Jessica- Task Management

As finals approach, managing my time and my assignments is becoming extremely overwhelming. It can be very hard for me to find a good place to study and do my work. When I try to study in my apartment, I'm always distracted by my roommates, the television, and I'm always temped to just lie down in my bed instead of doing my work. I decided analyze the many study environments I have on campus to figure out where the best place for me to study is. Throughout the semester, I'd been studying in the Goldstein study room, but now that finals are approaching, Goldstein is becoming more of a social scene than a study room. Every time I go there I'm distracted by friends I bump into and the people I see. I realize I need to find a study place where I can be all alone with no noise or distractions. After filling out the Studying Environment chart, I found that the basement of Bird Library is where I got the most productive work done. The cubicles in the basement prove to be the perfect place for me to avoid distractions and be alone to get what I needed done.

I've also been using my planner a lot more I had been earlier in the semester. I write everything in my planner, and break down the studying and reading I need to do each day up until my finals. My planner is much more packed with dates and assignments than ever before. Throughout the semester, I didn't take full advantage of how helpful a planner can be. I often just tried to remember a lot of my assignments, which was not always productive. By writing specific things I have to do everyday, I avoid forgetting any assignments. Using a planner is also helpful in breaking down my work. For example, in my planner I wrote a specific amount of pages I have to read everyday, for my EDU 310 book, which I have a paper to write due December 17th. On the days I have less work written down in my planner, I read more pages. This is definitely the most productive strategy I've used in CLS thus far. I wish I had taken more advantage of my planner throughout the semester. I would have been much more productive in many of my classes. I look forward to using my planner more next semester.

Task Management

We are down to the last two (2) weeks of the first semester and everyone has a lot of tasks that need to be completed before the leave for Christmas Break. I can speak for myself and say that I am totally confused about where to begin. Therefore, I decided to organize myself by using some task management strategies that would hopefully get myself on track. Among studying, writing papers, and finding relaxation time, I have many little time-consuming tasks that need to be completed as well. The first task management strategy that I decided to use was the Post-it Reminders strategy because I feel like it would be easy to just fill out a post-it and stick it to my bulletin board whenever I remember a task that needs to be done. Then, as I complete a task, I can just rip the post-it off the board and know that I have accomplished something. As the post-its become less and less, I will know that I am making progress. I used this strategy for all my courses because I have something due within the next two weeks for them all. This was an effective strategy indeed.

The second strategy I tried out was a weekly calendar using iCal on my Apple Mac laptop. I entered all the due dates of assignments, and put in a couple tasks that I need to do that are non academic as well. This way, I can effectively see what I need to do as the due date is approaching on the calendar and take action.

Task Management

Task management is something that is very helpful and productive. I would write down all of my assignments. After having everything on paper, i would then re-order my assignments in order of hardest/longest to complete. By doing this I am finding that my more important assignments are getting done on time. It is also helpful for me because I am now not saving all my work up for the night before but rather doing about 20 minutes on each assignment a night. By ordering my assignments, my work is really looking better. I will continue to my work using this learning strategy for the rest of my life.

Stress management& Task Management.

When I have to do a lot of work I will be stressed and this will not make me do my work efficiently. I used two strategies to help me, which are Stress-O-Meter and 10- Minute Vacation.

Ten minutes vacation was efficient but I got easily distracted and spent a lot of time on the break than the work I was supposed to do. However, Stress-o-Meter helped me because when I saw that I am not stressed all the time, I will be stressed if I had homework or had a lot of work to do.

I did not know that I was not stressed because I used several Task Managements strategies to help me through my classes. I work on my hardest coursed and assignments first then do what is easier to me. In addition to the first plan I used DIVIDE BY FOUR I have a paper due I write an out line then a first draft and so on. I also use POST-IT Reminders to all my finals and assignments on my phone.

Stressmanagement

Stress is a huge part of college. Keeping stress levels low can be very difficult. For me, I feel most stressed when I leave my work to last minute. When I have an exam, I try to begin planning at least a week before. If I try to study the night or two before the exam, I don't know any of the information with not nearly enough time to learn it all. Not being fully prepared causes me so much stress. Being stressed effects my whole life. When I'm stressed I can't eat or less or focus at all. I used the Stress-Ometer to work out my weekly stress. I found that my my stressful days are Tuesdays and Thursdays, when my I have the most classes, Monday and Wednesday are a little less stressful because I only have 1 class those days, and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are the least stressful. This would be a great strategy to use at the beginning of the semester, so I can make a schedule of which days are my homework days. This way I can spread my work out and not feel overwhelmed by homework on certain days. I can spread my work out and get all my work done on the days that are least stressful. Had I made this at the beginning of the semester, I could have made a schedule to get all my homework done on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when I only have one or two classes. For next semester, I definitely plan on using the Stress-Ometer next semester, with my new schedule.

Using my planner, and making priority lists can also be a great way for me to avoid leaving my work to the last minute. I made a list of things for each class that I still have to do from now to the end of the semester. I printed out two copies and put them in places I would where I would always see them, and constantly be reminded of what I have to do. I posted one on my bulletin board next to my bed, and the other in my planner.  This way, I could check them off when I finish them, and not leave any of the assignments to the last minute. 

Overall, I found that making a list of priorities to be the most effect way for me to avoid stress. I helps me avoid forgetting my assignments and from leaving assignments to the last minute. For the future, I will definitely use this strategy. It's rewarding for me to check the assignments off after I did them in advanced, rather than worrying about getting it done the night before its due!

Stressmanagement

Stress is a huge part of college. Keeping stress levels low can be very difficult. For me, I feel most stressed when I leave my work to last minute. When I have an exam, I try to begin planning at least a week before. If I try to study the night or two before the exam, I don't know any of the information with not nearly enough time to learn it all. Not being fully prepared causes me so much stress. Being stressed effects my whole life. When I'm stressed I can't eat or less or focus at all. I used the Stress-Ometer to work out my weekly stress. I found that my my stressful days are Tuesdays and Thursdays, when my I have the most classes, Monday and Wednesday are a little less stressful because I only have 1 class those days, and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are the least stressful. This would be a great strategy to use at the beginning of the semester, so I can make a schedule of which days are my homework days. This way I can spread my work out and not feel overwhelmed by homework on certain days. I can spread my work out and get all my work done on the days that are least stressful. Had I made this at the beginning of the semester, I could have made a schedule to get all my homework done on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when I only have one or two classes. For next semester, I definitely plan on using the Stress-Ometer next semester, with my new schedule.

Using my planner, and making priority lists can also be a great way for me to avoid leaving my work to the last minute. I made a list of things for each class that I still have to do from now to the end of the semester. I printed out two copies and put them in places I would where I would always see them, and constantly be reminded of what I have to do. I posted one on my bulletin board next to my bed, and the other in my planner.  This way, I could check them off when I finish them, and not leave any of the assignments to the last minute. 

Overall, I found that making a list of priorities to be the most effect way for me to avoid stress. I helps me avoid forgetting my assignments and from leaving assignments to the last minute. For the future, I will definitely use this strategy. It's rewarding for me to check the assignments off after I did them in advanced, rather than worrying about getting it done the night before its due!

Stress Management

I complain about being stressed very often because I am not accustomed to being in college yet. I have to learn how to adjust myself and my time so that I can complete assignments in a reasonable time. This week, I used the 10-minute Vacation strategy in all my courses to try and get away from doing my Physics homework. This strategy did not help me much because I would tend to go over the allotted 10 minutes because something interesting would catch my attention and I would lose track of time. I could not force myself to get away from Facebook at all.

In addition to the 10-minute Vacation, I tried the A Day at A Time strategy to help myself realize what things stress me out the most in a days worth of tasks. Then, I would cross off the tasks that I have gotten out of the way so I can then see how much free-time I can allow myself to have in order to release stress. This strategy is effective for all my classes because I got to see the visual of tasks I need done.

Dealing With Stress

Stress is something that can really bring your grades down. When I get stressed out about work it usually leads to me accomplishing no work. When being stressed there are many different things one can due to try to lower their stress level. One strategy that really has worked for me is five-minute escape. Personally, five-minute escape has really worked for me. I really enjoy movies and trivia games(sporcle) so when i get stressed out, I like to watch a movie trailer or do a sporcle. Doing this five minute activity has really made me fell less stressful.

Another strategy that has been helping me is a day at a time. I am really bad at remembering things and causes me to wait til the last minute. Writing a list of everything that stresses me out before I go to sleep has really been helping me remember them and even more important, finishing the assignment.

Motivation JM- With Pictures

I am often very bad at motivating myself to do my work. I am most stressed when I procrastinate and leave my work to the last minute before its due. Because I'm so easily distracted by my friend, the t.v and many other things, I often end up putting my work off. I try to give myself rewards for doing my work before the night before it's due. Tonight for example, I completed my EDU readings and reading responses. An assignment I dread every week. This is the first time I've ever done it in advance. I rewarded myself by going to insomnia and getting my favorite cookies, oatmeal raisin. I don't usually go out for treats or snacks at night, but I felt that could be great motivator for me to get my work finished, which it was.
Another weekly assignment I have that I dread are the CLS Tech Assignments. Every week, I'm so tempted to not do it, because I always leave the assignment til 8pm on Sunday, before it is due at midnight. This week, because I am so tired from a long weekend, and from doing all my EDU assignments, I had to use the Weighing the Consequences chart to really see how important it was for me to do the assignment. I of course saw that the consequences of not doing the assignment wasn't worth it for me. I would get a 0 out of 8, which though it doesn't seem like it, could really hurt my grade, since I've already missed one tech assignment. I decided the best plan of action for me would be to do the tech assignments before the weekend, and not leave it until Sunday, when I want to do it the least. For the next tech assignment, I am going to do it at least 3 days before it is due.
I also used the Putting It All Together strategy for motivation. I am a visual learner and like to write things down so actually seeing the reasons for motivation written down is a good way to get myself to do work. Writing down the motivation also shows me the consequences of not doing something. For example, I say my motivation for attending class was that I get good notes to study from for the exams. When I study, I always have a hard time using a textbook. Taking good notes in class is really important for me when I'm studying.
I found giving myself rewards to be the most effective way to get work done in advance. It is a strategy that could work for anything. Watching my television shows, hanging out with my friends, or going out for ice cream. If I do my work and deserve a reward for it, I don't feel guilty for doing these things, with my work hanging over my head. I can really enjoy all my 'rewards!'

Motivation JM

I am often very bad at motivating myself to do my work. I am most stressed when I procrastinate and leave my work to the last minute before its due. Because I'm so easily distracted by my friend, the t.v and many other things, I often end up putting my work off. I try to give myself rewards for doing my work before the night before it's due. Tonight for example, I completed my EDU readings and reading responses. An assignment I dread every week. This is the first time I've ever done it in advance. I rewarded myself by going to insomnia and getting my favorite cookies, oatmeal raisin. I don't usually go out for treats or snacks at night, but I felt that could be great motivator for me to get my work finished, which it was.
Another weekly assignment I have that I dread are the CLS Tech Assignments. Every week, I'm so tempted to not do it, because I always leave the assignment til 8pm on Sunday, before it is due at midnight. This week, because I am so tired from a long weekend, and from doing all my EDU assignments, I had to use the Weighing the Consequences chart to really see how important it was for me to do the assignment. I of course saw that the consequences of not doing the assignment wasn't worth it for me. I would get a 0 out of 8, which though it doesn't seem like it, could really hurt my grade, since I've already missed one tech assignment. I decided the best plan of action for me would be to do the tech assignments before the weekend, and not leave it until Sunday, when I want to do it the least. For the next tech assignment, I am going to do it at least 3 days before it is due.
I also used the Putting It All Together strategy for motivation. I am a visual learner and like to write things down so actually seeing the reasons for motivation written down is a good way to get myself to do work. Writing down the motivation also shows me the consequences of not doing something. For example, I say my motivation for attending class was that I get good notes to study from for the exams. When I study, I always have a hard time using a textbook. Taking good notes in class is really important for me when I'm studying.
I found giving myself rewards to be the most effective way to get work done in advance. It is a strategy that could work for anything. Watching my television shows, hanging out with my friends, or going out for ice cream. If I do my work and deserve a reward for it, I don't feel guilty for doing these things, with my work hanging over my head. I can really enjoy all my 'rewards!'

Motivation Strategies

I am easily motivated by things and people. This week, I decided to use the motivation strategy Academic Fears because it allows me to notice what I am afraid of happening, but also what I can do to fix it. I used this strategy for all my classes in general because I need motivation to do anything. I identified my fear, provided what would be the best and worst outcomes, and finally proposed to myself some actions that neededto take place in order to avoid these fears.

The other strategy I used that was also helpful for all my classes was the Motivation Questionnaire.

As I was checking off yes or no in the boxes, I realized what really motivated me, and what I really didn't care for.I also was able to see how much people or things (External motivators) motivate me as opposed to how much I motivate myself (Internal motivators). I used the Questionnaire strategy together with the Exploring Rewardsstrategy because I was able to see which rewards were more meaningful than others, as well as the price I have to pay to do well.

When I decided to go over seas to study I knew that I need a high motivation to keep me work hard and achieve my goals. There are several people who had a grate impact on me and they are one of the reasons why I agreed to study abroad.

My father is the fist person who motivates me to do so, he is expecting a lot of me and I know I should do my best because I do not want to disappoint him. Some times he compares me to my brother who, graduated from Whitman the school of management. The way my father compares us the way he do it, I know that he wants me to be better than all my siblings. Therefore, I do not want to let him down and I am trying my best not to fail a class or get a grade that might affect my GPA.



The second person that motivates me is his Royal Highness prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud. When I meet him on Wednesday Nov8, 2010 he told me that I present the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I should be presenting my country as best I can. We talked about the classes I am taking and he advised me and gave me some tips that would help me in my career and my college life. The main focus was to get better grades and get involved with any activities the school is doing.





When two of the most people I respect in my family expect a lot of me that would give me a lot of pressure. However, I know that I should not let that affect me and do what they want me to do or even more to show them that I can be better that the people or my spellings which, they like to compare me with them.

Motivation

Getting motivated for class is something can be difficult for some. For me, it is very difficult. I much rather be with my friends watching TV or playing video games. The reason that i don't do that all day and I do go to class is because I am motivated. My motivation comes from many different things. Originally, I thought that motivation can only come from oneself. After reading chapter 14 in Dr.B's book, I learned that there are many different ways for me to get motivated to get work done. After completing the external and internal chart, I realized that although I am motivated through my parents, I also motivate myself. Another useful tool I used was exploring rewards. Using this tool really showed me that by the amount of work I do is the size of the reward I receive. This toll has been very helpful because I am finding that I am managing my time much more then I used to.

Procrastinating

I consider myself a expert procrastinator. That is pretty clear to see considering I am doing an assignment right now that is due in 20 minutes. This is a problem that I have been suffering from ever since middle school. I know that i have a lot of work but i will just keep putting it off. It is a problem that I have tried to break for years. I believe that ever since taking CLS 105, this problem has become less of an issue. I have tried many new strategies and the have been helping me beat this problem.

My favorite strategy that I have been using is admitting the consequences. This strategy has been very fitting for me. I spent some time in the library thinking about an average day for me. I wrote down all the tasks I do throughout the day. I then looked at this schedule and realized how much time I spend doing enjoyable activities rather then doing work.

After understanding how i was spending my time, I knew I needed a change. I made a rule for myself that I could not spend any time with my friends, watching tv, etc. until all my work and studies were finished. Ever since starting this strategy, I realize that I can can spend time balancing my work with my time for myself. I plan on using this strategy for the rest of my life.

Procrastinating -JM

Procrastination has always been a huge issue for me. I truly am the biggest procrastinator I've ever met. All of the distractions in college make it even harder to avoid procrastinating all of my assignments until the very last minute. I will do just about anything to avoid my work. I always get distracted by my phone, the t.v, my friends, and my messy room. I found that a good way to avoid procrastinating and putting things off to the last minute is to plan ahead. I started using the monthly calendar in my planner, to write down important dates to remember for when things are due. The calendar has the due dates, and the daily planner has a specific amount of work for that assignment. The daily planner is a good way to spread out the work I have for the assignment so I don't leave it to last minute. I know my best focus lasts about an hour so I spread out the daily work based on that. I have a project in my COU 101 class due this Monday, where I have to make a job portfolio and give a presentation on it. In the assignment description, there 5 are bullet points of what to include in the assignment. I started working on the project 6 days before it was due and did one of the bullets everyday. Then when I was finished with the bullets, I prepared my presentation. I found this to be a much more productive way to use my planner and avoid procrastinating. It also helped me to give myself little rewards for doing the daily work on time, rather than putting it off. I mostly reward myself with relaxation time, where I can just watch t.v or hang out with my friends. It was helpful for me to tell myself that I couldn't watch a show until I finished my daily assignment. It gave me more incentive to get it done. I also used the Target Planner. I have a big exam coming up in my HST class, which I need to know a lot of information for. In the Target Planner, I made 7 circles, each circle representing a specific date. I made 7 because I wanted to start studying one week before my exam, the middle target is the day of the test. In each circle, I wrote a daily plan for how to prepare myself for the exam. I wrote down the pages in the text book and the dates of notes I needed to study. Though it was a good way to schedule my preparation for the exam, I feel using the monthly and daily calendar was more effective for me. I am always writing things in my planner so I'm constantly reminded of what I need to do for that specific day. With the target planner, its on my desk, so I'm only reminded of what I need to do to prepare for the exam when I'm at my desk, which isn't often. I probably won't use the target planner again, but I definitely plan to keep up with my daily and monthly planner for future exams and projects.  

Procrastination Strategies

It is almost the end of the semester, and the mistake that most students make is to relax before Thanksgiving break. The week before Thanksgiving break should be the week that everyone is completing assignments that are due for the week after break, instead of hustling to complete assignments during the time off. I know that I have problems completing my PHY 101 homework every single week, so I have used the strategy Chunking the Task to help me manage my assignments better. I would split up my assignment into reading/starting the questions that I do understand, and then the next day I would go to the Physics clinic to get help with the questions I struggled with. This way, I know exactly what I am going to the clinic for and I can go in and get out quickly. This strategy has been effective because I am no longer stressed by attempting to do my homework in one sitting.

The other strategies that I used hand in hand were the Rewards and Schedule a Day at a Time.

Using the Schedule a Day at a Time strategy allows me to realize everything I have to do for that day, and when I cross off what I have completed it makes me feel accomplished. I also like this strategy because I have made a mental note to myself that if I complete all of my tasks for at least five out of the seven days in one week, I can Reward myself. I recently got a VISA debit card from my bank, and I am obsessed with purchasing things online now. Therefore, I will know that I am not buying things in vain, but rather for the purpose of rewarding myself. I use both of these strategies for all my classes because I get to see whenever I have ANY type of assignment to do.

Procrastination.

When it comes to procrastination, I consider my self as professional. I will try my best not do to what I am supposed to do or leave it for the last moment. For example, when I have to write a paper I would not do it until the last moment, which some times makes my grade lower.

I used the 24-Hour Rule strategy to help me finish my paper before the real due day. This way I will have more time to review it by my friends or my self. This strategy helped me in my last week journal in my CLS 105 class I did not have enough time to do it, so I set a final day and tried to finish it before that time. It helps me to have it done before the due day with enough time to review or have some changed done.

This was a helpful strategy and it helped me to manage my time by setting a final due day, which allow me to have more time to makes changes if needed.

Memory Strategies

I found the memory strategies can be very effective for some classes and less accommodating for others. I used the Link System method to remember words from my sociology readings. I figured sociology would be a good course for me to use this strategy because the class is mostly a reading and essay based class. For my next assignment, I plan to refer back to this chart and be sure to include all of these defininitions. However, I found that this strategy would probably be used more effectively for other courses. The Link System would be more beneficial for an exam based class rather than a paper based class, because when writing a paper, I wouldn't need to memorize the definitions as much. I would image the Link System and the Method of Loci would be most effective in a language class, where memorization is more important. However, I'm not really taking any classes like that this semester, but I know I will be in the future, so it will eventually benefit me. I also used the visualization strategy for my sociology class, which again was somewhat constructive, but more ineffective for me. Putting a random visual image to every key term has always been the best way for me to remember things, but actually writing these terms and the images on paper is definitely a more effective way for to remember. Again, though the strategies didn't really help me for my sociology class, I know they will definitely benefit me in other classes throughout college

Memorizing Vocabulary

This is ear i am taking ECN 203. My professor told us numerous times that this course may sound easy but can easily be confusing. This class is easily confusing because of the large about of vocabulary that can mean many different words. I really didn't pay too much mind to my professor and thought that i would be okay in the class. After about the third class, I realized that my professor was right. I found myself very confused. I realized that I needed to make a change. I started to use the strategies that I learned in class an found myself starting to understand the class better. I found that two strategies really helped me in this class, recite it and write it. Recite it was extremely helpful. Each week me and my friend who is in the class discuss what we went over that week. This topic is very helpful and has helped me remember the information. After using the recite it strategy, I write down the information that I didn't know on index cards and study them. Using these two strategies has been extremely helpful for me and I plan on using them throughout the semester.

Memory (LINK).

For me as a foreign student, remembering words is hard, sometimes is ends up with writing or saying something else. I'm not good at remembering names as well. However, the new strategy will help me to remember and imagine the names, words, and definitions easily.

I used LINK strategy in my ASTclass. It helped me not to forget the names of stars and all the Astronomy terms. Some of the words were hard to remember and similar to each other. I used the LINK plan to help me memorize them and create an image to help me keep in mind it as well.

In my other class ARB, I tried to use it with the new definitions and a king of graphic organizer where, I had the examples and the words definitions. I think this way it will be more helpful. This way I was able to image the word and try to create an image about the example.

In both classes LINk was an effective strategy and helped me to remember the words I needed.

Memory Strategies

This week I decided to experiment and try out some strategies to help me memorize certain things for some of my classes. The first strategy I used in my Physics class was the Link System Strategy where I would list some words I needed to remember, figure out what that word reminded me of, and finally making an absurd picture that linked the word and what it reminded me of together. This strategy was effective because it allowed me to be creative and make a funky picture on paper and in my head that reminded me of a specific word.This way, I would see the word and the crazy picture would come to my head reminding of what that word could possibly mean. One word I had to remember was "Convection" it reminded me of the word "Conviction" and I can relate these two because I think of someone being convicted of murder. The meaning of convection is the transfer of thermal energy by motion of fluid, so I can think of the dead person losing energy as their blood (liquid) flows away from their body.

The other strategy I used was making Acronym Sentences for my MAT 121 class. This week we had to learn some equations and I could not remember the order in which the variables were supposed to be arranged. Therefore, using the acronym sentence strategy, I was able to effectively remember the variables and their order within the equation. This was effective because I was able to rhyme along with the acronyms and the information stuck in my head.

Reading Strategies

This past week, I had two exams to study for. For my Physics exam , I needed to read the chapter (something I never do). Therefore, to make it more effective for me I decided to use the TART strategy because it allows me to identify main terms along with their definitions, as well as, to anticipate and create test questions to ask and prepare myself. After searching through the textbook for key terms that I thought were significant, I attended class the next day and circled the terms that my professor went over thoroughly. Two nights before my exam I read and created test questions from within the reading. This strategy was very effective, but the MR.R strategy worked very effectively along with TART.

I used MR.R because I wanted to create flash cards that I can walk around with to recite whenever I had a dull moment or free time. This strategy is similar to TART, but it gives you the opportunity to create flash cards for definitions or equations that I might have needed to know.

Tarting

Reading a full textbook can be very boring. I find that when I read the entire textbook, i can't comprehend all the information because there is so much. I found that tart was very helpful. While reading the weekly chapters, i write down terms that i feel are important for terms i do not know. I also write down questions that i think will be on the test.

After taking my midterm for ECN 203, i am a firm believer that this strategy works. I felt very prepared for this midterm and believe i did very well. I would recommend this learning strategy to any student.

Reading (Tart).

Reading textbooks always made me bored or sleepy. I always hate to read because as soon as I start to read a book or a text, I will fall asleep or try my best to find something else to do besides reading. Therefore, Tart was an effective strategy, I had to skim the readings and categorize the bold worlds and definitions then I used a graphic organizer to group them together.

After finishing the graph, I create some questions biased on the terms that were in bold, I did the questions after attending the AST lecture and saw which of the bold words where used or showed in the slides.

This strategy helped me not to get bored when reading because I had to do several things in different without falling asleep when reading. Because I knew why I am reading and while reading with a purpose it is easy to know what to focus on.

Note Taking

I worked on my note taking strategy for my HST 308 class, because it's a lecture class where the professor gives a lot of information. I also decided to re-evaluate my note taking for HST because I have an exam this Tuesday. The first strategy I used was that I made a concept map. I chose to make a concept map about the Great Depression because I feel there could be a potential essay question on the exam Tuesday. This helped me to take my notes from class and put the information into a more organized way, so when I go back to study I'll see the facts about the depression easily. I also used the Jeopardy Note taking strategy. This was a great way for me to thoroughly review the notes I take in class and add necessary information to them. When I study, organization is very important. Jeopardy notes help me organize my notes and thoughts. I personally found the concept map most helpful this week. It will be great for me when I'm studying potential essay questions.

Note taking.

Students are different from each other in the way the study, take notes, and witch type of learners they are. There are several ways to take notes but what will be effective is not easy to know from the first time. Some time we write many details, which will make us, get confused when we are reviewing them.

The best way to find what note taking strategy is useful, reading the syllabus and knowing what are patterns in the course help to choose the strategy that will be the most effective. For example, in my AST class I tried to use jeopardy note taking strategy, where I should write my notes on the right- hand side of the notebook and on the left side I should create test questions. In the AST class this strategy was not helping me because it is hard to create the test questions easily from the notes only.

But in my ARB 101 helped me a lot because some of the questions I wrote was on the test. And I used another strategy that helped as well is using a graph. This way I was able to compare and contrast the words and vocabulary that are used for males vs. females, past vs. present. I could have used another note taking strategy but I do not think it will be better than jeopardy in the ARB class. Because of the strategies that I used I took the full mark in the test.

Taking Notes

Taking notes has always been a difficult task for me. I find my self trying to write what my professors is saying but i miss a word and then everything is messed up. I've tried numerous strategies about note taking this semester and feel that my note taking skills have definitely improved.

One note taking strategy I've used is T Notes. I used this strategy for my math class. In MAT 183, there are symbols that mean something. I have trouble remembering what all the symbols mean. Using T Notes really helped me solve this problem. On the left side of my notes I put each symbol that I was having trouble remembering. On the right side of the paper, I wrote a definition that will help me remember what this symbol means.

Overall, T Notes have really been positive for me. I am finding myself starting to have a much easier time with the weekly homework and I am using less notes to complete it. I will definatly use this strategy in the future and would recommend it to everyone.

Note-Taking Strategies

This week, I decided to find some cool new ways to take notes. I have classes that require different formats and strategies for taking notes, but I have been sticking to the same old way I did in High School. In my Physics 105 class, it is a powerpoint based course. The powerpoint slides are always available after class for students to review. I found a strategy called PowerPoint notes that allow me to print out the slides onto a sheet of paper, and write comments, questions, or other essential pieces of information not included on the slide itself. Ihave found this strategy a little effective because it allowed me to notice which formulas to use to answer certain questions. Also, I made questions that were relevant to the slides I printed out making it easier to just recognize relevant questions quickly.

The other strategy I used was the T Notes strategy in my MAT 121 class because we have an exam this week. For my exam I will need to know the rules for certain equations. Therefore, I created a T Note chart and put the name of the equation on one side, and the rule needed to follow through for the equation.

This was effective because as a visual learner, I can remember the information more easily. The information was then simple to understand.

Changing the ways you take notes can help some people, for others it might not work. However, it does not hurt to try different strategies and see how they play out.

A New Way To Study

I am the student who hates to study. I know I am very lazy and it is a habit I've been trying to break ever since middle school. One of the main reasons I wanted to take CLS 105 was to learn new strategies to help me study. I chose to do the 20-minute test prep.

I think this strategy would be good for me because after class i usually go back to my room and watch television or play video games. Instead of doing this I chose to take up 20 minutes and do work in my ECN 203 class. ECN 203 is one of the more challenging classes for me. I want to be in the business world so this an important class for me.

My first exam in ECN 203 is in 11 days. For the last week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have been rereading my notes and highlighting the textbook. I am finding that I am really starting to understand the class more now that I have been doing this strategy, which is making me more vocal in class.

Starting this week, I am going to create a study schedule where i designate about 1-3 hours a day studying for my midterm. I really hope that this strategy will help me achieve a good score on my midterm!

exam prep

Even though I haven't taken my exam yet, I have already found the 20 minute test prep very helpful for my history 208 class. After each class, I return to my notes and, after highlighting the specifics, I re-write everything I that I think could be on the exam. By doing this, the information is easily reinforced into my mind since I am repeatedly writing the same thing down class after class. Its also very helpful to organize my notes because the class goes so fast that sometimes what I write doesn't make sense. I also used the Putting It All Together Method. Making the chart was a good way for me to visually see what resources I had to prepare for the exam. It will also be useful to have a plan on how I'm going to prepare when I'm studying by following my test preparation column. Overall, I think the 20 Minute Test Prep will be most effective for me when in order to be successful on the exam.

Exam Prep.

Exams can be an issue for some students who struggle in studying for a test or prepare for it. Some times a student can have two or more exams in one week. Therefore, if ones does not plan ahead what strategies are going to be used, the exams can be a problem for him/ her. I am having two midterms this coming week, I used to study before three days and before the exams day I will just review my notes. Some times this way works; however, I have to change it in order to get a better grade. I will be using one or more of the strategies in my ARB 101 class.

The strategy I will use the 20-minutes test prep. And I hope it helps me to get a better grade. This strategy helps students and provides they with the best way to review and study for a test. It shows what to do after classes, the end of each week, one or two days before an exam, and the exam night.

In the Arabic class there are many vocabulary and definitions, they are hard to learn and spill. I cannot remember what information was given in class, so I used my notes, flash cards, and a list of topics that might be in the exam. This way I think I will be covering all the materials that might be in the test.

I feel like this strategy is helping me, because now I will spend less time studying before an exam night. The stress I had before exams will be gone due to not having to study for three or four hours at bird library.