Study/ Note taking skills/tips

[phantome]

Soo0ooo... this year I decided to take several advanced courses..something i've never done before, in order to challenge myself and hopefully gain something from them in the process (this seemed like a pretty good idea..) problem is, its barely been a week and i'm already starting to feel overwhelmed by work :D
so can any of you suggest some homework/study tips? how to save time etc. Also, note taking? :p

many thanks in advance ^.^

[ProxyAmenRa]

I normally find the minimum amount of sleep required to function to enable more time for work.

[EyeSeeCold]

http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

Determine your preferred learning type then it will offer helpful study tips. I think INTPs are naturally more aural with reading/writing right behind.

[Fukyo]

I don't ever take notes. I mean, what are the textbooks and internet for?

My method is the the following:


Read the material in its entirety once or twice to get a good intuitive feel for what it's about in general.

Third read, get a pen or a highlighter and tune in your critical skills. Identify the main concepts, definitions, facts that are crucial for the material. Underline or otherwise mark them.

Concentrate exclusively on the isolated lines, the rest is just working memory hogging junk, for now. Make sure you've grasped them thoroughly and understand how they work and relate to each other and the big picture as it relates to your study material. It's helpful if you can relate or connect it to some previous knowledge or observations.


If need be read through the entire material one last time so it all sinks in nicely.

Finally, when presenting your knowledge put emphasis on the crucial bits you've previously learned, use your creativity and writing skills to spice it up, add a few twists here and there, but stay true to the essence of the material.

[EyeSeeCold]

^ It's also great to summarize what you've read, I don't know why it works, but I feel a closer connection to what I've read when I do and it becomes easier to recall.

[phantome]

thanks ^.^
great site btw