Bibliographic record and links to related information available from the Library of Congress catalog.
Note: Contents data are machine generated based on pre-publication provided by the publisher. Contents may have variations from the printed book or be incomplete or contain other coding.
In memory of the family members my husband, Steve Olejnik, and I lost in 2004-Mollie Doone Olejnik, Tony Olejnik, Ann Olejnik, and Harry Olejnik. -S.L.N. To my family-my husband, Douglas, my daughter, Maia, and my son, Samuel. -J.P.H. Contents Preface PART ONE WELCOME TO COLLEGE SUCCESS STRATEGIES CHAPTER 1 Now That You're Here Self-Assessment How Does College Differ from High School? What Special Situations Can You Expect to Encounter Sooner or Later? REAL COLLEGE: Wanda's Woes THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 2 Active Learning: What's in It for You? Self-Assessment What Active Learners Do? Benefits of Active Learning Four Factors that Influence Active Learning The Holistic Nature of Active Learning REAL COLLEGE: Malcolm's Malingering THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 3 How You Learn Self-Assessment The Role of Memory: Two Theories The "Parts" Theory The Levels of Processing Theory Stretching Your Memory The Role of Learning Styles Using Your Senses to Learn REAL COLLEGE: Leo's Learning (Style) THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 4 Interacting with Your Professors Self-Assessment What Is a Professor? Some General Tips About Interacting with Professors Talking with Your Professors REAL COLLEGE: Marsha's Mistake THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 5 What Is It I'm Supposed To Do, Anyhow? Self-Assessment What is a Task? Part One: The Type of Activity Part Two: The Level of Thinking How Can You Get Information About the Task? Technology in college classesTecT REAL COLLEGE: Tina's Task THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO PART TWO SELF MANAGEMENT: YOUR LEARNING CHARACTERISTICS CHAPTER 6 Getting Organized: Managing Yourself and Your Time Self-Assessment Managing Yourself Managing Your Time Creating a Schedule You Can Live With Timely Tips for Following Your Schedule Planning for Midterms and Finals Procrastination REAL COLLEGE: Janice's Jam THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 7 Academic Energy: Motivation for Learning, Attitudes, and Interests Self-Assessment What Influences Motivation? What Motivates People? Intrinsic Motivation Extrinsic Motivation Getting Motivated Through Goal Setting Staying Motivated Changing Attitudes and Interests Maintaining a Positive Attitude The Role of Interests REAL COLLEGE: Martin's Misery THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 8 Just What Do You Believe Anyway? Self-Assessment The Five Components of Beliefs That Influence Learning Changing Your Beliefs Evaluating Internet Information REAL COLLEGE: College Knowledge THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 9 Dealing with Stress Self-Assessment Sources of Stress Strategies for Reducing Stress Academic Stress: Anxieties Public Speaking Anxiety Writing Anxiety Mathematics Anxiety General Test Anxiety Three Important Tips for Reducing Academic Stress REAL COLLEGE: Andrea's Anxiety THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO PART THREE STRATEGIES FOR COLLEGE LEARNING CHAPTER 10 Prereading Strategies Self-Assessment Creating a Learning Environment Gearing Up for Reading Survey your texts Preview the reading Determine your reading purpose Gearing up for Class Real College: Stan's Strategies Thinking Critically Add to your Portfolio CHAPTER 11 Strategic Reading Self Assessment Reading Done "Write": Staying Active During Reading Put Away Your Highlighters Make a Note of It What Is Annotation? Why Annotate Your Text? What Type of Information Should You Annotate? Studying Your Annotations Annotation Pitfalls Some Common Concerns About Annotation REAL COLLEGE: Hillary's Highlighter THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 12 Rehearsing after Reading Self-Assessment What is Rehearsal? Why is Rehearsal Important? Written and Verbal Rehearsal Strategies Components of Good Rehearsal Strategies Written Rehearsal Strategies CARDS-Cognitive Aids for Rehearsing Difficult Subjects Concept Maps Charting Question/Answer Strategy Time Lines Verbal Rehearsal Strategies Reciprocal Questioning Talk-Throughs Strategy Selection REAL COLLEGE: Conrad's Confusion THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO Chapter 13 Reviewing Strategies Reviewing Using Your Talk-Through Card for Reviewing Making a Specific Study Plan Forming Study Groups Improving your memory through reviewing REAL COLLEGE: Enrico's Excuses THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 14 Take Note! Lectures: A Different Kind of Text Self-Assessment The Importance and Characteristics of Good Lecture Notes Taking Good Lecture Notes General Note-Taking Guidelines Getting Ready to Take Notes Staying Active During Note-Taking Annotating and Self-Testing After Note-Taking Note-Taking Myths REAL COLLEGE: Chad's Challenge THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 15 Strategies Across the Disciplines Self-Assessment Textbook Characteristics Mathematics Textbooks Strategies for Mathematics Courses Science Textbooks Strategies for Science Courses Humanities Textbooks Strategies for Humanities Courses Social Science Textbooks Strategies for Social Sciences Using Technology to Study REAL COLLEGE: Caroline's Courses THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 16 Becoming Flexible: Varying Your Reading Rate Self-Assessment Flexible Reading Habits that Slow Reading Backtracking Subvocalization Fixations Increasing Your Reading Speed How to Read Faster How Fast Should You Read? REAL COLLEGE: Rudy's Reading Rate THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO PART FOUR PREPARING FOR YOUR COLLEGE EXAMS CHAPTER 17 Preparing for Objective Exams Self-Assessment General Test-Preparation Strategies Preparing for and Taking Objective Exams Preparing for Objective Exams Taking Objective Exams REAL COLLEGE: Teddy's Tactics THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO CHAPTER 18 Preparing for and Taking Essay and Specialty Exams Self-Assessment PORPE Taking Essay Exams Time Allotted for Writing Structuring Your Essay Evaluation Guidelines A Word About Identification Items Specialized Exams Problem-Solving Exams Open-Book Exams Take-Home Exams REAL COLLEGE: Iris's Intentions (Gone Awry!) THINKING CRITICALLY: Something to Think About and Discuss ADD TO YOUR PORTFOLIO APPENDIX A-Excerpt from a Psychology chapter -Cognition and Intelligence APPENDIX B-Excerpt from a History chapter -The Vietnam War and Social Conflict Preface The second edition of College Success Strategies combines the best of our first edition using the excellent suggestions for improvement from our reviewers and readers. We have also added the most up-to-date strategies and research on studying However, the major premise behind College Success Strategies remains rooted in the importance of academics. Although other success books have a chapter or two specifically dedicated to the academic side of college, College Success Strategies remains remainsrrereentirely devoted to this focus. It takes you on an academic journey to help you understand yourself as a learner and to teach you the strategies you will need to be successful. College Success Strategies is designed to engage you in thought about your own learning and the important role you play in the learning process. The majority of this text focuses on four key academic factors, all of which must interact if learning is to be maximized: (1) your own characteristics as a learner; (2) the tasks you must complete in each of your classes; (3) the strategies that will help you read, understand, and remember what your professor expects you to learn; and finally (4) the texts with which you interact. The key to academic success is being actively involved in your own learning. Students who gain the most from college are those who participate. Just as you participate in campus clubs and organizations, you must also recognize the importance of participating fully in each course you take and every academic experience you have. This translates to using active reading strategies, rehearsing as you prepare for exams, taking organized lecture notes and reviewing them, giving daily attention to your work, monitoring your learning, and a variety of other strategic approaches for studying. Studying actively means using your senses to learn-you write, you hear, you listen, you talk. You have a variety of strategies that you can use and you know the appropriate time to use them. Involvement means all of this and more. The strategies you learn in College Success Strategies will assist you in not only becoming an active learner, but also continuing to be a life-long learner. This second edition adds two new chapters on strategies for college learning: Chapter 10 discusses strategies for getting ready for studying. It includes a discussion of creating effective learning environments, gearing up for class, and previewing text chapters. Chapter 13 presents strategies for reviewing before exams. It includes making Specific Study Plans, working in study groups, and ways to improve memory We have based College Success Strategieson many years of experience interacting with college students and professors, as well as our own research focusing on how college students study. We have learned from our students that they often enter college unprepared to meet the studying demands placed on them, even if they had been successful in high school. We have also learned that college students are sometimes overwhelmed with the reading and studying demands that college can bring, and sometimes they become frustrated when they believe they are "working hard" but not seeing their efforts pay off. We have learned that it takes more than knowledge of a few strategies for students to achieve academically. But perhaps the most important thing we have learned from our students is that they can be taught how to study actively, and in most cases, they are eager to learn new skills that will help them be successful in collegeWe have also learned much from college professors with whom we have interacted over the years, especially those who teach large numbers of first-year students. We learned that professors believe it is the students' responsibility to be an active learner and they expect students to have the skills to do whatever it takes to be successful in their particular class and discipline. We learned that professors and students always don't see eye-to-eye on what a discipline entails or even on what a professor expects from them. The most important thing we learned from professors, however, may have been that they view the overall purpose of college to be much more than the memorization of facts, regardless of the particular discipline in which they teach. Rather, the purpose of a college education is to provide students with the skills to learn on their own in the futureFinally, we learned from our own research efforts as well as those of others in our field. When we initially outlined this text and thought about the approach we would take when writing it, we both agreed on the importance of building the book on a strong research-based foundation. That is, many first-year and study skills books tout study methods that are based only on conventional wisdom, but are not necessarily grounded in research. College Success Strategies, however, is based on what current research on college learning has found to be important for success. Therefore, in preparation for writing this book, we reread some of the studies that influenced our own work and influenced the field of college studying in general. It became very clear to us that being an active learner included many factors that all had to interact and click together in order for learning to be maximized. In the second edition, we have made every attempt to help you understand how to use technology as a learning tool. On most campuses today, understanding how to use technology is a necessity, not a luxury. Many of your professors will expect you to submit work and communicate with them via email, make Power Point presentations in class, use Web-based supplements such as WebCT, and even take computerized exams. And while College Success Strategies does not necessarily teach you how to do these things, it does remind you of the importance of learning how and it also provides additional suggestions in each chapter (some you may never have thought of) for becoming an active learner by using technologyUsing College Success Strategies College Success Strategies was designed not only to get students reading about what it takes to learn actively but also to start them thinking and talking about it. Thus, the activities at the end of each chapter ask you to discuss important questions with classmates, to think critically, and to reflect on academic issues. We believe that active learners use numerous senses as they go about learning in college. They read, they write, they discuss, and they visualize. Interacting with information in a variety of ways encourages active processing, and active processing leads to academic success. The second edition is divided into four parts, shifting chapters around to better streamline the text. Part One introduces you to active learning in college; Part Two helps you determine your own learning characteristics; Part Three introduces strategies for effective learning; Part Four helps you prepare for college-level exams. In addition, rather than providing brief text excerpts, we have included two full text chapters, one from psychology and one from history. These chapters are located at the beginning of Part Three. College Success Strategies is designed so that as you learn the strategies you can apply each one to these chapters. NOTE TO ED: THIS SENTECE WILL NEED TO BE CHANGED IF THE CHAPTERS ARE MOVED TO THE END OF THE BOOK OR SOMEWHERE ELSE.We have maintained many features of the first edition of College Success Strategies as well as adding in several new ones. First, you will find "Real College" scenarios located near the end of each chapter. Each scenario features a college student who has a problem related in some way to what you have learned in that chapter. By helping these college students solve their problems, you will be able to further apply the ideas and strategies discussed in the chapters. We believe that you may see part of yourself in many of the scenarios. These scenarios, by the way, are based on real issues that our students consistently face as they work toward becoming active learners. You will also find a self-evaluation in each chapter. These assessments will help you to assess and reflect on your own learning before reading the chapterTHeTH The end of each chapter contains a "Thinking Criticallysection. These activities will ask you to reflect and evaluate your experiences using the strategiesCollege Success Strategiesfeatures informative boxes: Studying Smarter- provides quick and easy tips or inspirational quotations to help you get a jump on their learning and studying. Focuses on using technology for learning actively. Some are activities you can try and others are suggestions for incorporating technology to enhance learning. Success at a GlanceDepicts key information in a visual way to help you remember it better. The second edition also contains several additional features to help you maximize your learning: * Add to Your Portfolio-allows you to apply each strategy presented in the book. By creating a portfolio over an entire term, you will have tangible evidence of the progress you have made in their thinking, learning , and studying. * Get Going- focuses on tips and strategies for gaining motivation and overcoming procrastination. * Timely Tips-centers on strategies for time management. It will also discuss how many of the strategies have practical application beyond the classroom VISIT OUR WEB SITECollege Success Strategiesis supported by the Longman Study Skills Web site. For additional resources, exercises, activities, and Web links to help make your college experience a successful and rewarding one, be sure to visit the Web site at http://www.ablongman.com/studyskillsFor additional instructor and student support materials-such as the Longman Student Planner, the Longman Instructor's Planner, and our various reading and writing software-please contact your Longman sales representative or visit us on the Web at http://www.ablongman.com/basicskills. You can also send your questions to us at BasicSkills@ablongman.com. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many individuals who contributed directly or indirectly to the contents of College Success Strategies, edition II. Certainly it is important for us to acknowledge the students whom we continue to have the privilege to teach and the professors from a variety of disciplines who have shared their views on what it takes to be successful in their respective areas. As is always the case, our students help to ground our writing in reality-the reality of the many pressures currently faced by today's college students and the reality of just how important life-long learning has become. We were especially struck as we wrote the second edition of the major impact that technology has on students' learning. Today's students are truly the first generation of college students who are expected to know and keep abreast of new technological advances that can enhance learning. In addition to our students, our thanks go out to the numerous professors and graduate students on the University of Georgia campus and beyond who have willingly shared their concerns and their expertise about learning in their particular disciplines. This text would have not been nearly as effective without their valuable insights. A special thanks to Denise Pinette Domizi, Eleanor Pardini, Daniel Forbes, and Gretchen Pettis for their insightful suggestions and willingness to share the Parallel note-taking strategy in College Success Strategies . Thanks to Audrey Haynes for the use of Web-notes from her political science class.Certainly, we acknowledge our respective families-our spouses, parents, siblings, and children-who always offered their continuous support, and sometimes even additional insights, as we sometimes turned our attention from them to work on this book. As always, we appreciate their understanding, support, and advice. We acknowledge the major support we have received from Susan Kunchandy, our editor at Longman. Susan's enthusiasm about creating the second edition of College Success Strategies as part of the Penguin Academic Series was contagious. We greatly appreciated all her wonderful suggestions, and her encouragement contributed to the excellent additions and improvements of this book. Finally, we would be remiss if we failed to acknowledge all of the assistance we received from those we have worked with at Longman: NOTE TO ED: NAMES OF THOSE WHO WORKED ON CSS SHOULD BE INSERTED HERE. Everyone's patience, attention to detail, and helpful suggestions made working on this book an enjoyable experience. Sherrie L. NistJodi Patrick Holschuh
Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication:
College student orientation -- United States.
Study skills -- United States.
Active learning -- United States.