Tutorial 3

Managing Your
Learning
1
 UNIT 3
• What are we going to cover?
Setting goals for your university study
Focusing your efforts for successful
learning
Knowing your learning styles
Note-taking techniques

2
 Setting Goals for University Study
WHAT ARE GOALS?
• They are the targets
that allow you to
choose where you
want to go in life

3
 WHY DO YOU NEED TO SET
GOALS?

Goal setting
gives you:

long-term vision and
short-term motivation

4
 By setting goals you can:
• Achieve more
• Improve performance
• Increase your motivation to achieve
• Increase your pride and satisfaction in
your achievements
• Improve your self-confidence
• Plan to eliminate attitudes that hold you
back and cause unhappiness
5
Research has shown that people
who use goal-setting effectively:

• suffer less from stress and

anxiety
• concentrate better
• show more self-confidence
• perform better
• are happier and more satisfied.

6
Goal Setting Helps Self-
Confidence

• By setting goals, and

measuring their
achievement, you are
able to see what you
have done and what
you are capable of

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 Setting Goals Effectively

• The way in which you set goals strongly

affect their effectiveness.

8
 How do you set Effective Goals?
• Make a Positive Statement
• Be Precise
• Set Priorities
• Write goals down
• Keep Operational Goals
Small

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 Positive Statement
•
Express your goals in terms of things that
you want to achieve:

•
'Execute this technique well' is a much
better goal than 'don't make this stupid
mistake'

•
Expressing in a negative statement means
you say “what you do not want to do”
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 Be Precise

•
If you set a precise goal, put in dates,
times and amounts so that achievement
can be measured e.g. “I will get 80% of
the marks for this assignment.”
•
Then you know the exact goal to be
achieved
•
Finally, you can take complete satisfaction
from having completely achieved it. 11
 Set Priorities
•
Where you have several goals, give each
a priority

•
This helps you to avoid feeling
overwhelmed by too many goals

•
Directs your attention to the most
important goals.
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 Write goals down

•
to avoid confusion and give them more
force.

13
 Keep Operational Goals Small
•
Keep the goals you are working towards
immediately (i.e. in this session) small and
achievable.
•
If a goal is too large, then it can seem that
you are not making progress towards it.
•
Keeping goals small and incremental
gives more opportunities for reward.
•
Today's goals should be derived from
larger goals.
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 CHARACTERISTICS OF
EFFECTIVE GOALS
• Challenging
• Realistic
• Specific
• Measurable
• Have breakdown into smaller goals
• Positive
• Have time frame

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 CHALLENGING

Goals must :
– Stretch you
– Make you better
– Improve you
– Create a difference in your life

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Goals can be set too
low because of:

• Fear of failure
• Taking it too easy

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Fear of failure:
• If you are frightened of
failure you will not take
the risks needed for
optimum performance.
• As you apply goal setting
and see the achievement
of goals, your self-
confidence should
increase, helping you to
take bigger risks.
• Know that failure is a
positive thing: it shows
you areas where you can
improve your skills and
performance.

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 Taking it too easy
• It is easy to take the
reasons for not setting
goals unrealistically high
as an excuse to set
them too low.
• If you're not prepared to
stretch yourself and
work hard, then you are
extremely unlikely to
achieve anything of any
real worth.

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 REALISTIC
• Personal factors such as tiredness, other
commitments and the need for rest, etc.
should be taken into account when goals
are set.
• You should set goals so that they are
slightly out of your immediate grasp, but
not so far that there is no hope of
achieving them

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Why should goals
be realistic?
No-one will put serious effort
into achieving a goal that they
believe is unrealistic.

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 SPECIFIC & MEASURABLE
• Set specific measurable goals.
• If you achieve all conditions of a
measurable goal, then you can be
confident and comfortable in its
achievement.
• If you consistently fail to meet a
measurable goal, then you can adjust it or
analyse the reason for failure and take
appropriate action to improve skills.
22
Breakdown goals into smaller goals
• Smaller goals are:
– easier to achieve and
– the results tend to take a shorter time to
appear

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 BE POSITIVE

• Say what you want to achieve

• Do not say what you want to avoid

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 HAVE A TIME FRAME

State the:
• Starting point and the
• Finishing point

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LONG-TERM & SHORT-TERM
GOALS
Short-term goals are called Objectives

Achieving short-term goals

Leads to

Achieving long-term goals

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 HOW DOES ONE LEARN
SUCCESSFULLY?

• Apply Motivational strategies

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 MOTIVATION
Definition:
• Are the factors within an individual that
make him/her work towards getting
something or a goal

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 TYPES OF MOTIVATION
• EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION
• INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

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 EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION
• Encouragement is from outside
• E.g. hand phone or cash reward

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 INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
• Comes from within the individual
• Individual’s own goal-directed behaviour
• E.g. you study hard on your own without
someone telling you to do it

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EIGHT MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS
FOR SUCCESSFUL LEARNING
• Have a conducive learning environment
• Break down the bigger tasks
• Set a realistic learning goal
• Have incentives
• Be positive
• Learn actively
• Relax & exercise regularly
• Have group discussions
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 MEMORY
Definition:
• Is the retention of, and ability to recall
information, personal experiences and
proceedings

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 HOW TO ENHANCE MEMORY?
• Make the material meaningful
• Organise information
• Use imagination or pictures
• Use mnemonic devices
• Rehearse using elaboration
• Study actively
• Study regularly
• Use note cards
• Spread out study

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 TIME MANAGEMENT
• Prepare schedules
• Evaluate schedules

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 WHAT IS STRESS?
• Stress is the response of the body to a
variety of internal and external stimuli
• Good stress (Eustress or functional stress)
produces better performance
• Bad stress (Distress or dysfunctional
stress) can bring about physical,
behavioural and psychological problems
and so needs to be managed
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WARNING SIGNS OF STRESS

GROUPED INTO:
–FEELINGS
–THOUGHTS
–BEHAVIOURAL
–PHYSICAL

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 FEELINGS
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Fear
• moodiness

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 THOUGHTS
• DIFFICULTY IN CONCENTRATING
• FORGETFULNESS
• PREOCCUPATION WITH THE FUTURE
• FEAR OF FAILURE

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 BEHAVIOURAL
• CRYING
• ACTING IMPULSIVELY
• NERVOUS LAUGHTER
• INCREASED SMOKING
• INCREASED ALCOHOL INTAKE
• OVER-EATING OR UNDER-EATING

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 PHYSICAL
• TIGHT MUSCLES
• COLD OR SWEATY HANDS
• HEADACHE
• BACK OR NECK PROBLEMS
• SLEEP DISTURBANCE
• INDIGESTION PROBLEMS
• RAPID BREATHING
• FATIGUE
• TREMBLING

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 HOW TO MANAGE STRESS?
• Action-oriented
–confront problem, change environment
• Emotionally-oriented
– change interpretation of situation and the way
we feel about it when cannot change the
situation
• Acceptance-oriented
– focus on surviving the stress when we have no
power or emotional control over the things that
happened
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 TECHNIQUES TO HELP
CONTROL STRESS
• Meditation
• Physical exercises
• Think of positive events

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 LEARNING STYLES
• ACTIVE & REFLECTIVE LEARNERS
• SENSING AND INTUITIVE LEARNERS
• SEQUENTIAL AND GLOBAL LEARNERS
• VISUAL AND VERBAL LEARNERS

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 YOU DID THE INDEX OF
LEARNING STYLE
QUESTIONNAIRE
By going into this website:
• http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learning
styles/ilsweb.html

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 ACTIVE & REFLECTIVE
LEARNERS
• Understands and remembers best by
doing something active like group
discussions – Active learner
• Prefers to think over what is learnt quietly
– Reflective learner

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 SENSING & INTUITIVE
LEARNERS
• Likes to memorise facts and is particular
about details, likes connection with the
real world – Sensing learner
• Likes to discover new ideas on own and is
innovative, is more comfortable with
abstractions and mathematical formulation
– Intuitive learner

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 SEQUENTIAL & GLOBAL
LEARNERS
• Understands through linear steps, each
step following from the previous step and
must resolve problem step by step –
Sequential learner
• Tends to learn in big jumps, understanding
without seeing connections, can solve
problems without knowing the details and
often unable to explain how the problem
was solved – Global learner

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 VISUAL & VERBAL
LEARNERS
• Likes to see pictures such as graphs,
diagrams, demonstrations and likes to
transform facts into diagrams and
illustrations – Visual learner
• Learn better when given oral or written
explanations – Verbal learner

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 ACTIVE LEARNER
STRATEGIES:
• Have group
discussions
• Explain different topics
• Actively predict
potential examination
questions and discuss
answers

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 REFLECTIVE LEARNER
STRATEGIES:
• Think quietly about what is read
• Stop to think about what is read and think
of possible applications or pose questions
• Write short summaries and tutorial notes
in your own words

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 SENSING LEARNER
STRATEGIES:
• Find many facts about the topic to be
learnt
• Find specific examples of concepts and
procedures
• Find applications of concepts
• Find applications in the real world
• Use brainstorming with other learners to
find applications of ideas
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 INTUITIVE LEARNER
STRATEGIES:
• Likes to discover possibilities
• Find interpretations or theories that link
facts
• Find connections
• Take time to answer questions and check
the results

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 VISUAL LEARNER
STRATEGIES:
• Find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs, flow
charts, or any other visual representation of course
materials
• Get relevant videotapes or CD-ROM related to the
course materials
• Prepare concept maps by listing key points, enclosing
them in boxes or circles and drawing lines with arrows
between concepts to show connections
• Highlight important points
• Use different coloured highlighters for different main
points
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VERBAL LEARNER
STRATEGIES:
• Write summaries or
outlines of course
materials in own
words
• Have group
discussions
• Explain ideas to
friends
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 SEQUENTIAL LEARNER
STRATEGIES:
• Copy every step to a
solution carefully, filling
up the missing steps by
making additional
references
• Outline course
materials in logical
order
• Relate things that you
learnt to things that you
already know

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 GLOBAL LEARNER
STRATEGIES:
• Need the big picture before you can master the
details
• Skim through the entire chapter to get an
overview before studying the first section of the
text
• May need to study one subject over a longer
period of time rather than short periods of time
for each subject
• Look for references to make connections
between the subject and what you already know

57
 EFFECTIVE LEARNING
REQUIRES YOU TO:

• Prepare before the tutorial by reading up

on the topic from the study guide
• Listen and discuss during the tutorial
• Revise after the tutorial

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• LET US NOW LOOK AT
HOW TO TAKE
EFFECTIVE NOTES

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Taking Effective Notes

Dr. Idna M. Corbett

Learning Assistance and Resource Center
West Chester University

60
• Learning to take notes effectively helps
students to improve study and work habits
and to remember important information.
• Often, students are deceived into thinking
that because they understand everything
that is said in class they will therefore
remember it. This is dead wrong! Write it
down.

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• The secret to
developing this skill is
practice.
• Students should strive
to improve this skill
constantly.

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There are many reasons for taking
lecture notes
• Taking notes forces students to listen
carefully and test their understanding of
the material.
• When students are reviewing, notes
provide a gauge to what is important in the
text.
• Personal notes are usually easier to
remember than the text.
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• The writing down of important points helps
students to remember then even before
they have studied the material formally.
• Notes enable them to retain important
facts and data and to develop an accurate
means of arranging necessary
information.

64
 Instructors usually give clues to
what is important
Some of the more common clues are:
• Material written on the blackboard
• Repetition
• Emphasis
– Emphasis can be judged by tone of voice and gesture.
– Emphasis can be judged by the amount of time the
instructor spends on points and the number of examples
he or she uses.
• Word signals (e.g. "There are two points of view
on…" "The third reason is…" " In conclusion…")
• Summaries given at the end of class.
• Reviews given at the beginning of class.
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 Cornell System of Note-Taking
• The Cornell Method of note making is a 2-
column system of making notes.
• Making notes, as distinguished from taking
notes, is the active process you engage in
to think about the information you are
describing.

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The 6 R's of the Cornell Method
• Record
• Reduce
• Recite
• Reflect
• Review
• Recapitulate

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 Step One: Preparing the System
• Use a large loose-leaf notebook
on which you will have ample
room to take notes.
• Draw a vertical line down the
left side of the page 2 1/2" form
the left margin. This is the
Recall Column.
• Notes will be recorded to the
right of this line and key words
and phrases will be written on
the left.
• Leave 2" at the bottom of the
page to record questions to ask
your instructor and possible
test questions.

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 Step Two: During the Lecture
• Date your notes.
• Number the pages.
• Record your notes in your customary style.
Your object is to make your notes complete
and clear enough so they will have meaning for
you weeks later.
• Skip lines to show the end of one idea and the
beginning of the next.
• Write as legibly as possible.
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• Don't write down everything that you read or
hear. Be alert and attentive to the main points.
Concentrate on the "meat" of the subject and
forget the trimmings.
• Make notes brief. Never use a sentence where
you can use a phrase. Never use a phrase
where you can use a word.
• Use abbreviations and symbols, but be
consistent. Have a uniform system of
punctuation and abbreviation that will make
sense to you.
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• You should usually use your own words, but try
not to change the meaning. If you quote
directly from an author, quote correctly.
• The following should be noted exactly:
formulas, definitions, and specific facts.
• Use outline form and/or a numbering system.
Indentation helps you distinguish major from
minor points.
• Leave lots of white space for later additions. If
you miss a statement, write key words, skip a
few spaces, and get the information later.

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• Don't try to use every space on the page.
Leave room for coordinating your notes with
the text after the lecture.
• List key terms in the margin or make a
summary of the contents of the page.
• Omit descriptions and full explanations. Keep
your notes short and to the point. Condense
your material so you can grasp it rapidly.

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 Step Three: After the Lecture
• Since the most forgetting occurs immediately after
learning, try to consolidate your notes as soon after class
as possible.
• Reduce the notes to key words and phrases as soon
after the lecture as possible.
• During your study session, reread your notes and rethink
the entire lecture. Then reduce each fact and idea in
your notes to the key words and phrases used.
• Formulate a question that your notes answer.
• In the margin to the left, write the key words or the
question opposite the facts in your notes. These
notations in the margin will act as triggers to your
memory when you study.
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• Recite the lecture by covering your notes and
using only the key words/questions column.
• Say each fact or idea in your notes aloud and
from memory.
• Recite aloud and in your own words the full
facts and ideas brought to mind by the cue or
trigger words or question. Then check your
answer.
• Correct yourself if necessary and repeat until
you can recall the information.

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• Reflect on the material by adding your own ideas and opinions.
Reflection has to do with thinking about the information you are
learning.
• One way to reflect is the look for connections with
– your own personal experiences and observations; and
– other facts and ideas discussed in the course.
• Another way to reflect is to ask questions like
– How do the main ideas of this lecture fit together into a "bigger
picture"? What is the significance?
– How do these ideas fit in with the previous lecture(s)?
– What ideas do I agree with? What ideas do I disagree with?
– Which ideas are clear? Which ideas are confusing?
– What new questions does the information in this lecture raise?
– What principles are applicable?
– What are some possible applications of the key points of this lecture?
– How does this fit with what you already know?
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• Recapitulate or write a summary.
• Leave blank one inch at the bottom of each page of
notes. Later you may use this space to write a
summary of the contents of each page in that reserved
space. This will give you a space to recapitulate or
summarize the entire lecture for quick, easy reference.
• Two kinds of summary are suitable for lecture notes.
Choose the one that works best for you:
– Write a summary of each page of lecture notes in the
Summary Area at the bottom of each note-sheet.
– Write a summary of the whole lecture on the last note
sheet.

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 Don’t forget the sixth R!
• Review your notes every evening, before you
settle down to study.
• Try to review at least 10 minutes to assure
retention of the material. Short, fact and
frequent reviews will produce far better
understanding than studying all night.
• Two benefits of review stand out:
– You are able to connect the new material with
previously learned information.
– You are better prepared for tests and exams.
Constant review means you do not have to cram
before exams, suffer less from test anxiety, and
have better recall of information learned during
tests. 77
 Saving time on note-taking
• Some students say that they plan to
rewrite or type their notes later.
• To do so is to use a double amount of
time: once to take the original notes and a
second to rewrite them.
• The advice is simple: DO IT RIGHT THE
FIRST TIME!

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Should you use shorthand?
• There are some students who attempt to take
notes in shorthand. Though shorthand is a
valuable tool for a secretary, it is almost worthless
for a student doing academic work. Here's why.
– Notes in shorthand cannot be studied in that form.
They must first be transcribed.
– The act of transcribing notes takes an inordinate
amount of time and energy but does not significantly
contribute to their mastery.
– It is far better to have taken the notes originally in
regular writing and then spend the time after that in
direct study and recitation of the notes.
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 Tape recording notes

• The lecture on tape precludes flexibility.

• The lecture on tape has to be listened to in its
entirety including the worthwhile points as well
as the "fillers."
• A student who takes the easy way out -
recording the lecture on tape as he or she sits
back doing nothing - will box him or herself into
inflexibility.

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• Whereas, handwritten notes may be studied
selectively.
• Immediately after taking notes a person can
study them in five minutes before the next
class as s/he walks toward the next building,
as s/he drinks his/her coffee, or whatever.
• This student, in looking over his/her notes, may
decide that the notes contain only four
worthwhile ideas which s/he can highlight,
relegating the rest of the lecture to obscurity.

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