Speaking Skills: 2 of 10

Speaking Skills

2 of 10

When you’re assigned a class presentation, think twice before dismissing it as an unimportant part of your education. Employers look for skills in job applicants, who may have to give presentations to clients or represent their organization on the field. It’s never too soon to practice good eye contact and other public speaking techniques.

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/17334

According to the book of lists, the fear of public speaking ranks number on in the minds of the majority of people. Far above the fear of death and disease, comes the fear of standing in front of a crowd. Joel Weiner noted author and public speaker wants to help people overcome that fear.

“The biggest fear is public speaking, with 15 percent of American experiencing a dramatic fear of it,” said Dr. Michael Telch of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorder (LSAD) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. “People have had to turn down jobs, and certainly students have dropped classes because of it.”

 Regardless of your occupation, your success depends a great deal upon your ability to communicate effectively! Whether you’re running a meeting, selling a product, making a presentation, motivating co-workers or just communicating one-on-one with others, you’ll get far better results if you can speak persuasively, smoothly and intelligently.

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SQR3=Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review

SQR3

SQR3=Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review

Recite

At the end of each section, look up from the text and in your own words recite an answer to your question for that section. Then write down your answer. Be sure to provide examples that support it.

Now repeat the Question, Read and Recite steps for each section of the chapter. First ask a question for the next section. Then read to find the answer. Finally, recite the answer in your own words and jot it down. The written questions and answers can help you study in the future.

Review

After completing the chapter, review your notes. Identify the main points by looking for the most important idea in each section. Recite, or write, a brief summary of the assignment.

Review your study notes every week to help you remember the information. When it’s time to prepare for your tests, you’ll find you’ve created an invaluable study guide.

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SQR3: A Great Reading and Studying Technique

SQR3

SQR3: A Great Reading and Studying Technique

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/26666.html

Improve Your Study Skills

SQR3 stands for:

Survey

Question

Read

Recite

Review

It is a proven technique to sharpen your study skills.

In college, you’ll be required to do lots of reading. You’ll often have to complete reading assignments in several different books for several different courses at the same time.

SQR3 helps make reading and studying purposeful and effective, so that you use your time most efficiently. Here’s how this strategy works.

Survey

Let’s say your assignment is to read one chapter. First, get an idea of what the chapter is about by reviewing the highlights:

        ·       Read the title, headings and subheadings.

        ·       Notice words that are italicized or bold.

        ·       Look at charts, graphs, pictures, maps and other visual material.

        ·       Read captions.

        ·       Read the very beginning and end of the chapter.

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Take Control of Homework, So It Doesn't Control You: Part 1

Take Control of Homework

So It Doesn’t Control You

Part 1

http://collegeboard.com/student/plan/boost-your-skills/121.html

Although very few students love homework, it does serve a purpose. Homework helps you:

        ·       Reinforce what you’ve learned during the day.

        ·       Build study habits that are essential in college.

        ·       Prepare for your classes.

        ·       Get a sense of progress.

Here are some tips to help you deal with homework more efficiently and effectively.

Set the Mood

Create a good study area with everything you need (for example, a calculator). If you don’t have a quiet place at home, try your school or local library.

Know Where to Begin

Make a list of everything you need to do, and note all deadlines. Do the more difficult assignments first, so you don’t have to face them at the end.

Study at the Same Time Every Day

Even if you don’t have homework every night, use the time to review notes. If sitting down to do homework is part of your normal routine, you’ll approach it with less dread. Also, you’ll become a pro at using time productively.

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Note-Taking Strategies: Part 4

Note-Taking Strategies

Part 4

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/955.html

For Review

Once you’ve done all of the above you’ll find you’ve created your own personalized study guide. Cover the main section of the page and use the key words and questions in the left margin as a quiz.

Stick To It

Review your notes the day you take them and all your notes once a week. That way, you won’t need to study as much when it’s test time.

You’ve been doing the work all along.

Try out the Cornell system, but if it doesn’t work for you, experiment with other methods. Ask your classmates how they take notes or ask a teacher for advice. Taking good notes require practice, like any other skill. And the more you work at it now, the more prepared you’ll be to take notes in college.

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Student Success Tips: From Edison College

Student Success Tips

From Edison College

     1.    Attend New Student Orientation at the beginning of the Fall or Spring Semester.

     2.    GEN 101S, First Year Experience, provides excellent content and resources to be a successful student. It is likely that this class will be part of your first semester.

     3.    Be sure to attend all classes, and be on time.

     4.    To reduce distractions, sit near the front of the class.

     5.    Keep a copy of the syllabus for each class so that you will know what is going on, what you should be doing, and how soon you need to get it done.

     6.    Be a good listener. Focus and concentrate on main points.

     7.    Take good notes in class, and review your notes within 24 hours. Then, review your notes periodically to help you retain information. Index cards with key information are also a helpful way to review.

     8.    Study! To be a successful college student, study at least two hours a week for every hour you spend in class. This is a minimum.

     9.    Determine an ideal study space, and plan study time when you are at your best to retain information.

     10.  Maintain a student planner to keep track of important dates and projects.

     11. Apply additional time management strategies, including planning, setting goals, and prioritizing schoolwork and your additional responsibilities.

     12. Avoid marathon study periods. Instead, study for short intervals with a break in between. For example, study for 30 minutes, take a 3-minute break, come back and review, then repeat the process.

     13. Get to know other students in your classes for added support and to study together when possible.

     14. Participate in class, and ask your instructor questions when needed. Meet with them during office hours for additional support and guidance.

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Selecting Your Courses: Part 4

Selecting Your Courses

Part 4

Social Studies

You can better understand local and world events that are happening now by studying the culture and history that has shapes them. Here is a suggested course plan:

        ·       U.S. history (two semesters)

        ·       U.S. government (one semester)

        ·       World history or geography ( one semester)

        ·       One additional semester in the above or other areas

Foreign Language

Solid foreign language study shows colleges you’re willing to stretch beyond the basic. Many colleges require at least two years of study in the same foreign language, and some prefer more.

Learning a foreign language can be a challenge but is exciting. Repetition is the key to learning a language, and having conversations with others speaking the same language is the best way to learn this new language. Repetition in a fun way will build your skills thoroughly as you seek to master new languages.

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The Power of Study Groups: Part 3

The Power of Study Groups

Http://ww.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/50432.html

Part 3

Guidelines for Getting a Group Together

Here are some guidelines for creating and running a study group:

How many? Create a group of four to six people. In a larger group, it’s easy for someone to get left out and smaller groups can too easily get off track.

Who? Pick classmates who seem to share your interest in doing well academically. Look for people who stay alert in class, take notes, ask questions and respond to the teacher’s question. Include someone who understands the material better than you and can explain the concepts and someone who doesn’t understand it as well, to whom you can explain the material.

Where? Hold study group sessions in a place that is free of distractions and that has room to spread out books and notes.

How long? Meet for no more than two to three hours at a time. Having a time limit helps the group focus. If you know you only have an hour, you’re more likely to stay on task.

When? Try to meet regularly, on the same day and time each week. Treating the study session as you would other activities helps you to keep a schedule and ensures that everyone attends.

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The Power of Study: Part 4

The Power of Study Groups

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/50432.html

Part 4

Getting the Most Out of a Session

Here are some tips to help your group get the most out of each study session:

        ·       Decide what you’re going to do in advance.

        ·       Prepare for the session, so you can make the most of your time together.

        ·       Take turns teaching, to reinforce your own knowledge.

        ·       Stick to the session topic.

By supplementing your individual study with a study group, you can reinforce what you’ve learned, deepen your understanding of complex concepts, and maybe even make a few new friends. Remember that a friend is a person who encourages you to do your best and to achieve on a high level, one who pushes you to try a little harder and be a little better. If someone pulls you down the wrong trails of life, then those people are not friends, (they are actually your enemies), and you must avoid them at all cost. Whoever said learning can’t fun? Learning is enjoyable and exciting when you study with others.

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The Power of Study Groups: Part 2

The Power of Study Groups

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/50432.html

Part 2

The Benefits of Study Groups

Group study offers other advantages in addition to gaining a deeper understanding of class material. These include the opportunity to: Reinforce note-taking. If your AP® Biology notes are unclear, you can ask a member of your study group to help you fill the gaps.

Share talents. Each person brings different strengths, such as organizational skills, the ability to stick to a task or a capacity for memorization.

Cover more ground. Group members may be able to solve a calculus problem together that none would have solved alone.

Benefit from a support system. Members often have common goals, such as good grades. Each person’s work affects the other members, which results in making members supportive of one another.

Socialize. It’s more fun to study with others; the give-and-take makes it more interesting. And because it’s more fun, you spend more time studying!

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The Power of Study Groups: Part 1

The Power of Study Groups

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/50432.html

Part 1

Working Together Helps Everyone

You may have noticed that when you’re explaining something you’ve learned to a friend, you begin to understand it better yourself. This happens because, when you explain an idea, you need to think more deeply about it.

The same principle makes study groups useful. Studying with others in a small group is helpful because you:

        ·       Think out loud.

        ·       Share ideas.

        ·       Learn from one another.

     In an effective study group, you and other students hash out lesson materials together – explaining concepts, arguing about them, figuring out why one person’s answer differs from another’s – and in the process, you most likely learn more than you would have studying by yourself.

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How to Take on College Studying: Part 2

How to Take on College Studying

Part 2

Choose Where to Study

Where you should study depends on two factors: the environment in which you are best able to concentrate and the type of work you are planning to do.

             ·       The best places to study have good light, a comfortable temperature and enough desk space – usually your dorm room, your apartment or the library.

             ·       For completing problem sets or brainstorming possible tests questions, you may want to study with a group or at least in a setting where fellow students are available for discussion.

             ·       When you are reading book chapters or working on a research paper, you are probably better off in a less social environment.

Improve Your Study Habits

Here are simple steps you can take to help you get a handle on studying:

·       Have a routine for where and when you study.

·       Choose reasonable and specific goals that you can accomplish for each study session.

·       Do things that are harder or require more intense thought at your most productive time of the day.

·       Take breaks if you need them so you don’t waste time looking at material but not absorbing it.

·       Get to know students whom you respect and can study with or contact to ask questions.

·       Keep up with the workload and seek help when you need it.

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How to Take on College Studying: Part 1

How to Take on College Studying

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/961.html

Part 1

Develop Good Study Habits

In college, you’ll need to build on the study skills that you learned in high school. The demands of a college class are probably more rigorous than those you are used to.

You can succeed by knowing what to expect and how to handle it. Think of college as a full-time job, in which you spend 40 hours a week on class, labs, study groups and doing homework.

Being organized and using your time well are essential. Learn more about time management, and use the guidelines below to develop your study skills.

Decide When to Study

Work out about how many hours you need to study every day. Then make a schedule.

        ·       Figure out what blocks of time you have available throughout the day, in the evenings and on weekends.

        ·       Consider what time of day you are the most alert – there are morning people and night owls – and try to schedule your studying accordingly.

        ·       Think about whether you do better studying for a few hours at a time or sitting down for marathon sessions.

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10 Time Management Tips for Students: Tips 5-10

10 Time Management Tips for Students

Tip 5-10

Tip 5. Review Your Notes Every Day.

Reviewing helps you reinforce what you’ve learned, so you need less time to study before a test. You’ll also be ready if you get called on in class of have to take a pop quiz.

Tip 6. Get a Good Night’s Sleep.

Your brain needs rest to perform at its peak. Lack of sleep makes the day seem longer and your tasks seem more difficult.

Tip 7. Communicate You Schedule to Others.

If phone calls or text messages are proving to be a distraction, tell your friends that you are only available at certain times of day and not to expect a response at other times.

Tip 8. Become a Taskmaster.

Give yourself a time budget and plan your activities accordingly. Figure out how much free time you have each week before you add any commitments.

Tip 9. Don’t Waste Time Agonizing.

Instead of agonizing and procrastinating, just do it. Wasting an entire evening worrying about something that you’re supposed to be doing is not procrastinating, and can increase your stress.

Tip 10. Determine Your Priorities.

You can’t do everything at once. Establish the importance of each item. Then set realistic goals that are attainable.

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7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens: Habit 7: Part 1

7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens

Habit 7

Part 1

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Teens should never get too busy living to take time to renew themselves. When teens “sharpen the saw” they are keeping their personal self sharp so that they can better deal with life. It means regularly renewing and strengthening the four key dimensions of life—body, mind, heart, and soul 

    1)   Body. Eat wholesome foods, fruits, vegetables, legumes. Avoid illegal drugs, smoking, alcohol, tobacco products, tattooing. Exercise regularly and effectively. Get plenty of rest at night. Get to bed early at night and get up early each morning. “Early to bed to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

    2)   Mind. Think positively. Read. Study. Think. Analyze. Seek to read a good book each month. Then each week. Ask intelligent questions. Observe. Develop your mind through “self-talk.”

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Successful Students: 10

Successful Students

10

10. Successful students are good time managers. Successful students do not procrastinate. They have learned that time control is life control and have consciously chosen to be in control of their life.

An element truth: you will either control time or be controlled by it! It’s your choice: you can lead or be led, establish control or relinquish control, steer your own course or follow others. Failure to take control of their own time is probably the no. 1 study skills problem for college students. It ultimately causes many students to become non-students! Procrastinators are good excuse-makers. Don’t make academics harder on yourself than it has to be. Stop procrastinating. And don’t wait until tomorrow to do it!

The 10 items listen above are paraphrased from an article by Larry M Ludewig called Ten Commandments for Effective Study Skills which appeared in The Teaching Professor, December, 1992.

“Learning Technologies and Online Education”

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Study for Multiple Exams: Part 3

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 3

English, math, foreign language tips: Practice—especially foreign language. It is hard to succeed in a foreign language class if you are just showing and doing the work. But if you are in your room and look at objects and try to say them in the language you are learning it actually helps you. Or if you send a message a simple text to a friend think about it, can you translate that to German or Spanish? These are the little things will help.

Here are my final words of wisdom for students who want to get better grades I college: Time management and organization are critical key factors to success in college. And never be afraid to go ask your teacher for help. They have office hours for a reason-use them.

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Study for Multiple Exams: Part 2

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 2

My strategies for written assignments: Everyone has their own writing styles. I generally come up with an idea and do massive amounts of research then sometimes prepare an outline before actually writing. I always print out the paper and come back to it the next day and reread it. That is the easiest way for me to catch my own mistakes. I have to give my eyes a break from it, and if I just wrote it I think it looks perfect. But if I look at it a day later I almost always find grammatical errors and sentences I just want to reword.

How I succeed in team projects: Never assume someone is doing what they are supposed to be doing. Have regular meetings and have each member show their work, not just give you or the group their word for it.

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Study for Multiple Exams: Part 1

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 1

How I study for multiple exams, deal with multiple projects: Really it is my time management that I explained above. If I see that I have multiple things due or to study for all the same time I spread out my time beforehand. For example, if I have a test Monday, and 2 tests Tuesday then I will study for my Monday test Thursday and Part of Friday. Start Studying for my next test on the second half Friday and part of Saturday, then my second Tuesday test on Saturday as well as part of Sunday. Then Sunday night I can review for my Monday test because I already studied for it. When that test is over I can begin reviewing for the other tests.

My overall study method: I try to break it up over several days or at least to. I get bogged down if I try to pull an all nighter.

How I’ve overcome an initial bad grade: If I receive a low grade I probably knew it was coming because I didn’t prepare properly or I didn’t use the right study habit for that class. I usually try to go over what I did wrong and sometime discuss with the teacher what I can do differently on the next exam or what they suggest I do for studying for the next exam.

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Sarah's Academic Success Story: Part 1

Sarah’s Academic Success Story

Part 1

Time management became a key factor in my study skills for college. In high school, there were times I was able to study for an hour or two the night before a test and get away with it. This was not the case in college. I made sure in college I was prepared for each class. Sometimes that meant writing out the terms for the chapter we read (even if when it isn’t required) to better understand them. That way when the midterm or test comes around I was able to understand what I was studying. I started taking excellent notes in class in college. I may have done this in high school, but in college I started typing up the notes after class. This helped me remember what I just went over in class then when I had a test one week later I was more likely to remember then as well.

My overall study method: Structured. One thing I learned was I had to adapt or change my study method according to the class. I couldn’t study for a Religion Class the same way I studied for a Finance class. But making sure I had enough time to study for class – even if it meant carrying a planner with me at all times was a big part of my success.

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