LEARNING AND STUDY STRAGIES for STEM STUDENTS

LEARNING AND STUDY STRAGIESfor STEM STUDENTSThanks to Joe LandsbergerStudy Guides and Strategieshttp://www.studygs.net/AndPenn Sate University Learning CentersBEFORE CLASSBefore class:Do your homework! ReadingProblem solving

Review your notes

Communicate immediately with professors

Focus on the task at hand

Write any objectivesthat come to mind:preparing for an up-coming test, understanding a particular concept, gaining a good foundation on a topic understanding or reviewing the readings

DURING CLASSArrive on time for class. Position yourself in the classroom

Avoid distractions Evaluate as you listen:Listen long enough to be sure you understand what was said before writing. Take NotesAsk clarifying questions (but wait for "breaks" in the instructor's stream).

Review your objective(s)Make a to do list includingTO DO LISTEdit/Summarize/Review your notesAssignmentsInclude references to reading assignmentsreviewing difficult conceptsjoining study groups making appointments with a study palTutorinstructor

Why Should You Take Notes?Maximize your learningDont take notes: Forget 60% in 14 daysTake some notes: Remember 60%Take organized note and then do something with them: Remember 90-100% indefinitely

Dr. Walter Pauk, Cornell University Reading CenterWhats the advantage of Cornell notes?Helps me take organized notes.Helps me identify key words and concepts from lecture or reading.Helps me scan my notes to locate important information.Improved study skills.Improved grades.Problems with taking notesI cant write everything down the teacher says because he/she talks TOO fast!I cant read my notes.The notes I take when I read dont help.I dont know which parts of my notes are most important.I dont see how the notes from lecture match the readings from the book.

Dont be like this guy

.or herCornell NotesNOTESRecord lecture/reading hereConciseAbbreviationsListsSkip space between points

WHEN: During class/readingCUESMain IdeasQuestions that connect pointsDiagramsPrompts to help you studyReference pages in textNotes to myself about actions to takeKey TermsSteps in a solution process

WHEN: After class/during reviewSummarySet up your paperAddress your paper like you normally would any other paper.-Include name, date, and course info-It doesnt need to be perfect, just as close as you can get.

This is for all the perfectionists out there!Helpful hint!Make sure that you have several pages already set up before your instructor begins their lecture to prevent you missing notes that might help you succeed on your tests.Now what?

-Take notes like you normally would on the right side of the vertical line.-Continue to take notes on as many pages as you need until the lecture is complete.After the lecture, go back and give headings to your notes to make it easier to find when you study.Always take notes here.Summarize each section of your notes into only a few wordsRememberYou can take notes in any format you choose, just keep those notes in the large section on the RIGHT side of the vertical line!Some styles of notesOutlineNarrativeSymbolsShort handDraw picturesTips for recording notesUse abbreviationsParaphrase to capture content but simplify writingUse symbolsArrows, circles, underlining, and highlightingInclude graphics when necessarySkip lines between ideasMore recording tipsIdentify words that are unclear.Think about what is being said.Ask questions.Pay attention to class objectives.Make sure your notes are aligned.Become familiar with the speakers styleLook for voice inflections, gestures, etc.

CHEMISTRYEXAMPLEBiology Example

Tips when revisingDevelop study questions and identify main ideas.Fill in details for clarity.Look up definitions of words you dont know.Delete irrelevant information.Add symbols to highlight important points or key words.Write a summary of the significant ideas.

Possible questions:Why dont the ticks usually kill their host?How could tick infestations in cattle impact humans?How do the ticks find the cattle?This is the balanced equation for the chemical reaction of photosynthesis

= light

Carbon dioxide and water react with light to make glucose (sugar) and oxygen.

Pigments are proteins. (Just like in Ch. 3) Chlorophyll absorbs the light in photosystems.

Plants are green because green light is not absorbed, its reflected!

Find out what the other pigments are!

PHOTOSYNTHESIS:

6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2

How do plants capture the sunlight?Chlorophyll is a molec. in chloroplasts. Chlphyll is a pigment. two main types are chlphyll a and chlphyll bother pigments are ________________?chlphyll in plants absorbs the red and blue wavelengths of very well, but not the green areas.

Chlorophyll is located in the thylakoid: it contains light collecting photosystems that hold the chlorophyll.

Many thyklakoid membranes make up the granum.

The fluid interior is called the stroma.Reduce ideas and facts toconcise jottings and summaries as cues for Record the lecture as fully and as Reciting, Reviewing, meaningfully as possible.and Reflecting.

Carbon dioxide, water and light are needed to make sugar. The light has to be absorbed first, the chlorophyll pigments absorb light. The chlorophyll is a membrane protein. They are found in the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast. Other parts of the chloroplast are the stroma and the granum (a stack of thylakoids).

Step 3: ReciteCover the note taking column (right side) with a sheet of paper. Then, looking at the key points or questions of the left of the paper, say aloud, in your own words, the answers to the questions, facts, or ideas indicated by those key points or questions.

NOW YOURE STUDYING!

Step 4: ReflectReflect on the material by asking yourself questions, for example: -Whats the significance of these facts? -What principles are these based on?-How can I apply them? -How do they fit in with what I already know?-Whats beyond them?Step 5: ReviewReview frequently. If you do, youll retain a great deal for current use, as well as, for the exam.

Whether you want this?OR

ThisIts up to you!READING ASSIGNMENTSPre-ReadingReview the assignment in the syllabus and any handouts (1-2 minutes)

Survey the chapter (5-10 minutes)for how the content is organized; get the "big pictureMajor conceptsIntroduction/summaryVocabulary Key termsGraphics

Check out the Media

READING ASSIGNMENTS1st Readingread and get a good idea of the material: what you understand, and what you do notRead sentences, paragraphs and short passages with 1-second pauses.

Look back and forth between words and related graphicsask yourself if you are "on track" to understandingVary your study activity

READING ASSIGNMENTS2nd ReadingMark or highlight what you think is importantMemorization?Note New vocabularyCreate your own visual pictures or images, or concept mapsCreate sensory cuesRead a passage aloud Work out your own explanationsMark passages with a question markWORK the example problemsREADING ASSIGNMENTSREVIEW your notes for:Review before any test Memorization Exercises or problems to completeLabs, experiments, future lectures, etc. Still having difficulty?CD/Video/WebsiteOther textStudy GroupTutoring Serviceshttp://sciencecenteratspscc.weebly.com/