I, Dozer Pannell, believe that while learning is hard work, the rewards are great. In fact, nothing can transform a life more effectively than the acquisition of knowledge. And, students acquire that transformational knowledge through learning. With knowledge, nothing is the same. Everything changes. Everything! Not just for the learner, but for the folks with whom he or she associates. You see, when someone picks up a book, other folks are watching. When one leaves for the library, other folks notice. It may be a brother or a sister, mother or father, son or daughter who notices the commitment the student has to the learning process. Education has the power to transform lives. Its impact is felt today and tomorrow by the learner, and it will impact the learner's children and her children's children for generations to come. Yes, it's a powerful thing--education. Worth every moment of time and ounce of energy devoted to its acquisition. This document is dedicated to the person who says "I want to learn". It contains suggestions on how to be an effective and efficient learner. If you want to see Dozer's Guide to Test Taking, click HERE.
WITH
WHOM TO STUDY
Studying with someone else may not be the best of ideas, especially if
that someone else is a friend. You may find yourself spending lots
of "study" time talking about topics of interest (e.g., Will Rachel marry
Joey?) instead of actually studying. If you do study with someone
else, be sure to study with someone whose test scores are higher than yours.
A common mistake is to study with someone who shares similar study
habits. If you are having difficulty doing well on tests, then don't
study with someone else who has difficulty. Find someone who aces
her tests. In addition, don't rely on the other person to learn stuff
for you. Before you meet, you should already have read the material
with the goal of learning as much as possible on your own. Then, when
you meet with your study partner, your goal will be to help each other understand
what was unclear to each of you. Since one of the best ways to learn
something is to teach it to another person if you explain a concept to someone
else, both he and you will learn.
WHERE
TO STUDY
One might think that a desk in one's own room might be an excellent place
to study, but for many it's not the best choice. The potential distractions
are unlimited in such an environment. For example, what would you
do if the phone rings? Probably stop studying and answer it losing
an hour or more in a conversation with a friend. Will you be able to
study, knowing that the TV is nearby and a rerun of Friends is currently
on? Will you be able to study effectively knowing that there's a refrigerator
nearby full of snacks? Many students combine study time with other
activities. This is usually a mistake. When studying, one ought
not to be watching TV, or listening to music, or talking on the phone. Serious
learning requires concentration. If you study for three hours while
watching TV, have you really studied for three hours? Not likely.
So, set the VCR to record your favorite programs and then get away
from all the distractions. Go to a quiet, distraction-free environment,
like a college or public library, a park bench, or an office.
WHEN
TO STUDY
First, let's acknowledge a painful fact. Learning takes time--lots
of it. The serious student schedules activities in a way that creates
adequate blocks of quality time for learning. He or she will set
aside time each day for learning. Acknowledging that there are 168
hours in a week drives home the point that time is limited and if study
time is important, some of those hours will be scheduled for learning. For
a college student, a rule of thumb is to invest two hours studying outside
of class for each hour in class. While this rule might be adjustable
based on the type of class and the student's preexisting knowledge of the
subject, it's a worthwhile rule of thumb. So, if you are taking 12
semester hours of classes, in addition to attending those 12 hours, you should
schedule an additional 24 hours to study for those classes. The 12
in-class hours plus the 24 out-of-class hours total 36 hours, the equivalent
of a full time job. You should schedule time for learning each day. If
you need to study for extensive periods of time, break up each study session
into shorter ones with rest periods between them. For instance, take
a brief break after each hour of studying. And, once you begin to
study, use what time you have wisely. Tackle the difficult subjects
first, getting them out of the way. You will probably need to be more
alert to deal with these subjects than with the easier ones. You should
also be aware of the best time of the day for you to study. Are you
more alert in the mornings or evenings? Furthermore, for many students,
the biggest obstacle to learning is procrastination. Most folks schedule
activities in order from most pleasant to least pleasant. That's why
most folks are more eager to watch TV than to read a textbook. They
postpone reading until after watching TV. One TV show leads to another
and another until much valuable time has been squandered in entertainment
instead of invested in learning. If your future is important, you
will need to control the urge to postpone learning. There are several
ways to do this. First, try not to be overwhelmed by the immensity
of a project. Cut it up into smaller parts, each of which can be easily
completed. Then, work on one part of the project. This will motivate
you to continue to other parts. For instance, if you must read a long
chapter in a textbook, just commit yourself to reading the first section
of the chapter. Have as your goal that in the next 30 minutes, you
will learn what is in the first section. That goal can be met. Or,
if you must write a ten-page paper, avoid thinking about the ten pages. Instead,
concentrate on the first paragraph. Finally, don't let friends set
your schedule. Take charge of your time. Set your priorities.
WHAT
TO STUDY
Of course, you'll rely heavily on the textbook to provide much of the
information needed to learn. However, in many classes, the most important
material to study will be your class notes. Not only will they contain
information that cannot be found in the textbook, but they will provide an
abundance of clues as to what the instructor thinks is important. And,
stuff the instructor thinks is important is likely to appear on the test.
But, the quality of learning derived from notes will be contingent
on the quality of the notes. To take good notes, you should sit near
the front of the class. This will permit you to see and hear better
and will eliminate distractions that tend to increase in proportion to the
distance a student sits in relation to the teacher. Make sure that
anything the teacher writes on the board is recorded in your notes. She
isn't writing that stuff on the board for the fun of it. Make brief
notes, summarizing what is said in your own words. Pay close attention
to words like "and most importantly" or "there are six benefits to" or "remember
that." And, as soon as possible after class, rewrite and reorganize
your notes, and before attending the next class, suficiently review your
notes from the prior class.