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In Short 5 page• If you learn best by seeing: You might need to hear things twice. Perhaps you need to ask your partner to speak more slowly or to show you something in writing. • If you learn best by hearing: You might need to encourage your partner to speak more. Perhaps you need to ask your partner to read something aloud to you. Maybe it would help to hear a description of what you see.
And in turn, your study buddy may need you to take similar steps in order to help him learn effectively.
Start with the Positive Accentuate the positive and you'll feel more focused and motivated. • In discussing each other's notes or papers, talk first about what you liked most, or what interested you. Then ask questions about what you found unclear or weakly supported. • In discussing notes, a text, or a lecture, begin with what you got out of it. Then talk about what was confusing. Use Sensitive Talk To get the most from a relationship, especially when your purpose is to help each other, it's important you both respect each other's opinions, no matter how different they might be.
No-Fault Talking Remember the magic word "I" from Chapter 15? When criticizing or giving an opinion, begin with "I," so that it's clear you're simply stating how you feel, not imposing a judgment. For example, instead of saying, "That answer is wrong," say something like, "I have trouble with that," or "I don't understand how you came to that conclusion." Remember that a study partnership is a give-and-take relationship. When you use "I," you are assuming responsibility. Maybe you've heard people insist on something being right or wrong. When you're told, "You're wrong," you feel punished. When you feel punished, you don't feel like working; you might even feel like giving up. You and your partner will feel encouraged to go on if you both agree to take each other's ideas seriously. You can even agree to disagree! The difference is, you're not making anyone feel they're wrong. Making Yourself Understood Maybe you didn't say what you meant to say. This may very well happen at times because you think faster than you speak. How can you find out if you made yourself clear? If your buddy is shy or quiet, he might be reluctant to ask you questions or to ask you to repeat what you just said. You need to pay attention to body language to see if you're being understood. A wrinkled forehead or nose, or a blank stare are all clues. When in doubt, ask your buddy, "What did you hear me say?"
Listen Attentively
You have an important responsibility as a study buddy: Be sensitive to how your partner feels and thinks. Your partner will know you're listening when you:
Ask questions. Ask to have something repeated. Tell her what you thought she said ("I thought you said ...Is that what you meant?").
Imagine disagreeing with a study buddy. Using sensitive talk, write in your notebook how you might respond.
In Short___________________________
To make sure that "two heads are better than one," use sensitive talk with your study buddy to explain how you feel, and to make sure you're understanding what your partner said. Tell your buddy how you learn best. Be prepared to work with your partner's learning styles, even if they're different from yours. Choose a place and time to work that's convenient for you both and free of distractions. Focus on the task at hand. Practice Tips The next time you're talking with someone, whether it's a family member, friend, or colleague, try using sensitive talk. • Make sure you heard what the other person intended to say. After your friend or colleague has spoken, say something like, "I heard you say . . . Was that what you meant?" • Keep in mind the magic word "I." When you disagree with something, don't state a fact, state your opinion. Personalize your reaction by saying something like, "I see it like this " • In a notebook, write what it was like for you to use sensitive talk in everyday conversation.
Have an instant buddy session with a classmate. (Maybe you're doing this already!) After class, begin a reflective discussion. Ask somebody that you're comfortable with a question like, "What did you think of what the teacher said about the national debt in today's class?" chapter
You've been working closely with your study buddy, and now you're on your own. Or, for whatever reason, you never had a study partner. What can you do to make up for the fact that you don't have anyone whom with to share ideas and interpretations, or to exchange questions and answers? You can treat yourself as your own buddy!
Being Your Own Partner
any students say what they like best about working with a partner is that it takes the heat off. There's less stress when you're sharing the pressure with someone else. And two heads are often better than one. But if, for whatever reason, you don't have a study buddy, you can reap the benefits of working in a pair by pretending there's someone else in the room. You can imagine yourself as your own partner, your own coach. It's not very difficult, and it can actually be fun!
Jill was stumped. She'd been studying sociology with Jack, and now his work schedule changed, leaving no mutual free time for them to meet. She approached other classmates, trying to begin another study-buddy relationship, but none of them had a schedule that matched hers. She was on her own. "This is a problem," she said to herself. "I need somebody to act as a sounding board to hear my thoughts and conclusions on the sociology readings. I need help coming up with an idea for my paper, and I really need somebody to get me going so that I can study for the final!"
be your own help-mate What did you like about working with a study buddy? (If you haven't worked with a partner yet, what do you think you'd like about working with a study buddy?) Write your responses in your notebook or record them on your tape recorder. Then try to recreate a study buddy session using your notes.
Talk to Yourself! Since you are your own partner now, talk to yourself like your partner would; it will trigger your thinking.
• Talk as you're planning. Jill, after losing Jack as a partner, now talks to herself before tackling a new subject. She then writes in her notebook what she's expecting to read and what she knows about the subject already.
• Talk as you're doing. Jill says out loud, then writes, what makes sense to her, and what questions come to mind as she studies. • Talk afterwards. Jill says out loud, then writes, answers to the questions she can answer, and goes back to the text for answers to the rest of her questions. She does a mini oral presentation for herself to sum up what she studied. She sometimes even records her presentation on audiotape so she can play it back and listen to herself, looking for her strengths and weaknesses.
One of the things that makes working with a buddy so helpful is that the other person is helping you make connections. The more you make connections with what you already know, the more you'll find that what you're studying sticks in your memory. A buddy might say, "That reminds me of when we were talking about. ..." And whammy—your memory is triggered! Part of being your own buddy is giving yourself memory triggers. For extra help on this subject, review the tips in Chapter 11, "Remembering What You've Learned."
The Great Pretender Another way to be your own partner is to pretend your buddy is sitting next to you. This is especially helpful if you've been regularly working with someone else and now you're preparing for an exam on your own. When Jill pretended Jack was studying with her, she could imagine him asking her questions and responding to her answers. She didn't feel so alone anymore, and when she was done, she felt much better prepared for the final.
Getting Ready to Study Before you begin your next study session, clear your mind of other matters, go over what you studied in your last session, and then set the agenda for this one. Support yourself as your buddy would. Relieve yourself of everyday worries so that you can give all your energy and attention to studying. Instead of talking to your partner, talk to yourself. Write, or talk into a tape recorder for five minutes about whatever's on your mind—how your day's going, what you need to do after the study session, or anything else that you'd want to say if you had a study buddy with you. It might seem odd at first, but it's all part of setting the scene, so to speak, of getting distractions out of the way and getting focused to study. When this little chat session is over, review your last study session. Think about what was useful to you. Take note of what comes to mind: • • If you learn best by hearing: Speak into a tape recorder.
While You're Studying When you read a text, pretend your study buddy is there with you. What questions might he or she ask? As you answer each question, show your buddy (really yourself) where you found the answer in the text.
After You've Studied Ask yourself what new information or better understanding came from this study session. Record your responses in your notebook or on your tape recorder. Review your notes each study session. Add answers to your questions, and then add other questions and connections as they come to mind. get the most from your sessions If you're going to really help yourself, apply the methods that worked with a partner to your sessions alone. For starters, review Chapter 16, "Working with a Study Buddy", which lists the four basic rules for a successful study session: • Appreciate your own learning styles. • Start with the positive. • Use sensitive talk. • Listen attentively.
You can apply each of these to yourself. Appreciate Your Own Learning Styles Since you're working alone, you only have your own learning styles to consider. This presents a good opportunity for you to make sure you're using methods of studying that are suitable for the way you learn. Be aware of what works best for you and make changes if necessary. (You may want to review Chapters 2 through 5 on learning styles.)
Start with the Positive Begin a session by asking yourself what you liked about what you read, wrote, saw, or heard. Starting out with something you enjoy and feel comfortable with will give you a sense of accomplishment as you say to yourself, "I know that!" Then you can face the more challenging material with a good attitude.
Use Sensitive Talk Remember, you're your partner now. Keep being sensitive to your feelings! Use the magic word "I" even when talking to yourself. When you begin statements with, "I like . . ." and "I feel . . . " you're assuming responsibility for your opinions and feelings, and you're respecting yourself. As you read the next part of this chapter, talk to yourself using sensitive talk. Pretend you're talking to your partner. Begin by saying, "What I've gotten out of this lesson so far is . . . ," adding whatever comes to mind. Continue with, "This makes me think of..." and keep talking until you have a good understanding of the lesson.
Respect Yourself Be nice to yourself as you push ahead. Studying the material so that it makes sense to you is hard work! Acknowledge your challenges. One of the comforts of a buddy is that you have someone who knows what you're going through, someone who's listening to you talk about your hard day and who is also talking about his day. Play both roles yourself.
Don't criticize yourself! Instead, ask yourself:
• What else do I need to know to make a clear picture in my head? 1. 2. 3. • What else do I need to know so the order of events will make sense?
In Short___________________________
Whether you act like your partner or pretend your buddy is next to you, you need to acknowledge how you're feeling and the challenges before you. Then you're ready to study. Talking to yourself before, during, and after studying helps you ask questions and make connections. This in turn helps you to better understand and remember what you've studied. Keep your thoughts in a notebook or tape recorder, so that you can go over and add to them each study session. Practice Tips Talking to yourself while studying, and pretending you've got an invisible buddy, may seem a bit odd to you at first!
To get used to the idea and become good at it, practice before you start your study sessions.
When you're by yourself—in the shower, in the car, walking to work or school—begin a conversation with yourself. To make it seem more real, pretend you're with a classmate. Try out questions like: • So, how was class yesterday? • What did you find most interesting? Puzzling? • When is your next study session? • What do you think you'll need to spend the most time on during that session?
No one's around, so you can speak freely and pretend you're talking to anyone you want. Relax, and realize that you're doing it for a specific reason: to learn!
chapter
In this chapter, you'll be using what you've learned about reading closely, keeping calm, and using your learning styles to deal with tests that are generally looking for one specific answer to each question. These include true/false, matching, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank tests.
Preparing for Short-Answer Tests
any tests—classroom tests, professional tests, and school admission exams—use the multiple choice format, sometimes along with true/false, matching, or fill-in-the-blank questions. These formats are similar in that they have only one right answer. The problem with tests that require specific answers is that you're either right or wrong; there's not much room for personal opinion. Even if you've studied and know the material thoroughly, you still may find some questions challenging. That's because these tests are often designed to be tricky: multiple-choice tests offer "close" answers in addition to the correct one; matching tests use words out of context. So in addition to knowing the subject matter, you've got to learn how to take these kinds of tests, and this includes making up your own practice test.
Getting Over Test-Taking Obstacles Tim and Tameka had been studying for exams that would qualify them for promotions. They'd been studying for several months and were confident they knew the material. As it got closer to test time, they both began to panic because they knew they'd be given a combination of different kinds of tests. Tim told Tameka, "I think I can handle everything but fill-in-the-blanks. I'm OK, if the right answer is there and I can find it, but I'm really stuck if I have to come up with the name of something on my own. I have trouble with names!" Tameka said, "What about me? I get confused when I see a bunch of answers that are similar to each other and I have to choose the one that's right. I say to myself, 'Well, maybe under certain circumstances choice A would be correct, but then again, choice B would work in a different situation.' I do it every time!" Tim has a problem coming up with the right names, and Tame-ka has a problem when answer choices are very similar. What Tim needs to do is learn to associate names with meanings, and Tame-ka needs to come up with an answer before looking at the choices.
studying for a test The best way to study for a test is to test yourself, or have your study buddy test you.
Testing Yourself Creating a test of your own forces you to think like a teacher. As you develop questions, you hone in on what's most important in what you're studying. This helps you understand the material better, and it gives you more confidence in yourself. It also helps you become more responsible for your own learning. When you make up a test like this, you are doing it for yourself; enjoy the feeling! Writing a test also helps you understand how tests are made. This can make you more comfortable when you take the real test.
Testing with a Partner If you're studying with a partner, make up a test for each other. Be sure to make up answer sheets on separate paper and have proof for every correct answer. If you're studying from a pamphlet or book, for example, cite the page number on which the answer can be found. When you and your partner have completed each other's test, swap. Check your partner's answers with your answer sheet and have him do the same. Go over the answers for both tests together.
Creating Questions Getting Ready First, pretend you're the instructor. Get a piece of paper, and: 1. List what you would want your students to get out of the course or book. Write as many things as you can think of. 2. Circle three items that are most important to you. These three items should represent the general idea of the course. 3. Circle two items that fall under each of your three main ideas. These points should be more specific; they will concern details of the course material. 4. Now you have nine items. Make each one into a question.
Questions for Your Study Buddy If you're preparing a test for a partner you can make up any of the four types of short-answer questions. Multiple-choice questions may seem difficult to create at first. Follow this formula for choices: make up four possible answers for each question—a correct answer, a nearly correct answer, an answer loosely associated with the right answer, and an answer that is obviously wrong.
Fill-in-the-blank questions can be used to help you learn definitions of new vocabulary you encounter while studying. You can also prepare multiple-choice, true/false, and matching questions to simulate the actual test you'll be taking. Although you'll probably be able to answer such questions easily since you made them up, the process of creating the questions will give you new insights into correct answers—and help you predict what tricks you'll see on the real test. Get a piece of paper and write the answers to the following questions. If you tested yourself: • What did you do to make up the test? • Which was more comfortable for you, making the questions or making the answers? • Which answers were easiest to come up with?
If you worked with a partner: • Which was more comfortable for you, creating the test or answering your partner's test? • What did you do to complete the test? • Which questions were easiest for you to answer?
Process of Association As you study, try using large index cards for terms and ideas you could be tested on. Write big so key words will stick in your mind. Use a different color for each category. For instance, in a Spanish class, you might use one color for the names of foods, another color for the names of kinds of businesses, and a different color for the names of articles of furniture. Next, come up with associations between these unfamiliar words and ideas and things that are more familiar to you. Ask yourself, "What does this word remind me of?" It all depends on you; whatever comes to your mind works. The more unusual the association is, the more likely it is to stick with you. Maybe it's an image of something you see every day, like a tree or a pancake. Or maybe it's something a little stranger: perhaps the word cognitive makes you think of a giant purple cog on top of a
• If you learn best by using images: Draw any images that you associate with the information on each card. Use your imagination! • If you learn best by seeing: Tape up your index cards in places you can't miss, for example, on the bedroom and bathroom mirrors and by the front door. Use colors to highlight key words.
If you learn best by hearing: Sing the words on your cards, even if you're not an opera star. This will make the association more unique, and it will get another part of your brain operating. What you sing stays with you longer than what you say.
There are probably other wacky but effective things you can do; use your imagination. Only you think like you!
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE TEST Keeping Calm Even before the test day there are things you can do to quell test anxiety. You may want to review Chapter 1, "Getting Started," for tips on keeping calm. You feel calmer when you're satisfied that you've studied as much as possible. You may also want to review Chapter 7, "Knowing What You Know," for tips on making sure you're as prepared as you think you are. Eating nourishing meals will help; so does getting a good night's sleep.
Shortly before taking the test:
• Imagine yourself in a soothing place. Close your eyes, and enjoy the smells, sounds, and feelings of this out-of-the-way spot. It can be a place you actually have been to, a place you've seen in a photograph or movie, or somewhere that your imagination has created. • Breathe slowly and deeply as you are imagining this place. Open your eyes when you feel calm.
If you can practice this exercise several times during the days before the test, it will be easier to visualize the place if anxiety sets in.
Psyching Yourself Now that you're calm, cool, and collected, you're ready to concentrate. Remind yourself that you've studied carefully. Some people like to use their imagination to help them concentrate and to help remind them that they know the material they've studied. You could pretend you're the instructor (or even the textbook!) and visualize that all the material is inside you. When you can picture something like this in your head, you're better able to hold your concentration.
a testy situation Each of the following test formats has its own way of being tricky. The best way to learn how they work is to practice. The more tests you take, the easier it will be for you to weed out wrong answers.
Multiple Choice A multiple-choice test can be tricky. Often, you have four possible answer choices. Usually, they follow this pattern: • One answer is correct. • One answer is close to the correct answer. • One answer is very different from the correct answer. • One answer is loosely associated with the correct answer but is not close.
True/False A true/false test works on a similar principle. The contrast between your two choices can be great or small; your options can be direct opposites or one can be close but not quite correct.
A matching test is similar to multiple-choice in that the answer is there, but you have to find it among answers that may be close in definition. Some matching tests have more choices in one column than in the other. It's important you read the directions very carefully so you don't get confused by extra choices.
Fill-in-the-Blank A fill-in-the-blank test is the opposite of a matching or multiple-choice test. The answer is not there for you; you have to come up with it yourself. The best way to prepare for this type of test is to know your vocabulary— including correct spelling.
READING CLOSELY TO FIND THE CORRECT ANSWER Your first clue to a right answer is in reading the question closely. (You might want to review Chapter 10, "Getting More out of Reading.") You need to find out exactly what a question is asking. As you read the test question: • What questions come to mind? • What images or words come to mind?
Use Your Learning Style As always, use the style that suits you best to approach a question. (You may want to review Chapters 2 through 5 on learning styles.)
If you learn best by hearing: Read the question out loud (softly, if others are nearby!).
If you learn best by seeing: Use scrap paper to write down key words or draw a picture that comes to mind.
If you learn best by using images: Turn the question into a picture or movie in your head. Ask yourself: "What's needed to complete the picture?" • If you learn best by putting things in order: Imagine the question as a puzzle or comic strip. Ask yourself: "Which of the choices would make the most sense and complete the puzzle?"
• If you learn best by doing: Imagine yourself acting out the question. Hold on to the picture of you in your head. Ask yourself: "Which of the two choices would you pick in that situation?"
How to Approach the Questions Start by quickly skimming through the test to find the questions that are easiest for you. You'll save time if you do challenging questions later. Remember, only correct answers count! If your test is timed, you'll get more correct answers down on paper by doing the ones you know for sure first. Tackle each question, one at a time. 1. When you read the question, cover up your choice of answers. Think only of the question. What answer comes to mind? Hold on to the answer in your head, or write it down if you're permitted to use scrap paper. 2. Now look for the answer among the choices given that comes closest to your answer. When you know the answer, not looking at the choices first can save you time. Answer all the easy questions this way.
After you've answered all the questions you know for sure, go back to the challenging ones. Begin by picking a question you feel more comfortable with and read it again. Sometimes a bell will go off in your head the second time around. If you're working with a matching section, you've probably already eliminated some possible choices by answering the easy questions. On a multiple-choice test, if you're still not sure of the answer: Date: 2015-01-02; view: 780
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If you learn best by seeing: Write as you talk.
Matching