STUDY SKILLS
PART 1:NOTE TAKING SKILSS
PREPARED BY:
MR.ARIVU
5 C’S OF NOTE-TAKING

Take Charge of Your Lectures

Concentrate and Focus on the Material

Listen Critically

Connect and Capture Key Ideas
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LECTURES

Commit to Class

Pre-read material to be covered
before class

Identify areas that are difficult
to understand

Arrive to class early and review
notes from the previous class
period
CONCENTRATE
AND FOCUS ON THE MATERIAL!!!
Beware of Distractions
 Talking
 Daydreaming & Doodling
 Worrying
LISTEN CRITICALLY

Be Ready for the Message

Listen to Main Concepts

Listen for New Ideas

Ask Questions
CONNECT AND CAPTURE KEY IDEAS



Identify key words, themes and main points
Relate Details to the Main Point
Listen for Clues


Note when a topic comes up more than once
Transition words signal the change in topics or new key points
“In contrast to”
“Let’s move on”
“This will be on the next exam”
“You will see this again”
This one for sure!
CHOOSE THE NOTE-TAKING STYLE
THAT’S JUST RIGHT FOR YOU!
Use any strategy that will help
the key ideas stand out to
you!!
NOTE-TAKING STYLES

Outline Method

The Cornell Method

Paragraph (Summarizing) Method

Fishbone Diagram (Listing) Method
THE OUTLINE METHOD

Use headings and
subheadings
followed by course
material

Easiest method
with organized
lectures
Formal
Outline
Informal
Outline
THE CORNELL METHOD






Divide your notepaper by drawing
a vertical line 2 inches from the left
margin.
On the right side, take your notes
from class.
On the left side, write
 key words
 questions
 comments
 Examples
On the bottom, write a summary
These will make your work easier
to review later
Test yourself by identifying the
lecture material on the right ,
prompted by your comments on
the left.
THE PARAGRAPH METHOD

Often works best when a lot of
notes are given in a short
period of time and the
instructor is a fast talker or
the lecture is disorganized.

Listen critically for important
facts.

Create your own summary of
what has been presented.

Write down summary in your
own words.
Did you
get
that?
No, we’d
better
summarize!
THE FISHBONE DIAGRAM

The Problem or outcome is
printed in the “head” of the fish.

Identify the primary factors and
connect as ribs to the backbone.

Elaborate each rib with the details
related to the primary factor.
OTHER NOTE-TAKING TIPS







Always date your notes!
Paraphrase your notes!
Don’t Erase Mistakes!
For Lectures with fast talkers, consider writing in cursive or
tape recording.
Use Abbreviations!
Be Organized!
Evaluate your note-taking style strategy regularly!
PART 2: A STUDY READING
STRATEGY
SQ3R
REVIEW

What does a person have to develop to be an effective
reader?
 HABITS

Which 3 habits are essential in order to become an
effective reader?
 Commit to reading
 Concentrate on your reading
 Read actively
TO READ ACTIVELY OR SKILLFULLY:
Understand the reading process
 Utilize strategies that can help you read more
efficiently

 Maximize
reading comprehension
 Minimize reading time
 Retain information
 Improve concentration
WHAT IS SQ3R?


A study reading method or technique based on a
series of steps
It divides the reading process into 3 stages:



Before : Preparation
During : Concentration
After: Retention
WHY USE SQ3R?

Organized information is easier to remember than
information taken in without a plan
THE STEPS IN SQ3R
Survey
Question
Read
Recite
Review
SURVEY
 Get
an overview or general idea
about the reading by previewing
 This helps to activate any previous
knowledge we may have
 Find
out about the author, type of
work, and subject
 Look at the title, subtitles, or
headings
 Look at any visuals (captions,
pictures, charts or drawings)
 Read
the first paragraph and the first
sentence of each other paragraph
 Read the last paragraph
 Look for key words in different print
 Circle or underline any difficult words
as a vocabulary preview
 Make a PREDICTION about the main
idea or central theme
The
author’s idea or message about the
topic of discussion
 Remember-don’t
read all the material!
All you want is an idea, so only take a few
minutes to conduct your survey!
Practice: Food for Luck
QUESTION

Formulate information (Wh) questions on what
you have surveyed
 These
will help you to concentrate or focus while
reading!
 For example: the title, visuals, the first lines of the
different paragraphs etc.

Follow the organization of the article!
Practice: Food for Luck
READ

Read thoroughly and actively, focusing on
your questions
 This

gives your reading a purpose
As you read, you can annotate (underline
and take notes in the margin)
 Writing
reinforces what you read
RECITE
Try to answer the questions you
formulated based on what you
remember
 If you have problems, then these are
the areas you will pay closer attention
to when you review
 Recite after a long section; repeat
information and reread if necessary

REVIEW
Look over the material again but without
rereading; go over the questions again
 Verify your prediction and revise it if
necessary

 Now
that you’ve read you can determine
what the main idea or central theme is

Respond and reflect by connecting the
reading to your previous experiences
SQ3R
Survey
Question
Read
Recite
Review
PREPARE
Identify author and work
Make Predictions
Establish Purpose
Pre-read
Activate previous knowledge
Raise Questions
READ
Annotate
Monitor comprehension
RESPOND
Review
Reflect
Before Reading
During Reading
After Reading
PART 3:MEMORY TECHNIQUES
MEMORY AND YOUR BRAIN:
The power and process of
reproducing and recalling
information learned, retained
and retrieved
KINDS OF MEMORY YOU USE
 Semantic:
Words and Symbols
 Implicit: How to
 Remote: Data collected over time
repeated experience
 Working or Short term
 Episodic: Recent experience
THE WAY YOU LEARN AFFECTS HOW YOU
REMEMBER.
WHAT KIND OF LEARNER ARE YOU?
Visual Learner
Auditory Learner
Bodily Kinesthetic Learner
YOU NEVER FORGET…



Your brain never loses
anything
Forgetting: it is either the
inability to recall stored
information or the failure to
store information in the first
place
The things that interest you
WE REMEMBER
10% of what we read
 20% of what we hear
 30% of what we see
 50% of what we see and hear
 70% of what we say
 90% of what we say and do

PROCESS OF MEMORY
Attention
Encoding
Storage
Retrieval
and Selection
ATTENTION AND SELECTION
The first process of memory is
attention. There is much more
information in your environment than
you can process at any given time.
You must make choices (conscious and
unconscious) regarding what you will
attend to and store in your memory
THE ELECTRICITY OF YOUR MIND
ENCODING = RECEIVING INFORMATION
How are memories formed?
 It refers to translating incoming information
into a mental representation that can be
stored in memory
 You can encode the information in a
number of different ways

 According
to sound (acoustic code)
 What it looks like (visual code)
 What it means (semantic code)
STORAGE = RETENTION OF INFORMATION
It is the process of holding information in
your memory
 Short-Term vs. Long-Term Memory
 Transfer from Short to Long-term

 Repeating
the information
 Practicing
 Thinking
about it deeply (elaborate) – draw
connections between what you are trying to
remember and other things that are familiar
to you
RETRIEVAL = RECALL OR RECOGNITION
It is the process of
actually remembering
something when you
want to
MEMORY TECHNIQUES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Learn from the general to the specific
Make it meaningful
Create associations
Learn it once, actively
Relax
Recite and repeat
MEMORY TECHNIQUES
7. Create pictures
- draw diagrams, mind maps
- create action
- make pictures vivid
- turn abstract ideas into
concrete actions or images
MEMORY TECHNIQUES
8. Write it down (outline, 3x5 cards,
summary)
9. Reduce interference
10. Over learn
11. Escape the short-term memory trap
12. Use daylight
13. Distribute Learning
14. Be aware of attitudes
MEMORY TECHNIQUES
15. Choose what not to store in memory
16. Combine memory techniques
17. Remember something else
18. Notice when you do remember
19. Use it before you lose it
20. Remember, you never forget.
21. Grouping by category, alphabet,
chronological order
MEMORY TECHNIQUES
22. Create abbreviations
23. Visualize
24. Review
 24
hrs after learning takes
place
 10 minute review reinforces
one hour class
 periodically to move material
from short- to long-term
memory
MNEMONICS

Are methods for remembering
information that is otherwise quite
difficult to recall

A word or a sentence which is intended
to be easier to remember than the
thing it stands for.
MNEMONIC DEVICES

Acronyms – words created from the
initial letters of a series of words
 NASA : National Aeronautics and Space
Administration

Acrostics – sentences that help you
remember a series of letters that stand
for something
 “Every Good Boy Does Fine (E,G,B,D and F)
MNEMONIC DEVICES

Rhymes and Songs – Make a rhyme or a
song of the facts
 Alphabet
(Twinkle, Twinkle little Star)
Loci Systems – creates visual associations
with familiar locations. It can also help you
remember things in a particular order
 Peg Systems – employs key words
represented by numbers

 Example
1=bun, 2=shoe, 3=tree, 4=door
REMEMBERING NAMES
Recite and repeat in
conversation
 Ask the other person to
recite and repeat
 Visualize
 Admit you don’t know
 Introduce yourself again
 Use associations

REMEMBERING NAMES
 Limit
the number of new
names you learn at one
time
 Ask for photos
 Go early
 Make it a game
FOODS that can improve your memory.
Lean Protein
1. Fish -- Salmon (especially Alaskan Salmon caught in the wild,
farmed fish is not as rich in omega-3-fatty acids), tuna, mackerel,
herring (also listed under fats)
2. Poultry -- chicken (skinless) and turkey (skinless)
3. Meat -- lean beef and pork
4. Eggs (enriched DHA eggs are best)
5. Tofu and soy products (whenever possible choose organically
raised)
6. Dairy products -- low fat cheeses and cottage cheese, low fat
sugar free yogurt and low fat or skim milk
7. Beans, especially garbanzo beans and lentils (also listed under
carbohydrates)
8. Nuts and seeds, especially walnuts (also listed under fats) -- Great
recipe: soak walnuts in water and sea salt overnight, drain and
sprinkle with cinnamon (natural blood sugar balancer) and low roast
4 hours at 250 degrees -- makes them easier to digest.
Complex Carbohydrates
9. Berries -- especially blueberries (brain berries), raspberries,
strawberries, blackberries
10. Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit
11. Cherries
12. Peaches, plums
13. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
14. Oats, whole wheat, wheat germ -- oatmeal needs to be the long
cooking kind as instant has a higher glycemic index since the
manufacturer has broken down the fiber to speed cooking time and
basically make it a refined carbohydrate. Same goes for bread, look for
at least 3 grams of fiber. Remember unbleached wheat flour is white
flour, it must say whole wheat.
15. Red or yellow peppers (much higher in Vitamin C than green
peppers)
16. Pumpkin squash
17. Spinach -- works wonderfully as a salad, or a cooked vegetable,
adds fiber and nutrients
18. Tomatoes
19. Yams
** Beans (also listed under proteins)
Fats
20. Avocados
21. Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
22. Olives
** Salmon (also listed under protein)
** Nuts and nut butter, especially walnuts, macadamia
nuts, Brazil nuts, pecans and almonds (also listed under
protein)
Liquids
23. Water
24. Green or black tea
IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY
www.Luminosity.com (games)
www.thebrain.mcgill.ca (the brain from top
to bottom)
www.zefrank.com/memory/ (games)
www.faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chme
mory.html (experiments)
www.brainrules.net (theory and science)