PT 1 Week 4 GEN 300

GEN/300 Week 4 Presentation :GEN/300 Week 4 Presentation Created and Maintained by Julia A. Westlake


Keys to College Studying :Keys to College Studying


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 How do you achieve goals? Set appropriate goals (SMART) Placing goals in time There are only 24 hours in a day and not every minute can be scheduled Setting long-term goals Set goals for the long term that require multiple short-term goals to reach Setting short-term goals Divide your long-term goals into manageable realistic short-term goals Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 Linking goals with values Use your values to shape the goals that you set If your values conflict with the goals you set, you are unlikely to achieve them Different kinds of goals Everyone has a variety of goals – life, work, personal, etc Identifying educational goals Decide why you are attending school Set goals that tie into why you are attending school Strive to place goals into context Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 Identifying career goals Consider the job or type of job you want after graduation Consider your financial goals Consider your ideal lifestyle What are your priorities Priorities should reflect your goals Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 Managing your time Build a schedule Keep a date book or calendar Set weekly and daily goals Link daily and weekly goals with short, intermediate, and long term goals Prioritize goals Keep track of events Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 Take responsibility for your time Plan your schedule each week Make and use to-do lists Post monthly and yearly calendars at home and work Schedule downtime Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 Planning strategically Establish a goal Brainstorm possible plans Anticipate all possible effects of each plan Put your plan into action Evaluate continually Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 Being flexible Realize that things will come up or plans will fall through, have back ups Day-to-day changes Adjust your schedule when unexpected events occur or scheduled events do not occur Life changes Adjust your schedule as your life changes Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 Why is procrastination a problem? Goals are not realistic Goals are not time sensitive Goals are not aligned with values Allowing the past to determine the future Lack of belief in one’s self Habit Getting rid of procrastination Weight the benefits of task completion Set reasonable goals Break a task into smaller parts Get started even when you don’t feel like it Ask for help with projects Don’t expect perfection Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 Reducing stress Realize not all stress is bad, we each need some stress to perform Set reasonable and manageable goals Break goals into smaller pieces (tasks) Avoid procrastination Limit your responsibilities and learn to say no Think positively Believe in yourself Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 3 :Chapter 3 Physical health Eat right Exercise Get enough sleep Use the university’s resource network Instructors Labs Advisors Organizations Literature Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 Critical thinking This is the actual act of thinking, more than remembering, critical thinking is the in-depth thinking regarding an idea, thought, statement, etc. Steps to critical thinking Take in information Question information Use information Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 Value of critical thinking Increase your ability to perform the thinking process Produce knowledge rather than reproducing what you have heard or read Can be a more valuable employee Can be a more engaging person Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 Learning how your mind works Recall Similarity Difference Cause and effect Example to idea Idea to example Evaluation The way the mind works ensures that what you learn connects to what you know and what you will know in the future Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 Steps to critical thinking and problem solving Identify the problem accurately Analyze the problem Brainstorm possible solutions Explore each solution Execute the solution that is best Continue to evaluate and refine the solution Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 How to construct and evaluate arguments Argument set-up: Problem Potential solutions Chosen solution Evaluation of chosen solution (premises to support solution aka conclusion) Evaluation SWOT – List strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 Constructing an argument Identify the issue Establish the premise or premises Present examples in support Anticipate questions against your point Form a conclusion Break the argument apart Topic Issue Premise Evidence Conclusion Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 Evaluating an argument Quality of evidence Fact vs. opinion Compare evidence to current knowledge and ideas Where is the evidence from and is the source reliable? Support quality Do examples logically flow from ideas, and do ideas logically lead to given examples? Does the evidence align with common sense? Is there enough evidence to support the conclusion? Are there any competing views or pieces of evidence that conflict with the evidence used? Has the argument considered both positive and negatives? Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 Thinking logically Distinguishing fact from opinion Ask yourself, can I prove what I am saying? If you can’t then it is pure opinion. If you can prove it then do so, then you have a fact. Facts can be wrong, so can opinions Opinions can seem like facts Facts can look like opinions Characteristics of facts and opinions Opinions Statements that show evaluation - Value judgments Statements that predict future events Statements that use emotional words Statements that use qualifiers Facts Statements that deal with actual people, places, objects, or events. Statements that use concrete words or measurable statistics Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 Identifying and evaluating assumptions Examine the cause and effect sequence of assumptions to identify What is the source of the assumption? How reliable is the source of the assumption? Under what conditions is the assumption valid or invalid? What harm could be done by always taking this assumption as fact? What positive and negative effects has this assumption had on me or others? Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 4 :Chapter 4 Media literacy Media includes television, radio, print, internet, and more All media are constructors Media carefully construct what you see and how you see it; nothing is a mistake Media use unique languages The music, wording, colors, backgrounds, etc are all intentional Different audiences understand the same media message differently Everyone has their own experiences, values, and viewpoints thus everyone had their own interpretation of media Media have commercial interests Media is driven by a business need not the need to tell the truth Media have embedded values and points of view Media portray the values and thoughts of the writers, producers, etc that underlie messages Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 5 :Chapter 5 What will help you understand what you read? Build knowledge through reading and studying Think positively Think critically Build vocabulary Take an active approach to difficult reading Choose the right setting (people, time, location) Define a purpose for reading Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 5 :Chapter 5 Purpose determines reading strategy Read for understanding Usually the first time you read a text, for example the first time you read an email from a supervisor - read for content Read to evaluate critically The type of reading you do when you need to talk about or apply the material – usually takes a lot of effort and attention Read for practical application The type of reading you do to be able to use information like directions – usually involves skimming and re-reading Read for pleasure This is the novel or magazine article, you read what you want as much as you want and skip sections you don’t want to read Purpose determines pace The less the content matters the faster you can read Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 5 :Chapter 5 Steps to building a bigger and better vocabulary Analyze word parts Use a dictionary Learn common foreign words and phrases Use memory aids to ensure recall Learn specialized vocabulary Pay attention to slang Note common abbreviations Formal Measures Try an online program such as Word of the Day http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/ Free Rice, which is also a charity: http://www.freerice.com/index.php Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 5 :Chapter 5 A note on increasing reading speed. Everyone uses reading strategies for a reason, if you happen to use one of the strategies that are listed in the text as “bad” but it works for you – DO NOT stop doing it just to increase reading speed, stopping may have a negative impact for your comprehension. Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 6 :Chapter 6 The SQ3R method Survey Question Read Recite Review Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 6 :Chapter 6 Surveying When reading make use of elements such as the abstract, preface, executive summary, and table of contents – make sure you know what you are reading so you know what to look for Question Write out questions that you would like answered by the material or questions that you need answered – as you are reading write the answers as they appear Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.


Chapter 6 :Chapter 6 Read When reading focus on your questions as well as the material you are reading – not distractions Look for central ideas Write notes to yourself on the material – highlight, write, use sticky notes or tape flags, etc Recite Try to put the writer’s words in your own words Try to write a summary of the writer’s words Review Quiz yourself on what you just read Go back and re-read sections that did not make sense Adapted from: Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.