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SOS!

Study and Organizational Skills workshop

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WEEK 1: TIME-MANAGEMENT

  • Understand brain basics- why it is so difficult to manage time.
  • Learn two specific time-management tools: one for setting priorities, and one for planning.
  • Learn how and why to use a time log.
  • Learn how to manage the four most common time-management mistakes.

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BRAIN BASICS

  • Our Brain tries to save energy by saying: Go ahead and…
    • Forget it- “Don’t need to write it down, you won’t forget.” 
    • Lose it- “I will find important things later, no matter where I put them now”
    • Don’t plan- “I know what materials/how much time I’ll need.” “I don't need to plan fun activities; just play.”

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  • The Time bandit changes perceptions of time change depending on:
    • How much we enjoy the task
    • How we feel about what we need to accomplish
    • How little multi-task when working

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BEAT THE GLITCHES

  • Tracking your time is the most effective way to improve time management
  • One “subject” should be about your free time, like xbox or time with friends

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OTHERS’ GOALS V. YOUR GOALS

  • Urgent v. Important
  • Urgent activities
    • Demand immediate attention, and are usually associated with achieving someone else's goals.
    • They are often the ones we concentrate on and they demand attention because the consequences of not dealing with them are immediate.
  • Important activities
    • These are what matter to us.
    • These should help us achieve our goals.

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SETTING PRIORITIES: URGENT / IMPORTANT

  • There are two types of activities in every box: ones that you could not have foreseen, and others that you've left until the last minute.
  • You can eliminate last-minute activities by planning ahead and avoiding procrastination.
  • Leave some time in your schedule to handle unexpected issues and unplanned important activities.

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WORKSHOP EXERCISE

Read the slips of paper with your neighbor and decide which order you should complete the tasks

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WEEK 2: ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS

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  • Learn to create and organise notes using Cornell Notes.
  • Learn and practice Summarisation strategies (condensing information into a few words).
  • Learn strategies for memorizing new vocabulary words.

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MEMORY STRATEGIES

Strategy

Definition

Examples

Chunking

Grouping words into similar categories

  • Parts of speech or other attributes.
  • Date/time/events
  • 3-4 items at a time

Connections

& Associations

The topic/word/what you are learning + something you have experienced.

  • write new words, definitions, and a person, thing, event, movie, song, etc.
  • Use all five senses. Smell, touch, taste, etc.

Visualization

To see an image in your head without actually looking at it. Picture a candle.

Water cycle. Create a mental image of a cloud growing. Now see, and "feel" its heavy cold rain. See the rain hitting the ground, then flowing toward streams and rivers toward the ocean. Now "see" the hot sun hitting and evaporating the water and forming clouds…

Playing Games

Writing words/ formulae on cards and matching them to definitions/examples.

Forgetting & Spaced practice

The opposite of cramming. Spacing your study time over enough time to forget it will move the information from short term memory to long term memory over time.

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SUMMARISATION STRATEGIES

  • The number 1 most effective way to learn information- and it requires less writing!

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Strategy ideas

Example

The Important thing

Three important ideas/things from the lesson today are ---, ---, and ---, but the most important thing I learned today is ---.

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$2 dollar summary

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OR

6-Word Memoirs

With each word worth 10 cents, write a $2 summary of the learning from the lesson.

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OR summarize the lesson in 6 words

Dear Student

Explain the day’s lesson to an absent student

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CORNELL NOTES

  • The Cornell method provides a systematic format for condensing and organizing notes.
  • Divide the paper into two columns: the note-taking column (usually on the right) is twice the size of the questions/key word column (on the left).

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� CORNELL NOTES

  • Write your name, date, class, and period in the upper right hand corner.
  • Write the topic of the notes (ex. WWII, Cells, Nouns, etc.) on the top line

Name

Date

Class

Period

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CORNELL NOTES

  • Page setup
  • Draw a horizontal line about five lines up from the bottom.

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  • Draw a vertical line down the page about one third of distance from the left.

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Name

Date

Class

Period

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CORNELL NOTES

  • Main Idea
  • Key Question (after notes are completed)
  • Key words & ideas
  • Important dates/people/places
  • Repeated/Stressed Info
  • Ideas/brainstorming written on board / overhead projector
  • Info from textbook/stories
  • Diagrams & Pictures
  • Formulas

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Name

Date

Class

Period

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SAMPLE�FOR ENGLISH

  • What is a noun?
  • What are the two types of nouns?
  • What is a compound noun?

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  • Noun - person, place, thing, idea
  • Types - concrete & abstract
  • concrete - taste, touch, smell, see
  • abstract - ideas (emotions)
  • compound - two or more words combined to create one thing; ex: fireman, bedroom

Name

Date

Class

Period

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CORNELL NOTES

  • Helpful Hints for notes
  • Abbrev. , Paraphrase.
  • Use symbols (arrows, circles, underlining) or highlighting to emphasize important ideas and relationships.
  • Skip lines between ideas.
  • Within 24 hours, review notes and develop study questions on the left side.
  • Be aware of teacher clues.*

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Name

Date

Class

Period

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TEACHER CLUES

  • How do I know if what the teacher says is important?
  • Repetition or stressed inflection
  • Voice gets louder/softer or faster/slower
  • Writing on the board or overhead
  • “This will be on the test.”
  • Gestures (hand/arm movements)
  • “This is important.”

Name

Date

Class

Period

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THE BOTTOM OF MY PAPER

  • Summary - review notes as soon as possible after class and write a summary in your own words about the main ideas. Are there any gaps in your understanding? (see next point)
  • Questions for the teacher.
  • Doodles - down here they won’t get in the way of the important stuff.

Name

Date

Class

Period

What belongs in the bottom space?

Summary, questions, doodles

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WEEK 3: STUDY AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS

  • Understand the three main types of questions that teachers use to assess learning.
  • Learn how to create high-quality assessment questions on their own, as a tool for both understanding and studying.
  • Communication Skills: Students will learn how to get the help they need when they feel lost, baffled, or unsure of an assignment.

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THREE TYPES OF QUESTIONS

  • This type of question doesn't require much thinking
  • The answer is factual and concrete.
  • The answer can be found in the text, notes, or lecture.
  • The answer can usually be repeated word for word.
  • This type of question requires some thinking, but still relies on facts.
  • The answer can be inferred from the text/notes/lecture.
  • Answers require that you make some decisions and should combine information in a new way.
  • This type of question requires a lot of critical thinking.
  • The answer is usually an opinion or judgment that is supported by some facts.

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Book Only

Book and brain

Applying Info

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THREE TYPES OF QUESTIONS

Gathering Info

Classify Define

Identify Repeat

Select Discuss

Memorize Recognize

Complete Duplicate

Locate Reproduce

Translate Explain

Recall Report

Describe List

Paraphrase State

Processing Info

Outline Choose

Execute Classify

Explain Why Demonstrate

Illustrate Compare

Infer Sort

Do Solve

Contrast Distinguish

Integrate Interpret

Criticize Examine

Organize Operate

Applying Info

Produce Argue

Hypothesize Defend

Persuade Develop

Invent Write

Support Judge

Appraise Formulate

If/Then Critique

Predict Test

Detect Forecast

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PRACTICE

  • What is the definition of a trapezoid?
  • What elements make up water?
  • What will Hong Kong’s population be like in 15 years if it continues to grow at the same rate?
  • What would that character do if she was alive today?
  • What are some differences between the candidates?
  • Invent and draw something that uses three simple machines.
  • What would happen to an airplane in space?

What type of question is this?

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PRACTICE

  • Create questions from each level on the following topics (and share):
    • Environment
    • Sports (football, rugby, dance, etc.)
    • Tissues
    • Xbox games

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COMMUNICATION

  • “I statements” are questions or statements that begin with I (instead of you)

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  • Roundtable activity
    • What can we do when we get stuck?
    • How will others react when we ask for help?
    • What are the benefits to not asking? To asking?�

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WEEK 4: MOTIVATION

  • Understand the difference between Busyness and Productivity.
  • Learn how and why to set goals. This will include a highly-effective goal-setting exercise called Goal Mapping.
  • Learn how to effectively deal with feelings of boredom or a lack of interest in the subject.

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MOTIVATION�

What comes first, motivation or action?

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MOTIVATION EXPERTS SAY:

  • “Individuals who procrastinate frequently confuse motivation and action. You foolishly wait until you feel in the mood to do something. Since you don’t feel like doing it, you automatically put it off. Your error is your belief that motivation comes first, and then leads to activation and success. But it is usually the other way around; action must come first, and the motivation comes later on.”

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ACTION

  • Motivation comes from taking action; when you take action, motivation follows.

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  • You need to “prime the pump” to get the brain fluids flowing; this wont happen on its own.

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  • Don’t wait until you ‘feel like it”

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MOTIVATION/ BOREDOM EXPERTS ASK:

  • Do you believe that you can influence the outcome of an event?
  • Can you reframe the activity to make it meaningful?
    • Counting potatoes or keeping people healthy

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BUSINESS IS NOT PRODUCTIVITY

The difference is: GOALS

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  • GOAL MAPPING
  • Tapping into the Left Brain and Right Brain
  • Using pictures and words

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