I must make sure I start out with saying Happy Halloween to everyone because this is the most fun Holiday ever! With that being said, I knew that this weekend was going to challenging for me because I want to go out but have homework to do as well. Specifically I have been wanting and saying that my assignment for my CLS 105 class be completed before the weekend comes! Therefore, I used the strategy C.O.S.T. because I need to change that problem I kept running into. Also I used this in my SPA 101 class because my studying habits started to slowly go down the drain and I needed options and reinforcement to change them back. This strategy is easy and benefits you majorly!! Here is how you can do it:

C stands for change, so simply write down what you want to change and keep in mind these questions while you’re doing it: What is the source of your frustration? What do you want to happen?

O stands for Option, find your best option to helping you change! What are all of the possible options available to you that will result in change? There can be multiple. Which option is something you will ACTUALLY do?

S stands for Schedule, make a schedule to implement your option. When can you implement your best option. Will you need help implementing it?

T stands for Test, test your option to changing and see does the problem situation improve? Is the option working? Is change occurring? If not, should I try another option?

And wah-lah, change!

I color coordinated my letters, just because I am a visual learner and it helps me feel more organize. Also for schedule, I put it together with my fritter finder so that I could plan out specifically what time and day I was going to do my option. By recording down C.O.S.T., it gives you something to use as a record to help monitor your progress and see whether it is working or not. Also it helped me see my problem by actually putting it down onto paper more clear as apposed to continually saying I need to change this and that because then what is done? Nothing. This give you options of ways to change it! It’s awesome!

A preview of what I will be talking about:

PICK A STRATEGY!

Hey everyone,

Hope you guys and girls are having a blast this Halloweekend! Party but be safe!

This week I get to choose any strategy I want to present to you all. It’s all about creativity and adaptation! Let’s see how creative I am!

This coming Tuesday I have a SPA 202 quiz. They are called quizzes but they actually feel like exams because they’re too long to be just a quiz. Now, because I have to study, obviously, I decided to use the Link System strategy found in chapter 7 of “It’s All About Choices” page 160. The Link system strategy is used to remember things by linking the word or phrase you have to remember to an image that looks or sounds like it. This is all put into a visual chart. For all you visual learners this is a great way to study because the information is placed in an organized chart and it is seen visually through images. Images, drawings, or maps are useful to those like me who learn through looking and observing.

First, I looked at the example in page 160 of how a Link System is used. Column #1 is where you will write all the words or phrases you have to learn. Column #2 is where you present an image of what does the word look or sound like. Column #3 is where you present an absurd picture intersecting the images of the word. In a way this strategy is to help you associate a word or phrase that you don’t know to something that you do know in order to remember.

However, I decided to adapt it to my SPA 202 class. For this quiz I have to learn famous places to go to when visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina. To do this I changed the first column from words to remember to places to remember. On the second column I will put this place looks like or resembles this place. On the third column I will put a picture of the actual place.

As a visual learner I made a right choice because I will learn through looking and I will be able to photocopy that image in my head and remember the place.

I’ve just explained again the type of learner I am. I also explained what I did which is the action of L A M E…remember? Maybe you can use this strategy to remember L A M E J In terms of materials, the work product is great because I feel like I know more now about the places in Buenos Aires. You can see that I adapted this strategy according to my course and what I have to learn so this would be my evaluation.

The other strategy I would like for you to see and try to use is D’s Do & Due! This is great to organize your assignments/homework and when exactly you will do them. The best way to start with this is buying the ‘Cuse Student Planner of the year. If you are not from SU then just find any planner that looks like the ‘Cuse one. When you see the picture you will know what I mean. You will form a line in the middle on every page of the planner. At the top on one side of the line you will write Do and on the other you will write Due, when the assignment is due for. This has helped me get through my first year at SU.

In terms of LAME: I’m a visual learner so this helps me see everything I have to do clearly. Action: I decided to use this strategy because it looked very effective and organized. I’m very organized so I like having everything in order. Materials: I’m using this for all of my courses. Because of this strategy I get all my work done on time. Evaluation: I worked with the strategy to make sure to put the most important assignments first. I also rank them in order of importance. Sort of like Ranking Priorities.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks post!

Try these strategies out! They have helped me so they must help you as well!

Have a great and fun HALLOWEEKEND!

Take care,

Gil

Ranking Priorites...take TWO!

      I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween weekend! Last week everyone was swamped with midterms, but luckily I didn't have any! However, I feel like I'm DROWNING in work for next week! I have a WRT 105 paper due Monday and a PSY 205 test on Tuesday! While I have definitely NOT been procrastinating (in fact I've been studying for Psych since the first lecture), I feel like the more work I do, the more work I have, with very little progress being completed. With that in mind, I decided to Rank My Priorities! As you know, lists are my best friend.
      I decided to get everything written down by importance and date. As a visual learner, I love looking at what I need to do, so I know what needs to be done first. Ranking Priorities is such a great way to get organized and it's SO easy! First, you write (or type) everything due on a word document. I start with every subject and group them. Then you write down the dates they are due. After I see the due dates, I start switching my list around, so it's in chronological order. After, I see if anything needs to be switched in order of importance, rather than date (depends if you have any big projects). I give everything that NEEDS to be done that day an "A".  "B" means it needs to be done, but not immediately. "C" means it's optional. Since your list is already in order of importance, rank them numerically, just so you can visually see how many of each group you have. Then, you start working!!  I put two A-2s because they go hand in hand since I'm doing my exam experiment on my Psych test.

The List!

       I LOVE LOVE LOVE this strategy. While making the list can get me anxious because I see everything that needs to be done and I get worried, taking each subject and homework one step at a time makes me feel SO much better. It is such an easy way to stay organized and on top of your homework! Feel free to add extracurricular activities like "laundry" or "go to CVS" on there too!
Good Luck everyone!
Hannah :)

Ranking Priorities..........helps me

Hey everyone,
Happy Halloween! I hope your having a safe weekend and also having fun. Sorry no color this week, something went wrong with the Blogg.

Always remember..........
" If you continue to do what you have always done then you will continue to get what you have always gotten."-Dr. Blumin
Always Remember..............

L.A.M.E L.A.M.E

Learner- The kind of learner you are.The details that are shared in an assignment to understand who you are as a learner.
Action- The stategy that was used and why it was used.
Materials- The work product was used in order to help you learn?
Evaluation- What needs to be changed and adapted to make learning this material memorable?

*L.A.M.E is very important in everything that we do and always remember to use this in learning.*

This week I will be going back to problem solving because I enjoy the strategy RANKING PRIORITIES. I feel as if I get more done when I put all the things I have to get done on a list. This is a fast way to just look at and check off as you go. Yes this is the kind of person I am as you can see because I am still using RANKING PRIORITIES. When you problem solve there are many things you keep in mind including the time you have to get what you need to get done. Remember that time goes by fast, so get what you need to get done and keep it moving.

This is how I did this.......meaning
A= Absolutely important
B= Important
C= Optional
*For WRT 105 I ranked it A-1 because my Hot Spot Essay is due on the 7th of November and that was very important to me. I am on my final steps to this essay and this is why this is ranked so high. But before that a 3 to 5 page draft is due in WRT 105 on Monday and that was way more important than the 7th of November so in order to get that done then I need to get the rest of my draft done. Also, in CLS 105 the my project is due three days before the due date of my paper. So I ranked the project A-1 because I want the extra credit so I can hand it in early and just get everything out of the way. Another class I used it on is AAS 207, but it really doesn't help because my paper is due in December. Who said I can't take it each day at a time? That is just what I will be doing. There are other things on my list, but these are all general. List really do hlep me stay organized and help me move faster. In college who can go wrong making a list? I know that I can't!!!!! I love list so much and I am glad I learned this strategy.

* I chose this strategy because it helps me get things done. I also really didn't have to make any adaptations because I am a person who loves to use list with everything. This strategy keeps me focused with what I need to get done and what I haven't did. I seem to move quick when I look at the list and see that I haven't checked off more than half of the list.

See you next week.

Reading Strategies!!

I hope everyone had a nice parents weekend! Since I knew that I would be busy spending my time with my parents, figuring out how I’m going to do my Psych 205 readings was crucial! Thank goodness that we learned about two great strategies to use in CLS last week. Because Pysch 205 is the only lecture/ big note taking class I’m in, I decided to demonstrate both strategies for two different Psych readings!

TART!

The first strategy I used is called TART. It stands for Terms- you define and underline (or bold) all the key terms and vocabulary from the textbook. Then, you Attend the lecture and since you already have the definitions, you can use your time to write down the examples that your professor gives. Then you Read the textbook for further emphasis of the material. Lastly, you create Test questions from the reading! For my class, I attended lecture first. My professor sometimes skips pages in the textbook, so I like going and writing down all the definitions he says. Then, I look and read the textbook comprehensively, bolding all the terms. After, I look at my lecture notes and compare them and add examples from class to my textbook outline. I create test questions last and quiz myself!

Charlie Reads Smart

The next strategy I used is called Charlie Reads Smart. This stands for Chunking your reading assignment- setting up a schedule to better handle the big readings! Then you Read the textbook, looking out for major points of information. Summarizing comes next, I outlined my textbook and bolded all the key words. After, I created Test questions from the outline!

 
TART and Charlie Reads Smart are very similar and I came out with the same result. I am a visual and kinetic learner and they both deal with typing up an outline from the textbook and bolding terms. The main difference I saw was the Chunking for Charlie Reads Smart. I have hundreds of pages of reading and managing it is definitely and issue. By Chunking, I feel much less pressured and I go at my own speed. I set deadlines for myself (for example, I make sure that I start outline the textbook the day of the lecture and I finish by the next lecture! I put my questions for both chapter 6 and 7 together because they're going to be on the same test. However, I put chapter 6's questions first and then chapter 7 after. I will definitely continue using these strategies.

The test questions for both TART and Charlie Reads Smart

 -Hannah :)

 

Come along and learn to TART!

Have you ever wondered why do college professors make us read so much? Is it because they have nothing better to do than to make us read so many pages? Or is it because they actually want us to learn something? Obviously you know the answer to this question. If not then it’s the latter.

Now, that you know this information, why must we learn? You might be thinking: to pass the class, duh! However I like to think that the more you learn, the wiser and smart you get. And who doesn’t like to be a smart cookie? Or who doesn’t at least like to be prepared for class?

I hate feeling unprepared for class.

This strategy helps me be ready to take on my classes especially PSC 121, where we have to read a lot.

Sometimes I don’t have time to read the chapter completely for Polisci so this helps me feel better if I didn’t read the chapter or wasn’t able to finish.

TART is what I use!

Terms

Attend

Read

Test

1. First, I checked what my professor would be talking about in class: Federalism, The Political View. For that, I would have to read chapter 7 of the textbook Choices.

2. Following the instructions of TART on the book “It’s All About Choices” by Marlene Blumin, my professor, (page 133) I wrote down all the terms and definitions that are in blue from chapter 7 of the Polisci textbook. I tried to write them down in my own words, which helps to see if you understand the term or not.

3. After that I read the chapter summary in order to be more informed on what the professor would be lecturing us on.

4. I attended the lecture.

5. During the lecture I was listening carefully to what the professor would say about those words written in my notebook.

6. At the same time, I was taking notes on what my Polisci professor was saying.

7. At the end of the day I read my notes prior to reading the chapter fully. Having lecture notes actually help establish a reading purpose.

8. Then, I read the chapter to clarify what I have in my notebook.

9. After I was done with all these steps, I created questions from the material discussed. I answered them with my notes and from what I was able to remember.

In terms of LAME (remember l.am.e. guys??)

Learner	Action	Materials	Evaluation
I’m a kinesthetic and visual learner. The action of writing things down helps me learn and the looking for terms in blue as well.	What I just explained through a procedure above is what I did to read with a purpose.	For this class we have to read a lot because we have quizzes every Wednesday so this helps me to pay attention in class but also it helps me to study for the weekly quizzes.	In class I paid more attention to what the professor was saying rather than copying down what he posts up on the board. This is better because sometimes I’m paying more attention to what is on the board rather than to the professor. However, I haven’t greatly improved on my quizzes, which I have to fix.

Hope you try out this strategy!

Here are the pictures of what I did!

Sour towards reading assignments? TART it out!

Not big on reading assignments? Yes, that me too! But we have no choice and have to read it in order to understand and do well in certain classes. Well, I know exactly how you feel and I have found the strategy to help make it better for you! This strategy is called T.A.R.T., it stands for Terms, Attend, Read, and Test. So it requires you to do before, during, and after class work, which in the end is very helpful in getting that information to stick to your brain! This strategy is particularly useful in lecture classes, one class that I really benefitted from was my CRS 287 lecture class that deals with a lot of readings as well as terms in lecture. Try it!

To begin, I suggest reading over the strategy fully first so you know what you need to do and how to prepare going into class. The first letter is T, which again, stands for terms. The idea of this is to briefly look over your reading and pull out some of the key words and ideas. Usually they will be the terms or definitions in bold. Jot down those terms (I like to highlight because I am a visual learner for those of you out there as well) before attending class that way you have an idea and start to get familiar with the information you be learning about.

During class, take down your class notes, pay special attention to the terminology being used, you most likely will be familiar with a lot of it from having gone through it earlier. It will give you the “oh yeah!!” thought. For one of the classes I used this strategy for was my CRS 414 class. I brought my definitions with me to class that I had taken from the book prior to class, and my professor posted all of them on the bored. So it was a little review for me, and the notes I added were all examples that she talked about relating to the terms. I thought that was neat! (and exciting that I didn’t have to write too much!)

After class, then is time to do the full reading. The read will seem so much easier to you from having so much prior knowledge that it won’t be another dreaded hard reading!

Following your reading, you’ve seen it before...create test questions! With your terms/definitions, notes, and reading, you should have been able to pull out the major information your professor will ask you in the future, so with that develop questions and then put your notes to the side. Answer all of the ones you can, leaving the ones you need help with blank, as well as a little star next to that. After that you can then take your notes back out and fill in the answers you were unsure of. I suggest this because I am a visual learner, and when reviewing the questions over and over you will have clear which questions you need to focus on more with the stars. Little things can really be helpful in large ways!

Charlie Reads Smarts helps me gets smart!

Hey Karima is back,
I hope your having a nice weekend with your parents. First, I had plenty of work this week and yes I had to find the time to get it done. So I used time management and my time management schedule. Without setting goals for your self then how can you ever get anything done? So set goals and push your self even for the little things in life. This week I will explain how the learning strategy Dr. Blumin provided me with helped me and how it didn't. 

Remember......
"If you continue to do what you have always done then you will continue to get what you have always gotten."- Dr. Blumin

**This is the key to succuss**

One Plus Three Note-Taking!!!

Hey everyone!
I hope everyone has been enjoying their weekend! Since it's been raining and gloomy, it was the perfect weekend to hang out in Schine and catch up on my homework and study!!  It was great timing, too, since we have been learning about note taking! There are two types of notes: comprehensive (notes for classes with lots of terms and details) and skeletal (major topics/terms without the detail). There are also multiple note-taking strategies. For difficult courses, 1 plus 3 notes and plug in notes are best. Jeopardy notes are great for essay tests and papers and To Do Notes are great for people in Studio courses. Fortunately, I only take comprehensive notes in one class: Psychology 205. The amount of information in that class is INSANE!! I was so excited to try 1 plus 3 notes for that course! I also tried it for Spanish, even though we don't take that many notes in that class; I used the textbook for inspiration!

You guys must be wondering what 1 Plus 3 Notes are, right?! I'll explain using: L.A.M.E.

Learner: 1 plus 3 notes are GREAT for visual learners because there is a space to have a graphic organizer

Action: Well, during class you write all your notes on one side of the paper. Then, after class on the other side of the paper, you create a chart with three sections. on the left side, you put key terms. On the right (main side) you put a visual organizer to make the information easy to absorb. Then, on the bottom, you create questions from the right and left side that you think will be on the test! By the end of the week, you should be able to answer all of those questions!

Materials: The 1 Plus 3 Chart is your material!

1 Plus 3 Notes!

Psych Notes

Evaluation: For classes with lots of information, this is a great tool to use! It organizes all of your notes, allowing you to focus on the key points and then create models to help you study. Creating the questions on the bottom also helps you to think about the information. However, I'm not sure if I would use this for my psych class again. My lecture notes, while important, are not as useful for tests as the textbook is. The textbook has way too many key terms for 1 Plus 3 Notes, so I've been outlining the textbook instead. I think I like this better for Spanish. While I don't take notes during class, I used the textbook to do the 1 Plus 3 Notes and it worked out really well. I have vocabulary on the left, verbs in a chart on the right and sentences as questions on the bottom.

 

 

 

Spanish 1 Plus 3 Notes!

I hope you use these notes and it helps! See ya next week,

Hannah :)

Plug-and-Learn !

It’s time to take notes in a specific way that will help benefit you in the future with your difficult courses. I know for me note cards just isn’t my thing, so I would take all of my notes and just reread and review them, but that wasn’t and isn’t enough. Instead of just taking notes and rereading them as your study aid for exams, I am going to teach you something called Plug in Notes, that makes you do more with your notes towards helping make and prepare helpful reviewing guides. Through this you will come across some pictures I have uploaded to help all you visual learners out there understand and apply this easier! I strongly recommend you try this for specific classes that you feel are challenging and difficult, for me I used my CRS 287 class and my EAR 117 class.

Ok let’s start! So first, before class, make sure you go in knowing how you will be doing Plug in Notes, this is because you need to know how the set up is going to be while you are in class, and after class. So during class, you will be taking your normal notes that you feel comfortable taking and collect as much information as you can. Every time your professor starts on a new topic, skip around 10 lines in your notes. And continue this through the rest of class. After class, I recommend doing right when you are finished that way everything is still fresh in your head, go through each section of your notes that you left blank and fill it in with a graphic organizer based on the topic from your notes above.

I color coordinated my graphic organizers because I am a visual learner, so seeing the division and with colors helps me learn and feel more organized.Then when finished with that, for each course you took Plug in Notes for, on a separate sheet of paper, make a list of questions in a table form to help stay organized, you think are important and will appear of future exams, BUT DON’T ANSWER them YET!

When the week is over, and you begin your review then, WITHOUT your Plug in Notes right next to you, go through the questions you created and answer as many as you can. For each of the questions you couldn’t answer, make a star next to them, noting what you need to focus more heavily on for reviewing.Then, go ahead and review/use your notes to complete the questions you couldn’t before, it will be easy to find those answers because you split them up into sections with graphic organizers before! Make sure you spend extra time reviewing and learning the stared material!

And there you have it, now the material you know and don’t know is visually right in front of you, telling you what YOU personally need to spend more time on in order to be successful in that course. The nice thing about this it that it forces you to review the notes after you take them, which will only help the information to get implanted into your brain even more!!!

This strategy was particularly useful in the two courses I chose because of how many notes and topics we touch upon during class, and very importantly, they are both two classes with a heavy amount of hard information! So you generate and apply the information with notes of your own taken from class! And of course, you don’t have to follow my directions exactly, feel free to change some little things in ways that will help you learn better! Simple little things such as STARS can help, I know!!