January 15, 2011 Bonnie A. Green, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology East Stroudsburg University

What Is Studying???  What do you think?  What is the “right” way to study?

TRUE OR FALSE???  When studying, it works best if you study in the same, quiet, well lit study area with minimal distractions. False  Switch up the order in which you study. True  Find what type of learner (Tactile, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Visual) you are use it to your advantage. False  You will benefit from taking breaks or even naps after a long periods of studying. True

Effective Study Habits  Increase your own meta-cognition … know what works for you?  Space out studying and sleep  Increase Depths of Processing  Self Test, Self Test, Self Test

What is metacognition?  Metacognition is your awareness about your cognitive functions Memory Problem solving Decision Making Thinking  Metacognition increases one’s ability to reflect about your own learning, knowledge development, and memory.  Metacognition helps you to recognize you know more about A then B, thus enabling you to focus more attention and time on B.

Associated with Academic Success  Metacognition is associated with increased reading comprehension. Select the right strategies. Monitor level of understanding while reading. Ask questions of the text. Relate material to prior information or self.  Students’ academic success in college is associated with their levels of metacognition.

How can you use Metacognition?  Prepare and plan for learning. What can you do before studying or attending class to maximize learning?  Deliberately select strategies to use.  Evaluate the strategies used and how they have impacted learning.  Connect new knowledge with former knowledge.

Ask yourself when studying …  What are you attempting to accomplish?  What strategies are you using?  How well are the strategies working?  What can you do to make it better?

Space your studying  Did you know that 6 days of studying for 1 hour each is better than 1 day of 10 hours of studying?  Did you know that even spending 10 or 15 minutes on studying a topic could have a huge impact on long term learning?  Did you know that every time you sleep and enter into REM sleep, you are storing information that you learned during the day? The more REM sleep you have, the better your long term retrieval!  Don’t forget to take off 24 hours in a row from studying to be with your loved ones! It actually helps learning!

Increase your depths of processing Get yourself mentally prepared to receive information before formally studying. ○ Read over headings in the book. ○ Think about the main topics from the last class you attended. ○ Retrieve the definitions of key terms. Do not just memorize, really think about the information.

Integrate the information: ○ With your own experiences. ○ With examples given in class. ○ From information from your book. ○ With information from other sources. Ask questions, then seek answers. If questions are provided to you, use them in seeking answers, especially when reading.

Self Test, Self Test, Self Test  Self testing is the best way to spend time studying.  Most common form of self testing: Flash Cards. Make them and keep them with you Pull them out when you are waiting in line, stuck in traffic, etc.  Online help?

More detailed self testing  First, read the material and look over your notes. Make sure you understand everything. See professor for clarification!  Complete assignments, practice quizzes, and mock exams without looking at your notes or book.  Then check your work. See professor for clarification!  Even if you don’t test everything, all information that is stored together on the same topic benefits from self testing.

Other helpful tips!  Feed your Brain (eat healthy foods).  Sleep – it will help with storage of information.  Use your brain --- even if it isn’t for studying for your class.  See academic success as a challenge not as a threat.  Adopt an incremental view of intelligence.  Don’t wait to ask for assistance!

EFFORT EFFECTIVE STUDY SKILLS MetacognitionRight Attitude Academic Success

Going forward …  Making use of your metacognition when evaluating your study plan will result in: Learning in greater depth Recognizing and capitalizing on personal strengths Focusing on improving or minimizing the effects of weakness

 Remember, if you earn a low grade You didn’t fail, your plan did, so revise your plan! ○ Include: Sleep and Nutrition Spacing of study times Deeper processing Self Testing Seek help if needed in revising plan ○ Bonnie: