Essential Study Skills for DVM Students PowerPoint Presentation, PPT - DocSlides

Essential Study Skills for DVM Students…what works, what doesn’t

Anne LaFrance, LMHCCounselor, College of Vet Medalafrance@vetmed.wsu.edu

References and Resources

Counseling & Wellness website, Study Skills section:

http://

www.vetmed.wsu.edu/counseling/studyskills.aspx

“What works, what doesn’t” Scientific American Mind, 2013

Meta-analysis of 700+ scientific articles on 10 common study techniques

“What Will Improve a Student’s Memory?” D. Willingham, 2009 (on website)

Becoming a Master Student

, Dave Ellis, 2003

Study without Stress: Mastering Medical Sciences

,

Kelman

and

Stracker

, 2000

TIME

Memory

Reading & Notes

Test taking

Evaluate your current study strategies…and what you’re willing to change

…maybe some before your next exam?

Making the most of your time

Expect to spend 60-65

hours/week in learning

activities… including about 25 hours/week studying

A regular study schedule protects against cramming, lack of sleep, stress, and vulnerability to illness

Planner use to track assignments, study hours, exams, and outside commitments can improve exam prep and decrease procrastination

Without

a planned

schedule, multiple exams/week = poor allocation of time across subjects

Procrastination, goals, motivation, encouragement

Procrastination is fueled by perfectionism and difficulty initiating work on high priority tasks

Set daily goals

&

checkpoints, do work before “escapes”

Hardest work when most alert, 3 hr. blocks, active breaks

Allocate time/subject, manage distractions,

avoid multi-tasking

Daily & weekly rewards, plan for the unexpected

Encourage & praise yourself, celebrate successes!

Memory

…

What works What doesn’t

Self-testing during daily studyDistributed study sessions Continued reviews after you know the materialCreating conceptual frameworks of related materialDevelop memorable CUES:mnemonics

Re-reading, re-copying

Cramming

/ massed

study

Highlighting text or notes

Rote memorization

Late night studying

Pressure & sleep deprivation

Multi-tasking while studying

Self testing

Cornell Note Taking FlashcardsChapter review questionsRetake prior quizzes and testsQuiz study partner from notesHighly effective across wide range of content and time intervals – forms multiple retrieval pathways

Distributed study periods & breaks

MON.

TUES.

WED.

THURS.

FRI.

SAT.

SUN.

Exercise

>

>>>

>>>

Exercise

>

>>>

>>>

>>>

VM 510

Notes ?s

Ch. 3-4

VM 510

Open lab

Cell Phys. Notes Ch. 1-3

VM 510

Notes ?s Ch. 1-3

Cell

Phys.

Ch. 2-4 + notes

Exam

prep

VM 586 lab notes

Exam prep

Cell Phys.

Study grp.

Dinner >

>>>

>>>

Dinner >

>>>

Chores

>

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VM 586

Notes/lab

review

VM 586 review

?s lecture notes

VM 586

Ch.

3-5

Review ?s

VM 586

Ch. 1-3

review

?s

VM 586

Practice tests

VM 510

Ch. 1-3 Review

?s

Exam prep

Anat. 1 open

lab

Chores >

>>>

>>>

Chores >>

>>>

Lunch >

>>>

Anat. 1

Ch. 1-4 review ?s

Cell Phys.

Review note

s

wks

1-3

Anat. 1

Review Notes

wks

1-3

Exam prep

Cell Phys. Old

exams

Exam prep

Anat. 1

Old exams

Relax >

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

Distributed practice vs. massed practice

Keppel: massed learners forgot almost 2/3s of items after 1 weekDistributed learners recalled over90% of items after 1 weekResearch meta-analysis: Average person using distributed learning sessions remembers better than 67% of those using massed learning, and these gains persist over years. (Donovan and Radosevich)

What’s wrong with these??

Re-reading, re-copyingCramming / massed studyHighlighting text / notesRote memorizationLate night studyingPressure & sleep deprivationMulti-tasking while studying

Discuss current methods: what will you change?

Self-testing during studyDistributed study sessions Continue reviewing after you know the materialDeep learning: how concepts interrelate, why meaningfulDevelop memorable CUES:mnemonics Multiple memory modes

Re-reading, re-copying

Cramming

/ massed

study

Highlighting text or notes

Rote memorization

Late night studying

Pressure & sleep deprivation

Multi-tasking while studying

Notes & self-test in one

Review notes w/in 24 hours & add ?s

Quizzing easily identifies unlearned material

Active method for notating assigned reading

Prompts user to summarize & synthesize concepts

A system for reading and note-taking

1. Pre-read: skim, note main topics 2. Read & take Cornell notes before lectures Monitor comprehension! Question how it connects w/existing knowledge, makes sense3. Lecture notes: listen first, write main ideas4. Review notes: add missing ideas & questions to notes and quiz 1x w/in 24 hrs. of lecture, review notes before next lecture, then at distributed intervals.5. Exam prep: review & quiz all notes--lectures, labs & text

Test Taking

Test taking preparation

Rate yourself on 1-5 scale, 1= low:

I clarify what topics & kinds of questions will on exams.

2. I study early & long enough to be prepared for exams.

I make a prioritized checklist of review materials and

allocate

study hours accordingly.

4. I study in 1-3 hour periods, distributed, with breaks.

5. I review using different methods:

self-testing,

prior

exams

, study groups

, flashcards, open labs, etc.

6

. I get 8 hours’ sleep the night before exams.

Test taking strategies

Arrive early, avoid anxious discussions w/peers

Preview test and points, make time notations in margin

Start with easiest items, mark unknowns for later

Keep self-talk encouraging, expect unknowns

Answer every item unless guessing is penalized

Review carefully: difficult & missing items, correct tracking on answer sheets

Do a test post-mortem on your preparation & mistakes

Post-mortem review

Preparation

: study methods, topics, time spent, distributed study, materialsIdentify key reasons for lost points: difficulties w/concept recall, definitions, studied wrong material, lack of practice, unclear expectations, focus, anxiety, ran out of time, etc.

What will I do differently?

Identify at least three specific things. Consider preparation, time management, types of review,

mastery of concepts, use of review materials, knowledge deficits

Reminders in planner

about your revised plan for next exam

Managing test anxiety

Strong preparation diminishes test anxiety.

Sleep, exercise, limit the caffeine, good morning routine

Let go of perfectionistic beliefs: you won’t know it all.

Learn to control your focus and self-talk:

I’ll just do the best I can. This is just one test.

Breathe, relax, refocus: I am calm and clear.

I’ve studied well, and can recall what’s needed.

Monitor time, but don’t watch the clock.

Website resources!

Evaluate your current study strategies…and what you’re willing to change

Thanks for participating, and best wishes!