Transcript Tools for Learning - Binghamton City School District

How to earn the grade
you want to earn
in Chemistry
A Brief Primer
of Study Skills
particular to
Regents Chemistry
General Observations

Studying is not something that comes
naturally to any of us.
 We must learn how to study, then practice it until it
becomes automatic.

It is important to learn how to study
efficiently now, not only to do well
in Chemistry but as preparation for
the particularly challenging classes
you will take in college.
 You can learn to study smarter,
not harder!
General Observations

You have to take responsibility for your own
learning.
 You could blame it on everything else:
 the teacher is boring…
 the class is too hard…
 the textbook doesn’t make sense…
 the presentations are boring…
 the teacher doesn’t care about
my grade…
 But who is ultimately responsible
for learning the material and
earning the grade?
General Observations

You have all picked up some study habits at
this point in your academic career.
 Some are effective, while others are simply
inefficient!
 It’s important to determine what works and
continue those, but also to determine what
doesn’t work and make active changes.

Here are some proven methods
to improve your study habits:
 Be an active learner!
 Be an active listener!
 Be reflective of your time spent in class!
Studying = Active Learning

A common mistake is that students don’t
know when to start studying.
 Effective studying should be something that is
done continuously.
 Studying doesn’t happen the night before the test.
 Studying begins in the classroom
when you are taking notes, and
continues every day as you re-read
those notes and work to understand
material on a daily basis.
 Strive to be an “active learner”.
Be an Active Learner:
Before class

Before you come into class you need to be
mentally prepared for learning.
 Remind yourself of what we did in the previous
class, and what you got out of it.
 Review your notes, and look over your homework
to see what questions you might have
for the next day.
 Do what you can to improve physical
and mental alertness by
 getting a restful 9.25 hour sleep
(it’s biological!)
 eating breakfast to increase your
circulating blood sugar!
Be an Active Learner:
During class

Come into class intending to listen.
 Resist distractions, emotional reactions, and
boredom.
 There are always distractions going on in any
classroom so it is all in your attitude.

During class listen for the structure
and information in the lecture.
 Pay attention for verbal, postural, and
visual clues to what’s important.
 Label important points and organizing
clues: main points, examples.
 Use notation and symbols to help you.
Be an Active Learner:
During class

When possible translate the notes into your
own words by paraphrasing them.
 Try to own the concepts; make them yours.
 Use the margins to write other notes and reminders.

PLEASE ask questions if you don’t understand
what is presented in class.
 Your best weapon for understanding
is to get things explained.
 Get in the habit of raising your hand
and asking for help.
Be an Active Learner:
During class

Listen carefully to information given toward
the end of the class.
 Summary statements may be of particular value
in highlighting main points.

Clear up any questions you have by asking
either me, your friends or the other
students in your workgroup.

Be sure to write any homework
assignments in your agenda (with
due dates) before you leave the room.
Be an Active Learner:
After class
 Clear up any questions you have about what
happened in class today.
 Fill in missing points or misunderstood terms from




your text book or other sources.
Label main points by adding recall clues (circle,
underline or highlight them).
Jot down any questions that occur to
you to get answered next time you
are in class.
Label pictures (why was a graph shown,
what was the point of an illustration, etc.)
Pay special attention to any connections
you recognize with previously presented material.
Listening Skills

You can think about 4 times faster than a
lecturer can speak.


Effective listening requires the expenditure of
energy to compensate for the rate of the
presentation.
You have to be INTENTIONAL about listening.
In chemistry, listening (to me, your
classmates, a video presentation
or a guest speaker) will be the
primary source of information.
 Listening is a skill which must be
practiced and developed.

Listening Skills

Be an active listener to get the most out of
class.
 Concentrate on what the speaker is saying.
 Decide to yourself why what the speaker is saying
is important
 If you don’t have an immediate,
vivid reason for listening to a
speaker, you are an unmotivated
listener.

Practice the habit of paying attention.
Listening Skills

Get the most out of class by reviewing the
important points from the previous class.
 Determine what you know and don’t know about
the material in order to focus your listening as an
opportunity for learning.

Listen for the pattern of organization
in the material.
 Does it begin or end with a summary
of the main concepts, themes, or ideas?
 How are details or examples used to
develop specific ideas?
 What is the relationship between the
ideas presented?
Comprehension Skills

Ask yourself:
 What questions does this lecture answer?
 What questions does this lecture create?
 What are possible exam questions that might
be answered by information from this lecture?
 What is the relationship between
the lectures and any laboratories
or activities done?
Comprehension Skills

Not everything is equally important in lecture.
 Hold yourself accountable for being selective and
differentiating between levels of importance.

Organize your note taking as a way to
review.

Test your understanding of
major ideas.

Get a partner and quiz each
other when preparing for exams.
General Study Tips

Continuously review your notes.
 Look at your recall clues and margin notes.
 Quiz yourself often.
 Try writing your own test questions.

Plan at least 45 minutes of study time
per class…seriously.
 There are exceptions, but this is a
good general rule for chemistry.
 This doesn’t mean just for doing
homework, but for study!
 It takes time and effort to learn
Chemistry; you can’t learn the material well
if you don’t devote time to it outside of class.
General Study Tips

Study difficult (or boring) subjects first.

If your chemistry problems put you to sleep,
annoy you or confuse you, get to them first,
while you are still fresh.
 Most of us tend to do what we like
first, yet the courses we find most
difficult require the most creative
energy.

Save the subjects you enjoy
for later.
General Study Tips

Avoid scheduling marathon study sessions
the night before the exam.
 “Cramming” doesn’t work very well for anyone,
and it is next to impossible to get an A by
cramming.
 Study in shorter blocks of time; 2
30 minute sessions are more
productive than one 60 minute
session.

When you do study in long sessions,
take a planned break every hour.
General Study Tips

Know your best time of day for study.
 Many students learn best when the sun is up,
once the sun goes down it is a natural indication
for your body and mind that it’s time for sleep.
 Observe yourself and, if this is true
of you, schedule study time for
your most difficult subjects during
daylight, or be sure to study in a
bright room.
General Study Tips

Use your “waiting time” effectively.
 Waiting for the bus, waiting for popcorn to pop,
waiting for your latest text message to be
answered, waiting during commercials, etc…

Any amount of time is beneficial; have
short study tasks ready for just these
occasions.
 Carry 3x5 cards of equations, formulas,
or key terms to reinforce understanding.
 Use study halls or breaks during work
to review class notes.
 Review, review, review; if you are sick
of looking at it, you’re almost there.
General Study Tips

Use your agenda or day-planner effectively:
 Make a weekly “to do” list of important tasks
(homework, projects, lab reports) with due dates
that you need to complete.
 Be sure to prioritize the list and do the most
important tasks first.

Use your Chemistry binder effectively.
 Keep papers that are returned to
you in your binder for future
reference and preparation for
the Regents exam in June.
General Study Tips

Use a regular study area.
 By using the same place to study day after day,
your body becomes trained.

Don’t get too comfortable.
 You want a spot that is well-lit, has a comfortable
seat, with lots of flat space to spread
out materials.
 Put yourself into a situation where
 your mind stays alert.

Consider a study group.
 A study group forces you to articulate
concepts and makes review more fun
and productive.
 It also helps you avoid procrastination.
General Study Tips

Pay attention to your attention.
 Breaks in concentration are often caused by
internal interruptions.
 Your own thoughts jump in to distract, especially
if you aren’t used to concentrating.
 If this happens too often, try a different study
time or place.

Don’t do major studying in front
of the TV.
 It’s just too distracting; commercials
are designed to grab your attention.
General Study Tips

Turn off the music!
 The overwhelming majority of research indicates
that silence is the best form of music for study.
 However, many students insist that they study
better with music, but it should be carefully
selected and controlled music.
 If you must have music, make it
low volume background music.
 You don’t want a lot of interruptions
(like commercials), so it is reasonable
to listen to a familiar CD rather than
a new one.
Getting Stuck

If you get stuck, ask yourself:
“what can I accomplish toward my goal?”
 Use this for large, imposing jobs.
 Pick out one small accomplishment, then do it.
 The satisfaction of getting one thing
done often spurs you on to get one
more thing done.
 Meanwhile the job gets smaller!
Getting Stuck

If you get stuck, ask yourself:
“is perfection required?”
 If you can complete a job 95% perfect in
two hours, and 100% in four hours, is the
additional 5% improvement worth
doubling the time spent?
Getting Stuck

If you get stuck, ask yourself:
“how did I just waste time?”
 Notice when time gets away from you.
 Review your actions and the specific way
you wasted time.
 When you notice things you do
that kills your time, you are more
likely to catch yourself in the
act next time.
Homework
In your guided notes, write 3 study goals that
you can commit to that will help you earn the
grade you want in Chemistry this year.
On the INDEX CARD, answer the following
questions.
1. What are three of your normal study habits?
2. What are two tips in this presentation
that you might incorporate into
your study habits?
3. Tell me your strategy for
becoming an “Active Learner”.
4. Tell me your strategy for
becoming a better listener.
Good luck in
Regents Chemistry
this year!