EFFECTIVE STUDY It is very important to get the best results that you can.

The better you do, the easier it will be to get scholarships, bursaries, loans; and youll have more career options. The real secret behind effective study is not only working harder, but working smarter. If you do not study effectively, you are wasting time, energy and find study tedious and boring. EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING LONG-TERM PLANNING The objective is to make sure that you keep track of all important dates such as those for Submitting assignments Preparing for exams Exam dates Get yourself a year planner or a diary like those that some of the insurance companies send out (one pager) and mark al the important dates on your calendar as you work through all your study guides and tutorial letters. Once you have recorded all your long-term objectives, you can plan in more detail which tasks for which subjects, you have to complete by a certain date. What are the benefits of long-term planning? When you look at your year planner, you will see that you have made provision for each day of your academic schedule You will know what type of activity and which subject you will spend time on each day You will not worry about the day of tomorrow because you have planned your time so that you can meet all your commitments. Knowing that you have done this will give you peace of mind. Place your year planner where you will see it often. You can then refer to it throughout the year to check your progress, and this will also help you to motivate you. SHORT-TERM PLANNING Before you can do any short term planning, you should work out how much study time you have at your disposal. To do this, you need to draft a master schedule, which you can use as a basis for weekly and daily planning. There are certain fixed times for doing things like getting up, having breakfast, travelling, attending lectures, planned activities such as hobbies, sport, church, and so on. These times arent usually negotiable, and so you wouldnt be able to study then. Study times, normally available, are then marked with an x. a master schedule like this shows you clearly when you can do the work youve planned in your year planner. PLANNING YOUR WEEKLY STUDY SCHEDULE Give yourself 15 30 minutes every Sunday evening to plan your weekly study schedule. Use a copy of your master schedule, and write down everything you have to do during the following week. Consult your year planner to see what study activity you should deal with during the week, and which section of the work you should master every day. Example of master schedule HOURS SU MO TU WE TH FR SA
06H00 07H00 07H00 08H00 08H00 09H00 09H00 10H00 10H00 11H00 CHURCH FAMILY BREAKF CLASS CLASS CLASS

GYM

GYM

GYM

X X

IMPROVING YOUR CONCENTRATION & MOTIVATION As soon as you notice that your thoughts are wandering, say to yourself: STOP. This should make you aware that youve not been concentrating. Try to find out why you werent concentrating so that you can do something to rectify the situation. If you find that negative thoughts interfere with your attention, identify exactly what they are and change them into positive thoughts. Drink enough water, take breaks, do cross over movements (braingym), eat healthy and get enough sleep.

Short-term planning is something you do weekly and daily. STUDY GROUPS Students do not understand the potential of study groups as a means of improving their performance at a tertiary institution. You can gain a great deal from working in a study group. FORMING A STUDY GROUP For a study group to function adequately, you need to follow certain principles: Choose group members whom you like and respect Limit group membership to 3 4 participants Agree on a meeting place and time for each session Make a personal commitment to contribute to the group Dont use the group to replace individual study RULES FOR GROUP MEETINGS Dont waste time at group meetings, and dont let the meetings turn into social gatherings Bring own writing material, textbooks, study guides and notes to each meeting Purpose of meeting to share information and make sense of course material, NOT to compare your knowledge of the study material to other group members, or opportunity to get hold of notes or study material you do not have Meet at least once a week throughout the academic year MAKE NOTES Making notes is a very important part of the study process. Making notes enable you to integrate your new knowledge with existing knowledge, and helps you to concentrate on your studies for longer periods of time. WHY MAKE NOTES? Notes help you make sense of what you read Notes provide a framework of the study material They help you concentrate and to identify the key words and main ideas in the study material Notes are a very effective memory aid TYPES OF NOTES

Marginal notes Pencil markings underline or circle Marginal headings and sub-headings summarise main point of each paragraph in the margin Marginal numbers write these numbers next to main points in margin Marginal cross-references these direct you to other places in the same book or other books that discuss the same topic Text markings With this method you would mark the actual text itself by underlining or highlighting it. NEVER highlight more than 25% of any text. You should not highlight or underline examples or long paragraphs. What should you highlight or underline? Definitions and main points. Try to use different coloured pens/pencils when underling, e.g. Headings underline in black Subheadings underline in blue Paragraph headings underline in green Key words underline in yellow Remember to use a red pen only when marking those sections you have difficulty with Separate notes Separate notes can be made on loose sheet of paper or in a notebook. Use standard symbols and abbreviations. Develop your own shorthand, e.g. & and; # number; @ at (these are for notes only and NOT in your assignments and exam papers). There are three types of note taking systems Summary notes Outline notes branching notes and linear notes Schematic presentations (mind maps)

Marking the textbook itself (not library books, only books owned by you)

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS VARIOUS ACTION WORDS AND TYPICAL ANSWERS THAT SHOULD BE GIVEN ANALYSE COMPARE CONTRAST CRITICISE DEFINE DESCRIBE DISCUSS DISTINGUISH EVALUATE ETC.

MEMORY STRATEGIES

EXAMINATION TECHNIQUES

SELF ASSESSMENT: HOW ORGANISED ARE YOU? ARE YOU Studying in a suitable place Using your time appropriately Making use of subject files Eating a healthy and balanced diet Exercising regurlarly Attending all classes/lectures Asking wuestions when you dont understand Communicationg with lecturers? YES NO