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Study Skills

Taking Notes

  1. Why take notes?
    • Output just as important as input
    • To transfer information from short-term to long-term memory, it has to be reviewed
  2. Using the right tools
    • Computer vs. paper
      • Research on effectiveness of each
        1. Princeton study results
        2. Syntax vs. Meaning
      • How to use a computer without the downsides
        1. Acknowledging working memory constraints
        2. Using apps to block distractions
  3. What to focus on when taking notes
    • Gauge each class early on
      • look at the syllabus
      • pay attention to any study guides or review materials
      • make mental notes about different types if questions on tests
    • Things to focus on
      • "This is important" - verbal cues from the lecturer
      • Big ideas - summaries, overviews, or conclusion
      • Bullet lists
      • Highlighted items
      • Headings
      • Terms and definitions
      • Examples
        1. Very important especialy when applying concepts and formulas to problems, E.g. Math, Physics, Programming
  4. Note-Taking systems
    • Cornell Note-Taking System
      • Created by Walter Pauk at Cornell University and detailed in How to Study in College
      • Three sections
        1. Cue column
          • Write down questions that weren't answered or prompts for later review based on your notes
        2. Notes column
          • Take notes here normally during lecture using any other method (outline method is most likely)
        3. Summary column
          • Use this area to briefly summarize the lecture content right after class
      • Purpose of Cornell Notes: Cut down on your study time later on though creating cues and forcing you to recall big ideas early through summarization
    • Outline Method
      • Nested bullet list
      • Benefits
        1. Makes it easy to create a chronological record of the lecture
        2. Higher-level ideas are visually separated from small details through nesting
      • Drawbacks
        1. Not very flexible
        2. Hard to make really important things stand out
        3. Hard to connect concepts together
    • Mind Mapping Methods
      • Creates a very visual, branching map of all the details in a concept
      • Benefits
        1. Flexible, easy to draw pictures, diagrams, etc
        2. Create for brainstorming
      • Drawbacks
        1. Messy method that fills paper and makes it hard to record things in great details
        2. Not as easy to search on later

Reading Assignments

  1. How do you know what reading actually do?
    • Assigned Readings
      • Main Textbooks
      • Supplemental Readings
        1. Arguments
        2. Description
        3. Context
  2. Boost reading speed
    • Eye
      • Periphery
      • Parafovea
      • fovea
        1. Saccade
        2. Fixation
        3. Regression
    • Working Memory
      • 4 chucks
        1. Pause frequently when reading
    • Speed Reading Techniques (They said its ineffective)
      • increase amount of text to process during each fixation
      • eliminate subvocalization (reads aloud in your head when you read silently)
    • Practice
    • Pseudo-skimming technique
      • keeping an eye with main ideas
      • vocabulary terms
      • first and last sentence of each paragraph
      • boldings, italics or other formattings
  3. How to Remember More
    • Highlighting
      • Remember: it's easy to mistake recognition with true recall
    • Two Ways to remember
      • Recall it
      • Recognize it
    • Morse code method
      • using standardized sequences of short and long marks or pulses
      • "dots" and "dashes"
    • Active Reading
      • SQ3R - Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review
        1. Survey
          • Pre-reading
          • skim the whole thing quickly
          • overview
          • headings
          • review questions
        2. Question
          • write questions that comes to mind before reading
          • to prime your brain to pick the most important bits
        3. Read
          • catch all word from taking notes or
          • summarizing what you read
        4. Recite
        5. Review
      • SCAR - Stop Complaining And Read

Memory

  1. Sensory Memory
    • Processes pretty much everything your senses detect or experience in the real world
    • Has the attention span of a five-year-old at the DMV; most of what it takes in is lost almost immediately
    • What does stick moves into short-term or working memory
      • working memory can only handle 4-7 bits of items of information at a time
  2. Why we forget things

Remembering Information

  • Repetition
    • through writing
    • through speaking
  • Mnemonics
    • device or code to assist memory
    • can be a song, sentence, or set of words
    1. Acronyms
      • combination of parts of words
      • initialisms
      • may include numbers
      • PINA:
        • Prenatal
        • Infancy
        • Neonatal
        • Adolescence
      • 5W's 1H:
        • Who
        • What
        • When
        • Where
        • Why
        • How
      • IdEgSu:
        • Id
        • Ego
        • Superego
    2. Abbreviations
      • Latin "brevis" means shorts
      • represents a longer term or word
      • e.g. = exempli gratia (for example)
      • i.e. = id est (that is)
    3. Pegwords
      • rhyme of numbers and words
      • build associations numbers
      • may also be used as codes
    4. Keywords
      • familiars words to learn new terms or definitions
      • clues or hints to remember
    5. Rhymes
      • words with similar sounds
      • usually a poem, song, or jingle
    6. Graphic Organizers
      • visual representations of organized information
  • Highlighting
    • emphasize important information in the text
    • Double Lines for Important Ideas
    • Single Line for Details
    • Different Line for Main-Idea Sentence
  • Note Taking
    • jotting down pieces of information
    • systematic
    • separate sheets
    • condense ideas
    1. SQ3R Method (Rowntree)
      • Survey
      • Question
      • Read
      • Recall
      • Review
    2. PQ5R Method textbooks
      • Preview
      • Question
      • Read (Stop&Go)
      • Record (Flag)
      • Recite
      • Review
      • Reflect
    3. Anotating
      • includes underlining and notations: selection of salient points beyond marks plus written comments, questions, and keywords
      • Anotations:
        • Comments
        • Explanations
        • Unit Summaries
        • External Remarks
        • Meta Data
    4. Cornell Method
      • Walter Pauk, Cornell University
      • division of paper in two columns
      • first for keywords & second for facts and ideas
      • space below for summaries
      • 6R:
        • Record
        • Reduce
        • Recite (own words)
        • Reflect
        • Review
        • Recapitulate
    5. Concept & Mind Map
      • Mind Map: hierarchical trees
      • Concept Map: design tool to visualize relationships between concepts
    6. Charting
      • summarize central ideas
      • categories
      • table with columns
      • columns: for conceprts
      • rows: for text
    7. Outlining
      • short verbal sketch in skeleton form for pattern of ideas
      • draft for writing and speaking
      • contains main and sub ideasindentions, numbers, and letters to emphasize level of importance