what is the best program i can follow for my studying, as i am a student

of last year in high school, after that i will go to university, there are still
40 day for the exam, and i have 13 materials to be studied.

AI:

As an AI, I can suggest some tips to help you create a study plan that
works for you:

Make a list of all the subjects you need to study and prioritize them
based on the level of difficulty and your comfort with each subject.

Break down each subject into smaller topics and allocate specific days or
times to cover each topic.

Create a study schedule that includes regular study breaks and time for
exercise, relaxation, and other activities.

Use a planner, a study app, or a digital calendar to keep track of your

study plan and progress.

Set achievable goals for each study session and reward yourself after
each goal is achieved.

Use different study techniques, such as flashcards, diagrams, or practice

tests, to keep your learning engaging and effective.

Don't forget to get enough sleep, eat healthy, and stay hydrated to keep
your mind and body energized.

Remember, everyone learns differently, so try different strategies until

you find what works best for you. Good luck with your exams!

User:

what is flashcards

AI:
Flashcards are a study tool that involves creating a set of cards with
information on them, such as vocabulary words, concepts, or equations.
You can use these cards to help you memorize and recall information.
One side of the card typically has a question or prompt, while the other
side has the answer or information you need to remember.

To use flashcards, you can shuffle the cards and then go through them
one by one, testing your knowledge of the information on each card.
You can also use them with a partner or study group, taking turns asking
and answering the questions on each card. Flashcards are a popular
study technique because they are portable, easy to create, and
customizable to your specific study needs.

User:

can you give me some details of the study different strategies

AI:

Sure! Here are some study strategies you can try:

Active reading: This involves actively engaging with the material you are
reading by asking questions, summarizing key points, and taking notes.

Mind mapping: A mind map is a visual tool that can help you organize
and connect different ideas and concepts. You can create a mind map by
drawing a central idea in the middle of a page and then branching out
into subtopics and related ideas.

Practice testing: This involves testing yourself on the material you are
studying using practice quizzes, flashcards, or other study tools. Practice
testing is a great way to identify areas where you need more practice
and build your confidence.

Group study: Studying with a group can be helpful for discussing

challenging concepts, testing each other's knowledge, and sharing
different perspectives. However, it's important to find a group that is
focused and productive.

Pomodoro technique: This involves breaking your study time into 25-
minute intervals, called "Pomodoros," followed by a short break. This
technique can help you stay focused and avoid burnout.

Use of mnemonic devices: Mnemonic devices are memory aids that can
help you remember information. Examples of mnemonic devices include
acronyms, rhymes, and visual aids.

Remember that everyone learns differently, so it's important to

experiment with different study strategies until you find what works
best for you.

User:

could you please give more explanation of mnemonic devices

AI:

Sure! Mnemonic devices are memory aids that can help you remember
information through association. There are many types of mnemonic
devices, but some common examples include:
Acronyms: These are words created from the first letter of each word in
a phrase or list. For example, "ROYGBIV" is an acronym that represents
the colors of the rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo,
Violet).

Rhymes: These are phrases or sentences that use words with similar
sounds to help you remember information. For example, "In fourteen
hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" is a rhyme
that helps you remember the year that Columbus discovered America.

Visual aids: These are images or diagrams that help you remember
information. For example, drawing a picture of a dog next to the word
"canine" can help you remember that "canine" refers to a dog.

Chunking: This involves breaking up information into smaller chunks or

groups to make it more manageable to remember. For example, if you
need to remember a long number, you can break it up into groups of
three or four digits.

Association: This involves creating an association between the

information you need to remember and something else that is already
familiar to you. For example, if you need to remember that the capital of
France is Paris, you can associate "Paris" with the Eiffel Tower, which is a
famous landmark in the city.

Using mnemonic devices can help you remember information more

easily and efficiently. However, it's important to note that these devices
are most effective when used in conjunction with other study strategies,
such as practice testing and active reading.
User:

could you please give more explanation about Mind mapping

AI:

Certainly! Mind mapping is a visual study tool used to organize and

connect different ideas and concepts related to a topic or subject.

To create a mind map, start by writing the main concept or topic you
want to study in the center of a page. Then, branch out from the center
with subtopics or related ideas. Each subtopic can be connected to the
main concept with a line, and additional ideas can be added to each
subtopic with further lines.

You can use colors, images, and symbols to make your mind map more
visually stimulating and memorable. Mind maps are especially helpful
when studying complex subjects with many interrelated ideas, as they
allow you to see the bigger picture and make connections between
different concepts.

When creating a mind map, it's important to focus on the most

important points and avoid getting bogged down in details. Use short
phrases or keywords to keep your mind map concise and easy to
understand. Additionally, try to make your mind map as organized and
easy to follow as possible.

Overall, mind mapping is a great strategy for organizing and retaining

information, and it can be a useful complement to other study
techniques, such as active reading and practice testing.

User:
could you please give more explanation about Mind mapping Pomodoro
technique

AI:

Sure! The Pomodoro technique is a study strategy that involves breaking

up your study time into 25-minute intervals, called "Pomodoros,"
followed by a short break. Here's how it works:

Choose a task or topic you want to study.

Set a timer for 25 minutes and start working on the task.

When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break.

Repeat steps 2-3 for three more Pomodoros.

After completing four Pomodoros, take a longer break of at least 15-20

minutes.

The Pomodoro technique can help you stay focused and avoid burnout
by breaking up your work into manageable chunks with regular breaks. It
can also help you track your progress and build momentum as you
complete each Pomodoro.

To make the most of the Pomodoro technique, it's important to

eliminate distractions during each Pomodoro, such as turning off your
phone or closing unnecessary tabs on your computer. You can also use
this technique to prioritize your study tasks by working on the most
important or challenging tasks during your peak concentration times.

Mind mapping, on the other hand, is a technique that involves creating

visual diagrams that connect different ideas and concepts related to a
topic or subject. Mind mapping can help you organize your thoughts and
make connections between different concepts, which can be especially
helpful when studying complex subjects.
Overall, both the Pomodoro technique and mind mapping are effective
study strategies that can help you stay focused and organized while
studying.

User:

could you please give more explanation about Active reading

AI:

Certainly! Active reading is a study strategy that involves actively

engaging with the material you are reading, rather than just passively
absorbing the information. Here are some tips for active reading:

Preview the material: Before you start reading, take a few minutes to
preview the material by scanning the headings, subheadings, and bolded
text. This can help you get an overview of the content and identify any
important or unfamiliar concepts.

Ask questions: As you read, ask yourself questions about the material.
This can help you stay focused and engaged, and it can also help you
identify areas where you need more practice.

Take notes: Take notes as you read to help you remember important
information and concepts. You can write notes in the margins or use a
separate notebook or note-taking app.

Summarize key points: After you finish reading a section or chapter, take
a few minutes to summarize the key points in your own words. This can
help you consolidate your understanding and identify areas where you
need more practice.

Review regularly: To reinforce your learning, review the material

regularly, such as at the end of each study session or once a week. This
can help you retain the information over the long term.

Active reading is a great study strategy because it helps you engage with
the material and build a deeper understanding of the concepts. By
applying these tips, you can become a more active and effective reader.

User:

could you please give more explanation about practice testing

AI:

Certainly! Practice testing is a study strategy that involves testing

yourself on the material you are studying using practice quizzes,
flashcards, or other study tools. Here are some benefits of practice
testing:

Identifying knowledge gaps: Practice testing can help you identify areas
where you need more practice or clarification. This can help you focus
your study efforts more effectively and build your confidence in your
knowledge.

Improving retention: Regular practice testing can help improve your

retention and recall of the material by strengthening your memory of
key concepts and information.
Building confidence: Practice testing can help you build confidence in
your knowledge and prepare you for the actual test or exam.

Providing feedback: Practice tests can provide immediate feedback on

your performance, which can help you identify areas where you need to
improve and adjust your study strategies accordingly.

There are many different ways to incorporate practice testing into your
study routine. For example, you can use practice quizzes, flashcards, or
other study apps to test your knowledge on specific topics or concepts.
You can also create your own practice tests by writing out questions and
answers based on the material you are studying.

Overall, practice testing is a great study strategy because it can help you
identify areas where you need more practice, improve your retention
and recall of the material, and build your confidence in your knowledge.

User:

could you please give more explanation about group study

AI:

Sure! Group study is a study strategy that involves studying with a group
of peers to discuss challenging concepts, test each other's knowledge,
and share different perspectives. Here are some tips for effective group
study:

Choose a focused and productive group: Make sure the people in your
study group are motivated, focused, and committed to the study
session. It's also helpful to choose people who have different strengths
and weaknesses in the subject, so you can learn from each other.
Set a clear agenda: Before the study session, set a clear agenda and
goals for what you want to accomplish. This can help you stay focused
and on track during the session.

Divide and conquer: Divide the material among the group members, so
each person is responsible for a specific topic or concept. This can help
ensure that everyone participates and learns from each other.

Discuss challenging concepts: Use the study session to discuss

challenging concepts or questions that you are struggling with. This can
help you gain new insights and perspectives on the material.

Test each other's knowledge: Test each other's knowledge by asking

questions, testing each other with flashcards, or using practice quizzes.
This can help reinforce your learning and identify areas where you need
more practice.

Review and summarize: At the end of the study session, take a few
minutes to review and summarize the key concepts you covered. This
can help consolidate your learning and ensure that everyone is on the
same page.

Group study can be a great study strategy because it allows you to learn
from your peers, discuss challenging concepts, and reinforce your
learning through testing and discussion. However, it's important to find a
productive and focused group, as socializing and distractions can hinder
your learning.
‫‪Type your message...‬‬

‫ما هو أفضل برنامج يمكنني اتباعه لدراستي ‪ ،‬حيث أنني طالب في العام الماضي في المدرسة الثانوية ‪ ،‬وبعد ذلك سأذهب‬
‫إلى الجامعة‪ ، /‬وال يزال هناك ‪ 40‬يو ًما لالختبار ‪ ،‬ولدي ‪ 13‬مادة ألدرسها‪.‬‬

‫الذكاء االصطناعي‪:‬‬

‫بصفتي ذكا ًء اصطناعيًا ‪ ،‬يمكنني اقتراح بعض النصائح لمساعدتك في إنشاء خطة دراسية تناسبك‪:‬‬

‫قم بعمل قائمة بجميع المواد التي تحتاج إلى دراستها وتحديد أولوياتها بنا ًء على مستوى الصعوبة وراحتك مع كل موضوع‪.‬‬

‫قسّم كل موضوع إلى مواضيع أصغر وخصص أيا ًما أو أوقاتًا محددة لتغطية كل موضوع‪.‬‬

‫قم بإنشاء جدول دراسة يتضمن فترات راحة دراسية منتظمة ووقتًا للتمرين واالسترخاء واألنشطة األخرى‪.‬‬

‫استخدم مخططًا أو تطبيقًا للدراسة أو تقوي ًما رقميًا لتتبع خطة الدراسة والتقدم‪.‬‬

‫حدد أهدافًا قابلة للتحقيق لكل جلسة دراسة وكافئ نفسك بعد تحقيق كل هدف‪.‬‬

‫استخدم تقنيات دراسة مختلفة ‪ ،‬مثل البطاقات‪ /‬التعليمية أو الرسوم البيانية أو اختبارات الممارسة ‪ ،‬للحفاظ على تفاعلك‬
‫وفعالية تعلمك‪.‬‬

‫كاف من النوم وتناول الطعام الصحي والبقاء رطبًا للحفاظ على طاقة عقلك وجسمك‪.‬‬
‫ٍ‬ ‫ال تنسى الحصول على قسط‬

‫تذكر أن كل شخص يتعلم بشكل مختلف ‪ ،‬لذا جرب استراتيجيات مختلفة حتى تجد األفضل بالنسبة لك‪ .‬حظا سعيدا مع‬
‫االمتحانات‪ /‬الخاصة بك!‬

‫مستخدم‪:‬‬

‫ما هي البطاقات التعليمية‬

‫الذكاء االصطناعي‪:‬‬

‫البطاقات‪ /‬التعليمية هي أداة دراسة تتضمن إنشاء مجموعة من البطاقات‪ /‬بمعلومات‪ /‬عنها ‪ ،‬مثل كلمات المفردات أو المفاهيم أو‬
‫المعادالت‪ .‬يمكنك استخدام هذه البطاقات‪ /‬لمساعدتك على حفظ واستدعاء المعلومات‪ .‬يحتوي أحد جوانب البطاقة عادةً على‬
‫سؤال أو مطالبة ‪ ،‬بينما يحتوي الجانب اآلخر على اإلجابة أو المعلومات التي تحتاج إلى تذكرها‪.‬‬

‫الستخدام البطاقات‪ /‬التعليمية ‪ ،‬يمكنك خلط البطاقات‪ /‬ثم تصفحها واحدة تلو األخرى ‪ ،‬واختبار معرفتك بالمعلومات الموجودة‬
‫ض ا استخدامها مع شريك أو مجموعة دراسة ‪ ،‬بالتناوب في طرح األسئلة واإلجابة عليها في كل‬ ‫على كل بطاقة‪ .‬يمكنك أي ً‬
‫ً‬
‫بطاقة‪ .‬تعد البطاقات التعليمية أسلوبًا دراسيًا شائعًا ألنها محمولة وسهلة اإلنشاء وقابلة للتخصيص وفقا الحتياجاتك الدراسية‬
‫المحددة‪.‬‬
 ‫مستخدم‪:‬‬

‫هل يمكن أن تعطيني بعض التفاصيل حول استراتيجيات الدراسة المختلفة‬

‫الذكاء االصطناعي‪:‬‬

‫بالتأكيد! إليك بعض استراتيجيات الدراسة التي يمكنك تجربتها‪:‬‬

‫القراءة النشطة‪ :‬تتضمن المشاركة الفعالة في المادة التي تقرأها عن طريق طرح األسئلة وتلخيص النقاط الرئيسية وتدوين‬
‫المالحظات‪.‬‬

‫الخرائط الذهنية‪ :‬الخريطة الذهنية هي أداة مرئية يمكن أن تساعدك على تنظيم وربط األفكار والمفاهيم المختلفة‪ .‬يمكنك إنشاء‬
‫خريطة ذهنية عن طريق رسم فكرة مركزية في منتصف الصفحة ثم التفرع إلى مواضيع فرعية وأفكار ذات صلة‪.‬‬

‫اختبار الممارسة‪ :‬يتضمن هذا اختبار نفسك على المادة التي تدرسها باستخدام اختبارات الممارسة‪ /‬أو البطاقات التعليمية أو‬
‫أدوات الدراسة األخرى‪ .‬يعد االختبار التدريبي طريقة رائعة لتحديد المجاالت‪ /‬التي تحتاج فيها إلى مزيد من الممارسة‪ /‬وبناء‬
‫ثقتك بنفسك‪.‬‬

‫دراسة جماعية‪ :‬يمكن أن تكون الدراسة مع مجموعة مفيدة لمناقشة‪ /‬المفاهيم الصعبة واختبار معرفة بعضنا البعض ومشاركة‬
‫وجهات نظر مختلفة‪ .‬ومع ذلك ‪ ،‬من المهم العثور على مجموعة مركزة ومنتجة‪.‬‬

‫تقنية بومودورو‪ :‬يتضمن ذلك تقسيم وقت الدراسة إلى فترات زمنية مدتها ‪ 25‬دقيقة ‪ ،‬تسمى "بومودوروس" ‪ ،‬متبوعة‬
‫باستراحة قصيرة‪ .‬يمكن أن تساعدك هذه التقنية في الحفاظ على تركيزك وتجنب اإلرهاق‪.‬‬

‫استخدام أجهزة الذاكرة‪ :‬أجهزة الذاكرة هي أدوات مساعدة للذاكرة يمكن أن تساعدك على تذكر المعلومات‪ .‬تتضمن أمثلة‬
‫أجهزة ذاكري االختصارات والقوافي والمساعدات البصرية‪.‬‬

‫تذكر أن كل شخص يتعلم بشكل مختلف ‪ ،‬لذلك من المهم تجربة استراتيجيات دراسة مختلفة حتى تجد ما يناسبك بشكل‬
‫أفضل‪.‬‬

‫مستخدم‪:‬‬

‫هل يمكنك إعطاء المزيد من الشرح عن أجهزة الذاكرة‬

‫الذكاء االصطناعي‪:‬‬
 ‫بالتأكيد! أجهزة الذاكرة هي أدوات مساعدة للذاكرة يمكن أن تساعدك على تذكر المعلومات من خالل االرتباط‪ .‬هناك العديد‬
‫من أنواع أجهزة الذاكرة ‪ ،‬ولكن بعض األمثلة الشائعة تشمل‪:‬‬

‫االختصارات‪ :‬هذه هي الكلمات التي تم إنشاؤها من الحرف األول من كل كلمة في عبارة أو قائمة‪ .‬على سبيل المثال ‪" ،‬‬
‫‪ "ROYGBIV‬هو اختصار يمثل ألوان قوس قزح ( أحمر ‪ ،‬برتقالي ‪ ،‬أصفر ‪ ،‬أخضر ‪ ،‬أزرق ‪ ،‬نيلي ‪ ،‬بنفسجي)‪.‬‬

‫القوافي‪ :‬هي عبارات أو جمل تستخدم كلمات ذات أصوات متشابهة لمساعدتك على تذكر المعلومات‪ .‬على سبيل المثال ‪" ،‬في‬
‫أربعة عشرمائة واثنين وتسعين ‪ ،‬أبحر كولومبوس في المحيط األزرق" هو قافية تساعدك على تذكر العام الذي اكتشف فيه‬
‫كولومبوس أمريكا‪.‬‬

‫المساعدات المرئية‪ :‬هي صور أو رسوم بيانية تساعدك على تذكر المعلومات‪ .‬على سبيل المثال ‪ ،‬يمكن أن يساعدك رسم‬
‫صورة لكلب بجوار كلمة "كلب" على تذكر أن كلمة "كلب" تشير إلى كلب‪.‬‬

‫التقسيم‪ :‬يتضمن هذا تقسيم المعلومات إلى مجموعات أو مجموعات أصغر لتسهيل تذكرها‪ .‬على سبيل المثال ‪ ،‬إذا كنت‬
‫بحاجة إلى تذكر رقم طويل ‪ ،‬فيمكنك تقسيمه إلى مجموعات من ثالثة أو أربعة أرقام‪.‬‬

‫االرتباط‪ :‬يتضمن هذا إنشاء ارتباط بين المعلومات التي تحتاج إلى تذكرها وشيء آخر مألوف لك بالفعل‪ .‬على سبيل المثال ‪،‬‬
‫إذا كنت تريد أن تتذكر أن عاصمة فرنسا هي باريس ‪ ،‬فيمكنك ربط "باريس" ببرج إيفل ‪ ،‬وهو معلم شهير في المدينة‪.‬‬

‫يمكن أن يساعدك استخدام أجهزة الذاكرة على تذكر المعلومات بسهولة وكفاءة أكبر‪ .‬ومع ذلك ‪ ،‬من المهم مالحظة أن هذه‬
‫األجهزة تكون أكثر فاعلية عند استخدامها باالقتران مع استراتيجيات الدراسة األخرى ‪ ،‬مثل االختبار التدريبي والقراءة‬
‫النشطة‪.‬‬

‫مستخدم‪:‬‬

‫هل يمكنك تقديم المزيد من التوضيح حول رسم الخرائط الذهنية‬

‫الذكاء االصطناعي‪:‬‬

‫بالتأكيد! الخرائط الذهنية هي أداة دراسة بصرية تُستخدم لتنظيم وربط األفكار والمفاهيم المختلفة المتعلقة بموضوع أو‬
‫موضوع‪.‬‬

‫إلنشاء‪ /‬خريطة ذهنية ‪ ،‬ابدأ بكتابة المفهوم أو الموضوع الرئيسي الذي تريد دراسته في وسط الصفحة‪ .‬ثم تفرع من المركز‬
‫بموضوعات فرعية أو أفكار ذات صلة‪ .‬يمكن ربط كل موضوع فرعي بالمفهوم الرئيسي بسطر ‪ ،‬ويمكن إضافة أفكار‬
‫إضافية إلى كل موضوع فرعي مع مزيد من األسطر‪.‬‬
 ‫يمكنك استخدام األلوان والصور والرموز لجعل خريطتك الذهنية أكثر تحفي ًزا بصريًا وال تُنسى‪ .‬تعد الخرائط الذهنية مفيدة‬
‫بشكل خاص عند دراسة الموضوعات المعقدة مع العديد من األفكار المترابطة ‪ ،‬ألنها تسمح لك برؤية الصورة األكبر وإنشاء‬
‫روابط بين المفاهيم المختلفة‪.‬‬

‫عند إنشاء خريطة ذهنية ‪ ،‬من المهم التركيز على أهم النقاط وتجنب االنغماس في التفاصيل‪ .‬استخدم عبارات أو كلمات‬
‫رئيسية قصيرة إلبقاء خريطتك الذهنية موجزة وسهلة الفهم‪ .‬باإلضافة إلى ذلك ‪ ،‬حاول أن تجعل خريطتك الذهنية منظمة‬
‫وسهلة المتابعة قدر اإلمكان‪.‬‬

‫بشكل عام ‪ ،‬يعد تخطيط العقل استراتيجية رائعة لتنظيم المعلومات واالحتفاظ بها ‪ ،‬ويمكن أن يكون مكمالً مفيدًا لتقنيات‬
‫الدراسة األخرى ‪ ،‬مثل القراءة النشطة واختبار الممارسة‪.‬‬

‫مستخدم‪:‬‬

‫هل يمكنك تقديم المزيد من الشرح حول تقنية بومودورو لرسم الخرائط الذهنية‬

‫الذكاء االصطناعي‪:‬‬

‫بالتأكيد! تقنية بومودورو هي استراتيجية دراسة تتضمن تقسيم وقت دراستك إلى فترات زمنية مدتها ‪ 25‬دقيقة ‪ ،‬تسمى‬
‫"بومودوروس" ‪ ،‬تليها استراحة قصيرة‪ .‬وإليك كيف يعمل‪:‬‬

‫اختر مهمة أو موضوعًا تريد دراسته‪.‬‬

‫اضبط عداد الوقت لمدة ‪ 25‬دقيقة وابدأ العمل على المهمة‪.‬‬

‫عندما يرن العداد ‪ ،‬خذ استراحة لمدة ‪ 5‬دقائق‪.‬‬

‫كرر الخطوتين ‪ 3-2‬لثالث بومودوروس‪.‬‬

‫بعد االنتهاء من أربع بومودوروس ‪ ،‬خذ استراحة أطول ال تقل عن ‪ 20-15‬دقيقة‪.‬‬

‫يمكن أن تساعدك تقنية بومودورو على الحفاظ على تركيزك وتجنب اإلرهاق عن طريق تقسيم عملك إلى أجزاء يمكن‬
‫ضا في تتبع تقدمك وبناء الزخم عند إكمال كل بومودورو‪.‬‬
‫التحكم فيها مع فترات راحة منتظمة‪ .‬يمكن أن يساعدك أي ً‬

‫لتحقيق أقصى استفادة من تقنية ‪ ، Pomodoro‬من المهم التخلص من عوامل التشتيت أثناء كل بومودورو ‪ ،‬مثل إيقاف‬
‫ضا استخدام هذه التقنية‬
‫تشغيل هاتفك أو إغالق عالمات التبويب غير الضرورية على جهاز الكمبيوتر الخاص بك‪ .‬يمكنك أي ً‬
‫لتحديد أولويات مهام الدراسة من خالل العمل على أهم المهام أو المهام الصعبة خالل أوقات ذروة تركيزك‪.‬‬

‫من ناحية أخرى ‪ ،‬يعد تخطيط العقل أسلوبًا يتضمن إنشاء‪ /‬مخططات‪ /‬مرئية تربط األفكار والمفاهيم المختلفة المتعلقة‬
‫بموضوع أو موضوع‪ .‬يمكن أن يساعدك تخطيط العقل على تنظيم أفكارك وإقامة روابط بين المفاهيم المختلفة ‪ ،‬والتي يمكن‬
‫أن تكون مفيدة بشكل خاص عند دراسة الموضوعات المعقدة‪.‬‬
 ‫بشكل عام ‪ ،‬تعد كل من تقنية بومودورو ورسم الخرائط الذهنية من االستراتيجيات الفعالة للدراسة التي يمكن أن تساعدك‬
‫على البقاء مرك ًزا ومنظ ًما أثناء الدراسة‪.‬‬

‫مستخدم‪:‬‬

‫هل يمكنك إعطاء المزيد من الشرح حول القراءة النشطة‬

‫الذكاء االصطناعي‪:‬‬

‫بالتأكيد! القراءة النشطة هي استراتيجية دراسة تتضمن االنخراط النشط في المادة التي تقرأها ‪ ،‬بدالً من مجرد استيعاب‬
‫المعلومات بشكل سلبي‪ .‬فيما يلي بعض النصائح للقراءة النشطة‪:‬‬

‫معاينة المادة‪ :‬قبل أن تبدأ القراءة ‪ ،‬خذ بضع دقائق لمعاينة المادة عن طريق مسح العناوين والعناوين الفرعية والنص الغامق‪.‬‬
‫يمكن أن يساعدك هذا في الحصول على نظرة عامة على المحتوى وتحديد أي مفاهيم مهمة‪ /‬أو غير مألوفة‪.‬‬

‫اطرح أسئلة‪ :‬أثناء القراءة ‪ ،‬اسأل نفسك أسئلة حول المادة‪ .‬يمكن أن يساعدك ذلك في الحفاظ على تركيزك ومشاركتك ‪،‬‬
‫ويمكن أن يساعدك أيضًا في تحديد المجاالت‪ /‬التي تحتاج فيها إلى مزيد من الممارسة‪.‬‬

‫تدوين المالحظات‪ :‬دون مالحظات‪ /‬أثناء القراءة لمساعدتك على تذكر المعلومات والمفاهيم المهمة‪ .‬يمكنك كتابة مالحظات‬
‫في الهوامش أو استخدام دفتر مالحظات‪ /‬منفصل أو تطبيق تدوين مالحظات‪.‬‬

‫تلخيص النقاط الرئيسية‪ :‬بعد االنتهاء من قراءة قسم أو فصل ‪ ،‬خذ بضع دقائق لتلخيص النقاط الرئيسية بكلماتك الخاصة‪.‬‬
‫يمكن أن يساعدك هذا في تعزيز فهمك وتحديد المجاالت التي تحتاج فيها إلى مزيد من الممارسة‪.‬‬

‫المراجعة بانتظام‪ :‬لتعزيز التعلم الخاص بك ‪ ،‬قم بمراجعة المواد بانتظام ‪ ،‬على سبيل المثال في نهاية كل جلسة دراسة أو مرة‬
‫واحدة في األسبوع‪ .‬يمكن أن يساعدك هذا في االحتفاظ بالمعلومات على المدى الطويل‪.‬‬

‫القراءة النشطة هي استراتيجية دراسة رائعة ألنها تساعدك على التفاعل مع المادة وبناء فهم أعمق للمفاهيم‪ .‬من خالل تطبيق‬
‫هذه النصائح ‪ ،‬يمكنك أن تصبح قارًئا أكثر نشاطًا وفعالية‪.‬‬

‫مستخدم‪:‬‬

‫هل يمكنك تقديم المزيد من الشرح حول ممارسة االختبار‬

‫الذكاء االصطناعي‪:‬‬
‫بالتأكيد! االختبار التدريبي هو استراتيجية دراسة تتضمن اختبار نفسك على المادة التي تدرسها باستخدام اختبارات الممارسة‪/‬‬
‫أو البطاقات‪ /‬التعليمية أو أدوات الدراسة األخرى‪ .‬فيما يلي بعض فوائد ممارسة‪ /‬االختبار‪:‬‬

‫تحديد الفجوات المعرفية‪ :‬يمكن أن يساعدك اختبار الممارسة في تحديد المجاالت التي تحتاج فيها إلى مزيد من الممارسة أو‬
‫التوضيح‪ .‬يمكن أن يساعدك هذا في تركيز جهودك الدراسية بشكل أكثر فعالية وبناء ثقتك في معرفتك‪.‬‬

‫تحسين االستبقاء‪ :‬يمكن أن يساعد اختبار الممارسة المنتظم في تحسين االحتفاظ بالمواد واسترجاعها من خالل تقوية ذاكرتك‬
‫بالمفاهيم والمعلومات األساسية‪.‬‬

‫بناء الثقة‪ :‬يمكن أن يساعدك االختبار التدريبي على بناء الثقة في معرفتك وإعدادك لالختبار أو االختبار الفعلي‪.‬‬

‫تقديم المالحظات‪ :‬يمكن أن توفر االختبارات التدريبية تعليقات فورية على أدائك ‪ ،‬والتي يمكن أن تساعدك في تحديد‬
‫المجاالت التي تحتاج فيها إلى تحسين وتعديل استراتيجيات الدراسة وفقًا لذلك‪.‬‬

‫هناك العديد من الطرق المختلفة لدمج اختبار الممارسة في روتين دراستك‪ .‬على سبيل المثال ‪ ،‬يمكنك استخدام اختبارات‬
‫التدريب أو البطاقات التعليمية أو تطبيقات الدراسة األخرى الختبار معرفتك حول موضوعات أو مفاهيم محددة‪ .‬يمكنك أيضًا‬
‫إنشاء اختبارات الممارسة الخاصة بك عن طريق كتابة األسئلة واألجوبة بنا ًء على المادة التي تدرسها‪.‬‬

‫بشكل عام ‪ ،‬يعد االختبار التدريبي استراتيجية دراسة رائعة ألنه يمكن أن يساعدك في تحديد المجاالت التي تحتاج فيها إلى‬
‫مزيد من الممارسة ‪ ،‬وتحسين استبقاءك واسترجاع المواد ‪ ،‬وبناء ثقتك في معرفتك‪.‬‬

‫مستخدم‪:‬‬

‫هل يمكنك تقديم المزيد من الشرح حول الدراسة الجماعية‬

‫الذكاء االصطناعي‪:‬‬

‫بالتأكيد! الدراسة الجماعية هي استراتيجية دراسة تتضمن الدراسة مع مجموعة من األقران لمناقشة‪ /‬المفاهيم الصعبة ‪،‬‬
‫واختبار معرفة بعضهم البعض ‪ ،‬وتبادل وجهات النظر المختلفة‪ .‬فيما يلي بعض النصائح للدراسة الجماعية الفعالة‪:‬‬

‫اختر مجموعة مركزة ومنتجة‪ :‬تأكد من أن األشخاص في مجموعة الدراسة الخاصة بك متحمسون ومركزون وملتزمون‬
‫ض ا اختيار األشخاص الذين لديهم نقاط قوة وضعف مختلفة في الموضوع ‪ ،‬حتى تتمكن من التعلم‬
‫بجلسة الدراسة‪ .‬من المفيد أي ً‬
‫من بعضكما البعض‪.‬‬
 ‫ضع جدول أعمال واض ًحا‪ :‬قبل جلسة الدراسة ‪ ،‬ضع جدول أعمال وأهدافًا واضحة لما تريد تحقيقه‪ .‬يمكن أن يساعدك ذلك‬
‫في الحفاظ على تركيزك وعلى المسار الصحيح أثناء الجلسة‪.‬‬

‫فرق تسد‪ :‬قسّم المادة بين أعضاء المجموعة ‪ ،‬بحيث يكون كل شخص مسؤوالً عن موضوع أو مفهوم معين‪ .‬يمكن أن يساعد‬
‫ذلك في ضمان مشاركة الجميع والتعلم من بعضهم البعض‪.‬‬

‫ناقش المفاهيم الصعبة‪ :‬استخدم جلسة الدراسة لمناقشة‪ /‬المفاهيم أو األسئلة الصعبة التي تواجه صعوبة في حلها‪ .‬يمكن أن‬
‫يساعدك ذلك في اكتساب رؤى ووجهات نظر جديدة حول المادة‪.‬‬

‫اختبروا معرفة بعضهم البعض‪ :‬اختبروا معرفة بعضكم البعض من خالل طرح األسئلة أو اختبار بعضكم البعض باستخدام‬
‫البطاقات‪ /‬التعليمية أو استخدام اختبارات التدريب‪ .‬يمكن أن يساعد ذلك في تعزيز تعلمك وتحديد المجاالت التي تحتاج فيها‬
‫إلى مزيد من الممارسة‪.‬‬

‫مراجعة وتلخيص‪ :‬في نهاية جلسة الدراسة ‪ ،‬خذ بضع دقائق لمراجعة وتلخيص المفاهيم األساسية التي غطتها‪ .‬يمكن أن‬
‫يساعد ذلك في تعزيز تعلمك والتأكد من أن الجميع في نفس الصفحة‪.‬‬

‫يمكن أن تكون الدراسة الجماعية استراتيجية دراسة رائعة ألنها تتيح لك التعلم من زمالئك ومناقشة‪ /‬المفاهيم الصعبة وتعزيز‬
‫التعلم من خالل االختبار والمناقشة‪ .‬ومع ذلك ‪ ،‬من المهم أن تجد مجموعة منتجة ومركزة ‪ ،‬حيث أن التواصل االجتماعي‬
‫والتشتت يمكن أن يعيق تعلمك‪.‬‬

‫‪Studying 101: Study Smarter‬‬

‫‪Not Harder‬‬
‫‪Do you ever feel like your study habits simply aren’t cutting it? Do you wonder what you‬‬
‫‪could be doing to perform better in class and on exams? Many students realize that their‬‬
‫‪high school study habits aren’t very effective in college. This is understandable, as‬‬
‫‪college is quite different from high school. The professors are less personally involved,‬‬
‫‪classes are bigger, exams are worth more, reading is more intense, and classes are‬‬
‫‪much more rigorous. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you; it just means‬‬
‫‪you need to learn some more effective study skills. Fortunately, there are many active,‬‬
‫‪effective study strategies that are shown to be effective in college classes.‬‬

‫‪This handout offers several tips on effective studying. Implementing these tips into your‬‬
‫‪regular study routine will help you to efficiently and effectively learn course material.‬‬
‫‪Experiment with them and find some that work for you.‬‬
Reading is not studying
Simply reading and re-reading texts or notes is not actively engaging in the material. It is
simply re-reading your notes. Only ‘doing’ the readings for class is not studying. It is
simply doing the reading for class. Re-reading leads to quick forgetting.

Think of reading as an important part of pre-studying, but learning information

requires actively engaging in the material (Edwards, 2014). Active engagement is the
process of constructing meaning from text that involves making connections to lectures,
forming examples, and regulating your own learning (Davis, 2007). Active studying does
not mean highlighting or underlining text, re-reading, or rote memorization. Though these
activities may help to keep you engaged in the task, they are not considered active
studying techniques and are weakly related to improved learning (Mackenzie, 1994).

Ideas for active studying include:

 Create a study guide by topic. Formulate questions and problems and write
complete answers. Create your own quiz.
 Become a teacher. Say the information aloud in your own words as if you are the
instructor and teaching the concepts to a class.
 Derive examples that relate to your own experiences.
 Create concept maps or diagrams that explain the material.
 Develop symbols that represent concepts.
 For non-technical classes (e.g., English, History, Psychology), figure out the big
ideas so you can explain, contrast, and re-evaluate them.
 For technical classes, work the problems and explain the steps and why they
work.
 Study in terms of question, evidence, and conclusion: What is the question posed
by the instructor/author? What is the evidence that they present? What is the
conclusion?

Organization and planning will help you to actively study for your courses. When studying
for a test, organize your materials first and then begin your active reviewing by topic
(Newport, 2007). Often professors provide subtopics on the syllabi. Use them as a guide
to help organize your materials. For example, gather all of the materials for one topic
(e.g., PowerPoint notes, text book notes, articles, homework, etc.) and put them together
in a pile. Label each pile with the topic and study by topics.

For more information on the principle behind active studying, check out our tipsheet
on metacognition.

Understand the Study Cycle

The Study Cycle, developed by Frank Christ, breaks down the different parts of studying:
previewing, attending class, reviewing, studying, and checking your understanding.
Although each step may seem obvious at a glance, all too often students try to take
shortcuts and miss opportunities for good learning. For example, you may skip a reading
before class because the professor covers the same material in class; doing so misses a
key opportunity to learn in different modes (reading and listening) and to benefit from the
repetition and distributed practice (see #3 below) that you’ll get from both reading
ahead and attending class. Understanding the importance of all stages of this cycle will
help make sure you don’t miss opportunities to learn effectively.

Spacing out is good

One of the most impactful learning strategies is “distributed practice”—spacing out your
studying over several short periods of time over several days and weeks (Newport, 2007).
The most effective practice is to work a short time on each class every day. The total
amount of time spent studying will be the same (or less) than one or two marathon
library sessions, but you will learn the information more deeply and retain much more for
the long term—which will help get you an A on the final. The important thing is how
you use your study time, not how long you study. Long study sessions lead to a lack of
concentration and thus a lack of learning and retention.

In order to spread out studying over short periods of time across several days and weeks,
you need control over your schedule. Keeping a list of tasks to complete on a daily basis
will help you to include regular active studying sessions for each class. Try to do
something for each class each day. Be specific and realistic regarding how long you plan
to spend on each task—you should not have more tasks on your list than you can
reasonably complete during the day.

For example, you may do a few problems per day in math rather than all of them the hour
before class. In history, you can spend 15-20 minutes each day actively studying your
class notes. Thus, your studying time may still be the same length, but rather than only
preparing for one class, you will be preparing for all of your classes in short stretches.
This will help focus, stay on top of your work, and retain information.

In addition to learning the material more deeply, spacing out your work helps stave off
procrastination. Rather than having to face the dreaded project for four hours on Monday,
you can face the dreaded project for 30 minutes each day. The shorter, more consistent
time to work on a dreaded project is likely to be more acceptable and less likely to be
delayed to the last minute. Finally, if you have to memorize material for class (names,
dates, formulas), it is best to make flashcards for this material and review periodically
throughout the day rather than one long, memorization session (Wissman and Rawson,
2012). See our handout on memorization strategies to learn more.
It’s good to be intense
Not all studying is equal. You will accomplish more if you study intensively. Intensive
study sessions are short and will allow you to get work done with minimal wasted effort.
Shorter, intensive study times are more effective than drawn out studying.

In fact, one of the most impactful study strategies is distributing studying over multiple
sessions (Newport, 2007). Intensive study sessions can last 30 or 45-minute sessions
and include active studying strategies. For example, self-testing is an active study
strategy that improves the intensity of studying and efficiency of learning. However,
planning to spend hours on end self-testing is likely to cause you to become distracted
and lose your attention.

On the other hand, if you plan to quiz yourself on the course material for 45 minutes and
then take a break, you are much more likely to maintain your attention and retain the
information. Furthermore, the shorter, more intense sessions will likely put the pressure
on that is needed to prevent procrastination.

Silence isn’t golden

Know where you study best. The silence of a library may not be the best place for you. It’s
important to consider what noise environment works best for you. You might find that
you concentrate better with some background noise. Some people find that listening to
classical music while studying helps them concentrate, while others find this highly
distracting. The point is that the silence of the library may be just as distracting (or more)
than the noise of a gymnasium. Thus, if silence is distracting, but you prefer to study in
the library, try the first or second floors where there is more background ‘buzz.’

Keep in mind that active studying is rarely silent as it often requires saying the material
aloud.

Problems are your friend

Working and re-working problems is important for technical courses (e.g., math,
economics). Be able to explain the steps of the problems and why they work.

In technical courses, it is usually more important to work problems than read the text
(Newport, 2007). In class, write down in detail the practice problems demonstrated by the
professor. Annotate each step and ask questions if you are confused. At the very least,
record the question and the answer (even if you miss the steps).

When preparing for tests, put together a large list of problems from the course materials
and lectures. Work the problems and explain the steps and why they work (Carrier, 2003).
Reconsider multitasking
A significant amount of research indicates that multi-tasking does not improve efficiency
and actually negatively affects results (Junco, 2012).

In order to study smarter, not harder, you will need to eliminate distractions during your
study sessions. Social media, web browsing, game playing, texting, etc. will severely
affect the intensity of your study sessions if you allow them! Research is clear that multi-
tasking (e.g., responding to texts, while studying), increases the amount of time needed
to learn material and decreases the quality of the learning (Junco, 2012).

Eliminating the distractions will allow you to fully engage during your study sessions. If
you don’t need your computer for homework, then don’t use it. Use apps to help you set
limits on the amount of time you can spend at certain sites during the day. Turn your
phone off. Reward intensive studying with a social-media break (but make sure you time
your break!) See our handout on managing technology for more tips and strategies.

Switch up your setting

Find several places to study in and around campus and change up your space if you find
that it is no longer a working space for you.

Know when and where you study best. It may be that your focus at 10:00 PM. is not as
sharp as at 10:00 AM. Perhaps you are more productive at a coffee shop with
background noise, or in the study lounge in your residence hall. Perhaps when you study
on your bed, you fall asleep.

Have a variety of places in and around campus that are good study environments for you.
That way wherever you are, you can find your perfect study spot. After a while, you might
find that your spot is too comfortable and no longer is a good place to study, so it’s time
to hop to a new spot!

Become a teacher
Try to explain the material in your own words, as if you are the teacher. You can do this in
a study group, with a study partner, or on your own. Saying the material aloud will point
out where you are confused and need more information and will help you retain the
information. As you are explaining the material, use examples and make connections
between concepts (just as a teacher does). It is okay (even encouraged) to do this with
your notes in your hands. At first you may need to rely on your notes to explain the
material, but eventually you’ll be able to teach it without your notes.

Creating a quiz for yourself will help you to think like your professor. What does your
professor want you to know? Quizzing yourself is a highly effective study technique.
Make a study guide and carry it with you so you can review the questions and answers
periodically throughout the day and across several days. Identify the questions that you
don’t know and quiz yourself on only those questions. Say your answers aloud. This will
help you to retain the information and make corrections where they are needed. For
technical courses, do the sample problems and explain how you got from the question to
the answer. Re-do the problems that give you trouble. Learning the material in this way
actively engages your brain and will significantly improve your memory (Craik, 1975).

Take control of your calendar

Controlling your schedule and your distractions will help you to accomplish your goals.

If you are in control of your calendar, you will be able to complete your assignments and
stay on top of your coursework. The following are steps to getting control of your
calendar:

1. On the same day each week, (perhaps Sunday nights or Saturday mornings) plan
out your schedule for the week.
2. Go through each class and write down what you’d like to get completed for each
class that week.
3. Look at your calendar and determine how many hours you have to complete your
work.
4. Determine whether your list can be completed in the amount of time that you
have available. (You may want to put the amount of time expected to complete
each assignment.) Make adjustments as needed. For example, if you find that it
will take more hours to complete your work than you have available, you will likely
need to triage your readings. Completing all of the readings is a luxury. You will
need to make decisions about your readings based on what is covered in class.
You should read and take notes on all of the assignments from the favored class
source (the one that is used a lot in the class). This may be the textbook or a
reading that directly addresses the topic for the day. You can likely skim
supplemental readings.
5. Pencil into your calendar when you plan to get assignments completed.
6. Before going to bed each night, make your plan for the next day. Waking up with a
plan will make you more productive.

See our handout on calendars and college for more tips on using calendars as time
management.

Use downtime to your advantage

Beware of ‘easy’ weeks. This is the calm before the storm. Lighter work weeks are a great
time to get ahead on work or to start long projects. Use the extra hours to get ahead on
assignments or start big projects or papers. You should plan to work on every class every
week even if you don’t have anything due. In fact, it is preferable to do some work for
each of your classes every day. Spending 30 minutes per class each day will add up to
three hours per week, but spreading this time out over six days is more effective than
cramming it all in during one long three-hour session. If you have completed all of the
work for a particular class, then use the 30 minutes to get ahead or start a longer project.

Use all your resources

Remember that you can make an appointment with an academic coach to work on
implementing any of the strategies suggested in this handout.

Works consulted
Carrier, L. M. (2003). College students’ choices of study strategies. Perceptual and Motor
Skills, 96(1), 54-56.
Craik, F. I., & Tulving, E. (1975). Depth of processing and the retention of words in
episodic memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 104(3), 268.
Davis, S. G., & Gray, E. S. (2007). Going beyond test-taking strategies: Building self-
regulated students and teachers. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 1(1), 31-47.
Edwards, A. J., Weinstein, C. E., Goetz, E. T., & Alexander, P. A. (2014). Learning and study
strategies: Issues in assessment, instruction, and evaluation. Elsevier.
Junco, R., & Cotten, S. R. (2012). No A 4 U: The relationship between multitasking and
academic performance. Computers & Education, 59(2), 505-514.
Mackenzie, A. M. (1994). Examination preparation, anxiety and examination performance
in a group of adult students. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 13(5), 373-
388.
McGuire, S.Y. & McGuire, S. (2016). Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can
Incorporate in Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and
Motivation. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Newport, C. (2006). How to become a straight-a student: the unconventional strategies
real college students use to score high while studying less. Three Rivers Press.
Paul, K. (1996). Study smarter, not harder. Self Counsel Press.
Robinson, A. (1993). What smart students know: maximum grades, optimum learning,
minimum time. Crown trade paperbacks.
Wissman, K. T., Rawson, K. A., & Pyc, M. A. (2012). How and when do students use
flashcards? Memory, 20, 568-579.
Exam Prep: Eight Tips for Reading and Studying for the Long Haul

By Anna

Last fall, I realized that many of the study strategies and time management systems that
I used as an academic coach could be helpful in my own life as a graduate student (and
as an adult, in general). I was in the middle of reading for my Ph.D. qualifying exams and
desperately needed a better system. (A list of nearly three hundred books to read in
roughly a year felt daunting, to say the least.) Watching as my coaching students revelled
in their newfound organizational skills and improved study strategies, I thought to
myself, Gee, I should really try these, too.

Except that I didn’t. (At least not initially.)

For some time, I accepted my role as a coach who helped facilitate student growth but
hadn’t “walked the walk.” I loved my work with students, but I felt like an imposter. This
nagging feeling wouldn’t go away, and I knew it was communicating something
important to me.

***

I don’t remember the exact moment that I made the shift. It must have been gradual.
Leading the Academic Life Balance coaching group helped me be more accountable to
myself because it required accountability from all participants. Then, I had several
academic coaching appointments with Academic Coach Marc Howlett in which we
discussed strategies to tackle the monstrous amount of reading I needed to get through.
I started devising a system for myself, pulling on what I knew from my experience as an
academic coach and as a lifelong learner. I asked myself questions: How and when do I
learn best? What motivates me? How can I measure my progress?

And, will it be enough? (No, never. But also, yes. Yes, it can be.)

***
In the past months (years?) of reading, here is what I discovered:

1. Recalling what I’ve read from memory truly tests whether I know something. I
use this strategy after each selection I’ve read, and then I find details from the
 text and marginal notes after I’ve recalled as much content as I can. From this
handout on note-taking while reading, I knew that forcing myself to recall the
material would help me extract main ideas from my readings rather than get
mired in details. And, it would show how much I had actually retained.
2. Talking to my partner about my readings has been more fun than I imagined.
Because he’s not in my field, I’m forced to explain things clearly (he calls me out
on my jargon), which really tests how well I know the material. This handout on
study skills helped me realize how valuable teaching the material to someone
else could be in my own learning process.
3. Keeping notes organized in Evernote has been a game changer. I can now study
and review on the fly because the app links to all my devices. In my case, I have
literary theory and novels to read and remember, so I have created separate
“notebooks” that contain notes for each title. My notebooks are organized by
author and title so that I can easily return to any note.
4. Reviewing on a whiteboard can be a fun way for me to measure progress. I aim
to review five to ten theorists per week. I jot down what I remember about their
works on my whiteboard and then refer to my notes when I’ve recalled all that I
can. (Full disclosure: I bought a whiteboard specifically for this purpose because I
struggled to review my notes after having taken them.).
 The whiteboard
can also be a great place to write encouraging messages to myself!The
whiteboard can also be a great place to write encouraging messages to myself!
5. Pacing Myself. This has been my longtime motto, because everyone in a Ph.D.
program knows that we’re in it for the long haul. I’ve been trying to average no
more than five hours of focused reading a day to avoid burnout. Balance is key.
6. Using the Pomodoro Technique (or some method, any method!). I’ve become a
full-on Pomodoro convert. Fifty minute sessions with ten minute breaks work well
for me, and I aim for five per day. (I’ll probably increase this number once I’m no
longer working at the Learning Center during the summer, but, for now, I accept
this amount of time as enough.) Of course, the length of sessions and breaks can
be adjusted based on individual preferences and needs. One of my fellow writing
coaches has a wonderful blog post outlining his own journey with the Pomodoro
Technique.
7. Meeting with a coach to check in has been so helpful. Even though I feel
I should know what I need to do by now, I gain so much from weekly or bimonthly
check-ins.
8. Staying Curious. This mindset has guided me to my true interests rather than to a
cloud of “shoulds.” I use this mantra to check in with myself and see what I’m
 getting out of each reading. If I realize the reading won’t be useful to me, I move
on. I like this video on the growth mindset. It reminds me that I am capable of
learning and developing new abilities even if, at times, I feel intimidated by the
sheer amount of reading I have to do.

***

Update: I’m still reading, taking notes, and testing myself on the material I’ve learned!

It has taken time to develop these practices, and it has required a lot of trial and error.
Now that I have these tools, I know that when something’s not working, it needs to get
tweaked. So, when frustration inevitably arises, I turn inward rather than immediately
seek out another book on what to do–goodness knows, I’m already reading enough of
those.

Where Did My Time Go? Assessing Your Time & Finding Your Patterns

By Miranda, a Learning Center Coach

Where does my time go? Have you ever thought that? After a busy week and the hustle
and bustle, feeling like you have lost time? I know I do all the time. As a busy graduate
student who also works, most weeks end with me feeling exhausted and unsure of what I
actually got done. I know that I had been busy – sometimes far too busy – and I did at
least most of the work I needed to, but I honestly feel like time escapes me. I get that
constant feeling that I am overwhelmed but not productive. The words effective and
efficient use of time continually evade me.

I tried to reflect on where my time went despite using a calendar. During my first
semester as a Ph.D. student, I could not believe how fast the semester went. It felt like I
had just started when suddenly it was fall break, and I was rapid-fire writing horrible
drafts of my papers due on Monday after we returned (a cruel due date). Then, what felt
like a few days later was suddenly Thanksgiving break, and I saw the looming due dates
for three term papers that were not nearly ready to turn in. A panic two weeks later ended
my first term in a state of pure exhaustion, confusion, and relief at surviving. But what I
could not understand was why this happened. I had a calendar I used. I knew the papers
were coming. But there was something about how I had organized my time that did not
include working on my papers early enough.  
 Attempt
s at working at the Paul Mellon Center in London
To be frank, I honestly thought school was about the fast-paced last-minute finishing of
projects. There was a weird pride in pulling those late-night hours to revise a paper. Often
in class that day, you would hear a chorus of graduate students saying how many hours
they worked previously; an odd mix of “please take pity on me” and “praise me,” we would
all note the nine- or twelve-hour days we had pulled over the last week to finish the
assignments. In part, this is probably due to the amount of work we graduate students do
(and, from what I know, the undergraduates as well). From conferences to publishing
papers, course work, and fellowship applications, all alongside completing our own
research and working for our funding (often including a copious amount of grading and
lesson planning), time disappears quickly. 

Recently, after feeling that same old deadline panic and the crunch to finish, I decided to
reflect on how I am using my time. It felt like I was always rushing to something, needing
to answer some email, and working hard all day. So, I opened my good old calendar. My
first observation was how much available time I had! My weekends were open outside of
department happy hour regularly held on Fridays. My Mondays were totally free. All the
open space and still, where was my time going??? 

Seeing how much free space I had in my calendar, I instantly overcorrected by adding
more to my calendar. No wonder I was writing papers last minute! Look at all the space I
had to start early! Immediately I started filling in all gaps: My break from 12-1:30 pm; I can
work! Nothing till 2:00 pm on Tuesdays; I could be up at 8:00 am to work! My evenings are
open; I can work! 

Now, I am not saying that adding time devoted to my studying was a bad idea. In fact, I
think we should all plan our study time, set goals for our working hours, and have a clear
vision of the kinds of work or studying we do when not in a meeting, class, or work. But
that being said, after a week or two of following my new schedule where every minute
was full of work, I still felt exhausted and unproductive. Moreover, I followed my new
extremely meticulous schedule for a day or two, but then my schedule broke down. I was
tired. It turns out working over eight hours a day just because I had a free space in my
calendar was not the healthy way to organize my time. I reverted back to time
disappearing and feeling disappointed in the whole experiment. 

Now, I do not share all this to discourage anyone from trying new ways of organizing your
time or just to commiserate about being busy. I share this because often we create a
schedule – whether adding too much or too little – that is not ideal. This seems natural
to me; this is a goal, a plan, my ideal use of my time. However, I have realized more and
more that we rarely can hold up to the ideal all the time. And that is okay. 

Based on this, I thought, why don’t I plan out my ideal week but then create a daily check-in
to record how I am actually using my time? Think of this as a calendar journal exercise. I
would take a week and simply see where my time goes. Then, I could assess my work
and study patterns based on comparing my actual calendar to my ideal calendar. Finally,
I could find a way to learn from my week and create a more realistic calendar for the next
week.  For instance, “I always get tired and zone out on my phone – sometimes losing an
hour or more. After seeing these pattern I realized my brain needed a minute to relax and
recharge. Right after lunch is a good time to get light exercise or treat myself to a coffee
– maybe even schedule time to talk with a friend!”

My process was simple. First, I filled out my google calendar with my ideal schedule. I
made a point to include my meetings, work hours, social events, or anytime I had to ‘be’
somewhere. I then added my study times, including what I would work on (i.e., work on a
job application, revise my dissertation chapter, and such). Finally, I incorporated my own
items, things I needed to do (errands, chores, working out, etc.). With a fully filled out
week – including breaks – I was ready to try it out…and, more importantly, to reflect on
how it went. 
 My
ideal calendar and my reflection on what actually happened
Each day I took time to open my google calendar and record what I had done, actually
done, with my time that day. I did this by adding notes to my google calendar to see the
changes from my original schedule clearly. I would even suggest just using a blank
calendar and recording how your week goes. I also noted how I felt (as I tried, stressed,
hungry, or happy).

Once the week was up, I took time to look over what I originally planned out compared to
where my time actually went. For example, I learned that I do some of my best work if I
get up early in the morning. I learned that after dinner, I have a tough time focusing. All of
this information came from simply recording how I used my time and how it felt.

Reflecti
on handout of how my week went
Creating a calendar journal can really help show where your time actually goes. I know for
myself that allowed me to counter my pitfalls or find healthy work habits. It sounds
simple enough. Record what you actually do in a day and then reflect on how it went. But
I found it really helped me see where my time goes and how much I really do in a day. It
also helped me realize when I work best or when I am typically most tired. 

This blog showcases the perspectives of UNC Chapel Hill community members learning
and writing online. If you want to talk to a Writing and Learning Center coach about
implementing strategies described in the blog, make an appointment with a writing coach,
a peer tutor, or an academic coach today. Have an idea for a blog post about how you are
learning and writing remotely? Contact us here.

Simple Strategies for Improving Test

Performance
Improving test performance really isn't rock science (unless you're
studying aerospace engineering). Improving test performance is
actually very achievable, if you'll simply practice the basic study
strategies listed below. While applying one or two of the study
strategies will definitely improve your performance, practicing all of
the strategies from the first day of class will result in much better
academic and test performance.

Take Good Notes

If you want to improve your test performance, then improve your note
taking. Taking good notes, and correctly utilizing your notes, is one of
the most effective strategies for improving test performance. Why?
Because memory fades fast. Most people don't realize how quickly
they forget things. According to a study performed by the University
of Texas at Austin, without review, nearly 50% of what a student
learns in class is forgotten within the first twenty minutes and over
60% is forgotten after just one day. Having good lecture notes to
review can make all the difference in the world when it comes to
maximizing performance on an exam. The following are proven tips
for effective note taking aimed at improving test performance.

 Go to class prepared
Preparation is key to effective note taking. Bring with you to class
a three-ring binder for note taking instead of a traditional spiral
notebook or bound notepad. This way you can easily remove
individual pages for reviewing and then replace them when done.
A three-ring binder will also allow you to insert important class
handouts and notes for cross-referencing within your written notes
in the correct order.

Also bring a highlighter to class you can use to underline

important concepts within your notes that are likely to be on the
test. Highlighting will remind you later when you're studying your
notes in preparation for the exam what you definitely need to
know.

Arrive at class having read all assigned material AND having

reviewed your class notes from the previous lecture. If you have
any specific questions from your review of the assigned material,
make sure to seek clarification during class.

 Employ a note taking method

There are several effective note taking methods (eg. Cornell
System, etc.) Which one you choose to use is not as important as
choosing one and sticking with it. We recommend starting a new
page of notes for each new lecture or class period. Date and
number each page. Keep your notes in chronological order within
your binder. Use only one side of the paper. You can make
additional notes in the margin but don't write on the back. Leave
blank space within your notes so can add comments or additional
notes later. Keep your notes concise using phrases instead of
sentences. Use abbreviations and symbols when possible. Note
down unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary you don't understand.

 Pay attention and listen

It's hard to pay attention when you don't have a positive attitude.
Do everything you can to arrive at class with a positive attitude
and mentally ready to learn. This will enable you to have an open
mind and get the most out of the lecture. Listen for meaning. Don't
only focus on words, focus on the message being communicated
 by the words. If your lecture takes a turn, don't zone out, keep
listening for meaning and adjust your note taking accordingly.

 Review notes after each class

As we mentioned previously, nearly 50% of what a student learns
in class is forgotten within the first twenty minutes and over 60% is
forgotten after just one day. Reviewing your notes is just as
important as taking good notes. Always review your notes within
24 hours. We also recommend editing your notes, if necessary. If
something you wrote down doesn't make sense, make sure you
correct or clarify it. Review all highlighting or underlined notes.
You may even want to compare your notes with those taken by
other classmates or members of your study group to make sure
you captured all the important topics and concepts.

Employ SQ3R
If concepts and topics being tested are based on textbook material,
or other reading assignments, employing the SQ3R reading method
will improve understanding, recall and ultimately your test
performance. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, and Read, Recall,
and Review (3Rs).

 Survey
Before you jump in and start reading your text, skim through each
chapter to get a general idea of the main ideas and themes. Pay
attention to chapter headings, introductions, subheadings, visual
aids and summaries. Try to develop an idea of what the text is
going to communicate. This will provide your reading direction and
focus.

 Question
As you survey the text, develop questions that will help provide
additional focus and direction to your reading. Use chapter
headings, subheadings and introductions to develop questions. As
you read, attempt to answer the questions you developed.
Actively searching for answers to these questions as you read will
help you stay focused and engaged.

 Read, Recall, Review

After you've surveyed the text and developed questions, it's time
to read text. Read for meaning and understanding, and seek to
answer the questions you previously developed. Immediately after
 reading each section of text, summarize in your mind what you've
just read, paying attention to the important concepts and topics
discussed. This will improve your ability to recall important
information come test time. Finally, review the questions you
developed and try to answer each one without referring to the text
or your notes. Can you answer them from memory?

Learn more about the SQ3R reading method.

Manage Your Time Effectively

Everyone has 168 hours in each week, but not everyone chooses to
manage their time effectively. The difference between a poor student,
a good student and a great student often boils down to how
effectively each manages and uses their time. Have you ever arrived
at the end of a long, busy week and asked yourself, "Where did all
that time go?" or "Why wasn't I able to accomplish everything I
needed to get done?" More often than not, the answer isn't because
you didn't do anything, or that you didn't work hard, but rather that
you didn't work smart. Time management isn't about "activity", it's
about "productivity".

Productivity, not activity is your goal. You don't just want to work

hard, you want to work smart. Students who work smart have
effective time management skills. Effective time management is
essential to improving overall academic productivity, as well as test
performance. Take a moment and learn about effective time
management skills.

Begin Reviewing a Week Before the Test

About a week before a test, sit down and put together a test
preparation plan. Every test you take is going to be a little different –
as will each test preparation plan you develop. In your plan you
should decide how many hours you'll need to study and how to
allocate those hours.

Your plan should (1) identify the most important study materials and
techniques for the test (ie. reviewing notes, practice problems, etc.)
and (2) how much time to allocate to each. For example, if you're
preparing for a geometry test then the most effective study technique
may be working practice problems assigned by your teacher. If it's a
history test you're preparing for, then reviewing lecture notes and
group study may be your best avenue for improving performance.

Now, let's make one thing clear. To improve test performance you
should begin reviewing a week before a test – not studying. You
should be employing effective study habits and techniques
throughout the entire semester. Good reviewing is no substitute for
poor studying. Don't expect to start studying one week prior to a test
and perform well. The key to improving your test performance is to
employ effective study habits and techniques all semester and then
employ effective reviewing techniques one week before a test.

Self Testing
Once you have a good command of relevant subject matter, one of
the most effective strategies for improving test performance is to test
yourself using old tests, practice tests provided by your instructor, or
by making your own practice test. If you end up making your own
practice test, we recommend doing so with the help of a study group.
Developing a practice test with the help of study group members will
save time and provide a greater array of problems likely to appear on
the test.

An important part of self testing is to take your practice test under

actual test-like conditions. If your actual test is not an open book, or
open note, then don't use your notes or books as you complete your
practice test. If your actual test is going to be timed, then your
practice test should also be timed. Completing your practice test
under the same conditions as your actual test will ensure you know
the material well enough to perform well come test day.

Employ Proven Test Taking Strategies

Once you've prepared adequately, and done all that you can do prior
to test day, the last thing you'll want to do in order to improve your
test performance is to employ the following test taking strategies.

 Arrive early.
 Practice relaxation.
 Budget your time.
 Do a memory dump.
 Read directions carefully.
 Look for cues.
 Answer all questions.
 Rely on your first impression.
 Review your answers.
 Analyze your performance.
Learn more about test taking strategies that can improve test
performance.

10 Habits of Highly Effective Students

by Becton Loveless

The key to becoming an effective student is learning how to study

smarter, not harder. This becomes more and more true as you
advance in your education. An hour or two of studying a day is
usually sufficient to make it through high school with satisfactory
grades, but when college arrives, there aren't enough hours in the
day to get all your studying in if you don't know how to study smarter.

While some students are able to breeze through school with minimal
effort, this is the exception. The vast majority of successful students
achieve their success by developing and applying effective study
habits. The following are the top 10 study habits employed by highly
successful students. So if you want to become a successful student,
don't get discouraged, don't give up, just work to develop each of the
study habits below and you'll see your grades go up, your knowledge
increase, and your ability to learn and assimilate information improve.

1. Don't attempt to cram all your studying

into one session.
Ever find yourself up late at night expending more energy trying to
keep your eyelids open than you are studying? If so, it's time for a
change. Successful students typically space their work out over
shorter periods of time and rarely try to cram all of their studying into
just one or two sessions. If you want to become a successful student
then you need to learn to be consistent in your studies and to have
regular, yet shorter, study periods.

2. Plan when you're going to study.

Successful students schedule specific times throughout the week
when they are going to study -- and then they stick with their
schedule. Students who study sporadically and whimsically typically
do not perform as well as students who have a set study schedule.
Even if you're all caught up with your studies, creating a weekly
routine, where you set aside a period of time a few days a week, to
review your courses will ensure you develop habits that will enable
you to succeed in your education long term.

3. Study at the same time.

Not only is it important that you plan when you're going to study, it's
important you create a consistent, daily study routine. When you
study at the same time each day and each week, you're studying will
become a regular part of your life. You'll be mentally and emotionally
more prepared for each study session and each study session will
become more productive. If you have to change your schedule from
time to time due to unexpected events, that's okay, but get back on
your routine as soon as the event has passed.

4. Each study time should have a specific

goal.
Simply studying without direction is not effective. You need to know
exactly what you need to accomplish during each study session.
Before you start studying, set a study session goal that supports your
overall academic goal (i.e. memorize 30 vocabulary words in order to
ace the vocabulary section on an upcoming Spanish test.)
5. Never procrastinate your planned study
session.
It's very easy, and common, to put off your study session because of
lack of interest in the subject, because you have other things you
need to get done, or just because the assignment is hard. Successful
students DO NOT procrastinate studying. If you procrastinate your
study session, your studying will become much less effective and you
may not get everything accomplished that you need to.
Procrastination also leads to rushing, and rushing is the number one
cause of errors.

6. Start with the most difficult subject first.

As your most difficult assignment or subject will require the most
effort and mental energy, you should start with it first. Once you've
completed the most difficult work, it will be much easier to complete
the rest of your work. Believe it or not, starting with the most difficult
subject will greatly improve the effectiveness of your study sessions,
and your academic performance.

7. Always review your notes before starting

an assignment.
Obviously, before you can review your notes you must first have
notes to review. Always make sure to take good notes in class.
Before you start each study session, and before you start a particular
assignment, review your notes thoroughly to make sure you know
how to complete the assignment correctly. Reviewing your notes
before each study session will help you remember important subject
matter learned during the day, and make sure your studying is
targeted and effective.

8. Make sure you're not distracted while

you're studying.
Everyone gets distracted by something. Maybe it's the TV. Or maybe
it's your family. Or maybe it's just too quiet. Some people actually
study better with a little background noise. When you're distracted
while studying you (1) lose your train of thought and (2) are unable to
focus -- both of which will lead to very ineffective studying. Before
you start studying, find a place where you won't be disturbed or
distracted. For some people this is a quiet cubicle in the recesses of
the library. For others it is in a common area where there is a little
background noise.

9. Use study groups effectively.

Ever heard the phrase "two heads are better than one?" Well this can
be especially true when it comes to studying. Working in groups
enables you to (1) get help from others when you're struggling to
understand a concept, (2) complete assignments more quickly, and
(3) teach others, whereby helping both the other students and
yourself to internalize the subject matter. However, study groups can
become very ineffective if they're not structured and if group
members come unprepared. Effective students use study groups
effectively.

10. Review your notes, schoolwork and

other class materials over the weekend.
Successful students review what they've learned during the week
over the weekend. This way they're well prepared to continue
learning new concepts that build upon previous coursework and
knowledge acquired the previous week.

We're confident that if you'll develop the habits outlined above that
you'll see a major improvement in your academic success.

How to Study
Many of your study strategies–habits you have developed on and relied on over time–work great!
Still, many students find when they start college or take on more challenging course material that
some habits might need to be tweaked. Reflection is a powerful tool, and LSC is ready to help you
delve into thinking about what study habits continue to work for you and what you might want to
change – studying for college can be very different than studying in high school; you will be
expected to not just memorize things, but to apply and evaluate information.

Below are some strategies you can explore and try out-see what works for you!
Studying for and Taking Exams

 Effective Study Strategies: Retrieval Practice, Blank Page Testing, Interleaving, Spaced
Practice, etc.
 Concept Mapping – How to make a concept map, and why they can help you tie ideas
together.
 Guidelines for Creating a Study Schedule – Suggestions for making your study more
efficient.
 The Five Day Study Plan – A way to plan when and how to study for exams.
 What to do with Practice Exams – Why does taking practice tests work?
 Consider Exam Logistics – Your approach to exams should vary depending on if the
exam is in-person or online, if it is timed, and if you have access to a quiet place to take it.
 Online Exam Checklist – Online exams present a unique set of logistical challenges,
whether you are home or on-campus. Be prepared! Gather as much intel as possible about
the testing format before the exam.
 Open-Book Exams: Understand what it means, you still need to study!
 How to Tackle Exam Questions – Strategies for different types of exam questions plus
tips for decoding exam questions.
 What to do when you get your graded test (or essay) back: Whether the score you earned
makes you want to jump for joy or curl up into a ball, learning from your graded work is
an incredibly valuable opportunity. Do not, repeat DO NOT, immediately toss or file
away the test or essay you just got back! Here’s what to do instead.

Taking Notes

 The Cornell Note Taking System – How to use the Cornell note taking system, with our
interactive Canvas module.
 Learning from Digital Materials – What strategies work best?

Reading Strategies

 3 P’s for Effective Reading – Purpose, Plan, and Preview

 Textbook Reading Systems – How to use the SQ3R and other reading systems.

Learning Online

 Online Learning Checklist: a checklist of how to be prepared to learn online.

 Things to Keep in Mind as you Participate in Online Classes (including troubleshooting
tips!)
 Learning from Online Lectures and Discussions: Successful online learners, like all
learners, have a growth mindset! They are flexible, tolerate the inevitable technical
problems that arise, ask for help when they need it, keep on top of regular work for each
class, minimize distractions as much as possible, and persist when things are hard.
  Online Group Work: Just because you aren’t in the same room (or country!), doesn’t
mean that you can’t collaborate effectively. Just like with any kind of group work- for
online group work to be successful it helps if you think through, in advance, the ground
rules for how you will work together. See LSC’s Student Guide for Studying Together for
more tips.
 Learning Online Resource Videos 

Getting your Questions Answered

 Office Hours – What they are and how to make the best use of them.
 LSC Supplemental Courses are offered in support of student learning in a variety of large
introductory courses.
 LSC offers tutoring in a variety of disciplines including chemistry, biology, math,
statistics, physics, languages, and economics.
 You can also form your own study group or find a study buddy.

Five-Day Study Plan

Don’t Cram, Use a Five-Day Study Plan!

The simple keys to a five-day study plan:

1. Figure out what you need to know in (“prepare”).

2. Make sure you know it (“review”).
3. Start in advance & switch things up.

1. Preparing study material for an exam is an active process. This is where you

identify, organize, and consolidate your material. You want to end up with a study
guide, flash cards, quizlets, concept maps, practice test questions that you made up,
etc. (Don’t just passively re-write your notes or re-read a chapter–instead make
something new.) Staring this five days before your exam helps solidify the material,
plus it gives you time to identify what you still don’t understand so you can get your
questions answered.

2. Reviewing the material you prepared should also be active-this is where you figure
out how much you actually know and what you still need to work on. Try “blank page
testing,” quizzing yourself or a friend, and/or taking practice exams.

Some Examples of Preparation and Review Strategies

Preparation Strategies Review Strategies

(This is where you identify, organize, and (This is where you self-test and evalu
consolidate material.) learning.)

 Develop study sheets or study guides  Explain concepts to others

Preparation Strategies Review Strategies
(This is where you identify, organize, and (This is where you self-test and evalu
consolidate material.) learning.)

 Make flash cards

 Outline/summarize material
 Develop concept maps or charts (make sure you use use
linking terms)
 List the steps in a complex process or develop a flow
chart
 Make a list of 20 topics that could be on the exam. Be
able to explain why you think they might be on the test.
 Predict (and answer!) practice test/essay questions
 Answer questions at the end of the chapter (that
weren’t assigned as HW)
 Prepare material for a study group
 Use your quizlets or flash cards
 Work problems (no looking at answer
 Take self-tests (try to mimic test condi
 Recite from memory (better yet, tell yo
pillow) your list of 20 topics that could
 Work the problems that you missed on
questions at the end of the chapter
 Outline answers to essay questions fro
 Write a full sample essay
 Explain material to group members or

3. Switch up preparation and review

People learn faster and perform better if they work in brief blocks of time spread out
over longer periods of time, rather than in a few lengthy “cram” sessions. For
example:

 You will perform better on an exam if you spend one hour studying each day for 20
days than if you spend 10 hours studying each day for two days before the test.
 It is easier to learn to shoot a 3-pointer better if you practice a little bit each day for
a month rather than have one marathon session in an afternoon.
 You will learn the tuba best if you practice a little each day (though your roommate
may disagree about anything regarding you learning the tuba–fair enough).

Put that principle to work by mixing up preparation and review. Don’t do all of your
preparation, then stop that and do all of your review. Mix them up to learn best! (Use
this principle to your advantage when you need to prepare for multiple exams/projects
simultaneously–it can be a great silver lining in those stressful times to know that
going back and forth to work on multiple subjects helps you learn each one better.)

How to Make a Five-Day Study Plan

1. Break the material on the exam into chunks or groups of material. (By chapter?
Topic? Lecture? You decide what makes sense depending on your class.) For the
example below, we will use 4 chunks or groups of material (A, B, C, and D). For
example, Chunk A might be chapters 1-2, Chunk B is chapter 3, Chunk C is chapters
4-5, and Chunk D is chapter 6.
2. Plan to spend about 2 hours studying on each of the five days.
3. Work with the material in 2 ways: preparation and review.
 4. Decide what preparation and review strategies will work best for you, and include
those on your five-day study plan chart. Click here for a downloadable word
document of a Five-Day Study Plan.

Sample Five-Day Study Plan Chart

Click here for a downloadable word document of  A Five-Day Study Plan.

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Prepare Chunk A: 2hrs Prepare Chunk B: 2 hrs; Prepare Chunk C: 1.5 Prepare Chunk D: 1 hr;  Review
Review Chunk A: 30 min hrs; Review Chunk C: 30 min; Review
Review Chunk B: 30 Review Chunk B: 15 min; Review
min; Review Chunk A: 15 min Review
Review Chunk A: 15 min Self-tes
hr

You will have to get creative with your plan for those times when you have two or
three prelims or other big assignments in the same week.

During the five days you are studying for your exam be kind to your future self and
don’t neglect your other courses!

Would you like to learn more?

 Memory: Why cramming for tests often fails

 Why Cramming Doesn’t Work
 Back to School: Cramming Doesn’t Work in the Long Term
 The Importance of Having a Study Plan
 5 Reasons Personalized Study Plans are Effective

Up Next: What do you do with practice exams?

Concept Mapping
Concept maps are a powerful tool for identifying relationships among ideas you learn
in class. Understanding these relationships and depicting them visually can help you
learn course material at a much deeper level and retain it better, too.

Concept maps are highly personalized and provide an opportunity to organize course
material in a way that makes most sense to you.

The main point is to end up with a diagram of all of the important ideas from your
class, with terms you add that describe how the ideas are connected to each other. 
(Some students find that adding these “linking terms” is one of the most challenging
part of making a concept map- actively deciding how the ideas are related is key to
the effectiveness of concept maps, so don’t skip the linking terms.)

Concept maps can be helpful learning tools in just about any class: STEM,
humanities, social sciences, languages, even the arts!

There are many ways to make concept maps, find an approach that works for you.

Here’s the general idea:

1. Start by brainstorming the main big-picture ideas you want to study.

 This is not a list where the order matters, it’s just a brain-dump list.
 Look through chapter headings, lecture notes, and other class material to make
sure you haven’t forgotten anything major.
 You can make your list digitally, with pencil and paper, on note cards, or even
on small scraps of paper.

2. Choose an idea from your brain-dump list. It can be an idea that:

 you think is important (the title of the chapter or lecture, for example),
 was covered in class most recently,
 you feel most confident about,
 or even just a random one.
3. Put that idea down on paper or on a whiteboard or chalkboard, sort of in the middle.
People usually like to but a box or circle around each term—it helps the terms stand
out, and it’s oddly satisfying.

4. Now, go through your list of terms.

 What other terms are connected in some way to the one you just used?
 What sorts of relationships do you see?
 The relationship could be a hierarchy, a timeline, small things going to
large things, or something else.
 You might not know what relationship you’re going to identify until you
look at your list of terms!
 If you’re feeling stuck this is a great time to work with peers or go
to office hours.
 You might identify different relationships than people you’re studying
with, that’s ok. It can be useful to try to understand why your study
partners are thinking differently than you. You don’t necessarily need to
agree, but do check to make sure you’re not operating with misconceptions
or misunderstandings of the material.

5. Come up with “linking terms” that explain how you see the ideas being related to
each other.

 Linking terms are important for seeing relationships and connections.

 If you can’t come up with a linking term for an idea, try moving the idea
around to different spots until you can.

6. Arrange and re-arrange all of the ideas you identified on your brain-dump list until
the way you have them organized makes sense to you.

 You may find you want to hold off using some ideas for a different concept
map, and/or you may find you want to add some you hadn’t thought of
initially.

7. When you are studying for exams it can be effective (and for some people also
super fun) to geek out and make giant concept maps that put together smaller concept
maps you’ve made throughout the semester.

References:
Holschuh, J. and Nist, S. (2000). Active learning: Strategies for college
success. Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.

Javonillo, R., & Martin-Dunlop, C. (2019). Linking Phrases for Concept Mapping in
Introductory College Biology. Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching, 45(3),
34–38.

Would you like to learn more?

  Use of Concept Mapping to Improve Problem Solving
 Concept Mapping: An Effective, Active Teaching-Learning Method
 The Effect of Concept Mapping to Enhance Text Comprehension and
Summarization
 The Effect of Concept Mapping on Students’ Learning Achievements and
Interests
 Linking Phrases for Concept Mapping in Introductory College Biology

The Importance of Having a Study Plan

By Disha Gogoi

Do you find yourself procrastinating a lot

when trying to study or not able to keep up with the number of materials with your current
study schedule? A study plan is helpful at times like these. Having a study plan is one
important feature that helps in an excellent organization as well as creating a sense of
accountability in the students learning the process.  Remember planning is essential to
succeed in all area of activities.

A study plan isn’t the only timetable

A study plan is more comprehensive than timetable because it defines a methodology to

deal with the preparation, planning, and problems faced in each subject by an individual.

A goal should be set, items should be prioritized and an effective study plan should be
drawn. This should be based on the following analytical approach:-

1. How many free hours are available?

2. How to prepare and procure the course material?

3.How much time should be dedicated to each and every subject in view of the individual
requirement?

4. How to create an environment conducive for a fruitful study? For example, one can
switch off the mobile phone for a designated period.

Following are some of the important aspect of study plan –

Increased productivity: A study plan will help you split your studying into bite-sized
chunks and Outlining what you need to do every day will help you know exactly what you
need to do and when This way you can learn and memorize more effectively and avoid
stressing yourself. In addition, a study plan with to-dos for each day will help you avoid
procrastinating for your exam.

Time management: when it comes to the academic success of students it is important

to effectively use his/her time and sticking to a study timetable drawn is as important as
creating one. A study plan gives you time for the unpredicted. For instance, if something
pops up you will not have to worry since you have already had time to study.

Less stress: A study plan also helps reduce stress. Majority students are guilty of waiting
for the last minute to start cramming for an exam. However, cramming brings on added
pressure and stress, which you can avoid if you started preparing for your exams early.
With a study plan, you get to cover each and every bit of your study material as you have
plenty of time.

Better score: If you start studying before time then nothing will hinder you from getting
those straight A’s. Studying early will help students to memorize more effectively.

Last but not least no study plan can be winning if it is not followed and executed
sincerely.

Study Skills Guides

Struggling to be a successful student? Don't get discouraged, it isn't
magic! But it does require desire, dedication and a lot of work. If you
want to learn how to become a successful student, then you've come
to the right place. Our study skills guides for students will provide you
everything you need in order to learn how to learn more effectively.

Active listening, reading comprehension, note taking, stress

management, time management, testing taking, and memorization
are only a few of the topics addressed in our study skills guides for
students. If you'll take the time to learn and apply the study skills
concepts and principles taught in our guides you'll not only improve
your performance in school but also your ability to learn in general --
and that will benefit you the rest of your life! Whether you're a
freshman in college looking to get ahead, a teacher seeking study
skills resources for your pupils, or a high school student just trying to
survive, you'll find the study skills guides, tutorials, and resources you
need right below.

To get started select a category link below.

 General Study Skills

 Test Taking Guides
 Study Skills by Subject
Or scroll down to browse all our study skills resources and tutorials.

General Study Skills Guides

The following are general study skills guides, tutorials and articles for
students, parents and teachers that offer proven tips and strategies
for improving study skills habits, effectiveness and learning ability.
Topics covered include time management, learning style, note taking,
reading, math, vocabulary, writing, and listening, among others.

 Study Skills Checklist

 Discover Your Learning Style
 10 Habits of Highly Successful Students
 16 Study Motivation Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
 Improving Reading Comprehension
 Study and Learning Skills for Online Classes
 The Cornell System for Taking Notes
 Improving Your Note Taking
 Improving Your Memory
 Effective Listening Skills
 Active Listening Skills Guide
 Critical Thinking Skills
 Critical Reading Guide
 Using Effective Time Management To Optimize Your Studying
 Finding a Good Study Location
 Using Studying Groups
 Strategies for Reading Textbooks
 SQ3R Strategy for Reading Textbooks
 Vocabulary Building Strategies
 Basics of Writing An Essay
 Writing Research Papers
 Setting and Achieving Goals
 The Forgetting Curve
 The Study Cycle
 The Learning Pyramid Explored

Test Taking Guides

Test taking is a skill in and of itself. Even some of the brightest
students struggle when it comes to test taking. Learning how to take
tests is an important aspect of educational performance,
development and progression. Below we'll explore both general and
specific tips and strategies for taking and enhancing performance on
various types of tests, including short answer, multiple choice, essay,
oral, openbook, and standardized.

 Test Preparation Tips

 Coping With Test Anxiety
 Simple Strategies for Improving Test Performance
 Test Taking Strategies
 Short Answer Tests
 Taking Essay Tests
 Multiple Choice Test Taking Tips
 True/False Tests
 Solving Math Word Problems
 Quantitative and Math Test Preparation Strategies
 Openbook Tests
 Oral Test Taking
 ACT Test Taking Strategies
 SAT Test Taking Tips and Techniques
 LSAT Strategies
 How To Study for the MCAT
 Test Taking Strategies for Nursing Students
 NCLEX Test Preparation Guide
 The ACCUPLACER Test Guide
 GED Study Guide
 GRE Study Guide

Study Skills Resources by Subject

Understanding general, yet proven, strategies for studying and test
taking is the first step to becoming an effective learner and student.
However, each subject you study is unique and requires a slightly
different learning approach. For example, learning how to do calculus
is very different from studying American heritage. While both subjects
require good study habits, effective listening, and reading
comprehension skills, each requires a different approach to learning.
Below we'll explore specific study skills and strategies as they relate
to performance within individual subject areas.

 Accounting
 Anthropology
 Astronomy
 Biology
 Business
 Chemistry
 Computer Science
 Economics
 Engineering
 English
 Foreign Language
 Geography
 Geology
 History
 Law
 Math
 Nursing
 Physics
 Political Science
 Science
 Sociology