Archive for the ‘Study Help’ Category
Your Learning Style and You
Posted on: September 5, 2012
Some of us learn by listening. Others by doing. Still others by reading or talking or experimenting. We call these “learning styles,” and we all learn a little differently. What that means is that, to get the most out of school or anything where you need to learn, it can be helpful to understand how you learn best.
The three main learning styles are:
- Visual – Visual learners pick up written information quickly—books, blackboards, overhead projectors.
- Auditory – Auditory learners learn by listening to lectures or other spoken information.
- Tactile – These are hands-on learners. People who learn by trying things themselves.
Which of these sound like you? Maybe you’re a mix of two or three? Understanding your own learning style can help you choose classes or opportunities that highlight your learning skills. It can also give you a clue as to where you might need to put in a little extra effort.
Fortunately, Everest offers a great mix of classroom and hands-on learning opportunities, so there’s something to fit every learning style. Contact Everest learn more about which learning opportunities can help you be most successful.
Study Smarter, Not Harder
Posted on: July 6, 2012
We’ve all heard the old advice to “study hard.” But some learning experts say that the way we study isn’t always the way our brains learn. Here’s some advice to help you get more from your study sessions.
- Study. Break. Study. Break. Rather than studying for several hours straight, try studying in 10-minute bursts. You’ll remember more.
- Relax to learn better. Leave yourself time to study and think about what you’re learning. And be sure to relax. When you’re stressed, you don’t learn.
- Review the same day. Go over your notes the same day while it’s still fresh. It’ll help cement that information in your brain.
- Start big and go small. We understand things better when we focus on big ideas first and then get into the details.
- Remember that we forget. Experts call it “brain fade”: old information gets pushed out by new information. So remember to review things you’ve studied before to bring it all back.
- Set reasonable goals. Don’t try to do bite off too much at once. Start early and set smaller goals that you can reach more easily. Then you’ll have a better chance of it all coming together.
Teaching your kids good study habits not only helps them do better in school, but it also helps prepare them for success later in life. Here are five ways to get them off to a good start:
- Set a time for homework. Set aside a specific time of the day just for doing homework, and stick to it. This helps teach your child discipline and sets up good habits for how to use their time.
- Reward success and use failure to teach. It’s important to reward a child when they do well. But it’s even more important to encourage them to look at mistakes as learning, not as failure. Instead of scolding a child for a poor test or missed answers, try asking, “What do you think we can learn from this for next time?”
- Make schoolwork a priority. Make a deal with your child: no TV, video games, etc., until all homework is done. And be consistent. This teaches them discipline to get important things done first before going to play.
- Give them a good place to study. Don’t let kids do homework in front of the TV. Instead, find an uncluttered, quiet place for them to work, without toys and games around to distract them.
- Try working together. Kids love time with their parents. And if you have homework to do or bills to pay, sitting down with your kids while they study is a perfect opportunity to lead by example!
With a little discipline, you can give your child the tools to succeed in school and beyond!
- In: Student Support | Study Help
- Comments Off on Help Fellow Students and Yourself by Becoming an Igniter Ambassador
An Igniter Ambassador is an Everest student who has been chosen for his/her leadership potential, positive attitude and commitment to making the most of the Everest experience. Ambassadors participate in peer mentoring and peer tutoring, as well as hosting school events and fundraisers. The goal of the program is to create a peer-to-peer support system that encourages all students to grow, mature and succeed.
Everest students who choose to become Igniter Ambassadors do so to:
- Improve their leadership skills
- Establish new friendships
- Help their fellow students
- Make themselves more attractive to potential employers
Prospective Ambassadors must be at least in their program’s Module B/Two, but have not completed more than 80 percent of their program. Linear students must be in at least their second term. To learn how to become an Ambassador, including additional requirements for membership, speak to a faculty member or senior Igniter Ambassador.
- In: Books | Reading | School | Study Help | Tips & Advice
- Comments Off on How to Improve Your Reading Comprehension
If you’d like to improve your reading comprehension, try the SQ3R method. This is an acronym that means: Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review.
Here’s how it works:
Survey Your Text
Prior to reading, take a few moments to scan through your text. Get an overall feeling for how much you’re going to read, and how the text is sectioned off. It helps to read through all the headings and any thesis or conclusion statements during this time. This will help you understand the point of the reading prior to beginning.
Question Everything
After surveying your text, ask yourself some questions prior to reading. What questions do you have about the subject matter you’re about to read? What does the title of the text suggest? What does the author want to tell you about this subject? What’s the most important information on each page? Asking these types of questions will focus your mind on the text, and will help you pay attention. If you start to daydream, ask more questions and try to answer them.
Reading
As you read, try to find answers to the questions you have. Think through what the author is saying, and try to develop more questions as you read. If you have a lot to read, plan on dividing up the text so you can take adequate breaks. Studies suggest you’re more likely to remember the first and last things that you read. So divide up the text and take breaks.
Recite the Text
After reading a chunk of text, take a break and try to recite what you’ve just read. Try to summarize your reading as best you can. If you have trouble, look back at your reading to see what you’ve missed. This might take some practice, but pretty soon you’ll start remember what you’ve read a bit quicker.
Review
After you’re finished reading, review what you just read. Ask yourself the same questions you had in the beginning of the reading, and see if you remember the answers. Think how the reading material fits with your class or assignment. Also think about possible ways you might be tested on the material, and you can best prepare.
Something that’s not mentioned in this method is the importance of taking notes. Note taking is very important to help you remember key facts. Just don’t get too wrapped up in taking notes without thinking through what you’re writing. Take notes on the most important parts of your reading, and something that will help you quickly review what you just read.
- In: Internet | News | Online | School | Study Help
- Comments Off on Online Research Hacks – 7 Websites You Should Know About
As a student, you know writing a research paper can be a tedious process.
Not only do you have to spend a lot of time writing, but you also need to spend many hours finding and reading appropriate journal articles and books.
To make your life a bit easier, here are the top seven websites you should visit when starting your research paper. You might be surprised how much you can learn about your topic without even going to a library:
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is always a good place to start when beginning initial research. The articles will usually provide you with a good summary of the topic you’re interested in. And the external links sections might give you some other links to consider. Check the discussion pages for further investigation.
Internet Public Library
The Internet Public Library will provide you with a host of quality websites about the topic you’re interested in. This is definitely a great resource for finding books and articles about your chosen topic.
Google News Search
Depending on what type of research you’re doing, Google News Search might be appropriate. Google News archives newspaper articles. All you need to do is type in a word and newspaper articles using that word will appear in chronological order. It’s very handy when looking for current news about your topic.
Microsoft Book Search
If you’re looking for a book in the public domain, check out this book search. You can search every word in a book, and even download entire books as a pdf. It’s a great resource for finding relevant content in older books.
Google Book Search
If you can’t find a particular book in Microsoft Book Search, definitely check out Google Book Search. You can search for current books in Google, but you’ll only get a limited preview. Google Books will also provide full downloads of older books (in public domain).
Virtual Library
Virtual library is a place that hosts tons of links on various topics. It’s easy to get lost in this website because of the amount of information available. It’s not as user-friendly as the Internet Public Library, but it does provide great links.
Google Scholar
As you get more focused on your topic, don’t forget to search in Google Scholar. This website will extract articles from academic journals. It’s a great resource for finding high quality articles on your topic. Many of the links might only give you an abstract (or summary) of what’s in the articles, but you can save the reference information and find the journals at your local college library.
No doubt there are many articles and journals that you can’t access without student identification, so if you run into roadblocks on articles you really need, visit your local public or college library. Libraries typically have access to password protected research sites.
And if you still have problems getting a particular journal article or book, just ask for help from a college librarian or research associate. It’s their job to know how to find and get information, and they will probably have some great recommendations.
Best wishes on your research.
How to Memorize Information Quickly
Posted on: April 6, 2007
- In: Study Help | Tips & Advice
- Comments Off on How to Memorize Information Quickly
If you’ve ever struggled to memorize information for a test, here is a quick hack to help you remember things more easily:
Forming an acronym is a good strategy to use to remember information in any order that can be remembered. An acronym is a word that is formed from the first letter of each fact to be remembered. It can be a real word or a nonsense word you are able to pronounce.
Here is how to form an acronym.
- Write the facts you need to remember.
- Underline the first letter of each fact. If there is more than one word in a fact, underline the first letter of only.
- Arrange the underlined letters to form an acronym that is a real word or a nonsense word you can pronounce.
For example:
“HOMES” is an example of an acronym that is a real word you can use to remember the names of the five Great Lakes: Michigan, Erie, Superior, Ontario, Huron: In HOMES, H is the first letter of Huron and helps you remember that name; O is the first letter of Ontario, and so on.
- In: Study Help | Tips & Advice
- Comments Off on Student Hack: Learn Fast with Flash Cards
Flash cards can help you memorize information quickly and more efficiently.
As long as you carry them with you, you can study whenever you have a free moment. You’d be surprised how many times during a day you can break them out and start studying.
And flash cards can be used to narrow down the subjects and terms you’re having the toughest time learning. As you practice, you can start creating two stacks of cards: the stack of cards you know well, and the cards you still need to study.
Flash cards not only help you learn quicker, but it builds your confidence with the material you’re learning.
Here are 5 great websites that you can use to create, share, and find free flash cards:
Flash Card Wiki
Create and share your web-based flash cards
Pauker Open Source Flash Cards
Create and import your flash cards
Pro Profs Flash Cards
Tons of free flash cards ready to download
Flash Card Machine
Interactive web application for you to create and share your flash cards
Flash Card Exchange
Print and share your flash cards
- In: Grammar | Study Help
- Leave a Comment
Even though everyone has access to grammar and spelling check features on Microsoft Word, students still make the same spelling and grammar mistakes.
Sometimes the errors are just careless, but sometimes it’s simply because the grammar rule has been forgotten. So here are some common mistakes that you can learn to avoid:
Plural vs. Possessive
Whenever you want to make a noun plural, you can usually just add an “s.” There’s no need to add an apostrophe unless you want to make the word possessive. For example:
- The rappers (plural)
- The rapper’s delight (possessive)
This seems like an easy rule to follow, but you’d be surprised how often students mistakenly add an apostrophe where it doesn’t belong.
It’s vs. Its
Another common apostrophe mistake can be avoided by knowing the difference between its and it’s. Just remember that “it’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” And “its” is the possessive form of “it.”
- It’s a great hip hop album.
- The turntable is in its case.
A quick way to know which word to use, simply ask yourself if the sentence will work with “it is” or “it has.” If it works, then use the contraction form “It’s.”
To/Too
It’s easy to forget if you should use “to” or “too.” One way to remember the difference is that “too” refers to “also” or “too much.” For example:
- I love that song too.
- That song has been played too many times.
If you’re simply using the word to introduce a destination or a receiver of action, then use “to.” For example:
- I went to the hip hop show .
- I want to see the DJ scratch.
There, Their, and They’re
This is one of the rules that we learned back in elementary school, but very easy to forget. If you’re trying to talk about a place: use there. If you are talking about a group of people in a possessive form, use “their.” And when you are trying to say “they are,” use the contraction “they’re.” For example:
- I went over there. (Place)
- I love their new album. (Possessive)
- They’re some good musicians. (They are)
You’re/Your
If you don’t know what word to use, ask yourself if the sentence will work with “you are.” If so, then use “you’re,” which is the contraction of “you are.” If you’re trying to convey the possessive form, use “your.” For example:
- You’re a good DJ.
- Your mix tape sounds nice.
Once you know how to use these words properly, it’s very important to double check your papers before turning them in. By simply scanning your paper for these words, you can check to make sure the word is used properly.
- In: College | School | Study Help
- Leave a Comment
Everyone wants to succeed in college, but it gets tough when you have three or four different classes demanding your attention.
To help you study smarter, here are 7 hacks to help you succeed:
Talk with your Teacher during Office Hours
Most students never visit their teachers during office hours. Office hours are a great time to get clarification on concepts taught in class, and also a great way to get advice on studying for tests or writing essays.
Most teachers love when students visit them because it means you’re interested in learning and getting your assignments right. Don’t be like other students—meet with your teachers on a regular basis. If you can’t meet with them during office hours, try talking with them during class breaks or right before or after class.
Get Approval on Your Essay Thesis and Outline Before Writing
Okay, we all love to procrastinate, but when it comes to writing great essays, you need to start early. Write your essay thesis and outline as soon as possible. Then meet with your teacher in office hours, or via email, and have your outline reviewed.
Your teacher will probably give you some great advice on how to improve or shape your paper. Once you’re essay is finished, get it proofread by several other students. And if you finish really early, ask if your teacher will review your essay before submission.
Get a Study Partner from Class
It’s not always practical to study with another student in your class, but try to do this at least once—especially before a final exam. Study partners can be extremely helpful because they can help clarify subjects taught in class. They might have also written down some notes you might have missed. They also can be great proofreaders for your class essays.
Use Flash Cards
If you’re class requires memorization of key terms or concepts, make flash cards. Flash cards can help you learn concepts quicker because you can study the cards wherever you are. All you need is a big pack of flash cards and a rubber band. Just remember to just have one main point or concept on each card. Don’t make the mistake of putting too much info on a card.
Highlight Your Books
You know those big, yellow highlighters that you used to color with as a kid. Get one and use it to highlight important concepts in your book. Highlighting important parts of your textbooks will help you quickly review your textbook later.
Write in Your Textbook
One of the best ways to learn is by getting involved in your study material. You can get involved by writing notes in you textbooks. Circle important words. Underline vital concepts. Write down questions in the margin. Summarize key concepts and write them down on the page. The more you write, the more you’ll probably learn.
Get the Contact Info of Students in Class
Get the contact information from at least two other students in class. You never know when you’ll miss a class, and it’s nice to have someone to call to find out what happened. This is a must for any student.
Succeeding in college takes work, but if you study smart and meet with your teachers on a regular basis, you’ll have a much easier time earning your degree.
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