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CHABOT COLLEGE
EOPS/TU!QRIALS CENTER
STUDY SKILLS: _PACKET#2
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CONCENTRATION
Tbe Problem
In many colleges, over 80% of the StUdentsreport problems concentrating on their StUdies. Most of these
StUdentsblame outside distraaions for their problems.
Mallyresearchstudies mmipulatingnoisc lcvdsand disttaaionshave found that such disturbancesmay inacasc.,
dcacasc, or not even affect concentration. These n:scuchas have therefore, concluded that distraaors don't
causecona:ntration problems dirca1y. It is the way the distraaors arc intaprctcd by the StUdentsthat disrupt
their StUdy.
Cft:arin~ a Study Environment
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Fmd i place to study and keep it for StUdyonly.
Tool-up the environment with all StUdyneeds.
Control noise level and the visual environment to acceptablelc:vcls.
Avoid rclaxingwhile working; create a work atmosphere.
When To Study
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Best before bcd-timc, you'n rcncmbc:r better.
Best when thc:rcarc the fewestcompeting aaivitics in progrcu.
Best when adequate rest periods arc provided.
Stop studying when &rlgueor lade of ancntion occurs.
How to Studv and Concentrate
(1)
(2)
When"distraaorsarc present,becomeintcnsc1yinvolved.
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~ 'a pad of paperhandyto jot downcmancous thoughtsthat aoss your mindwhileStUdying,get "
them,out ofyour mind and on to the paper.
(3)
(4)
(5)
Set StUdy goaJs before you ~
each period of StUdy(number of pages, number of problems, ac.).
Design adequate rewards after spc:.cificdgOals arc attained.
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
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~-up
the content of StUdyby mixing a variety of subjcas, thc:rcby building up interm and
removing boredom.
Make the most of rest periods
- do something
quite diffcn:nt.
Don't ny to mix work and play.
Start with short StUdy periods, build slowly to longer periods, only as long as you maintain
concentration.
If nc:a:ssary,make a calendarof cw:ntsto dear your mind of dismaions.
Rt:alizethat you won't lose friends, rcspca, or a -good time- JUStbecause you're StUdying... these
will keep.
Plan the length of your stUdyperiod by the amount of materialyou have decidedto cover, not by the
dock. (Often the dock is one of the most serious distraaors.)
Diaplostic Matters
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It is probably necessaryth3.tyou i4cntifywhich subjcqs ~ rcl2.tcdto t~e #lost serious'concentration problems.
You may notice tliat you rally don't giveyourself a chanci:~th these subjcas becauseof the time, order, or
placeyou use to study. It may also be valuableto assesswhat your motives arc for StUdyingin the first placcl
What is your reward for your cffort~
f:~_?
,kJ
(lOI1SJ93-Djk)
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CHABOT COLLEGE
EOPSn u .LulUALS CENTE1L
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MEMO~
1.
TECHNIQUES
Review lectUrCand textbook notes on a~,
Le. at least once a week. A
short review once or tWice a week takes less time than long periods of last minute
.
2.
aatnmin~.
Use a multi-sensoryapproach:
.
VISUal.
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maps, charts, important pages
Try to remember how thin~ look
&om the textbook. In a history course, make yourself a time chart; in
a biology course, vimalizewhatever parts of the body you arc studying
and attach labels. Make an attempt to visually recall important words,
telationships, and eventS.
Verbal.
Use verbal mnemonic devices (dcsaibcd below). Read notes out loud,
or tape your notes and listen to them.
Tactile.
Try to irn~gjne what thin~ fecllike. Vocabulary words may have a
.
certain -feel II to them, try to remember that fc:cl. Tm~gjne what it
would fcc1like to be a soldier during the American Revolution, or to
hold a beating hc:att in your h~nds.
3.
Use~.
Use 3" by 511index cards. Write the word, phrase:, or date on one
side and itS definition, or the important information conneCted with the date, on the
other side. Flip through the pack &ont side up and try to recaJl what is on the back.
Then rc:\1C[Se
the process. Next, start at the middle of the back and work forwards,
or backwards. It has been proven that in long memorizing tasks, the ends arc
memorized first, the middle last.
4.
Use associationsto trigger your memory. Make associations betWeen things already
fvn;1i~n.to you and somMhing newly leamed. Make use of any past knowlcdge~
experience, or interest that helps you teIT1ember.
5.
,Use mnemonic devices:
a.
\
~,
Le., "I before E except after C, or when sounded like A as in
neighbor and weigh. n
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b.
BIuIhm, Le., "A, B, C, D, E... n
c.
Acronyms, i.e., IIHomesllfor the names of the Great Lakes.
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d.
Sentences,'
i.e., "EvCi)r good boy'. . . fineR~forthe
notes or the
musicalscale.
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e.
Location, i.e., using your memory to find a lOStobjeCt.
f.
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Le., conneCtingitems which need to be memorized in order.
f:Mcmory.skl (lOnSI93-njk)
CHABOT COLLEGE
EOPSITtJTOlUALS CENTElt
REMEMBERING
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Psychologistsdo not fully understand JUSthow manory works. It has been expaimentally
prove:d that tiny physical traCCSof what we have c:xpc:ric:nc:cd
remain with us: clc:arica1
stimulation of certain areasof the: brain will reproduce in our consciousnc:ss~as vividlyas if
they had just happen~ the sounds~ sights and smc:11s
of c:vc:ntswe:have:not thought of in
yearsand of which~until thus stimu1ate:~we:have had no conscious mc:m.ory. So apparently
we never acmally lose:what we have once experienced: it's still there, physically, encoded,
in our brain COrtc:LThe:problc:m is to get at it, as cvc:rysuffering stUdent knows.
A gOOd'deal is known about the leaming process, however, and it has bc:cn prove:dthat
.certainte:chniquesof lc:aminghelp retention and rc:ca1l.The:human mind is comparable:to
a data b~ and cc:rtainmethods of input help us consciouslyproduce what we nc:c:dwhen
we nc:c:dit. The:aaual process of r~n;ng back to consciousness what we: onCe:consciously
knew is a mystery. Thc:rcis no bunon to push, facilitatingmemory.
1.
Above:~ undc:mand what you arc ca.Ilcdon to remember. Set up a frame:within
which to org;an;'7~
the detailsand tJtc:irrelationsl1iato each other. If the whole:.
makes sense, the:pans are easierto reca.Il. For ~~"'1'le:
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a.
The: medical student forced to II:!ttc,'ttbc:rthe names of every nc:rvc:in the'
human body will remember more c:asilyif he knows the funaion of each nerve
and how it intc:raas with the others.
b. .
The history student willbetter rcmanbc:r the nc:ccssarynames, datc:s,and other
details if he:has a thorough undc:rst:andingof purposcd~ trends~ philosophies~.
the broad sweep of e:vents.
.
c.
The 1anguagcstudent will bc:ner rcmanber the:infle:ctionsof a 1anguagc- the:
individual prdixc:s and su~
which signal number~ tcnse~ etc. - if he:has a
.
grasp of basic strUCtUrC.
In other words, rcmanbc:r in a context of principles, thcoric:s~ important
gcnc:ralizations. Before you try to fix dctaiJsin your mind, know the strUCtUIC
and
main emphasis of wbatyou are stUdying. The SQ3R (survey, question~ rc:ad,recite,
review)method of study, with its emphasis on surveying, questioning, and l'f"!Iding
for main ideas, is a valuable:aid.
.
2.
The: more tho~ughly. and. the: dCcpc:ryou gp .~~q a subject; the bcner you will
remember it. Apparently; broadt"ningknciwlc:dge.ih~c:s the number of associative:
links bc:tWc:Cn
one:aspect and another and makes the:whole:strUaw:c Stronger. 'Ibis
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is one:virtue of c:nra ~d;ng
doing extra problems
ttaeking sown ramifications.
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-seeking out other points of view
3.
Get younc:lf beyond the recognition stage, to --"thereNIn stage, the first time you
encounter something you know you will have t~ ranember. A certain amount of
forgetting is inevitable anyway, but this method retards fo~~
and I113kcsrecall
easier. For aample:
The SQ3Rmethod of stUdy puts heavy emphasis on the DrcciteDstage for this
YaY reason. Deliberately closing the book, and going through the conscious
dfm:t of reNlningthe main points of what you have JUStread, while it is still
mh
in your mind, seems to open the rec:a1lchannel, so to speak, at a. time
when it is the asicst to open. The material seems doser to the surfa~ more
easily a~bk
to review, if the dclibc:ra.teattempt to recall is made
immediately after first ~ding..
The emphasis hc:rcis on conscious dForr: it is not enough to fed &rn;t;~rwith what
you have just read, so that on second ~d;"g the main points and key details arc easy
to 1indcmand.
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and pull the points and details back to consciousness,
from memory. Write them out in your own words if n~ttSSary; when you can say
these ~
in your own words, you have made them yours.
4.
In certain subjects - foreign langu2gcs,sc:ic:nccs,
math for instance
- the process
known as overlearning is of material hclp; in faa, in language StUdy it is essential.
E~"'f'les arc:
.
a..
Ovcrleaming is defined as Dpracticewdl beyond the point of Ina$tery.1I It is
3D extension of the conscious dfott to rc:ca1l,to the point where conscious
effort iumjO"F
needed. nOvcrlcamingrc:su1tswhen a person continuesto
use a response repeatedly, with confirmation. D~How did you learn the
alphabet?
b.
.
Verbs, formulae, comparative anatomy, whatever it is you have to know
without ~ch;ng for it sho~ be overlearned. The process is speeded if you
use sight, sound and feeling to hclp you; write it down and say it aloud, let
the senses reinforce each other.
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c.
5.
A pack of fi1c cards is often helpful. If you an: StUdying complicated
terminology for a scic:ncecourse, for instan~ you can write the -teml on one
side and its ddinition on the other. Flip through the pack front sides up and
try to rcc:a1lwhat is on the back. Then reverse the process. Then start at the
middle of the pack and work forwards, or backwards. (It has been proved that
in any long mC1110rizing
job., the ends are memorized first, the middle last.)
The importance of associationsof ideas has alreadybeen emphasized. It often hdps
to ~liberately build associateswith what you have to remember. Doing this is like
consuuaing a chain which Wiillcad you to what _YQ~~t.
If you have one end
fmnly in mind it will ,leadyou to the other.'c:iid. Human minds'vary greatly in ~e
type of associative link to which response comes easiest., so there is no one best
method., but here are a few approaches that have worked. A multi-sensory approach
is usually best.
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a.
Visualize. Some people have vivid visuatmanories - i.e., memoriesfor how
thiT1gslook. If you 6rtd yourself visualiiing often that ,is, if you remembc:r
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bettc:rform cham and graphsthan you do from the-printed page, or if you
remembc:rhow the pagelookedwhenyou aretrying to recallwhat wason it,
you can make this tend~cy into an c:ffi:etivenaide-manotte.
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In a history course, for instance:make yourself a time chart. If you are the
medical stUdent mc:morizingall the naves, visualize:the nervous systan and
attach labds. If you arc taking a statistics course., remembc:r visually the
relationships bCtWttn.,for instance:.,standard deviations, z scores, t scores, and
pcra:ntilc ranks, and then reason from there. In re~mng verb forms or
vocabulary words, make a deliberate attempt to visualize the words.
b.
Use verbal mnemonic devices. The:world is full of examples: in spemrtg, for
. 'instance, the saying IIthere is un in scp.m,tell- nonsensical as it is -has hc1pcd
many people remember how to spells~ar.l.te. StUdentSmemorizing the colors
of the spcarum remember the nonsense name Roy G. Biv : red, orange,
ydlow., green, blue, indigo, violet. MedicalstUdentS have hundreds of such
devices, passed on down the generations. Make up your own.
c.
Some people with a strong sense of rhytlun recall some ~
by first
rcmc:mbaing the lilt or rhythmic pattern; the words come nat, and are
re~11~dbecause they fit the rhythmic pattern. One such person remembers
phone numbers by the pattern they make: : he recalIs a number such as
8646265 by ranc:mbc:ring the lilt of "EIGHT six FOUR six "!WO six
FIIIIVE. "
Remember.SkI (2/17193-njk)
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From University of Maryland, &a.ding and StUdySkillsCentc:r.
_ Quotations from Eduational P~chology) by Lee J. Cronbach.
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