Awesome Study Tips

Published

Found these great study tips online and had to share!

Dr. Rodell's Tips

Taking Science Courses By Dr. Charles Rodell

  1. GET ORGANIZED -- Organize your week. Allow specific times for studying each of the courses you are taking. Study periods should not be excessively long. Break them up with diversions and other activities. The general rule is two hours of study time for each hour in class.
  2. BE DISCIPLINED -- Stick to your plan!
  3. ATTITUDE -- Recognize your subjects as topics that are interesting and worth knowing rather than as chores you must complete. The functioning of the kidney and the transmission of genes are fascinating topics. These topics and many others took many years of work and study for scientists to understand. It is much easier to study and learn if you have some commitment to and interest in the subject matter.
  4. TWO MAJOR TASKS IN A SCIENCE COURSE

    1. Vocabulary - There is a tremendous amount of jargon associated with the sciences. You must learn it! It has been shown that there are more new terms in first year biology than in a first year course in a foreign language.
      Method: Let's face it. This task requires good old fashioned memorization. Make up your own vocabulary cards, one card (3" x 5") per term. Do this for each chapter that is assigned. Review them regularly whenever you have spare time, e.g., on the bus between campuses.
    2. Principles and Concepts - The main purpose of the course is to assist you in arriving at an understanding of the principles and concepts of the particular science. Understanding does not mean memorization. If you try to memorize what is in the text and what your professor tells you, you are history! There is too much material and, besides, your professors will virtually never ask you to reiterate what they said or what the book said. More commonly, you will be asked to apply your understanding of concepts to problem situations.
      Method:
      1. Skim through the chapter to get an overview. Ask yourself - What is this chapter about? What are the key concepts?
      2. Reread the chapter more slowly and carefully. Make up your vocabulary cards.
      3. Read your lecture notes.
      4. Prepare study sheets. Drawing on material from your lecture notes and the textbook, develop an outline for each major topic. For each subtopic of your outline, develop one sheet of paper that organizes and summarizes the important features of that subtopic. This activity requires that you be actively involved in the subject. The fact that you are taking information from two sources (text and lecture) and reorganizing it causes you to think about the subject more thoroughly than if you would just spend time reading and rereading your notes and the book. Thus, you will improve both your understanding and retention. Limit yourself to one sheet of paper per subtopic. Even if you use just one-third of the sheet, leave the remainder blank. Don't begin another topic on the same sheet. This activity allows you to separate the important features of the subtopic from the text, your notes, and other topics. This physical separation will assist you in making proper associations rather than confusing this information with other topics.
      5. Before the exam it may be helpful to spend some time studying with one or two others. Ask each other questions that require some explanation. This practice, forcing you to organize your thoughts, helps you achieve understanding.

        6. [*]EXAMS

        1. Multiple Choice - If you follow the suggestions above, you will be well prepared. Your vocabulary work will allow you to correctly answer a significant number of questions. Your study sheets will help you make the correct associations.
        2. Essay

            [*]LABS

            1. Take the labs seriously. They can make a significant difference in your final course grade.
            2. Go to the lab prepared. Read the exercise over before you go to lab so that you have a reasonable idea of the objectives and activities that are in store.
            3. Being organized and conscientious in your lab efforts should allow you to obtain the majority of lab points available.

            [*]OTHER TIPS:

            1. Concepts of Biology is a "survey" course, which means we move quickly. In fact, we cover about a chapter of the text per day. You NEED TO KEEP UP. When it is time for an exam, there is too much material to cram.
            2. Use the questions at the end of the chapter and in the Student Study Guide to help direct your study efforts.
            3. Talk to your prof if you need help.
            4. Don't forget to study both lecture and textbook.
            5. Take care of yourself. Get sufficient rest/exercise and eat well.
            6. Organize your time. The amount of time wasted by the average student (and even professors) is incredible.
            7. Avoid doing all of your studying the night before an exam. Get a decent night's sleep.
            8. Be aware of Bloom's Taxonomy. In brief, Bloom's Taxonomy provides a hierarchical way of organizing cognitive processes. There are six major categories, each building upon the previous.

                Example: Assume you are to be tested over the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". As you recall, the story line has Goldilocks visiting the bears' home, sleeping in a bed, eating the baby bear's food, and breaking the baby's chair. Some questions might be as follows:

                • Knowledge - What are some of the things Goldilocks did in the bears' house?
                • Comprehension - Why did Goldilocks like the baby bear's chair the best?
                • Application - If Goldilocks had come to your house, what are some of the things she might have used?
                • Analysis - In actuality, what parts of the story could not have happened?
                • Synthesis - How might the story have been different if Goldilocks had visited the home of the three fish?
                • Evaluation - Do you think Goldilocks was good or bad? Why do you think so?

                Notice that the questions get progressively more "difficult". As you progress along the categories, one word answers are not sufficient. Also, note that memorization will not suffice to answer the more advanced questions. Careful thought is required to formulate a decent response. In general, Biol 115 students do very well with levels 1 and 2, knowledge and comprehension, and probably at least half of your exam will consist of this type of question. You will have some questions that require deeper levels of understanding. Be prepared! Cramming and memorization only work for "knowledge-type" questions.


            9. Knowledge - the ability to define, recall, identify, recognize, knowledge of methodology, principles, generalizations, trends, facts, terminology, theories, and structures.
            10. Comprehension - the ability to translate, rephrase or restate, interpret or extrapolate.
            11. Application - the ability to apply, generalize, choose, organize, develop, use, classify, restructure.
            12. Analysis - the ability to analyze relationships; to deduce, compare, discriminate, and categorize.
            13. Synthesis - the ability to derive a set of abstract relationships.
            14. Evaluation - the ability to judge in terms of internal and external evidence; to judge, assess, argue.

        3. Make sure you understand the question! This next statement may sound silly, but it represents a major mistake among those not familiar with the essay test. Answer the question. Don't answer a different question and don't include extraneous information.
        4. Make a brief outline of the points you should include in your answer.
        5. If a longer answer is required, write a brief introductory paragraph, make your points in one or two paragraphs, and briefly summarize.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thanks for the study tips! i am getting ready for anatomy and physiology in 8 week sessions in the spring so this will definatly be useful! thanks again. :yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.

Awesome tips! Thanks for sharing!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks Very Much! Great Info!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

some study tips i found online.

nursing school is insanity!

[color=#548dd4]how to make it through, mind intact.

[color=#696464]by marti wethington, rn, emt-i (former nursing student)

success tips

[color=#d44817]- organization

[color=#d44817]- study skills

[color=#d44817]- test taking strategies

[color=#d44817]- don't sweat the small stuff

organization

get a large calendar with blank squares

calendar your syllabus times

[color=#d44817]- class time

[color=#d44817]- lab practice time

[color=#d44817]- skills testing time

[color=#d44817]- clinical hours (include transportation time)

[color=#d44817]- clinical prep time

[color=#d44817]- homework: patient care plans

[color=#d44817]- readings to do

calendar your syllabus due dates

[color=#d44817]- readings (list these on sunday for the week)

[color=#d44817]- skills

[color=#d44817]- tests

calendar your tests

[color=#d44817]- mark test date in red

[color=#d44817]- schedule 3 study periods and a "cram session" prior to test date

[color=#9c2d1f]- study 1 is vocabulary

[color=#9c2d1f]- study 2 is concepts and relationships

[color=#9c2d1f]- study 3 is review the highlights

[color=#9c2d1f]- "cram session" or what i still don't know

[color=#d44817]- study periods do not have to be on consecutive days but should be close to test day.

it's your life!

put it on the calendar!

[color=#d44817]- work shifts

[color=#d44817]- family obligations

[color=#9c2d1f]- weddings

[color=#9c2d1f]- birthday party

[color=#9c2d1f]- kids' play, tournament, special celebrations

[color=#d44817]- just say "no"

[color=#d44817]- just for me time

cry!!!!

take one day at a time

[color=#d44817]- live by your calendar.

[color=#d44817]- look at it every morning first thing.

[color=#d44817]- check off each item as you complete it.

[color=#d44817]- cross off each day as work well done.

[color=#d44817]- one day at a time!!!

just for me

[color=#d44817]- jazzercise, yoga, cross-stitch, knit

[color=#d44817]- walk the track, ride your bike

[color=#d44817]- walk in the park

[color=#d44817]- soak in a bubble bath

[color=#d44817]- have a date with your "honey"

one rule

for a 2 to 3 hour period once a week you are not allowed to think of, fret over, or speak of....nursing school.

study skills

[color=#d44817]- reading is not studying!

[color=#d44817]- your reading of your text and your completing of your notes is scheduled under "reading!"

[color=#d44817]- textbook reading can also be study 1 vocabulary in the textbook.

[color=#d44817]- study sessions last 50 minutes then a 10 minute break. you can schedule several sessions in a row, but take your breaks!

study 1 vocabulary

[color=#9c2d1f]- read your notes and book with a pink highlighter in hand.

[color=#9c2d1f]- highlight any word that you do not know: medical terms, pathology names, drug names, regular english words, etc.

[color=#9c2d1f]- read the definition of the word.

[color=#9c2d1f]- look up definition and write it in if not included in your notes or book.

[color=#9c2d1f]- this session can be done in your "reading" only in the book. your notes need a separate session.

study 2 concepts and relationships

[color=#d44817]- read your notes and book with a blue highlighter in hand.

[color=#d44817]- highlight things that go together e.g.,

four hallmark symptoms of a utiare urgency (the need to "go" now!; frequency, going more often than usual; burning, a stinging sensation; and pain.

study 3 review the highlights

[color=#d44817]- read the highlighted words and concepts only.

[color=#d44817]- have your brain fill in the blanks.

[color=#d44817]- stuck? still don't know?

[color=#d44817]- star * the "i don't know" highlights.

cram session

[color=#d44817]- look at and review only the starred items.

[color=#d44817]- you have triaged your time.

[color=#d44817]- you have spent the most time on the difficult.

[color=#d44817]- so..."don't waste your time".

test taking strategies

[color=#d44817]- make sure you know the vocabulary.

[color=#d44817]- use knowledge of anatomy and physiology & medical terminology

[color=#d44817]- eliminate the distractors.

[color=#d44817]- choose the best of the 4 answers given.

[color=#d44817]- in medicine, know the priorities of treatment. it is often as simple as

abc

test taking strategies 2

[color=#d44817]- get a good night's sleep.

[color=#d44817]- no all-nighters.

[color=#d44817]- eat a good breakfast.

[color=#d44817]- stop cramming 1 hour before test.

[color=#d44817]- take a walk, exercise, meditate....

[color=#d44817]- realize that there will always be something you do not yet know.

don't sweat the small stuff!

[color=#d44817]- you cannot do it all!

[color=#d44817]- get an agreement with family to share duties.

[color=#d44817]- pick your "must do" list with care.

[color=#d44817]- just say no!!!

[color=#d44817]- don't forget to schedule the just for me time.

the end!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I really, really like notecards. I find that if I write something down, I'm more likely to remember it than if I look at something several times.

It also allows backwards definitions: you can quiz yourself on picking the right word for the definitions.

And the portability means that you can bring them just about anywhere and flip through them whenever you have a minute or two.

I make cards for each test and include a quick look-through of the cards from previous tests in my study sessions- even if the tests are not cumulative, it helps reinforce info I've already learned and presumably need to know for more than just one test.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

graet tip, wish you could have posted this 2 months earlier, this would have help me out a great deal.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac.

:nuke:thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Some other study tips:

]:nuke:Learn to Study Smarter - Not Harder

Achieved with good time management

"Winner has a plan; a loser has an excuse "Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan"

]Learn to Use a Necessary Education Tool

Number 1 Friend FOR Students!

]Textbooks look like books, feel like books, but are not to be necessarily treated like books!

More correctly considered a tool

]The Textbook as a Tool

- Convenient way to organize a great volume of information

- Full of pictures and graphs

- Various sizes and colors of text

- Boxes of additional information and facts

- All can be selected - as needed - to assist learning

]Why Bother with the Textbook?

- 70% of test questions come from the class lecture

- Majority of study time should be spent on notes and handouts

- 30% of test questions come from the textbook

- Knowledge from the textbook can move you from a failing to a passing grade!

]Know What is in Your Textbook Toolbox

]Table of Contents

- Map of the book

- Speeds up finding information

- Provides the "big picture" of the book

- Provides a sense of sequence of material

]Preface

- A "must read"

- Provides purpose for the book's design

- Author tells how to use this textbook

- Interpretation of the graphics

- Use of boldface, italics, and color text

]Glossary

- A vocabulary list

- Contributes to understanding

- Aids in learning new terminology

]Index or Indices

- Provides a map of the textbook using specific words, terms and/or phrases

- Great for locating specific information

- Looking up a key word listing will provide page numbers for additional information

]Appendix or Appendices

- Provides specialized information

- Format is usually Tables and Charts

- Examples

- Nursing Diagnoses

- Nutritional information

- Foreign phrases

]Reading a Textbook

- Should be an active process

- Read out loud whenever possible

- Read to another person to sharpen reading comprehension

- Reading" an Assignment

- Read Chapter introduction

- Read Objectives if available

- Read Chapter Summary or ending paragraphs

- Read the Chapter "Outline"

What Chapter "Outline?"

* Furnished by the author when book was planned

* Publisher looks at general structure of book

* Author "fleshes out" the outline

* Publisher drops the Roman Numerals so finished book flows better

* Major divisions indicated through text size, color, capital letters, etc.

- You can re-outline the chapter by just re-inserting the Roman Numerals

- Save your time and paper!

]Advantages of "Reading" Process

* Improves reading comprehension

* Saves time

* Will break assignments into manageable segments

* Keeps the assignments from feeling overwhelming

]Highlights of Highlighting

* Must be discriminate

* Only highlight 5 things on a page

- Prevents over-highlighting

- Forces you to look at material objectively

- Helps you seek most important information on each page

* May choose the topic sentence of each paragraph

- Author's principle ideas

]Write in Your Book!

* Textbooks have wide margins just for this purpose

* Great place to write definitions

Useful when cross referencing lecture notes with the textbook

]How to Physically Study

* Limit or eliminate distractions

* Get functionally comfortable

* Plan to work for a specific period of time

]How and What to Study

* Review your notes

* Cross reference lecture notes with your textbook

* Review class handouts

* Do practice questions related to the material

- Make up your own

- Use textbook CDs when available

]Study Alone

* Opportunity to sort through information at your own pace

* Study with a really smart person

- Read notes out loud to yourself in front of a mirror

- See yourself learning AND teaching!

]Study Out Loud

Makes studying an active process!

]Study with a Group

* Expands your concepts & understanding

* Allows you to teach others - an excellent way to learn

* Keeps you from becoming bored

]Study Group Cautions

* Group must be dedicated

* Seek partners that are a comfortable match

* Change groups if it doesn't work

* Don't be the only teacher

-Group assignments

- Learn a topic, teach a topic, & learn the topic better

]Make Flashcards

* Students love them or hate them

-Don't spend long periods of time preparing them

* Useful to recapture "lost moments of time"

* Good for material to be memorized

-Don't put too much information on each card

Program success depends on the student's willingness to do what must be done to be successful.

Educational success cannot be achieved without focused effort on the part of the student.

In order to be academically successful, many students just need to get out of their own way!:nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I really, really like notecards. I find that if I write something down, I'm more likely to remember it than if I look at something several times.

It also allows backwards definitions: you can quiz yourself on picking the right word for the definitions.

And the portability means that you can bring them just about anywhere and flip through them whenever you have a minute or two.

I make cards for each test and include a quick look-through of the cards from previous tests in my study sessions- even if the tests are not cumulative, it helps reinforce info I've already learned and presumably need to know for more than just one test.

NOTE CARDS ARE A GREAT HELP. IT GIVES YOU THE CHANCE TO STUDY WHERE YOU ARE. KEEP THEM IN YOUR PURSE AND GO OVER THEM WHILE you are WAITING IN LINE TO PAY FOR YOUR GROCERIES. :) DON'T WASTE TIME AND USE EVERY MINUTE. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR STUDYING!!:nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion