Effective Study Essay

Effective learning depends upon good study skills, but â€Å"Many students – – both traditional and nontraditional – – entering college have few, if any practical study skills.† ( Huber, 1994, 29) Good study skills do not simply occur; they must first be learned and then applied consistently. Efficient study strategies include a preset time, a desirable place, and a well-designed plan for study. A Time for Study Many of us think we have more to do than we have time to do, and studying gets shortchanged. It is important to prepare a schedule of daily activities that include time slots for doing the studying you have to do. Within each study slot, write the specific study activity; for example, â€Å" Red Unit 6 In Modern Writing, answer Questions 1-10.† Keep the schedule flexible so that it can be modified if you meet your study goals early- – or late. A Place to Study Choose the best place to study and use the same each time each day. Doing so will help to put you in a study mood when you enter that place. Choose a place that has the fewest distractions: people traffic, conversation, telephone, TV, and outside noises. Usually study is the best done alone in the absence of sights and sounds that distract the eye and ear. Force the mind to focus intently on the study task. (Silver, 1992, 26) A Plan for Study Research on the effects of specific study skills on student performance suggests that the following study tactics help to improve academic performance. (Dansereau, 1985, 39) 1. Skim a unit or a chapter, nothing headings, topic sentences, keys words, and definitions to clue you to what you are going to study. 2. As you need the material, convert the headings into questions; then seek answers to those questions as you need 3. If you own the book, use color marked to highlight important ideas: heading, topic sentences, special terms, definitions and supporting facts. Otherwise, make notes of these ideas. 4. After reading the material, review the highlighted items( on your notes that contain them) 5. Using the heading stated as questions, see if you can answer those questions based on your reading. 6. Test yourself to see if you recall definitions of important terms and list of supporting fact on ideas. A high correction exists between good study habits and good grades for courses taken in high school. REFERENCES Dansereau, D.J. â€Å"Learning Strategy Research.† Thinking and Learning Skills. Vol. 1. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erllaum, 1985 Huber, Rose. â€Å" Teaching Students How to Study.† Eastside Weekend. September 1-7, 1994 Silver, Theodore. Study Smart. New York: Villard Books, 1992