Awesome Summary Notes Make Studying a Breeze
The Awesome Summary Notes system provides students with an
easy and efficient method for organizing information and studying
for tests. Included: Directions for creating
summary notes and tips for using them for studying and review.
Many students spend hours scrambling to study for a test using class notes, textbooks, handouts, and review sheets, only to feel let down when their grades don't reflect the hours of studying they put in beforehand. If your students are studying for exams using multiple sources of information in a disorganized and scatterbrained fashion, they are wasting valuable time!
PROPER PREPARATION IS THE KEY
The key to studying, especially in math and science courses, is
proper preparation. To ensure success, students must use a systematic
method to prepare.
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About the Author
Anita Delmar, B.Sc. B.Ed., is the author of Awesome Grades
in Math and Science, a program that, step-by-step, guides
students in grades 7-12 to success in their math and science
classes. The Awesome Grades program is used by thousands
of students, parents, teachers and schools throughout North
America and abroad. For more information, visit the Awesome
Grades Web site.
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Many students find that, no matter how many times they look over
the information they need to know for a test, they still are unable
to retain it. I have found that to learn something well enough to
succeed on a test or exam, students must actually write down the
information in a concise and organized manner.
I want to share with you, therefore, a system that can help students
immediately organize information, and allow them to learn it in
an efficient and highly effective manner. I've been teaching this
method for years -- to students of varying capabilities and academic
levels; without fail, the method has produced dramatic improvement
in students' overall achievement. It also has been a particularly
useful tool for my special education students, many of whom demonstrate
considerable organizational difficulties.
Best of all, this method, which I call the "Awesome Summary Notes"
(ASN) system, is extremely easy to use. With the brief description
and example provided below, you can get started right away helping
your students develop more organized and efficient study habits!
GETTING STARTED
Provide students with the following directions for making Awesome
Summary Notes:
- Draw a vertical line lengthwise down the center of an 8.5-inch
by 11-inch piece of paper.
- Write a question in the left hand column of the page using as
few key words as possible (but being careful not to leave out
anything important).
- Write the answers in the right hand column of the page (directly
across from each question) using as few key words as possible.
Follow the same procedure for all the subject matter that must be
learned.
For example, if your students needed to learn the functions of
the parts of a cell for a biology test, they would
- write the heading "Functions of cell parts" at the top of the
page.
- list the name of each cell part -- nucleus, vacuole, cytoplasm,
and so on -- in the left-hand column, beneath the heading.
- summarize the function of each cell part in the right-hand column,
across from the name of the part. It's as simple as that!
The key to making this system work is to have your students take
everything they need to learn from their textbooks, handouts, class
notes, review sheets, and so on, and compile it into a single, easy-to-study
resource.
THOROUGH AND ACCURATE
The two most important characteristics your students must keep
in mind when making their Awesome Summary Notes are thoroughness
and accuracy.
Being thorough means students must make sure they go through all
the material they need to learn and make proper summary notes of
it. It also means not writing any information in their notes
that they don't really understand. Explain to students that they
should get help from you, another teacher, a tutor, a parent, or
a friend to be sure they understand each concept before including
it in their summary notes.
Being accurate means student must make sure every piece of information
in their summary notes is correct. If students make errors in the
answer column of their notes, they'll learn incorrect information
-- and they'll learn it extremely well!
The first couple of times my students make Awesome Summary Notes
on their own, I look them over to make sure they are done correctly.
Making Awesome Summary Notes, like any new skill, usually takes
a bit of practice to do it right.
USING AWESOME SUMMARY NOTES
The ASN system is excellent for organizing and memorizing large
amounts of information, memorizing mathematical formulas, learning
biology diagrams, or for writing out the steps for solving math
problems.
The ASN method will reduce students' stress before an exam by
giving them an easy, step-by-step, method of effective preparation.
It will eliminate confusion and anxiety over what to do next or
how to study. It will make students feel as though they are actually
accomplishing what they need to accomplish.
But here's the best part: The completed summary notes also can
serve as self-tests. How? Simply have your students take a blank
sheet of 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper, fold it in half lengthwise,
and put it on top of the right hand column of their summary notes
page -- so only the questions on the left side are visible. Now,
students ask themselves a question from the left hand side of their
notes and write the answer on the blank sheet of paper on the right
hand side. They can check their answers immediately by sliding the
folded piece of paper down just enough to expose the answer to the
question they are working on.
They got an answer wrong? No problem! All they need to do is simply
write the correct answer a few times to create a visual picture
of it in their minds, so they will be able to recall that picture
quickly and easily when they see a similar question on a test. They
also should mark with an asterisk each question they missed, so
they'll remember to test themselves on it again later. In the meantime,
they move on to the next question.
By following this procedure until they've learned everything in
their summary notes, your students will be in awesome shape for
their next quiz or exam!
Want Awesome Grades in Math and Science?
Awesome Grades in Math and Science is a program that
gives students dozens of practical methods, strategies, and
resources that guide them, step-by-step, to math and science
achievement. It's easy to use, effective, and very motivating.
For more information, visit the Awesome Grades Web
site. |
Article by Anita Delmar
Education World®
Copyright © 2003 Education World
04/07/2003
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