Study methods

R

Rainjay

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Eeps

So I have this pretty huge English test, AP, and our teacher essentially told us that information on like 10 poets, plus their poems, and poetry terms, is on this test. Which is a LOT of information. It feels as though I'm being told to memorize the first quarter of a history textbook!

So does anybody have any ideas on how I study for this?
 
Getting the fuck off of Iwaku and the internet and stopping lying to yourself that researching revision techniques is productive. Seriously; it's productive procrastination, which is still procrastination. The best thing to do is just get on with it step-by-step rather than wasting time worrying about how to tackle the whole thing.
 
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It's all self-control, really. Have someone keep you accountable for not sidetracking to facebook or Iwaku, and hold yourself to topic, too. I try to do all my research first and keep paper notes, so that I can write the paper with internet turned off. I also find it helpful if possible to write papers in a library or other place where my nintendo, tv, etc are totally unavailable.

I find it helpful to have a game plan, like

  1. Decide thesis/purpose of paper, what points to make, etc
  2. Gather research notes w/sources
  3. Sort research into what points they support
  4. Create essay skeleton (say I'm writing a paper on whether chicken or pork is healthier, and I wish to prove the health benefits of chicken: my skeleton would look like:

    Chicken is a better choice than pork (thesis)

    Chicken has lower fat content than most pork cuts

    Chicken can be an equal or greater source of protein

    Chicken is affordable and can be prepared in many ways that don't compromise it's health benefits

    Chicken is a better choice because it's leaner, has good protein levels, is affordable, and customizable**
  5. Flesh in arguments
**these are probably all bullshit, I thought of something on the fly and any actual research would probably prove most of these points debatable at best, but I'm showing what I mean by essay skeleton, not actually writing an essay!

If it's just memorization, then that's repetition repetition repetition. Make study buddies and come up with mnemonics and other techniques to help associate the words with the meaning behind them in your mind. I also find copying notes by hand to be helpful, because it forces you to slow down and think about the material.
 
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Halo said:
Getting the fuck off of Iwaku and the internet and stopping lying to yourself that researching revision techniques is productive. Seriously; it's productive procrastination, which is still procrastination. The best thing to do is just get on with it step-by-step rather than wasting time worrying about how to tackle the whole thing.
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I'm fairly sure staring at my attempted study guide for another hour isn't going to help any more than spending a measly two minutes typing a question on Iwaku. Apparently, staring at words and numbers and trying to memorize what they detail doesn't quite work when I've got 10 pages of information to study. Maybe it might for you, but years of trying to do that has helped me reach one conclusion: For me, it doesn't work.

Really, if it were going to be easy enough to just step-by-step study it, I would have done it already instead of asking for help.
 
Rainjay said:
Eeps

So I have this pretty huge English test, AP, and our teacher essentially told us that information on like 10 poets, plus their poems, and poetry terms, is on this test. Which is a LOT of information. It feels as though I'm being told to memorize the first quarter of a history textbook!

So does anybody have any ideas on how I study for this?
Click to expand...

While I'd agree with Halo's points, I'll bite.

I often find it best to look over your notes (if you have any), and look in the portions of a book/poem where these notes coincide. Identify where they match up, and affirm them once or twice in your head. Then read through the books/poems on your own and identify yourself what you think is important to know. Take some short minute breaks in between books or large portions of them, and before moving on to the next part re-read the notes you just took.

Think about why these things are important, and their implications. Don't just memorize a fact; realize why it's there for you to know. How does it play into other aspects of the studies you're doing? What kind of questions would you make on a test that ask about these facts? How could you write out this fact in more detail?

Do all of these things, and I find myself feeling a lot more confident.
 
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I've hadn't much need to study in college (Zero in high school), so I can't help much in terms of techniques/tactics.

All I can suggest is take the "Get off Iwaku and study" criticisms with a grain of salt.
Yes you should be focusing on the studying, not killing all your time with us.
But at the same time you need to be mindful of burn out, taking a break and having some fun can help clear your mind and ultimately let you learn more than if you simply forced yourself through hours of studying straight.

In fact I've heard of some tactics (never used it myself though) that says you should be studying in 5 minute intervals, because that's apparently the prime time your brain can memorize stuff. And then you take a break, do another 5 minutes and repeat.

tldr: Be mindful of burnout and give yourself a break. The last thing you want is to overdo it and end up having learned less and also be stressed/exhausted for the exam.
 
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Gwazi Magnum said:
I've hadn't much need to study in college (Zero in high school), so I can't help much in terms of techniques/tactics.

All I can suggest is take the "Get off Iwaku and study" criticisms with a grain of salt.
Yes you should be focusing on the studying, not killing all your time with us.
But at the same time you need to be mindful of burn out, taking a break and having some fun can help clear your mind and ultimately let you learn more than if you simply forced yourself through hours of studying straight.

In fact I've heard of some tactics (never used it myself though) that says you should be studying in 5 minute intervals, because that's apparently the prime time your brain can memorize stuff. And then you take a break, do another 5 minutes and repeat.

tldr: Be mindful of burnout and give yourself a break. The last thing you want is to overdo it and end up having learned less and also be stressed/exhausted for the exam.
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If I may add to this: I recommend finding a break activity that doesn't keep you away from studying for longer than you need to.

Cuz see, the problem spending your break online is that it's very easy to just let yourself relax a little too much, and just get hooked on the internet. There is no end to poking around the forums. It's easy to just keep on clicking stuff. So, while it's important to take a break from studying when you feel you need it, I recommend trying to find something that has a clear end-point, so that you don't just sit down and let yourself be endlessly distracted. For example, I'll often find myself a snack, so that when I'm done eating, I know that it's time to go back to studying. Granted I don't take breaks every five minutes -- so that might be an easier technique when your breaks are a lot further apart. Maybe you could take a break doing other things, but set some sort of timer so you don't get carried away? I dunno, just something to keep your breaks from just becoming distractions.
 
Kaga-kun said:
If I may add to this: I recommend finding a break activity that doesn't keep you away from studying for longer than you need to.

Cuz see, the problem spending your break online is that it's very easy to just let yourself relax a little too much, and just get hooked on the internet. There is no end to poking around the forums. It's easy to just keep on clicking stuff. So, while it's important to take a break from studying when you feel you need it, I recommend trying to find something that has a clear end-point, so that you don't just sit down and let yourself be endlessly distracted. For example, I'll often find myself a snack, so that when I'm done eating, I know that it's time to go back to studying. Granted I don't take breaks every five minutes -- so that might be an easier technique when your breaks are a lot further apart. Maybe you could take a break doing other things, but set some sort of timer so you don't get carried away? I dunno, just something to keep your breaks from just becoming distractions.
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Adding to the add-on. :P

You could regulate forum time with a system such as "3 posts and then back to studying".
Or "One RP Post made and then back to studying" and simply discipline yourself to stick to said system.
 
I never needed to study. o.o

Seriously, I was one of those people who never studied and could ace a test. I do great on tests. It was homework and group assignments that messed me up.

But, when my cousin and I were taking classes together, I helped her study and the best way that worked for her was for me to ask her a question and her to give me the answer. If she got it wrong, we'd put the question off to the side and move on to the next one. Once we were finished, we'd take all the questions she missed and go over the information again until she could remember it.
 
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I stare at my paperwork and decide to do it later.


Until a mere hour to the due date do I get most of it done.
 
I read.

Finish work, then play.

That's my motto.

I read and kept reading and making notes/mnemonic devices/memory associations until I got an A on the test.

I went all Mind Palace (Sherlock ftw!) on my studies.
 
I miss not having to study for things X_X

Thanks for the great help though guys ^^
 
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