master the language

• You must think and feel in terms of the language you are studying. That way, it becomes natural to you and makes you feel more comfortable using it more often

• Read about the material you already know in the foreign language so that you can search for meanings when you come across something you don’t understand

• Conversing with people who speak that language is also helpful, so that you can practice speaking and get better at it

• Repetition and abundant reading are important

Chapter 13: Mathematics

• Math: Science dealing with number and space processes

o Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, differential and integral calculus

• The more intricate the level of math is, the less important it is to us it may seem

• Reviewing arithmetic, test yourself and go over problems that you have trouble with and keep practicing

• Algebra: practice until you become an expert

• Examine facts, determine required points, find equations that are useful

• Geometry

• Review principles and draw all sorts of figures, numbers, letters, angles and lines to help you picture every step and point of a theorem or problem

• To solve geometric problems, analyze the facts given, terms used, and the significance and meaning of each term, and what needs to be proved

Chapter 14: Philosophy, Religion, Psychology

• Philosophy: ideas of man about the world as a whole and about the fundamental problems of human life

o Restate ideas in your own words

o Review ideas that you aren’t quite sure about

o Construct outlines, draw diagrams, criticize and make up your mind, write your reactions

o Consult encyclopedias, theses, journals or other reference works

• Psychology

• Analyze and write about psychological laws and theories in your own words and revise your summaries using the terminology of the science

• Discuss physiological problems with other students and write your reactions to the view of each school of though in connection with the other topics of the subject

• Construct notes and outlines, review them frequently, build new ideas on them

• Consult other sources of info for further research and understanding

Chapter 15: Biological Sciences

• Science is the study of the environment, especially in its relation to man and nature

• Based on: observation, logical reasoning, experimentation, definite laws, principles, experience

• Scientific method: define problem, hypothesis, tries out theories under controlled conditions, observe, record, and interpret results, conclusion

• The best way to learn to appreciate and understand the scientific method is to practice it until it becomes habitual

• Do the work neatly, quickly, and accurately, closely observing and recording facts, conditions, causes and results

• Know the reason for every action in the experiment, taking no step until you understand the purpose

• Keep a systematic, continuous record of your experiments, reading, and principles together with observations and reactions

• Analyze the significance of every conclusion

Chapter 16: Social Sciences

• Facts, conditions, problems, and customs of groups of men or human beings in social relationships

• Economics: deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth, and with the practical conditions of life

o Study all points of view including the extremes of conservatism and radicalism

o Draw diagrams and construct outlines

• Government:

o Use both the historical and the problem approach in study of gov

o Note the changing views on political questions throughout the decades and the changing conditions of life during such period of history

o Draw comparisons and contrast between present and past problems of local and national government

o Study the different systems of government and philosophies of government

• History: concentrate on major movements and their chief causes and effects and be able to connect dates and other factual material with important trends

o Use outlines and supplements as needed

o Take notes

• Geography

o Study concepts and do compare and contrast charts with physical characteristics and various localities and countries

• Sociology: deals with the principles underlying the development of human society with customs, institutions, conflicts and problems of men considered in their group relationships

o Summarize chief points of agreement and disagreement and state your own opinions

o Construct outline of major ideas

Chapter 17: Visual Aids

• Save you time and effort and enrich your education

• Maps include: physical, political, economic, statistical, historical-gives mental geographical location

• Graphs, bar chart, line graph are used for numerical data for conveying statistical information

• Diagrams give you a visual as well; it depends on the context and the description that is given in relation to the text. It is up to you to make use of these visuals so that it can give you a better understanding of the subject you are learning about