Essential Study Skills for DVM Students…what works, what doesn’t

Anne LaFrance, LMHC

Counselor, College of Vet Med

alafrance@vetmed.wsu.edu

References and Resources

Counseling & Wellness website, Study Skills section:

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/counseling/studyskills.aspx

“What works, what doesn’t” Scientific American Mind, 2013

Meta-analysis of 700+ scientific articles on 10 common study techniques

“What Will Improve a Student’s Memory?” D. Willingham, 2009 (on website)

Becoming a Master Student, Dave Ellis, 2003

Study without Stress: Mastering Medical Sciences, Kelman and Stracker, 2000

TIME

Memory

Reading & Notes

Test taking

Evaluate your current study strategies…and what you’re willing to change

…maybe some before your next exam?

Making the most of your time

Expect to spend 60-65 hours/week in learning activities… including about 25 hours/week studying

• A regular study schedule protects against cramming, lack of sleep, stress, and vulnerability to illness

• Planner use to track assignments, study hours, exams, and outside commitments can improve exam prep and decrease procrastination

• Without a planned schedule, multiple exams/week = poor allocation of time across subjects

Procrastination, goals, motivation, encouragement

• Procrastination is fueled by perfectionism and difficulty initiating work on high priority tasks

• Set daily goals & checkpoints, do work before “escapes”

• Hardest work when most alert, 3 hr. blocks, active breaks

• Allocate time/subject, manage distractions,

avoid multi-tasking

• Daily & weekly rewards, plan for the unexpected

• Encourage & praise yourself, celebrate successes!

Memory…

What works What doesn’tSelf-testing during daily study

Distributed study sessions

Continued reviews after you know the material

Creating conceptual frameworks of related material

Develop memorable CUES:

mnemonics

Re-reading, re-copying

Cramming / massed study

Highlighting text or notes

Rote memorization

Late night studying

Pressure & sleep deprivation

Multi-tasking while studying

Self testing

Cornell Note Taking Flashcards

Chapter review questions

Retake prior quizzes and tests

Quiz study partner from notes

Highly effective across wide range of content and time intervals – forms multiple retrieval pathways

Distributed study periods & breaks MON. TUES. WED. THURS. FRI. SAT. SUN.

Exercise > >>> >>> Exercise > >>> >>> >>>

VM 510Notes ?sCh. 3-4

VM 510Open lab

Cell Phys. Notes Ch. 1-3

VM 510Notes ?s Ch. 1-3

Cell Phys. Ch. 2-4 + notes

Exam prepVM 586 lab notes

Exam prepCell Phys.Study grp.

Dinner > >>> >>> Dinner > >>> Chores > >>>

VM 586Notes/labreview

VM 586 review ?s lecture notes

VM 586Ch. 3-5Review ?s

VM 586Ch. 1-3review ?s

VM 586Practice tests

VM 510 Ch. 1-3 Review ?s

Exam prepAnat. 1 open lab

Chores >

>>> >>> Chores >> >>> Lunch > >>>

Anat. 1Ch. 1-4 review ?s

Cell Phys.Review notes wks 1-3

Anat. 1Review Notes wks 1-3

Exam prepCell Phys. Old exams

Exam prepAnat. 1Old exams

Relax > >>> >>> >>> >>>

Distributed practice vs. massed practice

Keppel: massed learners forgot

almost 2/3s of items after 1 week

Distributed learners recalled over

90% of items after 1 week

Research meta-analysis:

Average person using

distributed learning sessions remembers better than 67% of those using massed learning, and these gains persist over years. (Donovan and Radosevich)

What’s wrong with these??

Re-reading, re-copying

Cramming / massed study

Highlighting text / notes

Rote memorization

Late night studying

Pressure & sleep deprivation

Multi-tasking while studying

Discuss current methods: what will you change?

Self-testing during study

Distributed study sessions

Continue reviewing after you know the material

Deep learning: how concepts interrelate, why meaningful

Develop memorable CUES:

mnemonics

Multiple memory modes

Re-reading, re-copying

Cramming / massed study

Highlighting text or notes

Rote memorization

Late night studying

Pressure & sleep deprivation

Multi-tasking while studying

Notes & self-test in one

Review notes w/in 24 hours & add ?s

Quizzing easily identifies unlearned material

Active method for notating assigned reading

Prompts user to summarize & synthesize concepts

A system for reading and note-taking

1. Pre-read: skim, note main topics

2. Read & take Cornell notes before lectures Monitor comprehension! Question how it connects w/existing knowledge, makes sense

3. Lecture notes: listen first, write main ideas

4. Review notes: add missing ideas & questions to notes and quiz 1x w/in 24 hrs. of lecture, review notes before next lecture, then at distributed intervals.

5. Exam prep: review & quiz all notes--lectures, labs & text

Test Taking

Test taking preparation

Rate yourself on 1-5 scale, 1= low:

1. I clarify what topics & kinds of questions will on exams.

2. I study early & long enough to be prepared for exams.

3. I make a prioritized checklist of review materials and

allocate study hours accordingly.

4. I study in 1-3 hour periods, distributed, with breaks.

5. I review using different methods: self-testing, prior

exams, study groups, flashcards, open labs, etc.

6. I get 8 hours’ sleep the night before exams.

Test taking strategies

1. Arrive early, avoid anxious discussions w/peers

2. Preview test and points, make time notations in margin

3. Start with easiest items, mark unknowns for later

4. Keep self-talk encouraging, expect unknowns

5. Answer every item unless guessing is penalized

6. Review carefully: difficult & missing items, correct

tracking on answer sheets

7. Do a test post-mortem on your preparation & mistakes

Post-mortem review

Preparation: study methods, topics, time spent, distributed study, materials

Identify key reasons for lost points: difficulties w/concept recall, definitions, studied wrong material, lack of practice, unclear expectations, focus, anxiety, ran out of time, etc.

What will I do differently? Identify at least three specific things. Consider preparation, time management, types of review, mastery of concepts, use of review materials, knowledge deficits

Reminders in planner about your revised plan for next exam

Managing test anxiety

Strong preparation diminishes test anxiety.

Sleep, exercise, limit the caffeine, good morning routine

Let go of perfectionistic beliefs: you won’t know it all.

Learn to control your focus and self-talk:

I’ll just do the best I can. This is just one test.

Breathe, relax, refocus: I am calm and clear.

I’ve studied well, and can recall what’s needed.

Monitor time, but don’t watch the clock.

Website resources!

Evaluate your current study strategies…and what you’re willing to change

Thanks for participating, and best wishes!