Studying effectively

[ I ] Introduction
In high school or other levels of education, students just had and not had to do
what the teachers told them. Very few students entered the college with good st
rategies for studying. The most common barrier to success encountered by college
students is a lack of effective techniques for study and exam preparation. Lear
ning the steps on how to study more effectively can be the difference between ge
tting by and excelling in school. First year students have a lot of advice about
studying thrown at them during the first few weeks of college. This can be inti
midating and confusing, but studying isn’t as hard as thinking. Sure, it takes t
ime and effort.
Are you a college student in need of some college study tips?
Knowing how to study effectively can help you save time, and achieve better resu
lts.

[ II ]Research Questions:
1. What are the prerequisite steps having to take before starting studying?
2. What are the manifests denoting that you are in ineffective or effective
way of studying ?
3. How to get the best result ?

[ III ]Literature Review.

A. Prerequisite steps:
- study area
- schedule
- study partner
-
Step1 : Designate a place for studying. You should have a place set aside just f
or studying, where it is quiet and away from distractions. Make this area comfor
table, as well as useful, by preparing the space with items you need to do your
studying. You don’t want to disrupt your study time by getting up to search for
things you need.
Step2: Get plenty of sleep. Sleep deprivation can affect your memory, making it
difficult to retain what you have studied.
Step3: Make a fixed schedule. Schedule your study time for a certain time of the
day and stick to it. After a while it will become a routine.
Step4:
Take a break from your studies every 30 to 40 minutes to get something to drink
or just stretch your legs. This should be a short break, just a few minutes so t
hat you don’t ruin your concentration and get sidetracked.
Step5: Find a study partner. Often times we can get off course studying on our o
wn, but a partner can help you keep on track, as well as offer tips and ideas th
at you may not have thought of on your own.
Step6: Set definite goals. Decide what you need to study on that particular day
and set a goal of how much you will try to cover. If you don’t get through it al
l in the time you allotted, rethink how much time each subject will take and adj
ust your goals accordingly.

B. Ineffective or effective :

[ b1 ] Signs that your studying is ineffective

1. You re falling asleep while trying to listen.
2. You find yourself staring and re-reading the same block of text over and
over again
3. You get distracted every 5 minutes
4. No matter how long you study, it seems like you don t get better grades.
5. You forget everything you studied within a couple of hours

[ b2 ]Signs and results of effective studying in College

1. You can remember things easier.
2. You can remember things faster, so you don t have to study as long
3. You get better grades
4. Months or years later you can still remember what you studied

C. Nineteen Ways to Study Smarter

1. Attend classes. Don’t make the mistake of skipping class and trying to t
each yourself from the text. Since it’s the information your instructor thinks i
s important that will appear on an exam, it makes sense to go to class and find
out what that is. You’ll also be more likely to remember something from class th
an something from a text, because of being involved. Get involved. Sit at the fr
ont of the class. Ask and answer questions.
2.Know your instructor: Take time to learn what’s needed to get through each sub
ject. Study the course outline and refer to it periodically to make sure you’re
on track. Find out your instructor’s testing format, marking scheme and expectat
ions. You’ll be able to tailor your work to meet his/her requirements.
3.Schedule regular study periods. If you don’t set aside a specific time to revi
ew, chances are you won’t review. The most effective way to learn anything is to
rehearse it regularly. Be realistic. When you make up your schedule, decide how
much time you want to study and divide that time among your courses. It’s bette
r to spend half an hour on each subject than to plan one hour for each one and n
ot follow through.
4.Establish a regular study area. When you study in the same place every time, y
ou become conditioned to study there. Your mind willautomatically kick into gear
, even when you don’t feel like studying.
5.Do not disturb. Shut yourself away from noise and other distractions. Don’t gi
ve yourself a chance to be diverted. Television, phone calls and nearby conversa
tions will all hamper your concentration.
6.Study short and often. Your brain takes in information faster and retains it b
etter if you don’t try to overload it. Four short study periods a week are more
effective than two long ones because: a) frequent repetition is the key to build
ing your memory; and b) if you leave a long time between study periods, you may
forget a good portion of the material you studied.
7.Study when you are wide awake. Decide what your best time is and try to schedu
le your study time accordingly. You accomplish more when you are alert.
8.Study your most difficult subjects first.You’re most alert when you first sit
down to study, so you’ll be in the best shape to tackle the tough stuff. You’ll
also feel better getting
9.The worst out of the way:You won’t be tempted to spend all of your time on eas
ier or favourite subjects.
10. Be selective. No one is able to retain everything they ever read or hear and
it is not necessary to do so. The Dutch scholar Erasmus once said that a good m
emory should be like a fisherman’s net – it should be adequate to hold the big f
ish but be able to let the little fish go.
11. Get organized. Usually categorizing the material will make it more meaningfu
l. You may wish to use diagrams, charts or lists. Pictures can be especially eff
ective … like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
12. Find meaning in it. Information that is meaningful is learned more quickly a
nd remembered longer. When you are trying to learn something you don’t understan
d or is unrelated to anything you know, it’s very difficult to retain. If you ca
n associate it with something you’re familiar with, you will have a much easier
time committing it to memory.
13. Like what you learn. When you are interested in something, the details are e
asier to remember. A baseball fanatic, for example, can remember batting average
s without any difficulty. If you can turn the material into a personal interest,
it will be easier to retain. It may help to see the course as part of your long
-term career goal.
14. Take good notes and review them regularly. The best way to learn anything is
to review the information often. When testing time comes, you’ll only have to r
eview rather than learn it all.
15. Problem solve. For courses that require you to solve problems, such as math,
chemistry, physics and statistics, spend a good portion of your study time work
ing on problems. Much of the testing content will be presented in problem form,
so you’ll be preparing yourself for exam time. If you get stuck on a homework qu
estion, don’t spend the rest of the night on it. Go on to the next question and
ask for help the next day.
16. Reward yourself. When you complete one of the goals you set for yourself, gi
ve yourself a reward. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate – a magazine, sna
ck, or TV show. The reward system gives you an incentive to reach your goals and
a pat on the back for achieving them.
17. Start assignments as soon as they are given. A little work on an assignment
each week will allow you time to give attention to its quality. Your workload wi
ll be spread out, so you’ll avoid a logjam near the end of the semester.
18. Keep on top of it. Letting work pile up can leave you with an overwhelming t
ask. It’s easy to feel that you’ll never get on top of it. If you find yourself
falling behind, you may need to improve your study skills. Identify the problem
as soon as you can and don’t let it become unmanageable.
19. Don’t worry about it. Try not to spend your study time worrying about person
al problems. It’s easier to say than do, but try to put your problems aside whil
e you’re working. If they continue to dominate your thoughts, then switch your a
ttention to the problems and try to come up with solutions. Consider talking thi
ngs over with a friend or making an appointment to see a Kwantlen Counsellor
[ IV ] Method
A research title, questionnaire and the information for the literature review ar
e found first by thinking and searching. The questionnaire will be delievered to
fifteen student at second year students of College of foreign languages- Hue Un
iversity. Some steps will be carried out, such as using the materials for collec
ting data – the participants will be asked to fill in the form. The next will be
the implication of the research. All in all, when all the things will have done
, the conclusion will be presented ( associated with the reference )

[ VI ] Research Implication
In advance, this reseach is made for the students at colleges – especial the fir
st-year students. With this purpose, the research is tend to find many prospects
, that student have and have not. Moreover, this reseach also helps them to have
a full view of point, improve their skills, find the best strategies, have a th
rough grasp of their studying problems. As saying, these implication below is ba
se on the literature review field, some website and some self-experiences :
Three-N suggestions:
- Never miss an exam
( If you can help it. You will rarely be more ready for the exam in two or three
days than you are on the scheduled date, and the annoyance the teacher will fee
l about having to arrange a special exam time for you can actually hurt your gra
de in the end. Miss exams only if you absolutely have to)
- Never forget to save everything.
(Never throw away a handout or a returned assignment or exam. With this in mind,
equip yourself with a pouched folder for each class.)
- Never keep your class materials together and neat.
- Never allow yourself to be caught at school without the necessary notebooks
and materials. If you develop systematic habits with respect to attending classe
s, etc., this will be no problem.
It is excellent practice to set aside a study area at home, and to designate a
particular span of time each day as study time. However, don t fall into the tra
p of feeling that study should never exceed the preordained time limits. You put
in as much study time as is necessary to master the material for your classes.
[ VII ] Reference
- Tips for Effective Study [10:30 am, 22/04/09 ]
http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/fancher/STUDY.HTM
- How to Study Effectively - 8 Concentration Strategies [10:30 am, 22/04/09 ]
http://studenthacks.org/2007/10/12/study-effectively/
- Learn How You To Can Study More Effectively
- Maintaining a Balance Will Lead To More Effective Studying
[10:30 am, 22/04/09 ]
http://SpeedStudyMethod.com
- Effective Study Skills
( Dr. Bob Kizlik
Original date of creation: September 19, 1997
Latest update: February 1, 2009
How to Study and Make the Most of Your Time)
[ visited 10.45 a.m 22/4/09 ]
http://www.adprima.com/studyout.htm
- College Study Tips. [ 10.45 a.m 22/4/09 ]
http://www.squidoo.com/college_study_tips