Biology 41 - Study Skills

Biology 41 - Principles of Animal Biology

Study Skills:
“One Learns to Be a Student by Being a Student”

“What should I study”? “What should I know”? These are two common questions that originate from students taking Biology 41. One of the skills that one should learn during the first two years in college is to distinguish between information that is important and information that is less important. After all, one cannot learn everything, so study sessions tend to be prioritized according to what one expects to find on the upcoming exams. Unfortunately, testing as the means of evaluating students has led to such consequences. However, one should try to study for life and not the short-term benefit of a good grade on the latest test.

Study Techniques and Preparation:

Motivation: The most important aspect of being successful in a discipline is to allow oneself to be immersed in it. I.e. to be independently motivated to expose oneself to the material on a continuous basis throughout the semester versus the oscillating study tactics we tend to gravitate towards (e.g. cram for one class and the cram for another). Reading, writing, studying, listening, talking and seeing are all different aspects of learning that you should attempt to employ during your college years. Beyond motivation all the other tools are more of a practical nature.
Put in the time (as related to the grade you are trying to earn). An 'A' letter grade calls for about 12 hours of focused work and studying outside of class per week (a 'B' about 9 hours and a 'C' about 6 hours per week). These hours are an approximation that will depend on your current study skills. In addition, make sure to keep up with the material as well as the different assignments each week.
Pace your studying. It has been shown that paced learning is much more powerful in terms of recalling information, as well as long-term memory, compared to bursts of cramming the material.
Take care of yourself throughout the semester (eat right, sleep, and exercise). Have a good and solid breakfast before coming to class.
Come to all lectures, labs and field trips (never skip class or schedule appointments during class time). Missing a day of this class is like not reading a chapter in a book, i.e. you are going to miss a large portion of the material as well as laboratory experience.
Take good notes from lectures, labs and films. [how to take notes; note taking systems]
Work on your journal in the lab. Use all of the time in the laboratory to work with the material. It is typically detrimental to try to leave the lab early. There is a direct correlation between students who do well in class with the time they put into the material.
Read any assigned chapters in the texts. It is very important that you use your text as a learning tool. Read it carefully and then re-read it. It is crucial that you spend time with your text as a resource to learn the material. You will assimilate a large amount of your knowledge of biology from your text (but only if you put in the time). This may be a shift from your previous strategies if you come directly from high school. It is not always easy to understand more complex material but persistence pays off. Write down questions about unclear passages in the text. It will be very difficult to get a good grade in this class without spending much time with your text (at least 6-8 hours per week) [reading skills]
Re-read your notes/handouts and expand on any section that seems relevant.
Focus on the material emphasized in class.
At this time it can be helpful to write your own summaries as well as to put together possible test questions that seem appropriate for the material.
Allocate two hours of journal writing for each lab outside of class. Make sure to complete each section on a continuous basis. Do not fall behind.
Record all organisms seen in labs or field trips. Review pictures/ field guides so you will recognize these species from slides during the visual tests.
Come to office hours or ask questions after class to fill in gaps in your notes (clarify readings).
Get together with one or two other students from the class to review and learn the material (ideas about forming study groups). This is a very powerful method to learn the material. It is recommended that the members of the group already have approached the material (and tried to master it) before the group meets.
Repeat each week.
Review all your notes four to five days before the test.
Review your notes, handouts and summaries the day before the test.
Relax and get some good sleep the night before the exam. Have a solid breakfast before coming to class.


Page created by: Peter Svensson Updated: January 28, 2013