Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College

by McWhorter, Kathleen T.

• ISBN13: 9780673994967
• ISBN10: 0673994961
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-09-01
• Publisher: Harpercollins College Div

Summary

Presenting a unique integration of study and critical thinking skills designed to help readers achieve college success, Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College discusses the active learning strategies and techniques that develop readers' proficiency in interacting with academic material. The author emphasizes the cognitive approach to learning, the basis for how to apply study skills to academic disciplines, and how to identify early warning signs of academic difficulty. Critical thinking tips and activities are included in every chapter. The book includes comprehensive coverage of how to apply study skills to academic disciplines and instruction on how to identify early warning signs of academic difficulty. At the end of every chapter, "Thinking Ahead" sections offer readers pragmatic motivation for excelling in college: their success in work depends on it. This integrated coverage of workplace material is exciting and unique. Integrated coverage of using electronic channels to enhance various study skills emphasizes the importance of mastering these new forms of communication and research. For those interested in developing their study skills.

Table of Contents

Preface

Student Review Panel

Quick Guide

College: Strategies For Success

The College System: An Orientation

Information Sources

College Services

Campus Diversity

Course Organization

Grades and the Grading System

Thinking Critically...About Grades

Classroom Success Tips

Taking Charge of Your College Career

Coping with New Expectations

Thinking Critically...About Course Content

Taking Charge

Early Warning Signals of Academic Difficulty

Active versus Passive Learning

Critical Thinking: The Key to College Success

Managing Your Life

Managing Your Finances

Managing Your Health

Managing Your Part-Time Job

Managing Relationships

Thinking Critically...

Establishing Goals and Managing Your Time

Establishing Life Goals

Organizing Your Life for Success in College

Analyzing Your Time Commitments

Building a Study Plan

Making Better Use of Time

Time Management in the Electronic Age

Time Management for Returning Adult Students

Time Management Tips for Commuters

Thinking Critically...About Procrastination

Concentration Tips

Managing Your Life

Managing Your Finances

Maintaining Your Health

Managing Your Part-Time Job

Managing Relationships

Thinking Critically...

Managing Stress

What Is Stress?

Symptoms of Stress

Causes of Stress

Changing Your Thinking to Reduce Stress

Changing Your Habits to Reduce Stress

Thinking Critically...About Accomplishing Tasks

Communication Skills for the Classroom

Listening Critically

Participating in Class

Asking and Answering Questions

Thinking Critically. . .About Meaningful Questions

Working with Classmates: Group Projects

Planning and Making Oral Presentations

Thinking Critically and Solving Problems

Thinking Critically...About Decision-Making

Problem-Solving Strategies

Problem-Solving Processes

Keys to Problem Solving

Thinking Critically...About Alternatives

Learning And Thinking Strategies

Learning Styles and Teaching Styles

Analyzing Your Learning Style

Interpreting Your Scores

Deciding What to Learn

Thinking Critically...About the Intent to Learn

Using Learning Style to Choose a Study Method

Adapting to Various Teaching Styles

Evaluating Your Learning

Learning and Memory

How Learning and Memory Work

Strategies for Improving Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval

Thinking Critically...About Learning Strategies

Applying Your Skills To Academic Disciplines

Study Strategies for Academic Disciplines

Approaching New Fields of Study

The Social Sciences and History

The Life and Physical Sciences

Mathematics

Literature and the Arts

Thinking Critically...About Literature

Career Fields

Learning Specialized and Technical Vocabulary

Terminology: The Key to Course Mastery

Mapping Related Terminology

Learning Core Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes

Thinking Critically...About Vocabulary

Developing a Course Master File

Mastering Course Content

Thought Patterns of Academic Disciplines

Thought Patterns: Guides to Learning

Academic Thought Patterns

Thinking Critically...About Patterns

Applying Your Knowledge of Patterns

Notetaking for Class Lectures

Sharpening Your Listening Skills

How to Start with an Advantage

Recording Appropriate Content and Organization

Working with Various Lecture Formats

Thinking Critically...About Lecturers

Notetaking and Learning Style

Using the Lecturer's Thought Patterns

Editing and Reviewing Your Notes

College Textbooks and Electronic Resources

Features of Textbooks

Previewing Your Textbooks

Thinking Critically...About Previewing

Learning from Graphs, Tables, and Diagrams

Thinking Critically...About Graphs and Statistics

Learning from Visual and Electronic Media

Learning from Supplemental Reading Assignments

Organizing and Synthesizing Course Content

Textbook Highlighting and Annotation

Thinking Critically...About Highlighting

Notetaking to Organize and Condense Information

Mapping to Show Relationships

Using a Computer to Synthesize Course Content

Critical Analysis of Course Content

Synthesizing Information

Recognizing and Evaluating Subjective Content

Asking Critical Questions

Exams: Thinking Under Pressure

Preparing for Exams

Organizing Your Review

Thinking Critically...About Group Study

Thematic Study

Strategies for Particular Types of Exams

Strategies for Specific Academic Disciplines

Controlling Test Anxiety

Reasoning Skills for Objective Exams

Starting with an Advantage

Skills for Objective Exams

Thinking Critically...About Practicum Exams

Achieving Success with Standardized Tests

Taking Essay Exams

Writing Effective Essay Exams

Thinking Critically...About Returned Exams

Achieving Success in Competency Tests and Exit Exams

Request for Your Ideas

References

Endnotes

Credits

Index

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