1 st Year Study Skills Monday 11 th

1 st Year Study Skills Monday 11 th November 2019

A few questions to begin with…. . How much sleep do you get? Are you eating the right food/ Are you getting enough exercise?

Before you begin to study. . . You must have a positive attitude Avoid talking about study and ‘just do it’ Don’t wait to be in the mood and don’t make excuses Clear your mind… relaxation/meditation Watch out for negative or critical self-talk

What type of learner are you? Your learning style is the way in which you learn best; Auditory - information given in an auditory language format - enjoys listening to audiotapes, lectures and debates Visual - information presented in written & picture format. Visual learners recall information by creating pictures in their mind Kinaesthetic - likes physical activities. Enjoys more hands on approach to learning. Needs room to move - role plays/games/experiments work best

How do I study? TIP 1: Study is more effective in short sessions MAX 30 mins of study 5/10 min break 5 min review Reward yourself but stay away from phone/TV/tablet/P S 4/Ipad

Start Small Because you don’t have any huge exams coming up just yet, you don’t need to give yourself a big workload or stress yourself out. Try studying small bits of information at a time to introduce yourself to the process. For example, in the evening after you finish your homework, pick a subject to try and study. Say you pick Irish, try and spend 20 -30 minutes studying an irregular verb like “abair” in the past, present and future tense. Obviously only study something you’ve covered in class, there’s no point in tackling something new by yourself.

How do I Study? Tip 2: Study at scheduled , specific times, use timetables and create good habits.

Study Plan A study plan or timetable - makes it much easier to study, especially before the exams. Fill in each empty box with the times you plan to study (25 - 30) minutes, e. g. 16: 00 -16: 25) & the subjects you’ll study within those times on those days. This makes it easier to commit to studying a certain subject and you’ll save time too because you won’t be fretting about what to study next, it’ll be all laid out in front of you. It’s important to stick to the plan too so that you don’t miss out on studying a certain subject.

How do I study? Tip 3: When reading - make note of the important information (create notes - don’t just highlight) Make flashcard, mind mimaps and use exam papers

How to Study? Tip 4: Have a specific goal for each 25/30 min study session Pick one thing you will know at the end Ex: the Irish verb Abair

How to Study? Tip 5: Explain what you learned to someone in a very simple way.

How to Study? Tip 6: Create a sacred spot for studying Have a neat study space

How to study? Tip 7: Don’t listen to music when you study

How to Study? Tip 8: Turn off your phone!

Do Your Homework Doing your homework is one of the best methods of study, so don’t neglect it. Even if you fail to do any other form of studying (hopefully this won’t be the case), if you’ve done all your homework throughout the year, you should still be able to do reasonably well. The homework you’re given is to prepare you for the exams really so if you get a question to do at home, it’s really like practising for the exam because a similar question could come up in the exam paper!

Study Tricks 1. Eat healthy 2. Get enough sleep 3. Take up a hobby and don’t give it up 4. Try and explain it to others 5. Take breaks 6. Avoid cramming: tackle a subject in smaller chunks over time 7. If napping… no more than 15 mins

Study Technique 1 Taking Notes Use colour to help you organise information Keep notes short and to the point Note Use taking your own words

Study Technique 2: Mnemonics are a personal system for improving and assisting memory A pattern of a letters or ideas which helps us remember something. RICE is a mnemonic for foot injuries: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate. Mnemonics FAT DAD A Mnemonic to remember the 6 Northern Ireland counties Fermanagh Derry Antrim Armagh Tyrone Down

Study Technique 3: PQRST PREVIEW Preview the chapter/article Read the summary/introduction/ conclusion/headings READ Read to answer your question QUESTION Question before you read. Ask questions: Based on the title of the chapter Based on each heading Based on your previous knowledege SUMMARISE Summarise your answer after reading. Say the answer out loud in your own words Highlight important words & ideas Write down key words and phrases TEST Test yourself immediately and later At the end of the session, test yourself on what you just read

Study Technique 4: Mindmaps Mind maps use words and images to organise and structure information. Mind maps are good for the Visual learner Can be used in the exam to help you structure your answer

THANK YOU Any Questions? ? ?

QUESTIONS