Tackling College Assignments
Say you are a student in an introductory marine biology course. The instructor assigns Chapter 5, Whales, for
Monday's lecture/discussion, with a short exam scheduled for the following Wednesday session. The typical student will
read the chapter from its title to the summary; close the text, give out a big sigh of relief, and think 'that takes care of that.'
For 99% of college students, that will not be sufficient preparation for a good exam score. A student needs to be an
active reader, doing much more than just moving the eyes over the lines of text. Your performance will be much enhanced
by understanding helpful reading comprehension techniques. Your study sessions should be 'workouts.'
Many students don't understand how important the study session environment is. You want to be totally focused on
your 'workout.' What are some of the things that will break your reading/writing concentration? Here are just a few:
-
cell phone/texting interruptions
cable television on
favorite music playing
seated with a friend
at the kitchen table during meal preparation
reading at your computer station
e-mail software sounding off with each new message
If you consider an hour spent in that kind of learning environment as an hour of study, you're deceiving yourself.
You have pretty much wasted your 60 minutes. Almost no one is able to concentrate in that kind of situation.
Keep reading to see what strategies will help you become a success in your college courses.