Learning by doing 3 docx

HOW TO STUDY
46
You can even review without your study material—on a train, in
your car sitting in traffic, or waiting at the doctor’s office. Just think
about what you know already—and why it’s important to you. Be ready
for any new questions you might ask yourself! Jot them down as soon as
you can.
Making Connections
Relating new material to what you already know can be done any time.
Ask yourself, “What does this remind me of?” as you go about your daily
routine. Carry a small notebook with you to write down thoughts as they
come. It’s a good idea to have a special notebook for any project you’re
working on, small enough to carry with you. Ideas can come at any time;
you can be waiting for a bus or putting a baby to bed. Be ready!
Finding multiple times in your day to study means you can keep
going. Your hard work will pay off. However, make sure you also get
plenty of rest, eat well, and treat yourself occasionally! A good mood
keeps you motivated and energized.
USE YOUR LEARNING STYLE
Before you plunge into a new study project, consider your past successes.
Think about a project you did, and what you did to successfully complete
it. Which of the following applies to you?
Do you like to stick with one thing at a time? This usually appeals to
literal (often left-handed) and sequential learners. If so, use different days
to focus on different subjects. It is a good idea to allot additional short
study periods to review new material in other subjects, so every subject is
studied nearly every day.
Do you prefer going back and forth between different things? This
usually appeals to kinesthetic and image learners. If so, warn the people
who live and work with you that you need space to lay out material!
When working on several projects at the same time, it is a good idea to

take breaks between each. Kinesthetic and image learners should be pre-
pared for ideas coming at any time—even when working on a project in
another subject. Are you more comfortable standing, sitting, or lying
down? Maybe you need to vary your position from project to project.
If You Learn Best with Images
Focus on parts of the assignment where pictures come most easily to
mind. In your notebook or into your tape recorder, describe the pictures
1.
2.
3.
MAKING STUDYING DO-ABLE
47
you imagine. As you review the material you’re studying, go back to your
notebook or tape recorder and add detail. Notice how your picture becomes
more complete as you begin to further understand the topic at hand.
Image, or global, learners often are good at seeing the big picture
and the connections between things, but perhaps at the sacrifice of the
finer details. You can compensate for this by having a family member,
friend, or study buddy remind you of your due dates.
If You Learn Best with Order
You might be more comfortable following sequential lessons or sections
of what you’re reading or listening to. For instance, if you had a deadline
to finish this book, you might divide the book into four parts and make
a smaller deadline for each quarter. Or perhaps you’d order the chapters
in decreasing degrees of difficulty. In that case, you’d study the most diffi-
cult material first and the easiest last. Find the order that’s best for you.
If You Learn Best by Seeing
Write or draw as you study. If you’re using an audiotape, write what you
hear. Use colored markers to create our own color code. Give each color
a “job.” In math, use a different color for each operation, so you see where

you’re multiplying and where you’re adding. Do the same in studying a
text or writing in your notebook: use a certain color to take notes on
details in a certain subject. This lets you see how different facts are
connected to each other. For instance, in studying history, you might
note facts leading to the French Revolution in one color, details of the
revolution itself in another, and results of the revolution in a third color,
and so on.
If You Learn Best by Hearing
Talk and listen. Read texts aloud, and read your notes out loud into a tape
recorder, so you can review by re-listening. Use different intonations as
you read, to organize related information. In the example above, you
could speak in a low tone for events leading up to the French Revolution,
sing notes on events during the revolution, and chant to denote the results
of the revolution. As you reflect on what you studied, try to hear your
notes in your head. You may want to check your school or local library for
relevant tapes; there’s a chance the book you’re reading is on tape.
1.
2.
3.
HOW TO STUDY
48
GETTING STARTED
B
EGIN WITH THE EASIEST
You’ll feel good when you’ve finished something. Anything. Choose the
task that takes the least amount of time. For example:
• If you have a seven-page lesson to study, begin by just making
sense of the title. Write in your notebook or talk into a tape
recorder about what it means to you.
• If you are about to solve math or science problems, choose the

simplest problem first. Write in your notebook what you did to
solve the problem. Draw pictures that help you see the problem|
in your head.
K
EEP FOCUSED
Before you start your science project or begin to study for that test, decide
how long you want each study session to be. Can each be 20 minutes
long? That’s about how long most people can stay really focused on the
task at hand. But perhaps it’s less for you—maybe 10 or 15 minutes. Or
maybe it’s more like 25 or 30 minutes. Whatever you find is best for you,
try to stick to it.
Remind yourself that you have a regular period of time to stay
focused, but don’t be so rigid that it can’t change sometimes for
legitimate reasons, such as when:
• You’re familiar with the material and can move ahead easily
without difficulty.
• You’re ill.
• You really enjoy the material and want to stay with it longer.
Practice Tip
Take a short break after reading this chapter, then spend 20 minutes
(more or less!) today on beginning your study project. Make sure you
reward yourself when you stick to your schedule!
MAKING STUDYING DO-ABLE
49
IN SHORT
You’ll remember more if you break your study project into smaller
chunks instead of trying to tackle it all at once. Use a calendar to plan
ahead, setting several short and reasonable deadlines for yourself. Get a
general idea of what you’ll be studying, then build on what you
already know. Use those study techniques that have worked best for you

in the past.
51
CHAPTER
7
KNOWING WHAT
YOU KNOW
What makes you say,
“Now I get it!” or “I see
what you mean”? You have
learned something—
whether it’s parallel
parking a car or
understanding terms in a
psychology class—when
you know that you
know it.
K
nowing something and knowing that
you know something are two different things. You may know
things you don’t know you know—odd little facts lying
around in your head like Ted Williams’ batting average or the phone
number of your childhood home. On the other hand, you can think you
know something that you don’t really know, like the contents of that
chapter you read or lecture you heard but didn’t think about afterwards.
To study effectively, you have to realize what you don’t really know. It is
then that you will develop an awareness of your knowledge and learn-
ing processes.