Study Skills
Students should become familiar with the myriad of study skills, habits and strategies
that successful students employ. While students are likely to be generally familiar with various
study skills, they should intensify their depth of understanding and frequency of practice of
essential skills such as textbook reading, note taking, review and test preparation
Before Class -Reading
“I would advise you to read with a pen in your
hand, and enter into a little book of short hints
of what you find that is curious or that might
be useful; for this will be the best method of
imprinting such particulars in your memory
where they will be ready.”
Benjamin Franklin
What does it mean to be a deep reader? The brain requires multiple exposures to
deeply assimilate information. Therefore, a cursory reading is not enough to ensure deep
learning. One way to engage in seep reading is through the practice of the SQ3R method:
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(S) Survey – look at the chapter outline; look at headings, photographs, captions, questions,
end of chapter summaries, etc. This prepares the brain to absorb.
(Q) Question - write down some questions before fully reading. This provides some goals for
understanding.
(R) Read– read the section; highlight key items; write in the text; answer questions, note
any confusion and try to understand the various topics and how they interconnect.
(R) Review - Review highlights, answers to questions, reflect on any confusion and seek
clarification from TA’s, instructors or fellow students. This begins to embed knowledge –
builds those roads, routes and interconnections in the brain.
(R) Recite – Engage in a review team or study group; pose questions to others; explain what
you know, get clarification of anything you are confused about; help others; discuss how
material connects to previous material; create study guides; make up simulated exams. This
engages various senses in deepening knowledge – and it is fun.
Tips and Suggestions for Peer Educators to support Reading Skills
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Read a section of an assignment that students have, take notes on the reading, share your
notes with them and have students compare their notes to yours.
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Encourage students to pair up with a reading buddy, have reading buddies compare each
other’s reading notes and have pairs compare their notes with other pairs.
Encourage students to generate a quiz from their reading notes and quiz each other.
Encourage small teams to read a text chapter, and then ask each teammate to take
responsibility for reviewing and teaching a section of the chapter to their teammates.
During Class – Note Taking
Remember to encourage students to always go to class and to take notes when they are
there. Of course, there are many kinds of note taking systems and methods – any of which has
its virtues when thoroughly enacted. Deep learning is enhanced via:
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The act of taking notes
The quality of the notes
How the notes are subsequently used.
These processes further intensify those synapses, roads, routes and interconnections in
the brain. One tried and true method is Cornell note-taking (see below). The University of
Cincinnati’s Learning Assistance Center (http://www.uc.edu/aess/resources.html) has a wealth
of well-designed and compact resources on note-taking methods as well as plethora of other
study skills and systems.
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The Cornell note-taking method is effective because it:
 Promotes involvement in learning before, during and after class.
 Encourages developing questions from the notes that further engage the
learner in discovering the meaning and significance of the material as well as
helping the leaner prepare for tests.
 Encourages summary of the notes, challenging the learner to restate the
material in her or his own words as well as create statements that connect
parts of a lecture, presentation or discussion to other parts.
 Provides a foundation for group discussion of course material or discussion
with a professor.
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Builds in a review process for continual learning!
The Cornell Note Taking System is universally regarded as a method for supporting the deep
learning process. Steps:
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Draw a vertical line down the blank note page, about 1/3 of the way across the page.
Draw a horizontal line across the page, about 2 inches from the bottom.
Use the largest area – to the right of the vertical line – to take notes.
After class – as soon as possible –use the area at the bottom to write a summary.
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After class – as soon as possible –use the area to the left of the vertical line to pose
questions about the material.
The questions should range from fairly simple identification questions to more complex
questions that ask about how a process happens, compare/contrast or how material
connects to other material (See below for more questions they can ask).
With these notes, summaries and questions, students can then quiz themselves, quiz each
other in dyads (groups of 2) or small groups or even go to professors to ask if the questions
they posed are accurate relative to the material, and reflect the sophistication level at which
the material should be understood.
Once students have a basic understanding of the material, they can then ask more
sophisticated and integrative questions of the material. This relates to Bloom’s taxonomy.
Student should go beyond memorization and identification questions and ask questions such as:
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Why is a piece of information or a theory considered to be true? What data or research
supports it? Who has challenged it? Why? When? How?
Are there certain key sequences that I need to follow (such as in a science class, a math
class) to solve a particular kind of problem?
What cause-and-effect patterns are operating to result in the outcome of a scientific
process or a particular social or historical phenomenon (voting patterns, poverty trends,
outcomes of a battle or war, migrations, etc.)?
Are there multiple perspectives (for example in a political or literary theory class) that I
need to be able to compare and contrast?
Tips and Suggestions for Peer Educators to Support Note-Taking:
Model the process in your own notes, and show mentees or group members examples.
Offer to review a set of notes for a mentee or group member.
Offer to attend class with a mentee or group member, take notes and then compare
notes. Ask the professor if it is OK.
Offer encouragement: students do not get great at note taking over night but with
practice they will develop a powerful habit!
Exam Preparation
As a peer educator, you can support students re-conceptualizing what “preparing for an
exam” involves and integrating practices associated with deep learning as they do so. Too often,
as we all know, preparing for an exam can mean last minute intensive cramming. We know that
this in antithetical to deep learning. Rather, students should be preparing for exams or projects or
larger papers as they go.
For example, in a problem solving class (Math, Chemistry, etc.) this means
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Reading before class and completing any assignments (such as Just-In-Time-Teaching
questions – JITT) that many professors routinely require.
Doing homework problems intensively a few times each week
Taking stock of what is and is not understood
Engaging in productive study groups (see below)
Constructing study guides in an ongoing manner
Utilizing professor office hours
Utilizing academic support services.
In a social sciences class, a similar process would be followed. In a writing class, a similar
process would also be followed and it would include writing multiple drafts of papers and
acquiring peer as well as instructor feedback throughout. One of the most powerful things you
can do as a learning coach is to encourage each student to approach each class in this “learn as
you go” manner and to encourage the group as a whole – and small groups with it - to
collaboratively engage in working on problems, sharing notes, teaching each other, constructing
study guides, peer review of each others’ papers, etc. There is indeed a time and place for
intensive preparation before an exam but that preparation should involve reinforcing what
students already understand well via their commitment, appropriate practices and efforts on a
daily and weekly basis.
Task and Time Management
In order to accomplish deep learning well – preparing rigorously for class, engaging in class,
reviewing subsequent to class, engaging in study groups, connecting with faculty and academic
support services, preparing for exams, etc. – students will need to appropriately and effectively
manage tasks and time on a daily and weekly basis. Things will not just work out by chance.
Students need to conscientiously, purposefully and actively manage tasks and time. As a peer
educator, you need to model as well as coach in these regards.
Once students have clarified their commitments and set specific goals, they need to
engage in daily practices aligned with their goals. This of course is accomplished through task
and time management. More specifically, students will need to manage and monitor
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Goals and action plans
Motivation
Tasks
Time on tasks
Places where tasks are most effectively accomplished
Distractions
Relationships and Associations
Too often we frame “time management” as a technical task of writing down ideal behaviors
– a fantasy day - on a time grid or in a planner. It is much more than that. It is the holistic
identification of and awareness of our aspirations and the behaviors that will support
attainment of them thereby enhancing our well-being, success and fulfillment. Designing and
implementing well-crafted task and time plans supports physical, social and emotional wellbeing as well as engagement in deep learning as students. Any leader or mentor who hopes to
inspire others to effectively and productively manage tasks and time needs to demonstrate that
they also engage in doing so. That does not mean being perfect. It just means “modeling the
way”, trying our best and tweaking and tuning as we go. Nobody is perfect. But the students will
be watching – so model it! Successful people manage time and tasks meticulously. Leaders and
mentors need to walk the walk. And students need to start the process NOW; time is precious.
The elements of an effective task and time management system include:
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Use of a daily and weekly planning system
Constructing short terms SMART goals in a variety of areas (as aforementioned in
chapter 3) and constructing specific action plans for these and aligning daily activities
with these goals
o Accurately and appropriately defining the amount of time that academic tasks
will require
o Including time for physical well-being and appropriate amounts of rest
o Many planners have sections for goals as well as daily to-do lists
Using daily to-do-lists (that reflect action plans).
o Constructing the next day’s to-do list prior to going to bed
o Posting the to-do-list in a prominent place
o Reviewing the to-do list throughout and at day’s end
Being aware and conscious of what students may have to give up and/or avoid in order
to stay on task and accomplish goals
Identifying specific times when specific sorts of studying will take place
Identifying places – strategically selected – where that studying will take place
Finding partners – time buddies – who can support their efforts and help them to
maintain focus.
o Avoiding people who exert negative influences
Periodically assessing how effectively time is being used and how it is being wasted.
Revisiting motivational readiness
o Conquering procrastination
More Study Group Facilitation and Leadership Reminders, Tips and Suggestions
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Remember to demonstrate enthusiasm in championing and facilitating the deep learning
process and the study group aspect of it. The attitude and tone you exhibit will have a
strong effect on the attitudes and behaviors your students adopt. Be positive, optimistic,
and sincere.
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Use activities at the beginning of the year that enables students to get to know each other.
This should pay off in them becoming more open and collaborative study group partners.
Keep study groups small, start them early, and encourage them to meet continuously.
Help study groups develop ground rules and goals.
Use check-ins to provide students with opportunities to indicate how specific classes are
going and their specific academic needs. Ask specific questions such as “rate your progress
in Chemistry from 1-10 and provide reasons for your rating”.
Be firm in your own mission and expectations but balance seriousness and playfulness. Help
students enjoy the meeting while getting the most out of their studies.
Encourage study groups and individuals to briefly map out what they want to accomplish in
a session and to provide times for debrief of progress on goals as well as next steps.
The group work assessment above and the study behaviors self -assessment at the end of
this chapter can be useful for helping students assess their progress as deep and
collaborative learners.
Are you looking to create an assessment for an activity?
http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/cat.html provides a short list of techniques.
Be resilient and treat each new session as a new opportunity. Just because students were
feeling or acting a particular way one week does not mean they will be that way forever.
Every session provides an opportunity to reinvent the culture of your learning community.
Ask about and consider implementing some of the activities and strategies that other peer
leaders have been doing. You could even visit their weekly meetings and look for strategies
that you could try to apply in your own LC.
During study group times, actively facilitate while not getting in the way
o Wander around.
o Watch and listen to what students are doing
o if you have suggestions share them
o If you have questions that you think would help the students get more out of the
group, ask them.
o Just be careful to be a contributor and not a distraction.
Continually encourage students while also supportively challenging them.
o Be a cheerleader, particularly when you are standing on the side lines and allowing
students to take leadership in activities or their study groups.
o Publicly recognize students’ accomplishments and positive behaviors, both in and
out of the learning community.