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.

Exam Preparation

Preparing to take an exam is something just about every college student has struggles with.I would usually wait for the night before, or two days before (the most), to study for an exam. Therefore, I tried a strategy called the 20-minute Test Prep, which has helped me to begin studying for my Physics exam in 2 weeks. I'm not sure if it is effective yet because I haven't taken the exam, but I'm sure that it will help to re-inforce the material I have been learning in class. So far, I have made a study sheet with questions that the professor has asked in class, as well as, important definitions or terms that I might need to know.

The second Exam Preparation strategy that I have tried out is the Post-Exam Review. I had taken a Physics Exam about 2 weeks ago, and I got a 65 on it.

Thus, I decided to use this strategy to identify what I did wrong while preparing for the exam last time, and see what I can do for the upcoming exam. I used a blue highlighter to identify the things I needed to fix, and a pink highlighter to show the goal for preparing for the next exam. This strategy was effective because it allowed me to see what I should or should not do for the next exam. Also, I will have a better idea of what the format of the exams look like.

Problem Solving

As a visual learner, making lists and writing things down is often the most effective way for me to solve a problem. I found the Is Versus Want to be very helpful for me. I made a chart about current situation of being so far behind in my HST 308 readings. Though it might have seemed somewhat repetitive while I was making the chart. It really was a great way for me to really see what I needed to do in order to catch up on the readings in time for the exam. I also made a One Step at a Time chart about another issue I have in my HST class, about how I haven't been reviewing my notes regularly. This particular chart was also especially helpful for me. I liked this chart a little more than the Is Versus Want chart because it had a consequences column. Seeing the consequences give me more incentive to deal with the problem. I also liked the Possible To Do Column and Will Do Column. Brain storming all of the possible things I could do to solve the problem helped me see that I had a lot of options in order to solve the situation which kept me from freaking out too soon.

Using Time Wisely

I put much thought into my schedule this year. After having very early classes last year (8:30 AM), i knew that i will try never to have that again. The way i designed my schedule is to have two class days and up to 5 library days. Mondays and Wednesdays I have 4 classes while on Tuesday and Friday i only have 1 and on Thursday i have none. On Monday and Wednesday, I either go back to my room during breaks and relax or sometimes go to the library if I need it. On Tuesday and Thursday i spend most of my time in the library trying to get all my work done. So far this schedule seems to be a great method for me. My classes aren't too early and I find myself doing well in them. Hopefully I can adjust my schedule so it will be like this until I graduate!

We all know exams can be sometimes a problem for most of us. Therefore, I chose to use two different problem solving strategies to help me accomplish my goal. In the AST class I had my first exam and I knew what to expect when it’s time to exams 2. I will use the strategy One Step at a Time to solve the problem of having a coming exam soon. The other strategy I used is, Is vs. Wants in my ARB class.

I hope One step a Time strategy will make me get a better grade in AST exam 2. After exam 1 and the way I studied for it there is still a problem, I do not know what is it but my notes were not that good. When using it is easy to find the problem and what are the actions to solve it. Then it identifies the problem plus the ways I want to solve it. Planning what to will help me to work hard on it to see if its working with me or not.

There is too much vocabulary in the Arabic class, and they are hard to spill. Every think in the class is based on what is before it. IS versus Wants compares my current situation and change it when it becomes a problem. I had to know what is being a problem for me in class and change it. My problem is that I did not study yet for the exam and it is coming soon. Therefore, I think exams one will be a problem for me. Is vs. Wants strategy is affective because I know what I want so it give me a good reason to solve my problem.

Solving problems can be easy if we know what is the problem or ready but when we do not know it will be not easy to do it. When using of the strategies it becomes easy not only to know the problem but to solve it as well.

Problem Solving

Shoy Rey

This week I am going to provide some information about how I successfully solved some of my "College Life" problems. I found myself scrambling to complete homework assignments the night before they were due. Thus, giving me migraines and raising my stress level pretty high. After recognizing what was happening to me, I decided to create a One Step At A Time chart and a Ranking Priorities List. The both Problem Solving Strategies that I have chosen has helped me with all my courses.

The Ranking Priorities List helped me this week because I would have normally done the easiest tasks first, which would essentially waste all the time I would have had to do other important tasks. Within the priority list, I identified ALL the tasks that I needed to do for the day/week/weekend. Then, I made sure to do the most important task first, leading down the least important task. This has helped me greatly, and I no longer get migraines.

Now, the One Step At A Time Strategy seemed most effective to me. I was able to identify the main problem I had and generate a list of things I could do to limit the problem from happening. I came up with a proposal to myself that whenever I am assigned homework, I will complete it at evening time on the same day.

Therefore, I will know that I have completed it, and won't have to worry about it the night before class.

Identifying the consequences had really helped me to change my ways because there can be greater ones along the way.

Always identify your problem, and find a solution quickly before it's too late!