Strategies for Academic Success

1. Strategies for Academic Success Jackie Rautio Grand Valley State University

2. Successful students: • Have Good Study Habits • Understand themselves as learners • Are persistent • Learn from their mistakes • Are willing to ask for help • Find an internal/personal reason to learn material • Set goals and put the necessary time and effort toward them.

3. Learning Occurs Best When Students: • Connect the new information to something they already know • Use different strategies to process and understand the material • Review the material frequently over time

4. Poor achievement on tests often results from: • Not identifying what you know and what you don’t know • Spending too much time studying things you do know and not enough time studying things you don’t know • Not using appropriate strategies for learning the material

5. Test Taking Step One: • Prepare for the Test – there is NO substitution for preparation • Study the material over several study sessions – Not just one day!

6. Study/Learning Preferences: • Visual – learn best by seeing and visualizing • Visual: Read/Write • Auditory – learn best by hearing • Kinesthetic – learn best by doing • Mixed Modality Learning Style • 1. learn with a little of all styles – no strong preference, or can easily adjust to the situation • 2. Need to use all 4 types of styles

7. Visual Preference • Keen sense of visual media and art • Remember information presented in pictures or diagrams • Strong visualization skills. They can look up and ‘see’ the information • Make ‘movies in their minds’ of the information they are reading • Pay close attention to the body language of others (facial expressions, eyes, stance, etc.)

8. Visual: Read/Write • Like lists and words and often use “To Do” lists • Remember information that is displayed as words • Like reading and writing

9. Visual Strategies • Avoid visual distractions in study environment • Use colors often when studying Note – the brain remembers Red the longest. • Draw maps, charts, diagrams • Use bright colored ‘sticky notes’ Post where you will see them often. • Create flash cards with colored pens • Turn your notes into mind maps • Watch the teacher • Draw pictures and symbols • Look at diagrams and pictures in textbooks • Use whiteboards

10. Example of mind-mapping

11. Visual Read/Write Strategies • Take notes as you read • Rewrite ideas into other words • Use dictionaries and make flashcards to remember vocabulary • Write things out again and again • Re-read things (silently) • Write out the steps for solving problems

12. Auditory Preference • Accurately remember details of important information from conversations or lectures • Have strong language skills and a well-developed vocabulary • Often have an interest in music as they can hear tones, rhythms and individual notes

13. Auditory Strategies • Avoid auditory distractions • Talk about what you are learning • Study in groups • Repeat material out loud when studying • Read textbooks out loud • Use rhymes and songs to learn • Make auditory tapes of important information • Use flashcards – recite the answers out loud • Ask questions

14. Tactile/Kinesthetic Preference • Work well with their hands • Are often well coordinated and have a good sense of timing • Learn by movement • Often wiggle/tap feet or move their legs when seated

15. Tactile/Kinesthetic Strategies • Walk around or pace when memorizing • Find a safe/non distracting “fidget” tool • Try studying when laying on your back or stomach or in a comfortable chair • Study with music • Use your favorite color to highlight • Make games out of learning material • Use flashcards actively • Vary your activities • Write/type lists or information over and over • Use whiteboards and markers • Short intense study periods

16. Step Two: Taking the Test • Take a deep breath before the test and think positively. • Read the test over before starting, pay attention to how many points each section is worth. • Answer the questions you know first and then go back to the ones you don’t know.

17. Test Taking Strategies cont 4. Read each question all the way through before answering. 5. For multiple choice questions: • Try to answer the questions yourself before you look at the answers. • First eliminate the obviously wrong answers and then make your choice from the remaining ones. • Read the stem with each answer to see if it makes sense.

18. Test-taking strategies cont 6. True/False questions: make sure both parts of the statement are true and related. 7. Short answer/essay: • Jot notes as soon as you get the test to keep focused and remember. • Just write the key points • Make sure you answer the question.

19. Test Taking Strategies cont. 8. Don’t panic if you draw a blank, try to relax and recall what you know about the subject. 9. If you have time, review the test before turning it in to make sure you have answered all the questions. 10. Keep things in perspective.

20. Some thoughts about test anxiety • Some anxiety is okay – it helps motivate us to do our best. • When anxiety gets in the way: • What is the stressor? • Fear of failing • Parental disapproval • Self-pressure • Lack of preparation • Difficulty of material • Remember that your grade on a test is not a measure of your worth as a person. It is a measure of your performance in one class on one day.

21. Step Three: After the Test • Review the test and look for patterns and clues. What types of questions are you missing? What did you do well? • Reflect on how you prepared for the test. What worked? What didn’t?

22. General Study Strategies • Find a study environment that works best for you. • Schedule regular study time and keep it. • Study in short blocks of time and take breaks • Set a goal for each study session • Study the most difficult subject first • Look at the rubric before, during and after the project • Keep track of your grades and progress. • Learn from your mistakes on tests and assignments. • Edit all papers for grammar and spelling. • Ask for support from your friends and family. • Reward yourself for work well done!

23. Thank you!