Karen J. Rooney, Ph.D.
President, Educational Enterprises, Inc.
2115 Willowick Lane
Henrico, VA 23238
(804) 747-1883
At this time of year, even those subjects that were going
so well can seem somewhat overwhelming when sandwiched
in between first semester examinations and the end-of-the-winter
blues. Well, don't give up; there are many simple strategies
that can make learning easier and more organized to get
better results from studying. The use of flashcard systems
and advance visual organizers can help you process information
more efficiently, develop review systems and support long
term retention of information.
Reading
A strategy called "Wheels for Reading" uses an oval as
the base of organization for tracking main ideas and details
in a visual format. The approach is very simple. Before
starting to read, make an oval (wheel) near the top of
a sheet of paper and place the title above the wheel.
While reading the material, put the first main idea inside
the wheel and attach the details in a spoke-like fashion
around the wheel. The details that have to be attached
are names of people and places, important numbers and
terms. Any other important material can be attached as
well. When you move to the next idea, simply make another
wheel under the one you were working on previously. The
wheels will always be placed one under the other to produce
a linear pattern so that no organizational decisions are
required.
The wheels can be used in literature reading by writing
the title and author on a sheet of paper and making at
least three wheels. Put characters (who) in the first,
setting (where, when) in the second and plot (what happened)
in the third. You can also make a wheel for anything your
teacher wants you to track in the story such as examples
of man versus nature or good versus evil. As you read,
attach the details around the appropriate wheel so you
end up with a visual display of the details and summary
of the plot for fast review.
Textbook Reading
When you read in your textbook, go to the beginning or
end of the chapter before starting to read to see if the
text has vocabulary (terms) to remember or main idea questions.
If the book has either or both, put the vocabulary and
questions on separate index cards before you begin to
read. Place the cards right next to your book. The cards
will identify the important information for you so all
you need to do is put the answer on the back of the card
when you reach the answer in the text. The resulting set
of cards will produce a cumulative review system that
will grow into an excellent examination review system.
If you would rather use wheels, put the title of your
chapter at the top of a page of paper in a notebook. Make
a wheel and put the first subtitle in the wheel. As your
read, attach important details around the wheel. Do this
for each subtitles section so you will have all the subtitles
(main ideas) inside the wheels and the related details
around each wheel. The wheels should be in a straight
line and display your main ideas and details for later
review.
Mathematics, Foreign Language and English Grammar
These subjects all require application of learned information.
It is not enough to know the rules; you must be able to
apply the rules. In order to do this, make study cards
for the rules that will build a review system. It is often
necessary to review this type of material very often to
build skills to an automatic level. On an index card,
put the topic at the top of the card with the page number
of your textbook. Rephrase the rule or process (or copy
if you can't rephrase) and then make up your own original
example of what you have learned. Have a parent, teacher
or friend correct your example and highlight any "careless
errors" on the card. The resulting card will have your
topic, the rule, an example you understand and will focus
your attention on little errors you might make on a test.
Notetaking
When taking notes, fold your paper lengthwise so you
have two columns. Take notes in one column and predict
test questions in the second column as soon as possible
after class so you will review your notes daily. The questions
will help you process the information, support memory
retention and produce a set of study questions for review.
Another way you can take notes is by putting a wheel
on a sheet of paper and placing the first main idea the
teacher talks about in the wheel and related information
around the outside of the wheel. When the teacher changes
the topic, make another wheel so your notes will end of
being a set of wheels in a straight line that track the
main ideas and related details that were presented in
class.
Studying using organizational strategies makes the study
process simpler and has been proven to improve school
performance. Give these suggestions a try so that tests
and exams will not be so difficult when we have all the
sunshine, high spirits and excitement that will come with
spring!
Karen J. Rooney holds a Ph.D. from the University of
Virginia and is President of Educational Enterprises,
Inc. which is a private practice specializing in assessment
and interventions for individuals with learning disabilities
and attention disorders.
