STUDY AND WELLNESS TIPS
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SELF CARE should always have high priority
Self care looks like...
Self-care manifests in many forms, which includes your daily routines (ex: showering, prayer, exercise). It includes healthy eating, regular exercise, adequate sleep, socializing, and mindfulness, among other things,
Self care means:
Taking the time each day to show your body the respect it deserves for facilitating your privilege of attending higher-level education. Practicing self-care includes taking the time every day to connect with your body, identify feelings/needs, and act accordingly.
Self-care does not mean:
Regularly staying out late to socialize and not getting a sufficient amount of sleep.
Eating poorly by choice or because “time did not permit it”.
Missing class regularly.
Consuming recreational drugs excessively (includes alcohol as alcohol is a drug).
Emotional regulation tips while transitioning to online/remote learning from Dr. Hollenstein of Queen’s University:
https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/accepting-anxiety-covid-19-looms-0
Distract yourself with leisure activities to reduce anxiety
Displace the focus from yourself (acknowledge that other people are facing similar challenges)
Seek + provide social support; talk about what is weighing on your mind
Studying Techniques for Online Learning:
An Introduction to Online Learning at York University** The following resources have been taken from York University's Learning Skills Services at https://lss.info.yorku.ca/online-learning/ **
Tips from York University:
https://lss.info.yorku.ca/files/2020/05/YorkUOnlineStudyTips_Updated05-01-20.pdf?x62843
Managing your time
Stick to a routine: try to wake-up at the same time every morning, have meals regularly, engage in some kind of physical activity daily
Balance your time between schoolwork and leisure. Take time for enjoyable activities and socializing with friends/family
Divide your tasks (e.g, assignments) and work on them one step at a time
Start well enough in advance; avoid cramming!
If you have 6 hours of coursework, space it over a few days (e.g, 2 hours a day for 3 days)
Do not look to far ahead; focus on one step and then move forward
Study at the time of day that works best for you
2. Your study space
Pick a quiet space, free of distractions where you know you will be more productive
Avoid studying on your bed or couch. This will diminish your motivation to study
Set-up at a spacious work station (e.g, a large desk) where you can spread out your materials
Have all of your materials with you from the beginning (e.g, pens, pencils, paper, etc.)
Bring water and snacks with you to keep you hydrated and energized
Step away from your study zone when you take a break
3. Active Participation
Find out when and how you can communicate with your instructor and peers
Stay engaged during class and outside of class: respond to questions, complete discussion activities, try practice quizzes
Establish trusted contacts with classmates. Exchange information to communicate them if necessary
4. Motivation
Intrinsic: Why did you pick the course? Why is it interesting? Find reasons to be excited about the course.
Extrinsic: Set breaks and rewards to motivate you.
POMODORO TECHNIQUE: work for a set amount of time (e.g, 1 hour), and then take a set break (e.g, 15 mins) as a reward for your hard work
More online learning tips:
https://lsa.umich.edu/content/dam/rll-assets/rll-docs/Study%20Habits.pdf
Be patient with yourself, your instructor and your classmates! Problems (e.g, technical difficulties) may arise for all of us.
Organizing yourself:
Know ahead of time when/how to access your classes (e.g, Zoom? What’s the meeting ID?)
Keeping track of changing due dates and examination dates
Know how to get extra help if you need it
Virtual office hours
Emailing instructors
Online question forums
Avoid multitasking:
Everything will get done in due time, do not overwork yourself juggling more than you can handle all at once.
When multitasking you may:
Lose track of where you left off on one task
Get distracted and make errors
Exhaust yourself when switching between tasks
Compromise what gets encoded into memory
Your brain has to divide its resources to more things at a time
Avoid multitasking by:
Focusing on one thing at a time
Setting aside a designated time to do each individual task
Taking breaks to reset between tasks
(remember the Pomodoro method)
During any given class:
Close any distracting tabs open on your personal devices
Continue to diligently take notes
For pre-recorded lectures:
Watch at a normal speed (as if you were attending in-person)
Continue to take-in as much information as possible
You won’t miss-out on important material
Create a visual timetable/organizer
Enter important dates/information to help you keep track of upcoming deadlines/test dates/events
A visual aid will serve as a nice overview of your commitments
You won’t miss anything
You can cross items off your timetable when they’re complete
Keeping in-touch:
Schedule study sessions with friends or peers over the phone/video call
Motivate each other to avoid procrastination
Reassure one another when in-doubt
It doesn’t hurt to get a boost of confidence from a friendly figure
Create a group chat where you can communicate about class assignments and seek clarification about projects
Share and compare notes/insights from your classes
Ask for someone to be a back-up note taker if you anticipate that you are going to miss a class
Creating Structure and Routine for yourself:
https://advising.virginia.edu/resources/coronavirus-homestudy/
1) Planning your time
Keep referring back to your syllabi; look out for updates/changes to due dates from your instructor
Set reminders on your personal devices or use sticky notes
Determine roughly how much time you will need to devote to coursework from each class
Each week, plan what you want to do from each class; spend the appropriate amount of time on each task
Decide on a good time of the day to work on your tasks
Try to stick to your plan but do not be discouraged if you do not get it all done!
2) Schedules and Boundaries
Discuss boundaries/schedules with those you live with
Be aware of everyone’s schedules. Honour each other’s privacy/school-related commitments.
Avoid being disruptive to those you live with while they are working.
Determine how you will share technological resources with family members or how you will resolve technical problems when/if they arise
Remind those you live with when a class is about to begin
3) State of Mind
Be an active, respectful participant during class!
Do not be shy to ask for clarification
Mute your microphone/stop video if needed during a class (e.g, if there is background noise; if you have to step away for a break)
Get dressed in appropriate attire and look presentable
Before class begins, reflect on what you would like to ask/say to your instructor during class
Helpful tips for online exams:
https://lss.info.yorku.ca/files/2020/03/Tips-for-online-exam-1.pdf?x62843
1) consult the exam guidelines and instructions from your course instructor ahead of time
2) stable internet connection
Notify your instructor immediately if you are having technical difficulties
3) keep track of time while you write (budget enough time for each question)
4) academic integrity
Be aware of the rules
Do not look at notes or collaborate with peers if it is not permitted
You’re only putting yourself at risk of a zero
5) organized space:
Set-up on an adequate surface (e.g, a desk); clear your surroundings
Have all supplies prepared (e.g, pencil, eraser, calculator)
https://www.lib.sfu.ca/about/branches-depts/slc/learning/exam-types/open-book-exams
Coping with open-book exams:
Types of questions:
Instructors will likely ask application/thinking questions where you will have to apply the content.
Answers will unlikely be found directly in your notes/textbook
Avoid taking on the mindset that open-book exams are easier. They are not supposed to be
Instructors actually have higher expectations
Preparing:
Learn/know all of the content well; don’t rely on your notes/textbook
You have limited time to look through your resources
Organize your resources (e.g, notes) to find information easily
Write key information on sticky notes
Have them arranged in front of you
Stick them to important pages of your notes/textbooks
Make them colour-coded if it helps
Create a summary of important concepts you think will be covered on the exam
Come up with some practice questions for yourself
Do practice questions that your instructor may have provided
Re-do questions from homework
Things to keep in mind
1) Time is scarce!
2) Paraphrase and simplify where possible (it will save you time and energy)
3) Review at the end if time permits
STUDYING TECHNIQUES
Apps:
Android: Forest, Brain Focus Productivity Timer
iOS: FocusBooster, Pomello
Distributed vs massed practice
Spacing studying over a period of time is a much more effective learning strategy than studying all material in one session.
ABC study model
Let A, B, and C be different courses
Alternate between courses A, B, and C and resist the urge to focus on one course exclusively.
CONCEPTS RELEVANT TO STUDYING AND INFORMATION RECALL
State-congruent recall
Recall is improved when body is in the same state at retrieval as it was at encoding
Solution: If you’ve enjoyed a coffee while you memorized material, make sure you have one at retrieval!
Mood-congruent recall
Improved recall when same mood at both retrieval and encoding
Solution: Regular exercise and mindful relaxation techniques help alleviate stress and anxiety
Context-congruent recall
Recall is better when you recall in the same environment that you encoded in
Solution: Come to empty classroom on the weekend before the exam to study. Rooms are generally unlocked and empty!
Self-referential Effect
Researchers discovered that relating concepts to oneself or to salient personal life experiences will facilitate greater recall.
Solution: Tie concepts to your life experiences or refer them to yourself in some manner.
Deep level processing
Elaborating on prior knowledge to network concepts and known concepts and/or ideas.
Solution: Regularly quiz yourself on concepts, try to imagine situations where they would / would not apply, ethical concerns, etc.
Essentially, the rule is “the more neural resources you can apply to forming memories, the stronger the memory will be”
When handwriting or typing notes, quietly whisper or mouth the words
Due to the magnitude of processing required, visual memory is generally superior to auditory or tactile memory.