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Roberta
Berlani |
Leticia
Gallardo |
Michelle
Geary |
Cheryl Hackworth |
Nathan
Norris |
Christine
Peters |
Molly Schrey |
Peter Svensson |
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| Wednesday |
2:05 - 5:15 |
Bio 11 Lab |
V 9 |
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You award yourself your own grade.
It is better to be in control of your grade, than have your grade be in control of you. How to keep your grade under control.
Scenario #1: You are a Jellyfish. You are floating on an ocean drifting aimlessly at the whim of ocean currents and sea breezes. You may spend years without developing a direction. You have no control.
Scenario #2: You are sailing a yacht. You have a firm direction in mind, you are in control of your route. You may choose a diversion or even choose to switch to another final destination, but you are in control.
Which are you?
To take control:
First of all know what grade you need to achieve for each of the classes that you are taking. Once you know which classes are the most important in terms of your future career path, you can plan your study time accordingly. If you have not decided yet on what you are going to major in, or which career you will enter- you should dedicate some time to thinking about it.
Read the greensheet carefully. Understand how the classes are assessed. When are the deadlines. What is the exam format? What is the late work policy, what are the grading standards, are there any extra credit opportunities- how many points are on offer?
Understand the grade bands- how many points do you need to get to achieve a "B".
Do not assume that midterms will be easy. Treat the first exam like you would approach a final. It is very important. If you are well prepared and score highly in the first midterm, you are in a strong position to achieve your desired final grade.BEWARE:
If you wander into the first midterm poorly prepared- you may be chasing to make up the wasted points for the rest of the semester.
How did my grade get to be so low??Active Reading
For my classes I emphasize
understanding the concepts. This requires more than just reading the
book
while watching the TV. Reserve time to read in your weekly schedule.
Plan
a time and maintain a space where you can concentrate. Try to create an
atmosphere conducive to your learning: minimize distractions, turn off
your cell phone, put up a DO NOT DISTURB notice.
University of New
England
:
Active Reading
Mindtools.com
:
Improving your memory
Overcoming the urge
to Scream!
Coping with Biological
terms. Biology is full of latin and geek (Sorry...greek) based terms.
These
terms have specific meanings and unfortunately you do
have to learn them. The best way to master them is to build your
own Biological Glossary. The textbook has definitions that make
perfect
sense to the author, who is a biologist. Unfortunately you will not be
able to use the authors brain when it comes to the exams. In
order
to remember what the words mean translate the authors words into your
own.
This will make it easier for you to remember when it comes to a test
when
you don't have a textbook handy.
Remembering what you
read.
Take notes. Resist the urge
to copy chunks of the text. All this is doing is
taking up
your time. Copying is not the same as learning. You have to
think
of what is being said- and again this is best done by using your own
words.
Do not be afraid to deface books, you can scribble notes in the
margins-
this will help next time you read the textbook. Alternatively you
may take notes that can be filed with your lecture notes. Write down
the
page numbers to help you find the original material in the textbook
later.
What to do when you finish a Chapter
Once you finish the
reading
the chapter- review the chapter. If you close
the
book without thinking about what you have just read, you will rapidly
forget.
Now is the time to reinforce your new knowledge, nail those hard gained
facts to the roof of your brain so that they don't float away.
Study Groups
If you have never been a member of a study group, there is nothing
to
lose by trying it out this semester. Typically a group of 2-6
students University
of
Victoria : About Study Groups and Learning
Santa Rosa
Community College : Forming Study Groups, Using Study Groups
Effectively
Web Study Skills and Learning Resources
How To Study.com : Tips
on
note taking, test taking
Virginia Tech
: study skills and time management
Study Guides and Strategies ;
How to prepare for classes. Comprehensive advice for college classes
Biology Study Skills
: Aimed at majors students at Pima College, but sound advise
Reading Biology
: More from Pima College
University of North Carolina
: Improve your Study Habits
How to Study.org: Everything
you ever wanted to know about studying, but were too afraid to ask
Rainforest Opportunities
Rainforest Resources
Tropical Travels
Biology Links
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| Page created
by:
Barry Thomson Updated: December 19, 2007 |
