Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College, Update Edition

by McWhorter, Kathleen T.

• ISBN13: 9780321492364
• ISBN10: 0321492366
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College integrates study and critical thinking skills as a means of helping students achieve academic success. Teaching studying through active learning strategies and techniques, the author emphasizes the cognitive approach to learning, how to apply study skills to academic disciplines, and how to identify early warning signs of academic difficulty.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. viii
Challenges to the 21st-century Student	p. xiii
College: Strategies for Success	p. 1
The College System: An Orientation	p. 1
Information Sources	p. 2
College Services	p. 5
Campus Diversity	p. 6
Course Organization	p. 10
Grades and Grading System	p. 13
Thinking Critically...About Grades	p. 14
Classroom Success Tips	p. 15
Taking Charge of Your College Career	p. 22
Coping with New Expectations	p. 22
Thinking Critically...About Course Content	p. 27
Taking Charge	p. 27
Early Warning Signals of Academic Difficulty	p. 29
Active Versus Passive Learning	p. 32
Critical Thinking: The Key to College Success	p. 35
Building Academic Integrity	p. 39
Establishing Goals and Managing Your Time	p. 46
Establishing Life Goals	p. 46
Organizing Your Life for Success in College	p. 49
Analyzing Your Time Commitments	p. 54
Building a Study Plan	p. 57
Making Better Use of Time	p. 62
Time Management in the Electronic Age	p. 63
Time Management Tips for Returning Adult Students	p. 64
Time Management Tips for Commuters	p. 64
Thinking Critically...About Procrastination	p. 65
Concentration Tips	p. 66
Managing Your Life	p. 71
Managing Your Finances	p. 71
Maintaining Your Health	p. 75
Thinking Critically...About Drinking	p. 83
Managing Your Part-Time Job	p. 83
Managing Relationships	p. 86
Managing Online Relationships	p. 89
Managing Stress	p. 93
What Is Stress?	p. 93
Symptoms of Stress	p. 94
Causes of Stress	p. 95
Changing Your Thinking to Reduce Stress	p. 98
Changing Your Habits to Reduce Stress	p. 101
Thinking Critically...About Accomplishing Tasks	p. 102
Communication Skills for the Classroom	p. 108
Listening Critically	p. 108
Participating in Class	p. 110
Asking and Answering Questions	p. 114
Thinking Critically...About Meaningful Questions	p. 115
Working with Classmates: Group Projects	p. 115
Planning and Making Oral Presentations	p. 117
Thinking Critically and Solving Problems	p. 123
Thinking Critically About Decision Making	p. 123
Problem-Solving Strategies	p. 126
Problem-Solving Processes	p. 128
Keys to Problem Solving	p. 135
Thinking Critically...About Alternatives	p. 136
Learning and Thinking Strategies	p. 140
Learning Styles and Teaching Styles	p. 140
Analyzing Your Learning Style	p. 140
Interpreting Your Scores	p. 145
Deciding What to Learn	p. 149
Thinking Critically...About the Intent to Learn	p. 150
Using Learning Style to Choose a Study Method	p. 150
Adapting to Various Teaching Styles	p. 153
Evaluating Your Learning	p. 156
Learning and Memory	p. 161
How Learning and Memory Work	p. 161
Strategies for Improving Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval	p. 168
Thinking Critically...About Learning Strategies	p. 173
Applying Your Skills to Academic Disciplines	p. 179
Study Strategies for Academic Disciplines	p. 179
Approaching New Fields of Study	p. 180
The Social Sciences and History	p. 181
The Life and Physical Sciences	p. 184
Mathematics	p. 190
Literature and the Arts	p. 193
Thinking Critically...About Literature	p. 197
Career Fields	p. 199
Learning Specialized and Technical Vocabulary	p. 205
Terminology: The Key to Course Mastery	p. 205
Mapping Related Terminology	p. 210
Thinking Critically...About Vocabulary	p. 212
Learning Core Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes	p. 212
Developing a Course Master File	p. 215
Mastering Course Content	p. 222
Thought Patterns of Academic Disciplines	p. 222
Thought Patterns: Guides to Learning	p. 223
Academic Thought Patterns	p. 224
Thinking Critically...About Patterns	p. 234
Applying Your Knowledge of Thought Patterns	p. 236
Note Taking for Class Lectures	p. 240
Sharpening Your Listening Skills	p. 240
How to Start with an Advantage	p. 243
Recording Appropriate Content and Organization	p. 245
Working with Various Lecture Formats	p. 253
Thinking Critically...About Lectures	p. 254
Note Taking and Learning Style	p. 258
Using the Lecturer's Thought Patterns	p. 259
Editing and Reviewing Your Notes	p. 261
Learning from College Textbooks	p. 268
Features of Textbooks	p. 268
Previewing Your Textbooks	p. 281
Thinking Critically...About Previewing	p. 283
Using the SQ3R Reading/Study System	p. 286
Learning from Graphs, Tables, and Diagrams	p. 291
Thinking Critically...About Graphs and Statistics	p. 300
Learning from Supplemental Reading Assignments	p. 301
Learning from Visual and Electronic Media	p. 307
Video, Film, and Television	p. 307
Using Electronic Study Aids	p. 308
Using Internet Sources	p. 309
Evaluating Internet Sources	p. 312
Thinking Critically...About the Timeliness of Web Sites	p. 321
Organizing and Synthesizing Course Content	p. 325
Textbook Highlighting and Annotation	p. 325
Thinking Critically...About Highlighting	p. 328
Note Taking to Organize and Condense Information	p. 332
Mapping to Show Relationships	p. 336
Using a Computer to Synthesize Course Content	p. 346
Critical Analysis of Course Content	p. 352
Synthesizing Information	p. 352
Recognizing and Evaluating Subjective Content	p. 354
Asking Critical Questions	p. 364
Thinking Critically...About Arguments	p. 368
Exams: Thinking Under Pressure	p. 372
Preparing for Exams	p. 372
Organizing Your Review	p. 372
Thinking Critically...About Group Study	p. 375
Thematic Study	p. 375
Strategies for Particular Types of Exams	p. 381
Strategies for Specific Academic Disciplines	p. 387
Controlling Test Anxiety	p. 389
Reasoning Skills for Objective Exams	p. 395
Starting with an Advantage	p. 395
Skills for Objective Exams	p. 399
Thinking Critically...About Practicum Exams	p. 411
Achieving Success with Standardized Tests	p. 411
Taking Essay Exams	p. 419
Writing Effective Essay Exams	p. 419
Thinking Critically...About Returned Exams	p. 430
Achieving Success with Competency Tests and Exit Exams	p. 430
References	p. 437
Endnotes	p. 437
Credits	p. 438
Index	p. 441
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