STUDYING SUCCESSFULLY
The Timbuktu Academy
Department of Physics
College of Sciences
Southern University and A&M College
D. Bagayoko, Ph.D.
(Fall, 1997)
Entire books are devoted to the subject of studying.
One of them is "How to Study in College," by Walter Pauk. The
few lines below provide the essentials that, if practiced, could allow
a purposeful student to not only succeed in college but also to excel.
Without much elaborations, we note that these essentials are grounded into
current knowledge in cognition science, on memory, and on behavior. Two
simple points to always remember are the following:
(a) "Practice partly begets and certainly enhances sensory- motor (athletic), artistic (creative), and intellectual (cognitive) abilities." Hence, over the years, people develop and enhance the rational powers (i.e. intellectual skills or attributes) they apply frequently. It is through practice that expertise is developed --- in any cognitive endeavor.
(b) The first-time memory retention curve, well established in psychology, shows that only 25 percent (25%) of extensive and new information is still in memory after 48 hours. Of course this means that "bright" students will tend to study their lessons, every one of their lessons, within 48 hours after the classroom lecture, laboratory, or activity. In doing so, they spend a lot less time on a lesson and it stays with them a lot longer. Naturally, they have to review what they have learned from time to time (see the importance of practice in 1. above.).
With the above points in mind, essentials of a successful way of studying follow.
(1) Take complete and clear notes in class.
(2) Read the entire chapter in the textbook on the classroom
lesson.
(3) Take extra time to understand anything that is unclear,
in the notes or in the book.
(4) Use the chapter in the book to complete the classroom
notes, if needed.
(5) Be aware of difficulties due to your background in
the specific topic; consult teachers, professors, or tutors when multiple
reading fails to clarify a point.
(6) After step 5 above, read/study the completed notes
to find key or fundamental Definitions, Concepts, Principles, Laws, Theorems,
and Skills (DCPLTS); note that the selected DCPLTS must be such that one
can derive from them the entire lesson or lecture covered in class or in
the textbook.
(7) LEARN/KNOW these fundamental DCPLTS to the point of
recitation. (Understanding is not knowing; you can only use that which
you know).
(8) PRACTICE. USE the learned/known DCPLTS . See questions,
homework, and problems assigned by the teacher/professor or in the book.
(9) Schedule a review of the lesson from time to time.
(10) Research results in Education, Vol. 115, No. 1, pp.31-39, Fall, 1994 scientifically proved that YOU have the intellect to excel in any field; the question is one of background, efforts, and of practice in applying and enhancing your intellect. In science, the secret is to adhere to the facts (actual phenomena or events, definitions, concepts, principles, laws, theorems, and specific skills) and to formal logic. Take what is!
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets, recognizes, and acts on opportunity." The Department of Physics and the Timbuktu Academy are supported by the Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, and the Physics Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).