Sherfield and Moody Cornerstones Topic: Study

Did You Know… If your brain was fed ten new pieces of information every second for the rest of your life, you would not even fill half of your memory capacity? … so, how do we tap into our amazing memories?

Facts about Memory Everyone remembers and forgets info. Your senses take in info. With little effort you can remember some info. With rehearsal (study) you can remember more Without use, info. is forgotten Filing incoming info. correctly will help retain it Stored info. must have a retrieval method Mnemonics, repetition, association, and rehearsal will help with storage and retrieval

Sensory Memory Information gathered from five senses Huge capacity Short duration – 1 to 3 seconds Concentrating on info. in sensory memory will move it to your short-term memory

Short-term Memory Also called “working memory” Holds information for short period of time Holds limited amount of information Five to nine separate pieces or facts Rehearing information in STM will move it to your long-term memory

Long-Term Memory Huge capacity: Like a computer disk with many files Info. you have heard or seen often Info. you use often Info. you have deemed necessary or important Like a computer disk with many files Effort and memory techniques will help you store anything you want to remember

VCR3 Memory Technique V – Visualizing C – Concentrating R – Relating R – Repeating R – Reviewing

Memorizing v. Owning Info. Memorizing something is short-lived Owning is making a commitment to truly knowing the information and to making it a part of your life

Mnemonics Mnemosyne – Greek Goddess of Memory Memory techniques/tricks for storage/retrieval “bizarreness effect” helps with memory

Types of Mnemonics Jingles/rhymes Sentences Words ABC’s Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally Words HOMES

Types of Mnemonics Story lines Acronyms Pegging Weave details into a creative story Acronyms SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) Pegging Attaching new info. to old pegs

Avoid Cramming Study each day to avoid last-minute stress Form a study group with motivated students Keep up with daily reading and homework

Studying in a Crunch Depressurize Know the score Read it quick – H2FLIB Make connections Use your syllabus/study guide See it Check your notes Choose wisely

ReducingTest Anxiety Control negative self-talk Study daily and overlearn the material Arrive early and prepared for test Jot down your mnemonics right away Read instructions and entire test carefully Answer questions you know first

Be Testwise! What types and how many questions? What chapters/sections will be covered? Is there a time limit? Are there any special instructions? Is there a study sheet? Is there a review session? What is the grade value of the test?

Types of Responses Quick-time response: you immediately know the answer, so respond Lag-time response: move on and the answer may come to you later No response: move on and make an intelligent guess later

Common Question Types Matching True-False Multiple-Choice Short Answer – writing skills a factor Essay – writing skills a factor

Topic Reflections Study hardest material first Review lecture and textbook notes frequently Use mnemonics Learn using a variety of techniques Be “testwise” Review entire test before beginning Ignore pace of classmates Be aware of the time while testing