First Year Study Skills Workshop May 2023

Presentation / Workshop

Workshop Session Format • First Year end of year Transitions Survey (Teams & Mobile Phone) • What you need • Wellbeing Indicators for Engagement & Learning • Winter Examinations Reflection Task • Active Engagement & Learning (Memory Techniques, Study Skills, Activities etc.)

• First Year Study Skills Workshop Survey (Teams & Mobile Phone)

School Life, Learning & Wellbeing

Resilience How to develop resilience i.e. the ability to take what life throws at you and bounce back quickly (e.g. not so good day at school; unhappy with a test result)

Study & Me What I Already Know About Study What I Will Know After Today How I Will Know that I Know

What I will Know after Today • The Benefits of Study • The difference between Homework & Study • The Motivation for Study & how to Maintain it • Discover your own Unique Learning Style which will help your Study • How to make Study Easier • Memory Techniques

What I will Know after Today Cont.

• Study Strategies: How to Plan and organise Study, Manage time & get it Done • Understanding Exam Verbs • Staying Healthy to ‘Fuel’ your Study

Study Skills – Techniques You learn to Help you Study

Why Study?

• To Know Information • To Learn by Applying what you know to what you have to do • To Recognise and Develop Confidence in your own Ability • To Achieve Good Results in Exams • To Enjoy Success • To Improve • To Motivate you to Continue Improving and Enjoy the Reward – Better Results

The Benefits of Study

The Difference between Homework & Study Study

Homework

• Study is to give careful consideration to something

• Homework is given by your teachers to reinforce the work done in class & help you remember what you have learned.

• To learn something new • Unlike Homework (Teacher directed) You decide What to study, When to study & a Way of studying that best suits you

• Homework can be turned into study by introducing a REVIEW stage –this can simply involve talking about a particular piece of homework.

How to Review – turning Homework into Study • After finishing homework in a subject • Close your copy and textbook • Ask “What did I learn in…………………..?

• Always try to make a link between homework and learning. That’s why you do it.

Remember • Listening in class is vital • Review what was learned in class as soon as possible (The purpose of Homework is to structure your review) • Therefore, Try and complete homework on the day it is given Important If you are absent from school, it is YOUR responsibility to catchup and complete homework assigned on the day you were absent.

Tips for Staying Motivated • Ask yourself what is it all for?

• Time Manage – Prioritise • Reward yourself – Study then treat yourself to something you like doing • Not in the humour! Study even the smallest amount – keep the momentum

Tips for Staying Motivated Cont.

• Look after your health • Avoid missing class – catching-up kills motivation • Focus on one thing at a time • Stay in control – plan your study as early as possible. Organisation = Control • Believe in your bright future ahead • Others did it, so you can do it too • Set goals for yourself

Understanding Your Learning Style

Learning Styles Auditory

Visual

• Hear It • Listen to Learn

• Write It • See to Learn

Kinaesthetic • Move It • Move to Learn

Learning Styles: What they Mean?

Learning Styles: Tips for Study

Record Notes Talk / Recite Facts & new words (say out loud) Read after Listening

Write (own words) Read ahead before class Underline Highlight Draw (Mind Maps)

Flashcards Computer Draw Quiz Stand 3 Breaks per half hour

How to make your Study / Revision Easier • Ask questions – you cannot revise what you do not understand • Always attempt ALL of your homework – You cannot revise what you have not reviewed & mistakes will help your teachers identify what you do not understand.

• Plan in advance what topic you are going to study – Progress Sheet • Commit yourself to your Study Timetable (Realistic) • Break up tasks into small manageable sections (the contents page of a book is helpful for this)

How to make your Study / Revision Easier Cont.

• Try to base the topic around questions at the end of a chapter or the topics your teacher has advised you to study • Start with the subject you find most easy or like, then switch to a subject you find difficult or dislike, & finish with a subject you find easy or like • Remember to tick your Study Timetable & Progress Sheet when you have completed that revision (helps to build exam / test confidence)

How to make your Study / Revision Easier Cont.

• Be ACTIVE while studying: take notes – recite out loud or voice record – use flash cards (Quizlet.com) – mind maps (Bubbl.us) – test yourself / someone at home to test you Remember that Studying or Revising is not ‘Reading Over’ something!

• Take regular short breaks (5 - 10 mins. every 40 - 60 mins.)

• Eat properly – Get enough Sleep - Take regular exercise – Reward yourself

Active Study?

Memory Facts • Studies indicate that 66% of material is forgotten within 7 days if it is not reviewed or recited again by the student • 88% is gone after 6 weeks

Active Study Memory Techniques • Note-Taking: Brief, Easy to Access & from different sources • Repetition & Rehearsal: Speaking & Acting – pretend your are a teacher!

• Mind-Mapping: Creating & seeing links helps memory (Bubbl.us) • Study Games & Flash Cards: (Quizlet) • Use Acronyms: A word that is made up by taking the first letters of all the key words or ideas you need to remember and creating a new word out of them. (Every good boy does fine- EGBDF) • Use of Mnemonics (Knee-monics): A list created to help memorise material. (My Very Energetic Mother Just Sits Under Nasty

Plants)

Active Study Memory Techniques • Visual image: Associate a visual image with a word or name to help you remember them better. (To remember the name Rosa Parks picture a woman sitting on a park bench surrounded by roses) • Rhymes and alliteration (Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November) • Chunking breaks a long list of numbers into smaller, more manageable chunks. (10-digit phone number (555-867-5309 as opposed to 5558675309).

Highly Effective Memory Technique • Before starting a study period write down everything you know about the topic (even if its only a few words) • Then open the book. Quickly read through the relevant section, taking brief notes (don’t write sentences; only key words).

• Now comes the important part. Quickly test your knowledge by jotting down all you now know!

• Then check your notes to see how you did (if you forget something write it down in red pen)

Highly Effective Memory Technique Cont.

This method works for two reasons: • Because you call on your brain to retrieve the information before and after the session, your brain learns that this is information it needs to store • The act of testing yourself before and after gives you a clear idea of where the gaps in your knowledge are.

Mind Map Example

Tips for Creating a Mind Map • Write down a central idea or topic in the middle of a page to create your Mind Map on.

• Look for relationships & use colour, lines & arrows.

• Leave lots of space to add in exam questions later.

• Keep your Mind Maps safe - organise and file by subject in separate folders.

• Be patient: Slow to start but become much quicker to create with practice.

Mnemonics: Examples

Memory Span

Setting Goals

Your Goals must be SMART

Study Distractions

Do NOT Study in Bed

Your Study Area at Home

MAKE SURE • the room is well lit • It is free from distractions and noise (No mobile phones – unless being used for voice recordings) • You have everything you need to study (Calculators/ Books / Work books / Refill Pad)

7 Golden Rules for Concentration • Study at the same time each day.

• Time your concentration & set a timer • Take regular breaks: 3 minutes for every 30 minutes • Set realistic study goals for study time • Have everything you need before you begin • Study away from distractions • Take regular exercise and eat & sleep well.

Be Organised!

• A Study Timetable and Weekly Progress Sheet are essential • Study Folder & Refill Pad will help you to organise your studies • Recommended Study for First Years:

40 mins. per night plus homework

Sample Weekly Study Timetable

Sample Weekly Progress Sheet (Subjects & Topics)

Common Exam Verbs & What they Mean?

• List: Just give the key words, no need to write long sentences • Compare: this means you should give the similarities and the differences between two things • Contrast: This means you need to only list the differences between two things • Define: Give the exact meaning of a word, phrase or concept. Be specific; use details and give examples

Common Exam Verbs & What they Mean? Cont.

• Illustrate: Show, use a clearly labelled graph or diagram (include a Title at the top) when relevant • Describe: Use Key words to say what something (e.g. a feature) looks like. Think of how you would describe a cake!

• Explain: Use Key words & steps to show that you understand how something is made for example. Think of how you would explain how a cake is made!

Common Exam Verbs & What they Mean? Cont.

• Outline: Organise the main points and give supporting statements or details.

• Summarise: Give an overview of the subject.

• Identify: Mention the two or three most important facts about a person or subject area. Watch for directions that ask you to identify and explain briefly (This answer requires more than a few facts.

Common Exam Verbs & What they Mean? Cont.

• Analyse: Break down a topic into its parts and discuss the relationships that exist between the whole (topic) and the parts.

Be specific.

• Evaluate: Make a judgment on the topic in question based on the information at hand and your own values and experiences. Use the phrase at the end of your answer – ‘In my Opinion…’

Exam Technique • Read the Questions carefully !!!

• Read the Questions carefully !!!

• Read the Questions carefully !!!

• Highlight key words • Plan your answer (Rough work) • Make sure you divide your exam time by the number of questions you have to complete. You will then know the maximum time you can spend answering each question – stick to the time!!

The Exam • Always hand up your rough work with your paper as you might get some marks for formulae or calculations (particularly in Maths) • Do not leave any blanks – make sure you have attempted all parts of the question (part of a question might be carried forward onto the next page and you may not see it) • Keep an eye on your time (watch –Mobile Phones are not permitted) • Stationary (Borrowing is not permitted during an exam) • Use the toilet Before the exam

Staying Healthy: ‘Fuelling’ Your Study

Staying Healthy: ‘Fuelling’ Your Study

Parents / Guardians: Teenagers & Vaping