We often assume learning is somehow inherent, rather than an acquired skill (and I will say this time and time again this semester that it's not), but there are specific skills that can help you improve your collegiate performance. One of your fellow classmates emailed me a helpful link on time management tips:
http://collegelife.about.com/od/academiclife/a/timemanagement.htm
Cassandra offers this tip for note taking: "...I have recently learned, checking blackboard for notes is something to do prior to class. It’s extremely helpful to print out these notes and write emphasized words made by the professor instead of writing for an hour and missing the lecture." She also would like to know what works for other people and what suggestions you may have. This is a great chance for y'all to help one another out and offer some advice.
Some things to consider:
1. What time management skills have worked best for you?
2. Which time management skills do you struggle with the most?
3. How do you take notes? Have you had to change your note taking style in college?
Also, the Learning Center is offering a series of study skills workshops on as time management, note-taking, learning styles, and test taking tips. These workshops are free, but you do need to reserve a spot ahead of time. You can view the calendar and book your spot here: http://learningcenter.unt.edu/learning-101.
I'll be the first to say that time management is definitely not my forte, however going to college has somewhat forced me to have more of a timed schedule. What I find most helpful, which is a lot like Cassandra's suggestion, is that one should always ask the professor if their PowerPoint slides are going to be posted online. This isn't a way to know that you can skip class, but what works for me is to write other notes that reinforce the concepts beside each slide that was printed. This is especially helpful in math and science classes (which are also not my forte). Required reading is also something that is extremely hard for me to tackle, being as I'm a slow reader. What I do is split up the readings day by day so it's less daunting. I know probablly everybody has heard this suggestion, but it really works. Five pages a day - nothing. Fifty pages in an hour - scary.
ReplyDeleteTime management is definitely something that I've always struggled with. I used to always procrastinate in high school, but now that I'm in college, I have tried to break that habit. I try to set aside a time each night to look over my notes and do my required readings. Like Kevin said, splitting the readings up really makes a difference. When I take notes, I like to use bullet points and underline key words that my professor stresses. This makes my notes easier to read and understand when I go back over them later on.
ReplyDeleteI used to, and honestly still do, struggle with time managing. But I have discovered the usefulness, as well as the addictiveness, of using a day planner. Before I went to UNT, I didn't use or even think of using a say planner. Once I transferred out of community college and into University level classes, I quickly discovered that I needed some other way of keeping up on my homework and everything else I was juggling, instead of just making sidenotes in my class notebooks. I had gotten a day planner at the Mean Green Fling for free and had just stashed it away, thinking I'd never really use it. I dug it up and it became my constant companion that semester.
ReplyDeleteUsing a day planner helps me keep my class work, regular work, outside activities and social life organized. I'd be lost without it!
Time Management is something that i was better at in younger years when there was less to do. I believe the best thing to do is to have reminders set in something or have them somewhere that we use or go to everyday in our home. Write little notes down on the mirror in the bathroom, make notes on your hands, whatever works in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMy time management skills have lacked in recent years. It has actually been an issue of mine for quite some time now. I try to control it the most that i can by using certain techniques. The main one of those being using the reminders application on my iPhone. It reminds me when i have something coming up which helps a lot.
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