Study Skills

by Piscitelli, Stephen V.

• ISBN13: 9780131123403
• ISBN10: 0131123408
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff? is a student-friendly text that presents practical study strategies and tips for immediate application in classroom situations. Features include: bull; bull;The SAC-SIP problem-solving model is used throughout the modules. bull;Workforce case studies show students how to apply study skill strategies in a workplace environment. bull;Exhibits, reflective activities, and success strategies to bring the material to life. bull;Learning styles and multiple intelligences are connected to each module.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xv
About the Author	xvi
Identifying and Meeting Your Challenges	1	(30)
Organizing for Success
What Are These Modules All About Anyway?	2	(15)
The P.O.P.R.A.P. list	3	(1)
Is there a common thread to these modules?	3	(1)
What will not happen by using this material?	4	(1)
What will happen by using this material?	4	(1)
Top 10 challenges all students must face	5	(1)
I really do want to learn---but I just can't!	5	(1)
The Top 10 Challenges	6	(2)
Assessment of Strengths and Weaknesses	8	(2)
Problem solving for school and the workforce	10	(1)
Broad choices: Adapting old skills to new situations	10	(2)
Assessment of Broad Choices	12	(1)
Specific choices: The SAC-SIP problem-solving model	13	(1)
Putting the SAC-SIP Problem-Solving Model into Action	14	(2)
Problem Solving	16	(1)
What Are Study Skills, and Why Do I Need Them?	17	(10)
What does a successful student look like?	17	(1)
Evaluating the Characteristics of a Good Student	18	(3)
What you need to do to be a successful student	21	(1)
A word about self-esteem	22	(1)
One more thing about self-esteem: Handling criticism	22	(1)
Handling Criticism	23	(2)
What do you think of when you hear the term study skills?	25	(1)
If completing an assignment is not studying, what is?	26	(1)
One last thing: A covenant with myself	26	(1)
A Quick Review	27	(4)
Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences	31	(16)
I Don't Learn Like You, You Don't Learn Like Me
Learning Styles	32	(5)
One size does not fit all	32	(1)
How do you learn?	33	(1)
How Do I Learn Best?	34	(2)
What Is My Learning Style?	36	(1)
How does this information help me?	37	(1)
What Are Multiple Intelligences?	37	(7)
The eight intelligences	37	(2)
Prioritizing Your Intelligences	39	(2)
A Friend's Review of Your Intelligences	41	(2)
Okay, what does all this mean to me?	43	(1)
Why don't you become the teacher?	43	(1)
A Quick Review	44	(2)
Checklist: Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences	46	(1)
Goal Setting	47	(16)
Knowing Where You Are Going and How Best to Get There
Motivational Goal Setting	48	(9)
I don't have time for this stuff!	48	(1)
Fix What?	49	(1)
``Meaningful specific'' or ``wandering generality'': Goals provide direction	50	(1)
What does a clearly stated goal look like?	50	(2)
W.I.N.: Do you know what's important now?	52	(1)
Your Personal Road Map to Achieving Your Goal	53	(1)
Buddy's Goals	54	(1)
Steps to Achieving Your Goals	55	(1)
Evaluate your goals: ``Wanting'' to do something is not the same thing as ``doing'' something	56	(1)
A Quick Review	57	(3)
Checklist: Goals	60	(3)
Time Management	63	(30)
So Many Assignments---So Little Time!
Get Out of Your Own Way!	64	(15)
Organizing time to accomplish the purpose	64	(1)
How much study time is enough?	65	(1)
Let's look at your day: Adjusting to a college schedule	66	(1)
P3 = S: Prime Planning Principle = Simplify	67	(1)
Graphing Out Your Day	68	(1)
Problems In Time Management	69	(2)
Where Did All My Time Go?	71	(3)
That Instructor Must Think Homework Is All There Is to Life	74	(2)
Backward planning	76	(1)
Organization	77	(2)
It's a Matter of Priorities	79	(8)
Urgent vs. important: Prioritizing your activities	81	(1)
Balance and moderation	82	(1)
Calendars	82	(2)
Now, where did I put that calendar?	84	(2)
How do I establish a study schedule?	86	(1)
Efficiency vs. effectiveness	87	(1)
A Quick Review	87	(4)
Checklist: Time Management	91	(2)
The Classroom Experience	93	(30)
Achieving the Best Result
What in the World is That Teacher Doing in Front of the Room?	94	(8)
Teacher style and emphasis	94	(1)
Identifying What Your Instructors Want From You	95	(1)
Identification of teacher style + expectations = classroom success	95	(1)
What Does My Teacher Expect From Me?	96	(3)
Does Instructor Behavior Affect My Behavior?	99	(1)
I really want to pay attention in class . . . but it's not easy	100	(1)
What Can You Do to Fight Distractions?	101	(1)
What in the World Am I Doing in the Back of the Room?	102	(12)
A word about being ``cool''	102	(1)
Creating a positive classroom experience	102	(1)
Active learning	103	(1)
Is your notebook open, pen ready, and mind receptive?	103	(1)
Note-taking styles	104	(4)
Now that you have your notes, what should you do next? Applying the 3Rs	108	(1)
Okay . . . but I still don't get the big picture	109	(1)
Developing TSDs	110	(2)
Step-by-Step Analysis of a Problematic Topic	112	(1)
Managing your studies with a notebook	113	(1)
Practice	114	(1)
A Quick Review	114	(5)
Checklist: The Classroom Experience	119	(4)
Reading with a Purpose	123	(18)
I Have to Read 1,000 Pages by When?
Establishing the Reading Objective	124	(2)
I read my assignment! So, why don't I know what I read?	124	(1)
Identifying the purpose	125	(1)
Tackling a reading assignment	126	(1)
Dealing with a Boring Textbook	126	(9)
How does the instructor expect me to get through this boring textbook?	126	(1)
The plan	126	(1)
A Plan for Successfully Completing a Reading Assignment	127	(3)
Developing Your Own Questions from Chapter Headings	130	(3)
Now, what do I do with my reading notes?	133	(1)
My instructor always falls behind schedule	133	(1)
I've followed the plan but my reading comprehension is still lousy!	134	(1)
The reading plan is fine for textbooks, but what about novels?	134	(1)
A Quick Review	135	(4)
Checklist: Reading Strategies	139	(2)
Basic Writing Tips	141	(34)
Keeping It Simple
Stating It, Supporting It, Concluding It, and Evaluating It	142	(20)
Your English instructor knows best	142	(2)
Analyzing a Prompt and Developing an Outline	144
I always think my essay is great---too bad my instructor doesn't share the same view	143	(1)
Writing decisions	144	(1)
Look at your T.O.E.S.: The basic components of an essay	144	(1)
Reinforcing the Concept of T.O.E.S.	145	(1)
Stating it: Thesis statements	145	(1)
Writing Main-Idea (Thesis) Statements	146	(3)
Supporting it: The body of the essay---The 5 x 5 principle	149	(2)
What do I do about writer's block?	151	(1)
Concluding it: The clincher	152	(1)
The big picture	152	(5)
The Five-Paragraph Essay	157	(1)
What you've learned so far	158	(1)
Evaluating it: How do you know if you have written an acceptable essay?	158	(1)
Postwriting Essay Assessment: A Checklist	159	(1)
Effective Communication	160	(2)
Research and the Library	162	(7)
Writing a research paper	162	(1)
Help! I don't know what to write about!	162	(1)
Organizing a Schedule for Your Research Paper	163	(1)
Narrowing the Focus of Your Research	163	(1)
How do I prove my opinion?	164	(1)
How do I gather my evidence?	164	(1)
Narrowing your research topic	164	(2)
Help! I'm lost in the library and I can't get out!	166	(1)
How do I know what stuff is important?	167	(1)
How do I know if an Internet site is ``good''?	167	(1)
Evaluating a Website	168	(1)
A Quick Review	169	(4)
Checklist: Writing Strategies	173	(2)
Memory	175	(20)
Whatshisname Scheduled a Whatchamacallit for When?
Why Do We Forget?	176	(4)
Know what you can forget	176	(1)
First, you must notice	177	(1)
Why do you forget?	177	(1)
Memory blocks	177	(1)
The brain's attic	178	(1)
Retrieval failure---and what you can do about it	178	(2)
Memory ≠ understanding	180	(1)
Memory = the foundation	180	(1)
It's a Matter of Focusing Energies	180	(9)
Desire	180	(1)
Active listening = improved memory	181	(1)
Memory	182	(1)
Retrieval	183	(1)
Mental pictures	184	(1)
Names	185	(2)
Mnemonics	187	(2)
Practice	189	(1)
A Quick Review	189	(3)
Checklist: Memory and Relationships	192	(3)
Test Preparation	195	(20)
There's No Business Like Prep Business
Bringing It All Together	196	(5)
Test anxiety	196	(1)
Why Are You Anxious About Exams?	197	(2)
Test anxiety or inefficient test-taking strategies?	199	(1)
Putting your study skills to work for you: Everything is connected	199	(2)
Competence + confidence = improved self-esteem	201	(1)
The Final Checklist	201	(8)
Successful students have a plan	201	(1)
Test Preparation Checklist	202	(3)
Postexam analysis	205	(1)
Hey, isn't this where we started? Assessment of strengths and weaknesses	205	(1)
Emergency studying	205	(1)
Test-taking strategies	206	(2)
Test Preparation	208	(1)
A Quick Review	209	(3)
Checklist: Test Preparation	212	(2)
A 14-Step Guide to Better Study Habits	214	(1)
In Closing	214	(1)
Selected Bibliography	215	(2)
Index	217

Excerpts

Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff?is a student-friendly volume of practical study strategies and tips for immediate application in classroom situations. The numerous reflective activities are designed to help students become more aware of their strengths and challenges. This book also demonstrates howacademicstudy skills readily relate to the world o f work.Students lead busy lives. Too often, they are left wondering what the connection is between the classroom and the real world. This book bridges that gap. FEATURES OF THIS BOOK The SAC-SIP problem-solving model is used throughout the modules. A section on multiple intelligences is provided in Module 2. A section on handling criticism is included. Guidelines for evaluating Internet sites give students tips for determining the credibility and validity of sites. Workforce case studies show students how to apply study skill strategies in a workplace environment. Tips and strategies are clearly labeled throughout the modules as "success strategies," accompanied by, the icon you see in the margin. Module overviews show how the particular module fits into the overall structure of the book. Specific module headings are also featured. More than 30 reflective activities, along with 6 workplace case studies, complement the strategies. Forty-five exhibits enhance the concepts with visual explanations. End-of-module data retrieval charts help to organize main points and correlate with learning styles and multiple intelligences. End-of-module questions provide a quick check on key points. Footnotes provide students with readily accessible additional information. A bibliography of selected resources provides direction to complementary source material. An index allows specific information to be easily located. THE STRUCTURE OF THIS BOOKAlthough organization is the basis for all study skills, not every student needs to devote equal time to each skill. "So," I asked myself, "why make a student wade through an entire book? Why not break the material into more bite-sized and meaningful parts?"The result you have in your hands. This layout is designed to help you become a more efficient and effective student. A brief overview of the modules follows. You may reorder (butneverignore!) the information in a way that best serves your needs. Module 1: Identifying and meeting your challenges It comes down to a couple of principles. The P.O.P. R.A.P.2 list summarizes the main principles of the modules. These strategies work in the classroom and will have practical application in everyday life--honestly! Review the strategies in these modules. Select according to your personality and what works for you. These strategies have helped students minimize failures and maximize successes. They can help you, too. Discussion focuses on the top 10 challenges all students face, as well as the characteristics of successful students. A strategy to handle criticism effectively is introduced. A workforce case study allows you to apply newly learned skills. The SAC-SIP problem-solving model is introduced. A workforce case study provides the opportunity for you to apply newly learned skills. A "Covenant with Myself" asks for a personal commitment to student success. Module 2: Learning styles and multiple intelligences The concept of learning styles is introduced. An informal learning style assessment is presented. This information sets the foundation for the rest of the book. Each succeeding module ends with suggested ways to correlate learning style to some of the strategies presented in the preceding pages. An overview of multiple intelligences presents more strategies for success. Each succeeding module will match selected intelligences to m