Dimension 5 - Taking Notes

Taking notes during lectures is an integral part of the learning process. We seem to implicitly know that note-taking is beneficial to us therefore most students are all too familiar with writing down paragraphs at lightning speed in class as the professor speaks. But, there is more to the process of taking notes than meets the eye.

What is note taking?

Essentially, note-taking is the process of recording key bits of information in a systematic manner to free the mind from the burden of recalling everything.

It is a complex task which involves :

1. Active listening,
2. Identification of key concepts,
3. Relating new information with previously learnt material,
4. Seeking answers to questions which arise from the new material, and
5. Reviewing

Phases of Taking Notes

Effective note taking has 3 phases; before class, during class, and after class.

Before Class:

• It's a good idea to go through material covered in the previous lecture.
• Not only does it help follow along the lecture better, but it also serves as revision.

During Class:

• Using different colored pens for highlighting specific points, or definitions, makes it stand out, and makes note-taking more fun.
• Avoid taking notes verbatim. Instead try and use abbreviations, symbols and codes to increase your speed of writing.
• Draw diagrams or flowcharts, as it gives greater clarity in understanding concepts and ideas.

After Class:

• Reading what you've written while it's fresh in your mind also serves as another revision.
• You can also go through your textbook, and highlight the interesting and important points.

Note Taking Strategies

The 5Rs (Record, Reduce, Recite, Reflect, and Review) are critical to the Cornell Note Taking System developed by Walter Pauk.

The system works like this -

• You have to divide the paper into two columns: the note-taking column and the questions/keyword column. Leave a few lines at the bottom of the page.
• Lecture notes should be written in the note-taking column, and long ideas should be paraphrased.
• Avoid long sentences - use symbols, abbreviations, diagrams or flow charts.
• Write relevant questions and key-words in the key-words column.

• Within a day, revise; write questions and a brief summary at the bottom of the page.
• That gives a concise, but detailed and relevant record of previous classes.
• When reviewing, you can cover the note-taking column while trying to answer the questions/key-words from the key-word column. (Source: http://lsc.cornell.edu/notes.html , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_Notes )

The Split Page Method is similar to the Cornell Method however it is still a principle unto itself.

This method is best used in study situations where the notes taken during a lecture are combined with the information from the textbook.

To use this technique, simply fold a piece of paper in half. While attending the lecture, keep your notes to the left. Integrate the coordinating information from your textbook on the right.

Highlight any information or ideas for questions you might need to ask your professor. (Source: https://www.transcribe.com/article/note-taking-techniques/)

Mind Mapping is an extremely effective method of taking notes.

Mind Maps show not only facts, but also the overall structure of a subject, and the relative importance of individual parts of it.

They help associate ideas, think creatively, and make connections that you might not otherwise make.

Mind Maps are useful for summarizing information, for consolidating large chunks of information, for making connections, and for creative problem solving.

To use Mind Maps effectively, make sure you print your words, use different colors to add visual impact, and incorporate symbols and images to further spur creative thinking. (Source: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_01.htm)

Click here to learn how to make mind maps.

Benefits of Note-Taking

The correlation between taking notes and effective learning has been supported by several research studies.

• Taking notes during the lecture ensures attentiveness. It keeps your body engaged, preventing distraction and drowsiness.
• A set of concise notes from each class help to connect classroom learning to textbook reading.
• A study conducted in the Philippines revealed that taking notes is more beneficial to those who have a visual style of learning. Visual learners are people who prefer learning new material through graphs, diagrams and charts. (Source: http://research.uic.edu.ph/ojs/index.php/uicpj/article/view/477)
• Reviewing notes prior to exams aids the recall of factual material. It also facilitates the synthesis and application of new knowledge. (Source: http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/~krasny/math156_crlt.pdf)

Experiment taking notes through the various methods and decide which one works best for you. You could stick to just one method or combine several methods. 

To learn more about effective study skills, stay tuned!

Dimension 4 - Motivation

During exams we often find ourselves and others saying “I don’t feel like studying!” Instead of studying for an exam that is 2 weeks away, we end up texting our friends, watching YouTube videos or playing games on our phone. After procrastinating for an hour, when we finally decide to start studying and open our books, the thought pops up again… “I don’t feel like studying!”

Sometimes, you do want to study hard, but you don’t feel motivated enough. Lack of motivation is one reason why most of us don’t feel like studying.

What is motivation?

It is the reason for people’s actions, desires & needs, and it causes a person to want to repeat a behavior. When you study for an hour, then don’t open your books for the next two days thinking that you studied enough “that day”, you are not motivated enough.

Here are some tips that might help you get motivated to study:

Set goals for yourself.  Goals help you to stay focused. Write down your goals & how you intend to achieve them. Make a timetable and follow it regularly. If possible, stick notes around the house for yourself that will help you get motivated.

Reward yourself. It is a good idea to reward yourself once the goal is achieved. The reward could be ‘patting your own back’ or ‘listening to a favorite piece of music’. You could decide small rewards for completing tasks – “If I complete 1 chapter today, I get to watch TV for half an hour” By rewarding yourself whenever a goal is achieved, your brain elicits positive emotions, leading to a realization that efforts result in positive rewards. You start linking challenges as another chance to get a reward. This helps to maintain motivation.

Believe in yourself. This is the most important thing before starting anything. You need to push yourself to study, because no one else is going to do it for you. Believing in yourself can help you accomplish anything. If you have an attitude of “I can’t study”, you won’t feel like studying & you will end up getting fewer marks, which will strengthen your belief that “you can’t”. So, it is always a good idea to have positive attitude.

Sometimes, group studies also boost motivation. It also breaks the monotony and boredom.

Another reason we don’t feel motivated is because we prolong our studies. We start studying one or two weeks before the exam. This causes stress, which reduces our efficiency. Instead, we should take one step at a time. Go through your notes regularly, so you have an understanding of the concepts and don’t have to struggle at the last moment.

One of the best ways to get motivated is to visualize how you will feel when your goals have been achieved… bring in front of your mind’s eye that you are proudly telling your parents about your grades, experience the sense of achievement within yourself. Of course do not day dream, work towards achieving what you want.

Meditation is another factor that helps. When you work on your breathing techniques, it helps calm your mind. Thus, you’re less distracted, less stressed and more motivated. It also helps to improve concentration.

Lastly, stay hydrated, exercise regularly & eat well!

Happy Studying!

More dimensions to follow!

Dimension 3 - Time Management

Steve Jobs frequently wore a black T- shirt and jeans. Do you know why? He did that so he didn't have to waste his time thinking about what to wear! This was one small step he used to make more effective use of his time.

Now, not all of us want to dress the same for the rest of our lives to save time so, here are some other techniques which you can use to manage time. But, before we get to the techniques let's understand how time management makes life easier.

How does time management help?

• It can directly reduce your stress level. 
• Puts less pressure of bumping up against important deadlines. 
• It helps to prioritise work. 
• Allows you to take control of your life and helps to set attainable goals.
• Helps to accomplish more and to take better decisions.

We live in a world where we are constantly hard pressed for time and leading a productive life requires us to have good time management skills. Time management is especially important for students. Students who learn how to effectively divide their time between numerous activities have a better chance of academic success. ‎

Some of the techniques recommended to manage time are : 

1. Work backwards – Check the deadline date. Find out how many days are available for submission/studies. Accordingly decide how many hours you have to work per day.
2. Prepare a schedule – Prepare a time table. Write it down. Decide which subject/unit you will study at a particular time. Study difficult topics when the mind is receptive.
3. To do list - Start your day by making a ‘to do list’.  Tick as the work gets done. At the end of the day, review.
4. Prioritise tasks – Check what is important. Number the tasks to be done serially. Similar work can be grouped.
5. Relax – Do not over burden. Set aside some time each day to pursue a hobby, listen to music, read a book and so on.
6. Do not postpone – Start working on your assignments as soon as you get them. Look at the requirement of the work. Some work needs to be done continuously; some can be divided into small parts. Plan accordingly.
7. Be organized – Decide specific places to keep your things. Lot of time gets wasted in searching for things. Keep lists of things handy.
8. Keep the Cell phone away - Put all electronic devices like mobiles and I pods away while studying. 
9. Identify time wasters – Sit quietly, introspect, find out what are the major time wasters. Actually time some tasks, you may be spending much more time then you think on it.
10. Be punctual. 

These are some of the tips that can help you manage your time well. There are many other ways that can help you manage your time. Identify them and use them.

Time management reduces procrastination and helps to achieve goals. Practicing good time management helps in better performance as a person develops a sense of control over ones activities.

So now, set your time, use a planner and start your journey towards success.

More dimensions to follow! Stick around.

Dimension 2 - Memory

We have all been exam procrastinators. The hatred for the days before the exams, the borrowing of notes, studying the “important questions” We hated days before exams. Notes borrowing, studying only the important questions as shortcut, discussing and understanding concepts, burning the midnight oil or rather now-a-days, the tube light and praying we pass. How much of what we’ve crammed are we going to remember? Why don’t we learn through the year? Why is learning throughout the year is emphasized so much? What is its logic? Let’s shed light on some uncommon concepts…..

First let’s see how memory is formed in first place. There are three stages of memory formation: Encoding, Storage and Retrieval.

1. Encoding is set of mental operations or simply said efforts made by us to make information usable for brain’s storage system. For example-to remember someone’s name, you associate the name to their face.
2. Storage: Holding onto information for a long period of time. Depending on stage of memory, the period of time can be range from 20 seconds to relatively permanent.
3. Retrieval: Getting information that is stored into a form that can be used. On of the biggest problems of students is not being able to get information out on time, for example, you are trying hard to remember a keyword of an answer but you fail to. After you return from the exam your friend says the word and you feel deep regret that you could not remember it on time.

Memory is of various types, each useful for a particular everyday necessary skill. The following table will give you an idea about these types,

Procedural [Non Declarative] Long Term Memory	Memory for Skills, procedures, habits and Conditioned Responses. E.g. Riding a bicycle.
Declarative Memory	Conscious and Accessible information, such as general facts, names, etc. Semantic and Episodic memory are its further categories.
Semantic Memory	General knowledge and knowledge gained through formal education.
Episodic Memory	Personal information not readily available to others such as daily events and activities.

Now, we reach to a very useful topic: Methods to better memory so that we can write examinations well and score marks.

Use SQ3R formula.  

• Survey – Survery the topic of study.  Go through the major headings, subheadings, get a feel of what topic is about.
• Questions – Think about the possible questions that can be asked on the topic. If you have a question bank, go through it too.
• Read – Read actively, create links between the information and what you already know, where ever possible, take notes, understand what you are reading
• Retrieve – Make an attempt to remember what was read. Test yourself repeatedly
• Review – Take a quick review of all that was learnt in that session.

Some other very useful tips for studying and remembering

1. Minimize distraction – Try to study in a place where distraction is minimum. One major source of distraction is cell phone, so keep it away while studying. It is a good idea is to disable the distracting apps particularly social networking ones, temporarily.
2. Take short breaks - Take short breaks during studying. Do not schedule back to back study times.
3. Sleep well and eat well - One of the worst reasons for bad memory is sleep loss. Make sure you get enough sleep from 5 to 8 hours. Do not use electronic gadgets before sleep, do not go hungry before sleep. Good nutrition helps the brain to remember better so opt for a healthy diet and avoid junk.
4. Summarize – specially, long, cumbersome answers. Attempt to summarize each paragraph in a single sentence.
5. Overlearn – Overlearning improves retention. It also gives a sense of mastery.
6. Motivate yourself - you can use wallpapers of quotes such as “Keep calm and Study Hard”. Putting up charts of important formulae and concepts is helpful as well.

We suggest using apps like Study Tips by Life Hack Studios to aid the study process.  It is a free app which gives amazing tips and tricks to perform well in exams. Use the app and implement the tips. Find out for you what helps you to study well, concentrate and focus.

Study regularly, Practice writing, Keep your mind calm.

Happy Studying!

More dimensions to follow!

Dimension 1 - Concentration

"The secret of concentration is secret of self-discovery. You reach inside yourself to discover your personal resources, and what it takes to match them to challenge".

What is that one important thing you need when you want to sit and study? What is it that helps you perform well in studies? What is it that you wish you had more so that you could enhance your performance in academics?

    The answer to the above mentioned questions is "CONCENTRATION".

          To concentrate means ‘to focus our attention to one single objective’. Concentration helps to improve our ability to learn, remember and recall information far more effectively. Concentration along with the person's ability and hard work plays a crucial role in deciding whether or not we will be successful in studies specifically and different walks of life, in general.

     The span of concentration differs from person to person, but do you know that there are ways in which you can enhance this skill?

     Well, this blog is all about the power of our mind to concentrate and how efforts made towards improving it can open the gates of success for everyone.

So, fasten your seat-belt and let's talk about a few techniques through which you can achieve good concentration.

Few tips to improve concentration:

1. GAMES

Any game which involves planning, remembering earlier moves will help to improve concentration. The perks of playing games are that, they can be played by anyone, there is no age restriction and they're fun. Be it the Rubik's cube or Sudoku, any game involving physical and mental skills has an amazing effect, in the best way possible. So play!

2. MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness meditation can help to improve attention as well as reduce stress level and anxiety. Mindfulness helps to keep our thoughts, focused on one single idea which is why it is great for improving concentration. 10-15 minutes of meditation daily can prove to be useful. There are a number of meditation apps available that can also aid in improving one's concentration.

3. POWER NAP

Power nap is ‘a short sleep taken during the working day in order to restore one's mental alertness’. Mind gets easily distracted when a person is not well rested, so power naps are useful.They restore alertness, performance, and learning ability. Taking power nap after coming home from college or when tired, for about 10 to 20 minutes can boost concentration. Important that the power nap should not extend to sleep.       

4. COMFORTABLE PLACE

Find a place which will help you to concentrate on your work. Library, study lounges and private rooms are the best. Above all, the place that you choose should not be distracting. Try to stay away from other people if you want to concentrate on your work. Adequate light and ventilation will be useful.

5. THE P2 PLAN (Planning and prioritizing)

Always have a plan for whatever you want to do. When you sit down to work without a plan, you may easily get caught in activities like checking mails, instant messaging (chatting) and browsing the web. Without a purpose, you are likely to waste your time. You'll find yourself distracted by a variety of nagging thoughts instead of devoting all your attention to one important task. Thus, make a clear plan that meets your needs beforehand. Take 5 or 10 minutes break in between and move on to your most important task. When making a plan be sure to allocate enough time for entertainment and sleep,  along with studies.

Also sort out priorities. Doing a lot of things at the same time not only divides attention but also leaves you exhausted. Hence, setting priorities and focusing on them instead of going back and forth from one plan to another makes it easier to concentrate. Ordering the jobs from highest to lowest in terms of priority helps in improving concentration and thus, enhances efficacy of the person.

These tips may sound common and routine. However, these simple steps boost our overall cognitive functioning and mental clarity.  Some methods will be more effective than others, you may even combine two techniques or discover new techniques which work best for you!

       Remember, learning to concentrate will require determination and consistent efforts, keep at it!          

An Introduction to Effective Study Skills

Learning is an integral part of our lives. As students, this learning gets tested during examinations. Often, students are aware that they need to study, but do not know how to go about it, and they are especially unaware of the methods to improve one’s study skills.

An effective study skills questionnaire was made available to students of D.G. Ruparel College. This questionnaire measures seven dimensions and yields a score for each.

These scores not only provide us with an insight into our current study methods and techniques, but it also provides us with an understanding of where our strengths and weaknesses lie. Based on this information, the student can direct efforts to the improvement various dimensions.

The seven dimensions tested through a questionnaire are:

1. CONCENTRATION  
Concentration means to focus our attention on the task at hand and enhance the quality of the work done. To concentrate is to focus on studying without allowing other thoughts to waver our attention. Concentrating well helps to boost our productivity and our ability to learn.

2. REMEMBERING 
Remembering is a process that is done by everyone daily. Remembering refers to being able to recall and reproduce what has been learnt. To recall means to bring to mind the information, events, situations, etc. that a person has previously learnt or encountered.

3. ORGANIZING TIME
Time management is a process of organizing and planning how to divide the time between specific activities. Good time management enables a person to work smarter - get more work done in less time. This is also applicable when the time available is less and the pressure is high.

4. STUDYING A CHAPTER  
Textbooks can seem scary but they are not difficult to understand. Focusing on the conceptual meaning of the material while reading enhances the quality of the material which has been learnt. Studying a chapter soon after it has been taught in class helps to gain clarity of the concepts taught.

5. LISTENING AND TAKING NOTES
It refers to actively listening to what is taught in the lecture while simultaneously taking notes of it. Taking effective and reliable notes helps to better understand the key concepts taught. It also helps us to distinguish between various concepts.  

6. TAKING TESTS
Helps a person to know his/ her own capability to remember the material one has studied. Taking a test is a common way to see how much a person has understood and remembers.

7. MOTIVATION 
Motivation is generally talked about as something that keeps us going. Motivation can be defined as a driving force or the reason behind our actions. It refers to our desire to bring about a particular change in behaviour. Unless people are motivated to work hard and bring about a change, it won’t be reflected in their results. It is also one of the reasons to explain why people like to repeat and be consistent with certain behaviours.

Each dimension will be further explained in a series of posts to follow. So, stay tuned!