Success Skills Strategies for Study and Lifelong Learning

by Marks-Beale, Abby

• ISBN13: 9780538723770
• ISBN10: 0538723777
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-04-03
• Publisher: South-Western Educational Pub

Summary

Success Skills equips users with learning success strategies required in today's academic and workplace environments. With a focus on learning how to learn, thinking skills, communication skills, technology and managing information, this text is divided into five key areas: learning how to learn; becoming an active reader; listening, memory and note-taking mastery; testing and critical thinking skills; information gathering, research and writing skills. With Success Tip Strategies and Internet activities, this book will develop key techniques necessary to achieve success in one's education and career.

Table of Contents

Learning by Doing	1	(27)
Distinguishing Between Active and Passive Learning	4	(2)
Advantages of Active Learning	6	(3)
On Becoming an Active Learner	9	(19)
Know Your Purpose and Responsibility	9	(2)
Work in a Conducive Environment	11	(1)
Develop a Positive Belief in Yourself	11	(4)
Engage in Your Learning Process	15	(4)
Where to Look for Help	19	(2)
Learn from Your Mistakes	21	(1)
Take Good Care of Yourself	22	(6)
Discovering Your Learning Styles	28	(24)
What Are Learning Styles	31	(1)
Sequential or Random: Which Are You?	32	(4)
The Sequential Learner/The Random Learner	33	(1)
The Balanced Learner	34	(1)
Learning to Flex to Other Styles	35	(1)
Identifying Teaching Styles	36	(6)
The Sequential Instructor/The Random Instructor	38	(1)
The Balanced Instructor	39	(1)
Quick Ways to Assess Your Instructor's Style	39	(2)
Learning from Style Differences	41	(1)
Your Senses and Learning	42	(5)
Other Learning Styles	47	(5)
Left Brain/Right Brain Theory	47	(1)
Social and Independent Learning Theories	47	(1)
Multiple Intelligences	47	(5)
Creating Concentration	52	(19)
Your Learning Influences	55	(5)
Mind Wandering: The Enemy of Concentration	56	(2)
Ways to Improve Concentration	58	(2)
Your Learning Environments	60	(11)
What's Around You	60	(1)
15 Options for Achieving Concentration	61	(4)
What's On Your Mind?	65	(2)
Taking Control of Your Concentration	67	(4)
Learning Time Management	71	(35)
What Is Most Important To You?	74	(4)
Where Does Your Time Go?	78	(7)
How Much Time Do You Need?	85	(2)
Planning Your Time	87	(9)
Using an Academic Calendar	87	(4)
Using a Weekly Project Planner	91	(4)
Using a Monthly Calendar	95	(1)
Using a Palmtop Calendar	95	(1)
Finding Time	96	(10)
Proscrastination and Other Time Wasters	98	(2)
Study Goals and Rewards	100	(1)
Additional Ways to Master Your Time	101	(5)
Study Smart	106	(30)
What Is a Testing Success Factor?	109	(1)
Being Prepared	110	(6)
Do Your Assignments on Time	111	(1)
Take Good Notes	112	(1)
Know What Material to Study	112	(1)
Know What Kind of Test Will Be Given	112	(3)
Optimize Your Health	115	(1)
Avoiding Cramming	116	(3)
Memorizing Versus Learning	117	(2)
Learning Actively	119	(10)
Create an Effective Learning Environment	119	(1)
Find a Study Buddy	119	(1)
Have a Study Order	120	(1)
Plan Your Study Time and Breaks	121	(2)
Remember to Use Memory Devices	123	(6)
Anticipating Test Questions	129	(1)
Learning from Your Mistakes	130	(6)
Taking Notes From Lecture	136	(25)
Why Take Notes From People?	139	(2)
Preparing To Take Notes	141	(2)
The Tools for Note Taking	141	(1)
Effective Note Taking Habits	142	(1)
Taking Notes From Instructors	143	(6)
Six Instructor Personality Clues	144	(1)
Six Instructor Verbal Clues	145	(2)
Predicting Test Questions	147	(2)
How To Take Notes	149	(12)
The Cornell Method of Note Taking	149	(5)
Mind Mapping	154	(7)
Taking Notes From Reading Material	161	(18)
Just Reading Versus Active Reading	164	(1)
Effective Highlighting	165	(4)
Creating Margin Notes	169	(3)
Summary-in-the-Margin Notes	170	(1)
Question-in-the-Margin Notes	171	(1)
Combining Margin Notes and Effective Highlighting	172	(1)
Studying With Margin Notes	172	(1)
Taking Full Notes	172	(4)
About Fiction Note Taking	176	(3)
Reading Comprehension Skills	179	(32)
What Active Readers Know and Do	182	(5)
The Difference Between Nonfiction and Fiction	184	(1)
Finding Your Purpose and Reading Responsibility	185	(2)
Pre-Viewing	187	(12)
Pre-Viewing a Nonfiction Book	188	(4)
Pre-Viewing a Nonfiction Chapter or Article	192	(7)
Building Vocabulary	199	(12)
Using Background Knowledge	199	(4)
Using a Dictionary	203	(3)
Vocabulary of Your Trade	206	(5)
Survival Reading Skills	211	(30)
The Reading Gears	214	(3)
Learning To Read More In Less Time	217	(2)
Unlearning to Relearn	217	(1)
The Reason to Read Faster	218	(1)
How To Increase Your Reading Speed	219	(8)
Reading Key Words	220	(2)
Reading Phrases	222	(2)
Using Pacers	224	(2)
Combining Your Reading Tools	226	(1)
Skimming and Scanning	227	(8)
Adjusting Your Reading Speed	235	(6)
Three Factors for Determining Reading Speed	235	(1)
When to Speed Up and When to Slow Down	235	(1)
Flexibility Is the Key	236	(5)
Mastering Tests	241	(30)
Stress, Tests, and You	244	(6)
Tests Results and Self-Worth	246	(1)
Meeting Expectations	246	(1)
It's All in Your Perspective	247	(1)
You Won't Know Everything	248	(1)
Taking Responsibility	248	(1)
Attend to Your Body's Needs	249	(1)
The Ten Rules of the Test Taking Game	250	(4)
Winning Game Strategies	254	(17)
Multiple-Choice Questions	254	(4)
True-False Questions	258	(2)
Matching Tests	260	(1)
Fill-in-the-Blank Tests	261	(2)
Short-Answer Questions	263	(1)
Essay Tests	263	(3)
Performance Tests	266	(5)
Using Your Critical And Creative Mind	271	(27)
What Are Critical and Creative Thinking?	274	(3)
Common Characteristics of Critical and Creative Thinking	274	(2)
Thinking Takes Time	276	(1)
The Critical Mind	277	(9)
Why and When to Think Critically	278	(1)
How Do You Think Critically?	278	(3)
Mistakes in Critical Thinking	281	(3)
Point of View	284	(2)
The Creative Mind	286	(7)
Why and When You Need Creative Thinking	286	(1)
How Do You Think Creatively?	287	(2)
Divergent and Convergent Thinking	289	(1)
The Brainstorming Process	290	(3)
Improving Life Through Critical and Creative Thinking	293	(5)
Finding Information On The Web	298	(24)
What Is the Internet?	301	(3)
Getting Connected	302	(1)
Search Engines and Subject Directories	302	(2)
What's On the Web?	304	(5)
In Search of People	304	(1)
In Search of Literature	304	(1)
In Search of Reference Materials	305	(1)
In Search of Graphics	305	(1)
In Search of a Job	306	(1)
In Search of Money	307	(2)
Search Techniques	309	(4)
Narrowing the Search: Adding Terms	309	(1)
Narrowing the Search: Subtracting Terms	309	(4)
Using Search Results	313	(2)
Text by Section	313	(1)
Text by Page	313	(1)
Using Images	313	(2)
Evaluating Web Sites	315	(7)
The Reality of the Web	318	(1)
Advantages of the Web	319	(3)
Writing In The Real World	322	(76)
Writing for School, Work, and Personal Life	325	(2)
Writing Essays, Papers, and Reports	327	(16)
Eight Steps of the Writing Process	327	(16)
Writing E-mail	343	(8)
Appendices
Appendix A: Self-Check Progress Chart and Final Self-Evaluation	351	(8)
Appendix B: Effective Note-Taking Habits	359	(5)
Appendix C: Pre-Viewing Fiction	364	(2)
Appendix D: Building Vocabulary	366	(10)
Appendix E: Reading Exercises	376	(17)
Appendix F: Activity Answer Keys	393	(2)
Appendix G: Citing Electronic Sources	395	(1)
Appendix H: Recommended Reading	396	(2)
Bibliography	398	(2)
Glossary	400	(7)
Index	407