Read the article from Purdue University on How to create a study guide. As we approach midterm week, you may want to consider developing a study guide to help you prepare. Read the article and share with the class how you prepare for exams, things that have or have not worked in the past and how you plan to approach the upcoming exam in this course (75 words).
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Making And Using Study Guides-Aids
To Preparing For An Exam
This chapter will explain several methods of organizing material. The resulting
study guide will be your road map to exam preparation.
•
•
Types of Information Organizers
o Summary Sheet
o Concept Map or Graphic Overview
o Index Cards
o Predicting Essay Questions
Other Types of Study Aids
o Old Exams
o Commercial Study Guides
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of a study guide is to help you synthesize and summarize the information.
You might think of your study guide as a mini outline. It is especially useful for difficult
or complex concepts or subject areas. The primary advantage of a study guide is that it
reduces the amount of information to be learned. Also, memory is improved by putting
the information in your own words and organizing it in ways that are meaningful to you.
In this chapter we will study several methods of organizing information and look at their
advantages and disadvantages. You may use more than one organizing strategy when
composing a study guide. Remember MASTERY of a SMALLER amount of information
is your goal.
TYPES OF INFORMATION ORGANIZERS
SUMMARY SHEET
This is the most common method of organizing information. You simply summarize the
underlining and marking both in your text and in your lecture notes. It is important to use
titles that will organize the material in ways meaningful to you. Then in your own words
list the most important facts under each title. At this point in your study process, you
should be able to use key words–either in the text or the margin–that will trigger recall
without needing a full written explanation.
Advantages And Disadvantages: There are several advantages and
disadvantages to using a summary sheet. It is probably the most thorough
method of organizing information and the one with which we are most familiar. It
allows you to include examples and note relationships. Thus you can study at a
deep level. By using a left hand margin similar to the Cornell method, you can
also predict questions and rehearse answers. There are disadvantages,
however. This method is more time consuming and often you are tempted to
include more detail than may be necessary.
CONCEPT MAP OR GRAPHIC OVERVIEW
If you learn best from visual representations, this may be the best method for you.
Arrange a chapter’s titles and subtitles using geometric shapes such as circles, squares,
triangles, radiating lines and arrows to place information in a meaningful pattern. Graphic
overviews can also be prepared for sections within a chapter.
Advantages and Disadvantages: The relationship and organization of various
concepts becomes apparent when looking at a graphic overview. It is also easy
to test yourself on the vocabulary or key words. However, it often takes several
pages to include all the key words in a chapter and very little detail is included.
INDEX CARDS
Index cards are an efficient means of organizing information that can be written in a
straightforward manner. Examples include definitions of terms, brief facts or charts,
mathematical formulas, and foreign language vocabulary. Index cards are very easy to
make and a few could even be made after reading a chapter. First, write the title or topic
on the blank side. Then write the information to be learned on the back or lined side of
the card, preferably upside-down so it is easy to read when the card is turned. You may
even include a brief example on the back of the card. If you number the cards, be sure
that you mix them up during your final review session(s) to test recall and understanding.
Advantages and Disadvantages: There are several advantages to index cards.
First, you will, of course, learn by making the cards. Even more importantly,
testing yourself by reciting from the topic on the front of the card is an excellent
way of discovering how well you truly know or understand the information.
Secondly, index cards are especially easy to carry and use during short free
periods waiting in line or between classes. Finally, index cards are time efficient
in that you can separate the cards you have learned from those you still need to
practice. Don’t forget, however, that you may still need to quickly review the
“learned” cards at intervals. The primary disadvantage is that you tend to learn
information only at the literal or definition level.
PREDICTING ESSAY QUESTIONS
One advantage of essay exams is that you will be tested on the major concepts. Thus it is
relatively easy to predict the types of questions you will be asked. Using common essay
question words such as define, contrast, and prove, you can link the subheadings together
and accurately predict exam questions.
Advantages and Disadvantages By writing and mastering the answers at home,
you can go to the exam confident that you will be able to answer similar
questions during the exam.
OTHER STUDY AIDS
OLD EXAMS
Old exams are one of the best ways to test your grasp of the information. They are
usually written at a deeper level of difficulty than study guides that you create. Also they
give you experience in taking a test using “real” examples. This process often exposes
concepts that are still unclear or fuzzy. You must be cautious in using old exams to the
exclusion of other study aids. The range of examples is limited so that studying and
knowing the examples on one test does not insure that you will do well on a test that
focuses on alternate concepts. Taking old tests can also be a time consuming process.
However the combination of studying all the target material and then taking an old exam
can be a very effective.
COMMERCIAL STUDY GUIDES
Many publishers also print study guides to accompany the textbook. They can shortcut
your task of summarizing the information after studying the text.
STUDY GUIDES
Types of Information Organizers
Summary Sheet
Advantages
Disadvantages
Predicts questions
Time consuming
Rehearse easily
More detail
Encourage easily
Encourages deeper level
thinking
Concept Map
See vocabulary easily
More that 1 needed to cover
Shows organization
all material
Shows relationships
Index Cards
Mixes ideas easily
One card for each concept
Easily portable
May tend to be literal
Easy to test
Separate learned ideas
Predicting Essay Questions
Most closely resembles task in
exam
Other Study Aids
Old Exams
Deeper level/difficulty
Doesn’t cover all concepts
Real examples
Must use time limit to be
Tells you what you still don’t
effective
know
Commercial Study Guides
Publisher has done much of
Cannot substitute for task of
the work for you
reading and understanding
textbook
Kathleen D Thayer
Director Academic Success Center
Purdue University
…
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