SOME OF TACTICS.

Tactics for Managing Stress and Anxiety Table of Contents *. Anticipatory planning - To minimize stress and anxiety *. Time management *. Methods for reducing anxiety *. Positive thinking It is likely that some of the following suggestions will make a real difference for you. Select and practise those that fit your needs. Note that the items are not mutually exclusive. Anticipatory Planning Goals and priorities- Set realistic goals, long- and short-term, that make for survival and achievement, and development as a person; set goal-related priorities for the day and week. *.Maintenance- Make provisions for your maintenance needs, of relaxation and sleep, of exercise, of adequate nutrition, of family and social life. *.Large tasks- Divide overwhelming tasks into manageable chunks and see the chunks as steps on the progress road to achievement. *.Success goals- Underset your daily task-goals to ensure completion and success, and so experience progress and achievement. *.Corrected practice- Use correction and feedback to put together the final outline, case notes, or essay. *.Breaks- Plan to take periodic breaks to let things sink in, to recover and refresh, to reward a success-step. *.Rewards- Plan to reward and refresh yourself once a week or so with a special activity or occasion. Return to the Table of Contents. Time Management Self-Monitoring- Monitor your use of time by the hour for a week or so, analyse it in terms of the above items. *.Scheduling- Schedule task-goals so that they serve your larger goals and are achievable in the time and circumstances. *.Breaks and rewards- Build into your schedule time for breaks and rewards. *.Reviews- Provide for regular and periodic review time. *.Maintenance- Provide time for exercise, relaxation, sleep, and meals. Return to the Table of Contents. Methods for Reducing Anxiety Self-Assertion- Do a realistic review of the situation, and decide on a course of action and carry it out; assert yourself, take charge of your life. *.Sleep habits- Cultivate methods that enable you to get enough good sleep - wind down first and do not read "law" in bed. *.Exercise- Get a regular period of vigorous exercise, and then use exercise to drain off tension. *.Relaxation- Learn physical and mental relaxation, then notice when you are anxious and tense, and relax. *.Quiet time- Cultivate and then use a "quiet time" to review your situation, to compose yourself, and to prepare for a project or situation for the day. *.Friends- Talk to one or two friends a day, for support and encouragement, to renew your self-confidence and morale. *.Consultation- Help yourself by seeking consultation with peers, instructors, or professional counsellors. Return to the Table of Contents. Positive Thinking Facing anxiety- Better to acknowledge your anxiety rather than hide and choke it back; it is normal and it may be the basis for motivation and problem-solving; do something about excesses, and then go on with your tasks and life. *.Success reviews- Review your accomplishments and your positive qualities, savour them and build up your self-confidence; you've taken hurdles before and you will give this one your best. *.Thought control- When you get down and brood, shout "stop" to yourself, relax with "calm", and switch into a task or positive activity. *.Positive imagery- Cultivate and collect positive images of success situations and peaceful and relaxing settings, and use these to allay anxiety. *.Success steps- Focus on small achievable tasks and see them as "success steps." *.Self-reinforcement- Congratulate yourself and give yourself a reward for success steps and keeping on track. *.Self-acceptance- You really are pretty good, not perfect but who is? You are your own person, you are OK

HOW TO MANAGE TIME.

Managing Time We are happy to help students with issues of time management, one of the most common concerns of students. It is unusual for studentsnotto have problems in this area. This includes helping with the setting of SMART goals (Specific,Managable,Attainable,Realistic, andTimely), techniques to avoid excessive procrastination, ways of planning and scheduling time for a balanced lifestyle, and being accountable. Workshops From time to time we have workshops devoted to issues of time management. However, we encourage students to make an appointmentto see one of us ( David Palmer-Stone, Tricia Best, or June Saracuse) as soon as time management concerns arise. The earlier we make contact, the sooner we can help you manage yourself. Courses Students enrolled in one of our Learning Skills Courseswill work through several modules related to managing time, including a module on "self-control" that teaches the student how to fine tune their study skills for efficiency and effectiveness. Graduate Students Graduate students often have difficulty with time management because of the lack of structure, especially when their course work is completed and they are working on their thesis or dissertation. Graduate students wanting a bit more structure and support can join the Thesis/Dissertation Completion Group. Handouts The following handouts on Time and Study Management are available at Counselling Services. *. Motivation and Goal Setting Worksheet *. Study Tactics Checklist *. Planning Study Time(Orientation 2003 Overhead) *. Controlling Your Own Study Behaviour *. Self Management Checklist *. Term Calendar *. Daily Activity Schedule *. Study Log We also have a number of Books on Time Managementsin our Library. To check out Counselling Services tips on Time Management and related issues,

GUIDES FOR MEMORIZING SERIES.

Guides for memorizing series Using Memory Effectively The following techniques with their exercises use associations with letters, images, maps, etc. to help you remember. As you proceed through this list of techniques, try to think of strategies that would be useful to you! Some people use letters, some images, even songs. Each depends on how comfortable you are with, or how useful they are to, your way of thinking! 1.Acronyms An acronymis an invented combination of letters. Each letter is a cue to, or suggests, an item you need to remember. PEMDAS, sequence in solving or evaluating math equations Parenthesis| Exponents| Multiplication| Division| Addition| Subtraction ROY G. BIV,the colors of the visible spectrum Red,Orange,Yellow,Green,Blue,Indigo,Violet IPMAT, the stages of cell division Interphase,Prophase,Metaphase,Anaphase,Telephase Practice your acronym 2.An acrosticis an invented sentence or poem with a first letter cue: The first letter of each word is a cue to an idea you need to remember. PleaseExcuseMyDearAuntSally (PEMDAS, above) Sequence in solving or evaluating math equations Parenthesis| Exponents| Multiplication| Division| Addition| Subtraction Acrostic exercise GARBAGE| Acrostic exercise EGBDF 3.Rhyme-Keys: (for ordered or unordered lists) First, memorize key words that can be associated with numbers. example: bun = one; shoe = two, tree = three, door = four, hive = five, etc. Create an image of the items you need to remember with key words. Four basic food groups-- diary products; meat, fish, and poultry; grains; and fruit and vegetables Think of cheese on a bun (one), livestock with shoes on (two), a sack of grain suspended in a tree (three), a door to a room stocked with fruits and vegetables (four) Practice your rhymes 4.The Method of Loci: (for approximately twenty items) Select any location that you have spent a lot of time in and know well. Good for kinesthetic learners! Imagine yourself walking through the location, selecting clearly defined places--the door, sofa, refrigerator, shelf, etc. Imagine yourself putting objects that you need to remember into each of these places by walking through this location in a direct path. Again, you need a standard direct path and clearly defined locations for objects to facilitate the retrieval of these objects. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Richard Nixon, you could imagine walking up to the door of your location and seeing a dollar bill stuck in the door; when you open the door Jefferson is reclining on the sofa and Nixon is eating out of the refrigerator. Practice your loci 5.The Keyword Method: (for foreign language vocabulary) First, after considering the foreign word you need to remember, select a key word in English that sounds like the foreign word. Next, imagine an image which involves the key word with the English meaning of the foreign word. For example,consider the Spanish word "cabina" which means "phone booth." For the English keyword, you might think of "cab in a ... ." You could then invent an image of a cab trying to fit in a phone booth. When you see the word "cabina" on the test, you should be able to recall the image of the cab and you should be able to retrieve the definition "phone booth." Practice your keywords 6.The Image-Name Technique: (for remembering names) Simply invent any relationship between the name and the physical characteristics of the person. For example, if you had to remember Shirley Temple's name, you might ingrain the name in memory by noticing that she has "curly" (rhymes with Shirley) hair around her temples. Practice image- naming 7.Chaining: (for ordered or unordered lists) Create a story where each word or idea you have to remember cues the next idea you need to recall. If you had to remember the words Napoleon, ear, door, and Germany, you could invent a story of Napoleon with his ear to a door listening to people speak in German.

PRINCIPLES OF MEMORY.

#MEMORY PRINCIPLE #WHEN TO DO THIS #WHY THIS PRINCIPLEIS IMPORTANT 1. Intend to remember/learn.Before beginning study Your intention is crucial. If you don’t activelyplantoremember something, you won’tremember it very well. 2. Get an "overview" of the task.Whenever you begin a new learning project Getting a preview of the whole process you’re trying to learn will help you later as you read, practice, etc. You’ll be able to fill in details of each part if youstart with a simplified version of the whole task first. 3. Review immediately after learning.At the end of each study session Most forgetting takes place immediately after learning occurs--not two hours or twodays later. Therefore, review immediately, even if just for a few minutes. 4. Learnactively.Always Most learning time should be actively self-testing andpractice rather than passively re-reading. Expose as many sensesas possible to the material--read it, hear it, visualize it, etc. 5. Use an hour or two.When you’re trying toread a whole chapter Complex learning such as understanding new relationships learning how to solve aproblem requires longer periodsof time for efficient learning. 6. Use two to five minutes.When you have a simple mechanical task or rote-memorization Simple tasks and especially anything you have to memorize task are better learned in short, frequent practice sessions ratherthan an hour or two. 7. Practice what you have learned.In between the time youfirst learn something andthe time you’re tested onit Most forgetting takes place because people haven’t periodically practiced or reviewedwhat they learned. 8. Learn in an organized way.Always You’ll remember much more when you have asystematic, orderly view of whatyou have learned. If you havestudied facts as isolated eventswithout seeing relationshipsbetween them, then you will forget more quickly. 9. Set and understand the goals/objectives for your study session.At the beginning of any learning or retrieving session This gives you a purpose and acomplete overview of each studysession, and it will help youbecome a more systematic andorganized learner.

MEMORY PRETEST.

Memory Pretest How Effective Are The Techniques I Use To Learn And Remember? 1. Respond to each statement below. 2. Calculate your score. 3. Review your selections and get our advice and comments on your responses. 1:I know that learning and remembering take work, and I'm willing to put out the effort that's required. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 2:I spread my studying out, so I don't have to cram it all in at one time. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 3:I study with the "intention to remember," which helps me pay attention and learn. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 4:I take the time to relate new information to what I already know. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 5:I organize information into meaningful clusters or categories so that I can focus on the important ideas. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 6:I write and/or recite information that I want to remember. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 7:I re-state ideas in my own words to be sure that I really understand. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 8:I make drawings, sketches, diagrams, charts, etc. to get clear mental pictures of what I am learning. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 9:I test myself as I study to be sure I am learning. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 10:I review periodically to keep information fresh in my mind. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 1) Calculate Your Score2) Review & Get AdviceTotal Pts:

MEMORY PRETEST.

Memory Pretest How Effective Are The Techniques I Use To Learn And Remember? 1. Respond to each statement below. 2. Calculate your score. 3. Review your selections and get our advice and comments on your responses. 1:I know that learning and remembering take work, and I'm willing to put out the effort that's required. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 2:I spread my studying out, so I don't have to cram it all in at one time. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 3:I study with the "intention to remember," which helps me pay attention and learn. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 4:I take the time to relate new information to what I already know. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 5:I organize information into meaningful clusters or categories so that I can focus on the important ideas. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 6:I write and/or recite information that I want to remember. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 7:I re-state ideas in my own words to be sure that I really understand. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 8:I make drawings, sketches, diagrams, charts, etc. to get clear mental pictures of what I am learning. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 9:I test myself as I study to be sure I am learning. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 10:I review periodically to keep information fresh in my mind. >Never [0 pts] >Sometimes [5 pts] >Usually [10 pts] 1) Calculate Your Score2) Review & Get AdviceTotal Pts:

CURVE OF FORGETTING.

The Curve of Forgetting describes how we retain or get rid of information that we take in. It's based on a one-hour lecture. On day 1, at the beginning of the lecture, you go in knowing nothing, or 0%, (where the curve starts at the baseline). At the end of the lecture you know 100% of what you know, however well you know it (where the curve rises to its highest point). By day 2, if you have done nothing with the information you learned in that lecture, didn't think about it again, read it again, etc. you will have lost 50%-80% of what you learned. Our brains are constantly recording information on a temporary basis: scraps of conversation heard on the sidewalk, what the person in front of you is wearing. Because the information isn't necessary, and it doesn't come up again, our brains dump it all off, along with what was learned in the lecture that you actually do want to hold on to! By day 7, we remember even less, and by day 30, we retain about 2%-3% of the original hour! This nicely coincides with midterm exams, and may account for feeling as if you've never seen this before in your life when you're studying for exams - you may need to actually re-learn it from scratch. You can change the shape of the curve! Reprocessing the same chunk of information sends a big signal to your brain to hold onto that data. When the same thing is repeated, your brain says, "Oh - there it is again, I better keep that." When you are exposed to the same information repeatedly, it takes less and less time to "activate" the information in your long term memory and it becomes easier for you to retrieve the information when you need it. Here's the formula and the case for making time to review material: within 24 hours of getting the information - spend 10 minutes reviewing and you will raise the curve almost to 100% again. A week later (day 7), it only takes 5 minutes to "reactivate" the same material, and again raise the curve. By day 30, your brain will only need 2-4 minutes to give you the feedback, "yes, I know that..." Often students feel they can't possibly make time for a review session every day in their schedules - they have trouble keeping up as it is. However, this review is an excellent investment of time. If you don't review, you will need to spend 40-50 minutes re-learning each hour of material later - do you have that kind of time? Cramming rarely stores information in your long term memory successfully, which makes it harder to access the material for assignments during the term and exam preparation. Depending on the course load, the general recommendation is to spend half an hour or so every weekday, and 1.5 to 2 hours every weekend in review activity. Perhaps you only have time to review 4 or 5 days of the week, and the curve stays at about the mid range. That's ok, it's a lot better than the 2%-3% you would have retained if you hadn't reviewed at all. Many students are amazed at the difference reviewing regularly makes in how much they understand and how well they understand and retain material. It's worth experimenting for a couple weeks, just to see what difference it makes to you!

CURVE OF FORGETTING.

The Curve of Forgetting describes how we retain or get rid of information that we take in. It's based on a one-hour lecture. On day 1, at the beginning of the lecture, you go in knowing nothing, or 0%, (where the curve starts at the baseline). At the end of the lecture you know 100% of what you know, however well you know it (where the curve rises to its highest point). By day 2, if you have done nothing with the information you learned in that lecture, didn't think about it again, read it again, etc. you will have lost 50%-80% of what you learned. Our brains are constantly recording information on a temporary basis: scraps of conversation heard on the sidewalk, what the person in front of you is wearing. Because the information isn't necessary, and it doesn't come up again, our brains dump it all off, along with what was learned in the lecture that you actually do want to hold on to! By day 7, we remember even less, and by day 30, we retain about 2%-3% of the original hour! This nicely coincides with midterm exams, and may account for feeling as if you've never seen this before in your life when you're studying for exams - you may need to actually re-learn it from scratch. You can change the shape of the curve! Reprocessing the same chunk of information sends a big signal to your brain to hold onto that data. When the same thing is repeated, your brain says, "Oh - there it is again, I better keep that." When you are exposed to the same information repeatedly, it takes less and less time to "activate" the information in your long term memory and it becomes easier for you to retrieve the information when you need it. Here's the formula and the case for making time to review material: within 24 hours of getting the information - spend 10 minutes reviewing and you will raise the curve almost to 100% again. A week later (day 7), it only takes 5 minutes to "reactivate" the same material, and again raise the curve. By day 30, your brain will only need 2-4 minutes to give you the feedback, "yes, I know that..." Often students feel they can't possibly make time for a review session every day in their schedules - they have trouble keeping up as it is. However, this review is an excellent investment of time. If you don't review, you will need to spend 40-50 minutes re-learning each hour of material later - do you have that kind of time? Cramming rarely stores information in your long term memory successfully, which makes it harder to access the material for assignments during the term and exam preparation. Depending on the course load, the general recommendation is to spend half an hour or so every weekday, and 1.5 to 2 hours every weekend in review activity. Perhaps you only have time to review 4 or 5 days of the week, and the curve stays at about the mid range. That's ok, it's a lot better than the 2%-3% you would have retained if you hadn't reviewed at all. Many students are amazed at the difference reviewing regularly makes in how much they understand and how well they understand and retain material. It's worth experimenting for a couple weeks, just to see what difference it makes to you!

CURVE OF FORGETTING.

The Curve of Forgetting describes how we retain or get rid of information that we take in. It's based on a one-hour lecture. On day 1, at the beginning of the lecture, you go in knowing nothing, or 0%, (where the curve starts at the baseline). At the end of the lecture you know 100% of what you know, however well you know it (where the curve rises to its highest point). By day 2, if you have done nothing with the information you learned in that lecture, didn't think about it again, read it again, etc. you will have lost 50%-80% of what you learned. Our brains are constantly recording information on a temporary basis: scraps of conversation heard on the sidewalk, what the person in front of you is wearing. Because the information isn't necessary, and it doesn't come up again, our brains dump it all off, along with what was learned in the lecture that you actually do want to hold on to! By day 7, we remember even less, and by day 30, we retain about 2%-3% of the original hour! This nicely coincides with midterm exams, and may account for feeling as if you've never seen this before in your life when you're studying for exams - you may need to actually re-learn it from scratch. You can change the shape of the curve! Reprocessing the same chunk of information sends a big signal to your brain to hold onto that data. When the same thing is repeated, your brain says, "Oh - there it is again, I better keep that." When you are exposed to the same information repeatedly, it takes less and less time to "activate" the information in your long term memory and it becomes easier for you to retrieve the information when you need it. Here's the formula and the case for making time to review material: within 24 hours of getting the information - spend 10 minutes reviewing and you will raise the curve almost to 100% again. A week later (day 7), it only takes 5 minutes to "reactivate" the same material, and again raise the curve. By day 30, your brain will only need 2-4 minutes to give you the feedback, "yes, I know that..." Often students feel they can't possibly make time for a review session every day in their schedules - they have trouble keeping up as it is. However, this review is an excellent investment of time. If you don't review, you will need to spend 40-50 minutes re-learning each hour of material later - do you have that kind of time? Cramming rarely stores information in your long term memory successfully, which makes it harder to access the material for assignments during the term and exam preparation. Depending on the course load, the general recommendation is to spend half an hour or so every weekday, and 1.5 to 2 hours every weekend in review activity. Perhaps you only have time to review 4 or 5 days of the week, and the curve stays at about the mid range. That's ok, it's a lot better than the 2%-3% you would have retained if you hadn't reviewed at all. Many students are amazed at the difference reviewing regularly makes in how much they understand and how well they understand and retain material. It's worth experimenting for a couple weeks, just to see what difference it makes to you!

ORGANIZATION PRACTICE:

Mapping Instructions:Read the following passage on principles of classification, and then do a concept map -- from memory -- of everything you can remember of the passage. Classification consists of placing together in categories those things that resemble each other. While this sounds simple, in actual practice it may be quite difficult. First of all, we have to decide what kind of similarities are the most important for our purpose. One of the earliest classification schemes placed in one category all those organisms which lived in the same habitat. Thus fish, whales, and penguins were classified as swimming creatures. This type of classification was often based on the principle that creatures possessing analogous organs should be classified together. Analogous organs are organs that have the same function. The fins of fishes and the flippers of whales and penguins are analogous organs because they are all used for swimming. The wings of birds, bats, and insects are analogous organs that make flying possible. As more knowledge was gained about the anatomy of living things, it became apparent that similarities of habitat and of analogous organs were often rather superficial. The fact that bats have fur and nurse their young, birds have feathers and lay eggs, while insects are cold-blooded and have no internal skeleton suggested that these organisms differ from one another in more important ways than they resemble one another. An appreciation of the truly significant ways in which organisms resemble or differ from one another enabled the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus to found the modern system of classification. In 1753 he published a classification of the plants which was followed, in 1758, by a classification of the animals. For this work he is often called the father of taxonomy, the name given to the study of classification. His system of classification is fundamentally the system we use today. It is based on the principle of homology. Homologous organs are organs which show the same basic structure, the same general relationship to other organs, and the same pattern of very early growth. They need not, however, share the same function. An examination of the bones of the whale's flipper, the bat's wing, and man's arm reveals the same basic pattern (Fig.2-2). Furthermore, all these appendages are found in the same part of the body and develop in similar ways. They are homologous organs, although they are used to carry out quite different functions. Linnaeus felt that the difference in function was trivial, while the homology of the organs provided a sound basis for grouping these animals together. Why is classification based upon homology so significant? The answer to this question was not given until 1859 when Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution, According to Darwin, a classification based upon the presence of homologous organs is a classification based upon kinship. He felt that all creatures sharing homologous organs is a classification based upon kinship. He felt that all creatures sharing homologous organs are related to one another, having inherited their homologous organs from a common ancestor. Thus man, the bat, and the whale all had a single ancestor who possessed the basic forelimb structure that these creatures possess - although obviously in a quite modified form - today. Now, do a concept map of this material without referring to the passage. This will give you practice in remembering, and will show you exactly how much you know and don't know. It will also provide you with a solid basis for thinking critically about the topic.