Power Learning Strategies Summary

Applying Feldman’s Power Learning strategies, evaluate the best ways to prepare for taking a test and analyze what specific strategies you would use to answer multiple choice questions and essay questions.

Examination preparation is a way to get students ready for that time when examinations come around. To be successful in this preparation the students should have a strategy when preparing and even during the examination. Before the exam, students should have a proper organization of all notes and fill in any missing information. This is an opportunity to absorb all the information which will be easier for when examination time has approached. There is a strategy that was introduced by Robert S. Feldman, called P.O.W.E.R. Learning which he felt that will help students to have a better college life by using these strategies because he, himself, knew how difficult it was for him when he attended college. P.O.W.E.R. Learning is the five key steps to achieving success. P.O.W.E.R. stands for Prepare, Organise, Work, Evaluate and Rethink. It is a simple but effective framework that will increase your chances of success at any task, whether it’s writing an essay or buying groceries. It serves as a strategy for accomplishing what you want. P.O.W.E.R. Learning can be used for all types of examinations, such as
essays, multiple choice questions, true-false, matching, short answer and even fill in the blanks. The types of examination that will be focused on are multiple choice and essay questions when preparing and when answering these questions. When preparing for a multiple choice exam, a strategy that may help students is for them to pay attention to the broad knowledge of the different topics.
When studying students have to pay close attention to the details and it is also very important to jot down important terms and definitions on flash cards so it will be easier to revise. In this Business Administration degree, the examinations are essay type, so there is no need to prepare for multiple choice questions, but I have used this strategy when I was writing examinations in college. I also looked at past papers and follow the pattern of questions because sometimes the questions repeated
themselves. As for essay questions, students should know all details about the topics and how they are connected and when it is applicable. The strategy best used includes four steps. Firstly organise all notes from class and ones that were made on your own and then highlight notes that you think is important. Next think of questions that are most likely to come for the exam by using keywords from the notes. Third step answer questions without looking at the notes and readings, also writing an essay outline to different questions can be very helpful. Last step when the questions were answered, check over with the notes and make any changes if necessary. When I’m preparing to write essay, I usually use my notes and reading and write an essay outline. Then include the points I may have missed out, so that certain strategy can be helpful. During a multiple choice examination, answering these questions can be tricky so it’s best to have a certain strategy. First read the question and try to answer without looking at the options. Then read through the options and look for keywords that may help you choice the correct option. Also educated guessing strategy can be used where it is the practice of eliminating obviously false multiple choice answers and selecting the most likely answer from the remaining choices. In my course, the examinations are all essay type questions, no multiple choice type but I did have I think the above strategies will be useful instead of just guessing a random answer. In answering essay type questions, read the question properly and make sure you understand what is being asked of you. Pay attention to the keywords called action words such as compare, contrast, define, and outline and others. Also students should use the right language in essays, right to the point. In essays, examples are very important; it shows a better understanding of the knowledge by showing that is applicable. I have used this strategy in my essay writing and I have also used the essay outline so that will save time when the actual essay has to be written. The strategies above for both preparing and when answering multiple choice questions and essay questions, can be very useful and can also save time and also students can be successful in examinations when they have a strategy. Without a strategy, students will be disorganized and may not be as successful as they will like to be.