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BASIC STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE STUDIES Effective learning depends upon good
study habits. Efficient study skills do not simply occur; they must first be
learned and then applied consistently. Good study strategies include a preset
time for study, a desirable place to study, and a well-designed study plan. A
Time to study All of us think we have more things to do than we have time to do,
and studying gets shortchanged. It is important to prepare a schedule of daily
activities that includes time slots for doing the studying we have to do. Within
each study slot, write in the specific study activity; for example, “Read Unit 6
of accounting; do Problems 1-5.” Keep the schedule flexible so that it can be
modified after you assess your success in meeting your study goals within each
time slot. A Place to study Choose the best place to study and use the same one
every day. Doing so will help to put you in a study mood when you enter that
place. According to Usova (1989, 37), “ The library is not always a desirable
place to study.” Choose a place that has the fewest distractions such as people
traffic, conversation, telephone, TV, and outside noises. Study is usually best
done alone and in the absence of sights and sounds that distract the eye and
ear. In your chosen quite place, force the mind to concentrate on the task at
hand.
A Plan for Study Research on the effects of specific study skills on
student performance (Dansereau, 1985, 39) suggests that the following study
tactics help to improve academic performance. 1. Skim a unit or a chapter,
noting headings, topic sentences, key words, and definitions. This overview will
clue you to what you are about to study. 2. As you read a unit or chapter,
convert the headings into questions; then seek answers to those questions as you
read. 3. If you own the book, use the color marking pens to highlight important
ideas: headings, topic sentences, special terms, definitions, and supporting
facts. If you don’t own the book, make notes of these important ideas and facts.
4. After you have completed a unit or chapter, review the highlighted item (or
your notes which contain them.) 5. Using the headings stated as questions, see
if you can answer those questions based on your reading. 6. Test yourself to see
if you can recall definitions of important terms and list of supporting facts or
ideas. A high correlation exists between good study habits and good grades for
the courses taken in school. REFERENCES Dansereau, D. F. “Learning Strategy
Research.” Thinking and Learning Skills. Vol.1. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence E
Erlbaum 1985, 21-40. Usova, George M. Efficient Study Strategies. Pacific Grove,
CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1989.
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