How do you take notes?

Let’s talk about note taking. Do you take notes? If not, how come? Does your hand cramp up? Is it difficult to pay attention while taking notes? Does the class seem too easy to be taking notes in? Is it just not a habit? Are you too lazy?

Note taking is important. It keeps you focused and aware in class, triggers basic lesson processes and helps you to remember information, helps to prepare you for tests, saves review time, helps you learn more, and improves test scores. Your notes are a source of valuable information that instructors view as most important. They serve as visual reminders of what was said. Some things in your notes can’t be found anywhere else. There are SO many ways we can take notes. So let me show you a few! :)

Outline Method: This is the most traditional method. I commonly find myself using this technique out of habit.   

Here’s an example of these outlining tips being used in a regular setting,

Slide Note Taking Method: If your instructor is one who posts the powerpoint before the lecture, this may be a method that can work for you. Print out the slides before class and then while you are in class, listen to things the instructor is saying that are not on the powerpoint. This can help you focus more on the lecture instead of needing to write down everything that appears on a slide. .

Mind Mapping: This is kind of like an “organized mess”. It’s a way to make note taking fun. I enjoy using this technique in helping me come up with a topic of what to write an english paper on. It’s a good way to get ideas out on paper. As far as making this my “go to” note taking method is difficult for me. It doesn’t flow as well as I would like it to. I focus too much on making my notes look pretty, rather than the lecture.

Let’s use the tree house example again,

Cornell Notes: This is a method loved by many people. This Cornell technique makes studying for tests fairly easy. It helps you already have your study guide in place!

These are the most common note taking methods. I suggest trying them out until you find one you really like. Some people are slow writers so they prefer using their computer to take notes on. Computers are very efficient and helpful in the note taking process but you still need to find something that works and makes sense to you. If you take notes but can’t figure out how to read them, then you shouldn’t be using that particular method.

Reading!

This week we did an activity that involved 5 students. 1 student was reading a book out loud, 1 was listening to her read, 1 was yelling “time” every 5 seconds, and the other 2 were tossing a ball back and forth. Needless to say, it was hectic! This was a fun way of introducing our focus for the week, reading. I think just about every student has a difficult time staying focused while reading a college textbook. I personally don’t enjoy reading as a hobby so of course it’s especially hard for me to stay on task when it’s a book I have to read for a boring class!

       

What are the struggles you face when it comes to reading?

Is it staying engaged?

Not connecting to the material?

Comprehension?

Having no interest?

Do you have a short attention span?

How about the distractions?

Phone?

Roommates?

Music?

Sleep?

Are you hungry?

What we did in class was have our students choose the one most applicable to them and write it on an index card. We divided the class into two groups. Half the class were “coaches” and the other half were “clients”. Each “client” went to a “coach” and explained to them their struggle with reading. The “coaches” job was to find/give solutions to the issue. This was a great way to help students find other students who struggle with the same things they do. And.. in getting the entire class involved! It was fun.

Throughout this activity I heard so many awesome solutions to the problems we all face when it comes to textbook reading:

• Have an intention in mind before you start to reading.
• Take notes throughout.
• Stay positive.
• Skim read (beforehand).
• Find reasons to stay motivated.
• Do an internal review.
• Rephrase the big, difficult words into similar ones that you understand.
• Find a quiet place, whether it be outside, in a library, etc.
• And lastly, PUT YOUR PHONE IN ANOTHER ROOM OR CHANGE THE MODE TO SILENT/AIRPLANE MODE. 

The last thing we showed our students was the Pomodoro technique. This is a good way to stay focused but not get too overwhelmed.

1. Identify your tasks for the day.

2. Set a timer for 25 minutes.

3. Work for the duration of the timer.

4. Take a 5 minute break.

*After every 4th break, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes!

We are all procrastinators...

Procrastination. Don’t you just hate that word? It makes me cringe. Ugh! Do you procrastinate? We have all been victims of procrastination at one time or another.                      

Do any of these sound familiar? I am a cleaner, a list maker, a side tracker, a snacker, a watcher, and a perpetuator. I can almost always find a reason to not start my big homework assignment or to not study for that scary test. Just this weekend I fell into the trap. I needed to study for my big exam that was today but instead of studying for my immediate test I instead focused on all of my other classes. I still felt like I was being productive and accomplishing a lot because I was being proactive with my other assignments. BUT, I still put off the most important thing at that time.

How can we break these trends? I like the ted talk by Tim Urban on procrastination. He uses simple but accurate examples of what goes through a procrastinators mind.

What were your thoughts after watching this video? Does this makes sense to you? I love how he showed us the difference between the two types of procrastination. We need to have an end date in mind no matter how big or small the tasks are. Look at your planners regularly and see if there is anything you can adjust. I like the part of the planner that shows your days in time segments. Try planning out your day in increments of 30 minutes or an hour. See if you are able to stay on track.

Where do we spend our time?

This week was focused on time management. We handed out planners to our students that I had put together and then did an m&m/skittle activity. Each student got 24 m&m’s/skittles and had to divvy out their time spent on various activities. i.e., work, classes, sleep, eating, exercising, commuting, homework, netflix, social media, video games, texting, religious activities, etc. Most of my students ran out of their candy before this activity was finished. Time management is something I am constantly working on. I feel as if I never have enough time for the things I need to accomplish in a day.

After doing this activity, we went over this diagram.

     

The two quadrants we spend most of our time in is Q1 and Q4. We become “burnt out” after feeling as if we are constantly playing catch up since we are in Q1 so often. How do we break this cycle? By planning.

The next day I did an activity that this video presents pretty well. https://youtu.be/v5ZvL4as2y0

The large rocks, represent the important things such as family, health and relationships. These things typically can’t be replaced.

The pebbles, represent other things that matter in your life but aren’t as important. Like. work and school.

The sand, represents the “time wasters” and smaller things in life which include netflix, video games, etc.

   

This is fun to do in front of students because it is a physical representation of how well things work out if you plan your life around the big things first.

Positive Self Talk :)

Today we did a fun activity. We gave the class three index cards and had them write these statements on two of the cards.

1. I am a __________, ___________, ___________ person.
2. I am a __________, ___________, ___________ person, and I ____________ing ___________.
3. I am a __________, ___________, ___________ person, and I ____________.

They filled in the blanks with positive adjectives whether they believed them about themselves or not. They got to choose which words they used. On the back of the index cards they chose which statement they liked best from the other side and wrote this statement on the back. We then went around the classroom and they needed to share what their statement about  themselves to another person. The person they shared this with would then say, “yes, you are!” and the first person needed to say, “I know! Thanks!”. We went around the room sharing these statements with each other until most of the class got to hear each others statements.

This activity was a good way to get the students to share their positive self talk. How often do we use positive self talk with ourselves? I think we all spend too much time thinking badly of ourselves. “We are what we imagine ourselves to be.” (Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.) How will you change your poor self talk to positive self talk? We are our toughest critics.

Goal Setting.

Have you heard of SMART goals? Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Well the textbook we use in my college success class, On Course, uses the acronym, DAPPS. Dated, Achievable, Personal, Positive, and Specific.

I like that they use “personal” as part of the goal making process. The goals you make need to be your own. How easy is it to disregard goals other people have set for you? I don’t like when people tell me what to do and how I should live my life. It makes me want to rebel against it. I have felt in the past that goals I haven’t set for myself don’t mean as much to me as the personal ones I have set. I have more drive to accomplish things when I have the true desire to do so.

Also, pay attention to the positivity of the goal. Bad self talk isn’t effective in the goal setting process. For example, if you say, “I am fat and ugly so I need to lose weight and not eat junk food.” or “I won’t smoke another cigarette so I won’t die.” These don’t sound very motivating at all. Using words such as won’t and not create a negative mindset which then makes it difficult to follow through in the goals you have set. Instead, swap out these negative words with positive ones. State what you can do to stay on track and accomplish your goals.

I like the ted talk by Patti Dobrowolski. She shares 3 steps on how to get from your current state to your desired new reality by “drawing your dreams into reality”. First, through seeing it. Then, by believing it. And lastly, acting on it.

It’s easier to see/achieve your dream when you are able to visualize/write it down. Having your dreams displayed through a picture helps you to be more motivated in accomplishing your dreams and turning them into a reality.

What drives you to making school a priority?

Why are you here? What drives you to making school a priority? Is it your family? Do you want financial security? Is it to have an engaged mind? Freedom? Mental health? A better job? The future? Is it for sports? Or just for fun?

I can continue to list many more reasons but I think you get the point. Before being successful in college you need to find what motivates you to stay and to graduate. College isn’t easy. And if you don’t have a strong enough reason to be here for yourself then that makes it so much harder. We need to start with the end in mind. What do you want to get out of college? I am here because I want security. I came from a divorced family and watched my mom bust her butt working three jobs just to be able to provide for me and my three brothers. I want a better future than that. We don’t know what the future holds so, it’s better to be prepared for it the best we can! I plan to be married and to have my husband provide the main source of income but again, I don’t know what to expect. I want to have a college degree so that I will be prepared in case something happens to my husband and he is unable to work. Or heaven forbid.. If I get divorced. So what’s your driving factor? Do you have any values that correspond with this drive? Do you want to have better habits? Get a better grasp on your life?

Motivation doesn’t only come from your values; but it also doesn’t come from expectation alone. There’s an equation tour book uses that helps with this:

MOTIVATION = VALUE x EXPECTATION

                             (likelihood for success)

If you value something then it will have a significance to your motivation. BUT, you need to have an expectation for success as well. Sometimes you need to adjust things. Going along with this, it is nice to have people in your corner to help you out. People serve as different roles in your life. For example, you need the people who are your cheerleaders, but also need the ones who give you the reality checks that you need. I like the quote from Roger von Oech that reads, “He who puts in four hours of ‘want to’ will almost always outperform the person who puts in eight hours of ‘have to’.”. I love this and think it holds completely true. Let’s find what drives us.

Hello!

Hello! My name is Hannah and I am here to help you get a grasp on your school work! I am a struggling student myself and don't really feel fit to preach to others in being successful in college but I do really want to try to help in whatever way I can! I am a UVU Mentor at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. This is my third year of being a mentor so I felt it was about time for me to reach out to the virtual community! I mentor for the Student Leadership and Success Studies (SLSS) Department here at UVU and went into this in hopes to help struggling college students but have found or at least feel that I’ve been gaining more than the students I’ve been helping. Being a mentor has been such an incredible experience for me. I honestly don't feel fit to help students.

There are 5 roles for a mentor:

Trusted friend

Peer leader

Student advocate

Learning coach

Connecting link

With these roles in mind I work individually with one instructor each semester in deciding how to facilitate our in class lessons for our college success class. I figured I would start posting on this blog what we have discussed in our class each week. Hopefully these posts help someone who will be reading them!