1. A Presentation borrowed from ABBAS HUSAIN
Study Skills
A Presentation borrowed from
ABBAS HUSAIN

2. The ordinary mind exists well; The organized mind lives well
The ordinary mind exists well; The organized mind lives well Samuel Smith

3. There’s not an easy way to get an A
You need to learn effective study skills and time management skills
The following guidelines will give you suggestions to make you a better student

4. THE FIVE MAJOR MISCONCEPTIONS
Hard work automatically gets one an A Grade
You need not worry about your health if you want to be a good student
Excessive note-taking guarantees an A grade

5. THE FIVE MAJOR MISCONCEPTIONS
Just attending classes is enough
Just reading the prescribed textbooks is enough

6. NOT!!! Study hard and smart Aim not for perfection but excellence

7. Time Management

8. Examine how you currently spend your time on a given day

9. Sleeping Eating Relaxing Working Exercising Commuting Studying Family
CATEGORY MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN TOTAL
Sleeping
Eating
Relaxing
Working
Exercising
Commuting
Studying
Family
Class Time
Self Time
TOTAL

10. Identify blocks of time to study (determine how much of your time is committed to other activities and how much time you need to study)

11. Sleeping Sleeping Eating Eating Relaxing Relaxing Working Working
Mark the areas you spend too
little time
Sleeping
Eating
Relaxing
Working
Exercising
Commuting
Studying
Family
Class Time
Self Time
Mark the areas you spend too much time
Sleeping
Eating
Relaxing
Working
Exercising
Commuting
Studying
Family
Class Time
Self Time

12. How do you feel about your overall use of time?
What changes do you want to make in your use of time?
How do you plan to change your use of time?
How many hours of study time do you spend for each hour you are in class? How will you manage your time to bring it up to where it should be?

13. Most people need an average of 2 hours study time for every hour of class per week (3 credit class=6 hours per week studying)

14. Make to-do lists
Prioritize tasks

15. Study Breaks! Don’t expect to get everything done in one sitting
Take 10 minutes every hour or so-get a cup of coffee, walk around, make a quick phone call, check
Make sure this doesn’t turn into procrastination!

16. Switch subjects every few hours
Tackle difficult assignments first
Make mini-deadlines (if something is due in a month, have a draft due 2 weeks before)
Learn to handle procrastination
DON’T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE!!!

17. CHECKPOINT: What is the best way to study?
A. Work on one assignment until it is done
B. Switch subjects and take periodic study breaks
There is not right answer-this depends on the topic and your level of interest, as well as when it needs to be completed. Try to switch subjects as a rule to keep your motivation high!!!

18. 11 ESCAPE IN CRASH
The following extract is a complete newspaper story. Many of the words have been left out, yet the sense of the original is still retained. Try to answer the comprehension questions that follow the story.

19. 11 Escape in Crash
ELEVEN_______________lucky_________________________________ landing_______________ Maredy _____Wednesday. ______________________ Cessna ________________damaged _______________________
_____________________ survived without_____________ injury.
____________________ scheduled ______Wye _____Rambak, _____________________director _______________yesterday____ investigator____________________safety department _____already ____________________ determine_______________________.

20. What crashed?
How many passengers were there?
Were they hurt?
Where were they going?
What did the Director of the Civil Aviation Authority say yesterday?
When is the investigator going?
Why

21. 11 Escape in Crash
ELEVEN passengers had a lucky escape when their light aircraft crashed on landing at a remote strip in Maredy on Wednesday. The plane, a Broadens Airways Cessna 206, was extensively damaged – but the eleven passengers, including the pilot, survived without a single serious injury.
The plane was on a scheduled flight from Wye to Rambak, where it crashed. Civil Aviation director Mr Steven Woods said yesterday an investigator from
the air safety department had
already flown into the area to determine the cause of the crash.

22. Speed Reading
Prime
Peek
Peruse
Participate
Prudent
Post mortem.

23. PRIME Why am I reading this? What do I want to discover from it?
What do I know about the subject?
What do I know about the author?

24. PEEK Our cursory peek might include finding out whether there is:
a table of contents, footnotes, an index, an index of tables
headings and subheadings
introductions and conclusions
As well as:
how the book is arranged
what the blurb on the front and back claims

25. PERUSE What is the style of the book like?
Are there key words or concepts which keep coming up?
Are the sections highlighted at the peek stage the right ones?
Is there any technical terminology? Where is it?

26. PARTICIPATE
Now is the time for real reading, though even at this stage we don't want to waste our time on every word.

27. Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph and possibly the first and last paragraph of those chapters that are identified as useful

28. PRUDENT
Having marked those areas which contain the items which are of interest to us, we can now speed read them

29. POST MORTEM This final part of the process looks at
how the reading was done, rather than the content of the book.
What worked, what helped and where was time or comprehension lost?

30. WHAT TO INCLUDE IN NOTES
Main points
Definitions
Theories
Formulas
Lists
Page references
Important Dates
Anything noted as “important to know, keep in mind for exam”
Important people
Anything spelled out
Charts

31. Reading Assignments
Avoid over-highlighting-while it may look like you read the material, it may be harder to remember the information
Write notes in margin of book
Pre-read: read major headings, first paragraph, and chapter summaries first. Read for understanding.

32. CHECKPOINT: What does NOT have to be included in lecture notes?
Important dates
Definitions
Exact sentences
Theories
ANSWER: exact sentences

33. NOTE-TAKING

34. NOTE-TAKING Golden Rule
Don’t expect to write every word of the professor’s lecture down!
Need to prepare for notes before class and review notes after class

35. NOTE TAKING Use key words and NEVER write sentences as notes
Use Index cards for reviewing
Categorize cards by subject
Carry and use them whenever possible

36. NOTE TAKING Use maximum number of senses
Read aloud on your tape-recorder (eyes)
Listen to these tapes (ears)
Review ASAP to see that you understand them!

37. Trigger charts

38. Trigger charts Putting information into brain
Makes it easier to recall information
Uses colours, patterns, shapes, free-flow
Used for preparing notes effectively

39. Trigger charts Planning essays and exam answers
Preparing oral work or speeches
Taking notes
Summarizing lots of information
Planning projects, events, etc.

40. Trigger charting method
Decide what the topic is
Print topic in center of page
Use different colour for each group of ideas (branches/stems)

41. Trigger charting method
Attach related ideas to main branch with same colour
Uses images, shapes, pictures to make it more creative
Remember no one else need to understand
It only has to make sense to you

42. Another example of trigger charts

43. AND LASTLY… You must not only study to make a living…
You must also study to live a life!

44. All exams are a measure of your performance… not of yourself.
No matter what grade you get, know that if you have done your best, that is all there is to it.

45. IN CLOSING
Everybody looks at the door that bangs shut… few notice another door opening silently, elsewhere….
GOOD LUCK!

46. Teachers’ Development Centre
ABBAS HUSAIN
Director
Teachers’ Development Centre
129-G Block 2 PECHS Karachi 75400
Tel: /