Success Guide to Understanding and Learning

 

As individuals we all learn differently, for example some of us learn

better visually while others need both audiovisual aids.

This guide will only give suggestions, in no particular order, about how you

can better your learning and/or studying skills.

This is by no means   conclusive and if these suggestions do not work for you;

try something else, ask for other

suggestions, and/or research other ideas.

 

 

 

Ideas for Success

 

Goals Settings, Time Management, Attitudes and Self-Esteem,

 

 

Strategies for Success

 

Note-Taking, Homework, Exam-Taking, Studying, and Parent Helping Ideas

“click your choice above”

 

 

 

Note to Parents and/or Guardians

 

 Please feel free to request a conference or progress report at your convenience.

 

A professional and detailed report can also be

sent to you via email. Contact me for details !!!

 

 

“Let’s Work Together”

 

 

 

click to visit à Class and Tutoring Schedule ß click to visit

“Subject to Change”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ideas for Success

 

 

 

 

Goal Settings: Long-term and Short-term

 

Long-term

 

ie. Year, Semester, 9wks, or Cycle

 

Steps:

 

1.    State your goal. ie. I will get an A on my next grade card.

2.    Identify a time frame in which you plan to accomplish your goal.

3.    Periodically identify the next steps to take to

   accomplish your goal.

4.    Occasionally review your goals.  Should you change

   it?

5.    When you have reached your goal, identify what  

   worked and what did not work about your efforts.

 

Short-term

 

ie. 9wks, 4wks, a week, a day, a chapter, and/or assignment

 

Steps:

 

1.    State your goal. ie. I will get an A on my next

   test.

2.    Identify the time frame in which you will

   accomplish your goal.

3.    When the time frame has elapsed, determine if you have reached your goal.

4.    Identify what worked and what did not work about 

   your efforts.

 

Time Management

 

Keep a daily "To Do" list prioritized by: A's, B's,

or C's

 

“A” Must be done today

“B” Would like to get done today

“C” Long-term projects that would like to do some

    work on today (such as a book being read, a paper

    for class, a project at home, studying for a test)

 

Establish your best time of day to work on A's, B's,

or C's.  We all have our own time of day where our brain

prefers urgency or more casual pacing.  Find that out

for yourself.

 

Establish your best time of day for tasks that take

routine energy where the brain doesn't have to do

much; just get things done as you have always done

them.

 

Establish your best time of day for tasks that take

creative energy where the brain does much work and

your imagination is utilized.  As with suggestion 2,

we are different in this time of day, and we must

experiment on our own.

 

Every now and them, stop what your are doing and

think: What is the best use of my time right now?

Do this when you feel overly-busy and don't quite

know which task to do.  What about that TV?  Trust

your answer.

 

Don't let others waste your time.  Take something

you want to accomplish along to medical appointments

or to the school office or wherever you usually have

to wait.

 

Establish the practice of squeezing short, routine

tasks into otherwise "wasted" moments (TV

commercials, in class when you finish an assignment

or test early).

 

Don't create tension for yourself by trying to do

last item mentioned when you are genuinely relaxing. 

Relaxing is not wasting time unless you do it too

often too long.  We all need time to relax.

 

Initiate telephone conversations so that you can

control when they are finished and it is time to

hang up. This is not rude, just clever.  If the

other person calls us, we tend to wait for that

person to say good-bye and hang up.  Also, try

setting a clock by the phone.

 

If a block of time is truly outside your control

don't waste time fretting about it.

 

Don't try to keep ideas, plans, and/or assignments

in your head, write them down so you don't use time

thinking of them again.  This often happens in

class. Use a section of your notebook.

 

Combine your notes to yourself on one list or note

pad. Don't keep looking for scraps of paper in

various pockets or sections of your notebook.

 

Recognize that it is far better to say "no" when

someone asks you to do a favor or be on a committee

or team than to let them down later.  We often get

over-extended and regret promises we made.  When

that happens we sometimes get very careless in

keeping the promise and resent the other person for

asking.

 

Frequently ask yourself regarding long-term goals on

which you procrastinate (maybe "C's" on your To Do

List), "What will happen if I don't finish this?" If

your answer is, "nothing", don't finish it.  By the

way, "nothing" means that you will not earn and/or

learn from what you are doing.

 

If allowed, see what you can do to add or improve your

your grade by looking into extra credit, bonus, and/or

bonuses.  Certain policies may have to apply such as

having all work in or having a certain exam average.

 

Remember:  There is usually time for what we value

most. We have to decide what those things are.

 

 

 

Attitudes and Self-Esteem

 

 

 

Reactive Language

“being negative never helps”

 

There's nothing I can do

I’m not smart

That's just the way I am

He/she makes me so mad

I have to do that

I can't

I don't

If only

 

 

* Proactive Language *

“being positive is much better”

 

Let's look at our alternatives

I can choose a different approach

I control my own feelings

I am smart

I can create an effective anything

I will choose an appropriate time and/or response

I can

                                                         

 

Attitudes to Explore

 

 

1. Be responsible for creating value and interest in your life.

2. Turn problems into opportunities if you face them and work at them.

3. Continued effort will pay off in some way.

4. What you experience in life is useful in some way.

5. Your self-worth is not dependent on your success.

 

 

Are You Driven or Being Driven?

 

1. Who are you?             

2. What abilities do you need?

3. Where are you going?     

4. How will you know success?

5. Why are you going?       

6. What could go wrong?

7. How will you get there?  

8. Who will go with you?

 

 

Building Your Self-Esteem

 

1. Develop your potential.

2. Never put yourself down.

3. Talk about self positively.

4. Be good to yourself.

5. Respect yourself and your uniqueness.

6. Surround yourself with beauty.

7. Take credit for what you do.

8. See yourself as equal to others.

9. Be able to receive as well as give.

10. Learn to trust your own judgment.

 

 

Have the Power to Think

 

                      \O/

                       |

I did it! ..........  / \

                   

I will. .................

                        

I think I can. ...............

                             

I might. ..........................

                                  

I think I might. .......................

                                       

What is it? ................................

                                            

I wish I could. .............................

                                                

I don't know. ..............................

                                            

I can't. ................................ \ /

                                           |

I won't. ..............................   /O\

 

 

 

 

In Conclusion

 

Why bother trying to be better than someone else?  Just strive to be better than your self and you will automatically become the best.  There will always be people who achieve more or less than you in a given area (science or any other area).  No matter how you compare with others, however, you can feel confident that you are a success of the first magnitude so long as you are steadily moving toward the achievement of your own worthwhile predetermined goals. 

 

 

You Fail Only When You Stop Trying