U NIT 3 S EMINAR Studying and Learning: How to Do It Better Kaplan University Professor Gentius

U NDERSTANDING M EMORY  IT IS OKAY! Everyone Remembers AND Forgets Things!  Forgetting is not a bad thing! Why?  Our Senses Help Us Take In Information  With Very Little Effort, You Can Remember Some Information  With Rehearsal (Study), You Can Remember a Great Deal of Information  Without Study, Information Is Forgotten  Information Needs to Be “Filed”  Information Must Have a Retrieval System

T YPES OF M EMORY Sensory: Storage of information gathered from and related to the 5 senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight. Very short-term; easily forgotten. Working(or Short-Term): Storage of information for a short period of time; 5-9 facts or pieces of information at once. Long-Term: Storage of information that is used often, seen often, heard often; special effort to retain information.

Y OUR S TUDY E NVIRONMENT For Discussion… What is your favorite “study environment?” If you have one, why does it work well for you? If you don't have one, what do you think your ideal study environment would/should be? Does it make a difference for you?

V ISUALIZATION What is “Visualization?” 1. formation of mental visual images 2. the act or process of interpreting in visual terms or of putting into visible form -Source: How does visualizing help solidify information into long-term memory? What are some ways you can incorporate visualization into your studies?

M NEMONICS Definition of MNEMONIC 1. assisting or intended to assist memory; also : of or relating to mnemonics 2. of or relating to memory -Source: Mnemonic: any device for aiding the memory. Named for Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory in Greek mythology, mnemonics are also called memoria technica (Latin: “memory technique”). The principle is to create in the mind an artificial structure that incorporates unfamiliar ideas or, especially, a series of dissociated ideas that by themselves are difficult to remember. Ideally, the structure is designed so that its parts are mutually suggestive....memory MnemosyneGreek mythologymind –Source: What are some mnemonic devices, and how can they help you study?

D ON ’ T M EMORIZE... K NOW OR L EARN ! Make an effort to know or learn information – make it a part of your life, relate it to real life situations. If you memorize, you likely forget it after you need it. E.g., memorizing for a test and then forgetting it a day after the test. If you know or learn the information, you will have it in long-term memory.

VCR Y OUR VCR-3 M EMORY T RICK  V  V = Visualizing: create word pictures in your mind  C  C = Concentrating: focus on committing it to long-term memory  R  R = Relating: associate with what you know already  R  R = Repeating: repetition and rehearsal  R  R = Reviewing: using and seeing the information again and again

M EMORY H ELPERS  Proper sleep  Proper nutrition / diet  Exercise  Mental exercises such as crossword puzzles, brain teasers, name games, etc.  A positive mindset  The proper environment  Scheduled study breaks  Repetition and visualization

M EMORY H INDRANCES Procrastination Internal and external distractions Alcohol Drugs Stress – too much on your mind Closed mindedness (tuning out things you don’t like) Inability to distinguish important facts from unimportant facts Lack of focus or concentration

H OW C AN I O WN THE M ATERIAL ? Owning: making a personal commitment to using the information in your life  Can I relate x to y?  Can I illustrate how x does y?  Can I compare and contrast x to y?  Can I apply x to y in the real world?  Can I distinguish x from y?  Can I define, identify, name and describe x?  Can I solve the problem of x?  Can I re-arrange x to make it work with y?  Can I support the theory of x and y?  Can I defend my knowledge of x or y?

S TRATEGIES  SQ3R Method › Survey: quick scan; look ahead in chapter, headings › Question: develop questions from the headings; 4Ws › Read: the information; highlight; paraphrase › Recite: tell the story; what did you grasp? › Review: verify and tell it again  Mnemonic Devices › Jingles, Sentences, Words, Story Lines, Acronyms,  Cooperative Learning: With Others › Questioning, Comparing, Drilling, Brainstorming, Sharing, Mapping

S TUDYING WITH S MALL C H OME ? P OSSIBLE ?  Study at school/library (even 30 minutes of pure study time is proven to be better than 5 hours with distractions)  If at home, have crafts and hobbies available for them  Study with your children- their home work  Rent movies or let children watch educational TV shows  Invite your child’s friend over  Hire a sitter  Study after bed time

S TUDY G ROUPS Does a classmate live nearby? Maybe meet them for coffee or create a study group. Community Center tab on your KU Campus Homepage. Click “My Community” and you will find valuable resources about for Legal Studies Students. Cyber Café within the classroom.

S TUDYING IN A CRUNCH  De-compressurize: Admit to Yourself!  No “blame game” here  Know what to study  Read it quick with H2FLIB  read HEADINGS, HIGHLIGHTS, FIRST SENTENCE, LAST SENTENCE, INDENTED, BOXED materials  Make connections  Use your study guide  Visualize your material  Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!  Choose wisely