Chapter 15: Study and Review Strategies

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Chapter 15 Study and Review Strategies

• College Reading and Study Skills
• by Kathleen T. McWhorter
• (8th edition)
• Powerpoint by Gretchen Starks-Martin
• St. Cloud State University, Minnesota

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Objective

• In this chapter you will discover several
  learning strategies that involve review and
  self-testing.
• LEARNING PRINCIPLE For academic learning,
  self-testing, often through writing, is an
  effective way to measure what you have learned.

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Learning Through Writing

• Paraphrasing - restatement of a passages ideas
  in your own words.
• Self-Testing - writing exam questions and answers
  in your own words.
• Keeping a Learning Journal - general reactions to
  course content

3 ways to learn through writing
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How to Paraphrase

• Read slowly and carefully.
• Read the material through entirely.
• As you read, pay attention to exact meanings and
  relationships among ideas.
• Paraphrase (in your own words) sentence by
  sentence.
• Read, reread, then look away and write your own
  sentence. Reread for anything you missed.

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How to Paraphrase

• Dont try to paraphrase word for word. Instead,
  work with ideas.
• For words or phrases you are unsure of, check a
  dictionary for a more familiar meaning.
• Combine several sentences into one concise
  sentence.
• Follow the authors arrangement of ideas.
• When finished, reread your paraphrase.

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To Create Self-Test Questions

• Multiple choice or true-false questions are too
  time-consuming.
• Matching questions are for factual recall only.
• Open-ended questions are best (See Figure 15.4
  for examples.
• Write the questions one day and answer them a day
  or two later.

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To Create Self-Test Questions

• As you answer your questions, respond in complete
  sentences.
• Take time to review and critique your answers.
• Rewrite answers poorly done or incomplete.
• Save your answers and review them the evening
  before the exam.

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Keeping a Learning Journal What to Include

• General reactions to course content
• Unique features of assignments
• What you like and what you dont like about the
  course
• Problems encountered with a particular
  assignment.
• Techniques that worked (and why)

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Keeping a Learning Journal What to Include

• Techniques that didnt work (and why)
• New ideas for approaching the material
• Changes you made in using various techniques
• Analysis and reactions to exams after you take
  them and again when they are returned

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SQ3R A Classic System

• Survey - the general content of the material
• Question - questions to answer as you read
• Read - read section by section
• Recite -stop and check if you have answered your
  questions for that section
• Review - after you have read the whole assignment

See Figure 15.6 in your book.
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What to Survey

• Read the title.
• Read the introduction.
• Read boldface headings and the first sentence
  that follows them.
• Read titles of maps, charts, diagrams, etc.
• Read end-of-chapter questions.
• You should now know how the book is organized.

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Revising the SQ3R System

• Add an Evaluate Step
• Why is the information important?
• How can I use it?
• How does it fit with the class lectures?
• How is the chapter related to previous ones?
• Is there enough evidence to support the ideas?
• Is the author biased? Tone? Purpose?
• Consider Your Learning Style (Refer to chapter
  2s learning style questionnaire)

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Adapting Your System for Different Academic
Disciplines

• Mathematics - sample problems
• Literature - interpreting, reacting, analyzing
• Sciences - prereading for facts, principles,
  formulas and processes
• Social Sciences - specialized vocabulary

Ask What type of learning is required? Ask
What must I do to learn this type of material?
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Summary Questions

• Why is paraphrasing a useful study strategy?
• What are the advantages of self-testing?
• How can a learning journal help you find the
  study techniques that work for you?

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Summary Questions

• What is the SQ3R system?
• Why is it effective?
• How can you adapt your reading-study system for
  different academic disciplines?

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Take a Reading Road Trip!

• Take a trip to FLORIDA and visit the Outlining,
  Summarizing, Mapping, and Paraphrasing module on
  your CD-ROM.