Here are some ideas to think about as you learn to apparoach learning in a new (and more successful!) way. Check out these ideas, experiment with them, and then turn the ones that work for you into habits or routines.

• Know yourself:

This is a good place to start. Knowing yourself as a learner as well as information about your courses/instructors , will help you refine your strategies for the maximum benefit. Begin by asking yourself some of these questions. Once you have answered these questions, use the results to establish a study plan.

• How effective I am with basic college skills, such as reading, writing, & listening?
• How effective are my work habits, such as organization , prioritizing, time management, & goal setting?
• How effective are my basic study skills, such as notetaking, listening, & concentration.
• What are my goals for each of my classes? Do I know what my instructor's goals are?
• When am I more effective learner, in the morning? afternoon? evening?
• Have I established a specifice and effecient study place?
• How do I bes t take in information: visually, auditorily, or both?

• Manage your time:

Managng your time also means setting goals, prioritizing daily tasks, and following through with committed action. As Lee Iacocca once said, "If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's important and then give it all you've got." So, first you have to know what you want from your school experience. Then you must establish specific priorities to reach the goal. If the long range goal seems too far away (graduation), give yourself a short-term goal (completing this semester with a 3.0) to help you stay motivated.

Analyze how you are using your time. If your use of time is not consistent with your priorities, then you need to make some adjustments. If school and a good GPA are your priorities, then your daily tasks must reflect that.

You can also develop specific stretegies for organizing your time. It may be a strict schedule recorded on a calendar, simply a daily "To Do" list, or a personal system to prioritize projects. Different systems work for different students. Whatever system you decide upon, commit to using it. While it may be cumbersome at first, it will likely result more efficient use of your time and you feeling more in control of your life!

• Improve your concentration:

Concentration is important to you as a good student because it is how well you learn, not how quickly you learn, that is critical in remembering. Therefore, an essential task is to improve your ability to concentrate or pay attention...not only during lectures, but also as you study each day. David Ellis, author of Becoming a Master Student calls this powerful concept " Be here now." That is, do one thing at a time and give it your full attention...whether that is listening to a lecture, reviewing your notes, or reading for pleasure. Here are some ideas to improve your focus: be prepared for lectures ahead of time by reading or developing questions, use ear plugs to block out noises, create a specific time and place for studying at home, review notes as soon as possible following class, consider that concentrating is a choice, remind yourself of your committment to your goal, use deep breathing to clear your mind and refocus on the task at hand, and gently return your focus rather than worrying about "not doing it right."

• Develop specific study strategies:

There are many ways to approach the task of studying and, as mentioned above not all strategies are for everyone. You may have to discover what works best for you....here are some suggestions for the most important aspects of the process of studying (more information can be found in the links below):

Reading: To get the most out of your reading/studying tasks, you must be an active reader. This means that you must be engaged and thinking during the the process and not just passively letting the words pass before you. There are suggestions to help you stay engaged, such as: previewing the material before you read, bringing to the reading process information that you already know about the material, having a speicific purpose for each reading assignment, writing questions about what you don't understand, marking (or highlighting) important words or concepts, and frequently testing your comprehension.

Taking notes: Taking notes seems like a simple process...write down what someone else says. Unfortunately, it is never that simple. To be an effective note taker you must accomplish more than just writing down words. You must first be a good listener, which means you must be prepared for class and actively participate. Sitting front and center helps us to remain alert and active in class. You must also learn to use a note taking system, such as: an outline, narrative format, or mind maps. Good listeners are able to distinquish between important and umimportant information. They are able to do this because they are prepared ahead of time but also because they listen to cues from the instructor....like repetition, tone of voice, etc. Finally, good listeners/note takers review their notes as soon as possible following class and then frequently so that they can fill in missing information or make corrections.

Studying for tests: Studying for tests begins on the first day of class. It is the total effort you put into every reading assignment, preparation for class, clarification & frequent review of notes, class participation and test preparation. The more involved with these activities, the better you will learn the information and perform on the test. The key is review and study over time, not just at the announcement of a test.

• Think critically:

Part of the academic experience is learning (alot) of specific information. But an increasingly more important part is improving students' ability to think critically. Critical thinking is the process of identifying, analyzing and evaluating information for the purpose of reaching a conclusion or making a decision. This process is an essential part of learning in the college environment but also in being successful after college. It requires the student to their organize thoughts, develop their reasoning skills, improve their decision-making skills, explore new information for strengths/weaknesses, and become confident problem solvers.

Resources for further assistance:

Study skills & time management assistance

Student Development & Counseling Center
LSUS Study skills guides (a link to LSUS guides, also available at SDCC)
ADM 230
797-5365

Study Skills tips (a link to a comprehensive source of many study guides)

Learning styles inventories

Learning Style Inventory (on-line assessment from Red Rocks Commumity College with recommendations for each learning style)
A Learning Style Survey for College (an assessment from Diablo Valley College with suggestions for each learning style)

Writing Assistance

LSUS University Writing Center
Bronson Hall Room 114
797-5184

Mathematics Assistance

LSUS Mathmatics lab
Bronson Hall Room 404
797-5231