Study Methods

Study Methods

by Vivienne Mafé

Open Ended

What are you most struggling with during/before/after study time

Open Ended

What are some study strategies you have implemented in the past?

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Open Ended

Why do you think people procrastinate?

​Procrastination - Possible Reasons

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​- distractions

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​- not understanding material

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​- lack of energy​, feeling down

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- feeling overwhelmed

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​- fear of failure/criticism

​Step 1:

Identify the reason why YOU

are procrastinating

​Procrastination - Possible Reasons

​​- distractions

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​- not understanding material

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​- lack of energy, feeling down

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​- feeling overwhelmed

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​- fear of failure/criticism

​Self Compassion

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​How would you treat a good friend of yours?

​Self Compassion can look like...

​Forgiveness

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​practicing mindfulness

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​taking time for yourself

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​saying no

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​extending kindness and understanding to oneself

Open Ended

What self compassion practices will you do this week?

​Tools: Talking to someone you trust

​express your worries, fears

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​ask for help

(academically, emotionally)

​Tools: Practice Mindfulness

​Apps like Headspace, Calm

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​Learn to accept and let things go

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​Tools: Fidget Toys

​helps reduce anxiety

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​beneficial for most (not all!) people

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​BUT: toys like fidget spinners are distracting

​Tools: Limit screen time function

​IPhone:

Settings > Screen Time

​Tap Turn On Screen Time

1. Tap Continue.

2. Select This is My [device]

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Android:

Settings > Tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls

​Tap the chart.

1. Next to the app you want to limit, tap Set timer .

2. Choose how much time you can spend in that app. Then, tap

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​Tools: Have Someone Watch You Study

​Sit in the common room with dorm parent during study hall

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​Have study sessions with your friends

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​Hold each other accountable!

Open Ended

Name one study method that you plan on doing in the future!

​The Pomodoro Technique

• Boosts motivation

• Feel more accomplished in a​ short amount of time

• ​The brain needs breaks!

​The Pomodoro Technique

​1) Choose one task

​2) Set a timer for 25min

​3) Take a short break after the timer goes off (5min)

​4) Repeat

​5) After 4 Pomodoros take a longer break (15-30min) (Can be modified)

​HOW to Study - ACTIVE learning

​The more active we are, the more we remember

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• ​Study groups

• Summarize, take notes of texts

• ​TikToks

• ​Concept Maps

​HOW to take notes

Write down the  exact headings and record the main idea under them in you own words.

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Record the subordinate ideas in your own words.

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​Tipp: make it fun! Add memes, jokes, etc.

​Good notes can reduce 20 or 30 pages of text to 3 or 4 pages of notes, yet leave out nothing of importance.  

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Because the notes are mostly in your own words, they are familiar and easy to understand.  ​

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The organization of your notes into major and minor topics will help you anticipate exam questions. 

​TikToks...

an example from yours truly...

Concept Maps

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Open Ended

Any other ideas to ACTIVELY learn something?

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Multiple Choice

Where is the best place to study?

• Your room with your phone and laptop

• While watching TV

• At school the day of

• at the library or a quiet place

Multiple Choice

Re-reading a text and highlighting what you think is important is a good study method

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

Are fidget toys a good method to help students concentrate?

• They can improve concentration only for those students with ADHD

• No, fidget toys are a distraction

• Yes, some students benefit, especially those with ADHD and/or anxiety

• Fidget toys are best for those who suffer from anxiety

Multiple Choice

Everyone has a learning 'Style'

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Intelligence is fixed at birth

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

You have a test coming up. What’s the best way to review the material?

• Circle Key points in the textbook

• review relevant points of the class in audio format

• take an informal quiz based on the material

Multiple Choice

To which of the following should you not tailor your learning?

• Previous knowledge

• Your learning style (visual, auditory, ...)

• Interests

• Ability

Multiple Choice

Why is it important to have short term goals?

• You will feel successful in a shorter amount of time.

• They can make long term goals less daunting

• They can help you understand how to achieve larger goals.

• All of the above.

Multiple Choice

Human beings are able to multitask

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

Whats the best recipe to avoid procrastination?

• Tackle the particular reason YOU are procrastinating

• Reward yourself

• Take breaks

• All of the above

​Thank you :)

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​The Myth of Multitasking

​Each time we move from hearing music, to writing a text, or talking to someone, there is a stop/start process that goes on in the brain.

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​--> we just switch tasks quickly

​Multitasking Experiment

1. Draw two horizontal lines on a piece of paper.

2. Now, have someone time you as you carry out the two tasks that follow:

• On the first line, write:

  • I am a great multitasker

• On the second line, write out the numbers 1-20 sequentially, like those below:

  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

​Multitasking Experiment

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How much time did it take to do the two tasks? Usually it’s about 20 seconds.

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Now, let’s multitask.

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​Multitasking Experiment

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Draw two more horizontal lines.

• write a letter on one line, and then a number on the line below, then the next letter in the sentence on the upper line, and so on.

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In other words, you write the letter "I" and then the number "1" and then the letter "a" and then the number "2" and so on, until you complete both lines.

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​Multitasking Experiment

• ​Your time may be double or more compared to the first round

• ​You may have made some errors

• ​You may have been frustrated since you had to 'rethink' the letters/numbers

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That’s switch-tasking on something very simple, but that's exactly what happens when we attempt to do many things (often more complex) at the same time.

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