February 22, 2012

How to improve comprehension skills

NEW YORK - MARCH 30:  Third grade students Tyl...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Comprehension is an excellent ability. If you can comprehend information fast, you can learn more things in quick time. A lack of comprehension can be due to the following factors:

 

  • Incorrectly designed study materials
  • Lack of concentration
  • Poor comprehension techniques
  • Low intelligence quotient levels

To improve comprehension skills, the best way is to read and read and read. The more you read, the more you develop ways to understand stuff. Bad readers do not understand things by reading. But they would be able to understand when things are told to them or shown to them.

But most of us derive information from documents, journals and printed materials in general. If you don’t read, then you might not be able to work in the corporate world, and do challenging desk jobs.

There are some techniques that can up your comprehension skills. Here are some.

Visualize as you read
This is the best way to retain information. Draw a diagram in your head. Or you can use a paper to do it. Structurize things. It can make you put things into a better perspective. People often forget to structure things in diagrams and remember them. They often remember the text.

Understand the concept
Understand the concept or rationale behind it. Find out the theory behind a particular piece of information. The more you seek to get the big picture, the better your understand will be. Ask why, what, when, how, who, where and more. The more your question what you are trying to understand, the more you would have understood.

The Rise of Online Colleges

Online education exploded once the Internet became ubiquitous around 1993. As Internet connectivity rose in numbers and connection speeds became faster, online education became a viable platform for students around the world, especially in America where technology leadership took online education to new heights.

Online colleges rose to positions of viability, influence, and legitimacy because many universities poured considerable resources into putting the best educational materials out there for students. Well-known universities such as MIT and Harvard have entire courses and related classwork online for students to pursue learning at their own pace.

Prospective students who want to pursue an online education can go here and get much of the information they need in an easy to comprehend manner which will allow them to make informed decisions.

One reason why online colleges gained a huge following was because many eager students saw that online education gave them flexibility to set their own schedule and not depend on set hours and class schedules offered by traditional university programs.

Now, people from all walks of life—pregnant women, stay at home moms, people with day jobs, and others with disabilities such as sports-related injuries or other serious medical conditions—can pursue their education online.

Online colleges prospered because they offered flexibility and access to all, regardless of their personal or social situation. Online education will likely rise further in terms of student volume as well as number of courses offered as broadband connectivity improves Internet speeds. Additionally, rich multimedia content with audio visual capabilities makes online education a more attractive platform than ever before.

Common Mistakes with Creating Group Projects

Group projects are a great way for students to learn teamwork and leadership skills.  However, sometimes instructors can make these common mistakes when creating group projects for a class.

  • Not creating a project with enough team requirements
    It can be very tempting for students to just split up a group project into several individual parts.  Then, each student will complete his or her segment of the project at home, which greatly reduces the amount of group interaction and teamwork.  Instructors should make sure that enough focus is placed upon the actual teamwork of the project to maximize interaction between the group members.
  • Defaulting to “strong and weak” pairings
    Many teachers automatically assume that pairing stronger or more knowledgeable students with weaker or less knowledgeable students is the best idea.  However, this can frequently result in the stronger student taking on all of the work; while this might equalize the grading, the weaker student will likely not be learning as much as if he or she had more responsibility for the project.  Sometimes, pairing weaker students with each other and stronger students with each other can challenge the group more, but this will depend on the individual situation.
  • Assigning too many components
    Too many components to a project will encourage students to divide up the work to complete individually.  It can confuse and overwhelm students when there are many miniature assignments within a larger project.  Assigning one large and challenging task, rather than a number of smaller busywork assignments, can help students work together more.

If these common mistakes can be avoided, then the group project will be a much more successful learning experience for the students.

Tips for Successful Math and Science Study Group Meetings

Math and science study groups are effective tools for students to develop new problem solving skills and practice peer learning.  Each subject requires different skills, and as such, each subject should have a slightly different meeting setup.  Here are some tips for maximizing the success of math and science study groups based on the course subject.

  • General Chemistry
    This introductory course can prove to be challenging for many undergraduate students.  For an effective general chemistry study group meeting, students can try to work through tougher, multi-step problems together, talking through the different problem solving approaches and tossing out ideas.  This will not only help students learn how to solve the problems, but it will also help them learn different ways of thinking about the problems.  Similarly, lab reports are often easier in teams, and students can explore different ideas and compare their results for a better understanding of the material.
  • Math
    Like chemistry, math students can often benefit by working through problem sets and challenging problems together.  Conceptual learning is incredibly important in math classes.  Working in teams can be beneficial because it allows students to explain their thought processes and lean how their peers have developed a different conceptual understanding of the material.
  • Physics
    Working in teams is especially important for physics labs, where students will build circuits together to learn about electricity and magnetism, and work together to understand mechanics.  Some physics students might be interested in pursuing a career in engineering; study groups that focus on hands-on activities, labs, and lab reports can give these students practice working in groups, which will help them later on in their careers.
  • Biology
    Biology can entail a great deal of memorization, so students in biology study groups can maximize their success by quizzing each other and creating flashcards and study guides together.  Problem solving together can be helpful for topics such as genetics, biochemistry, and population ecology, as these topics often involve more math-based problems.

With these strategies in place, a study group can become more streamlined and effective.

Getting Ready for a Test? Take a Prep Course

Testing is not easy for most people.  It takes a lot of work, reflection, and study to feel like you are going to do well on a test.  Even then, you may not do as well as you thought you would.  On the other hand, you may do extremely well, even when  you feel completely unprepared.  So, what are some things that can help you get ready for a big test that is coming up?
Get the guide.  If there is an official guide for the test that you are taking, get it and go through it.  Many times, the practice questions on these guides are very similar to the test questions.
Take a class.  For example, if you are taking the gmat test, you will want to take a GMAT prep course.  These can be extremely beneficial.  Not only do they help you go through with will be on the test, you are also able to ask questions and get things clarified before having to take the test.  This is invaluable to many people that are getting ready.
Take as many practice tests as possible.  This will help you get ready, and get your mind in the right spot.  If you can find practice questions online, go through them.  They will help you get ready for the test, and give you another way to gear up.
Relax.  Testing can be frustrating.  This doesn’t mean that you have to stress over it constantly.  Instead, take a little time to relax.  If you over stress yourself about the test, or overwork yourself in your studying, it is extremely possible that you may end up freezing the day of the test.  So take a little bit of time, sit back, and relax!

Tips for Successful Humanities Study Group Meetings

Study groups for the humanities can benefit students by letting them explore ideas and concepts with their peers in a format similar to a seminar class.  Here are some general tips for successful humanities study groups, which will differ from study groups for other types of classes.

  • Discussion-based format
    Structuring a humanities study group in a discussion-based format can greatly help students think on their feet and learn from their peers.  Instead of bringing class materials to read or flashcards to make, which are helpful in other classes, humanities students can instead bring a list of topics and conceptual questions to share with the group.  This way, students will be able to learn from each other, practice speaking and listening, and even create new ideas together as a group.
  • Concept-focused
    Similarly, when creating study guides or practice questions, humanities students should focus more on concepts and less on direct facts, especially if time is limited.  While some memorization might be necessary for the class, most humanities exams will be focused on conceptual understanding of the material, with questions that are structure in a similar fashion.  Students can better prepare for exams and gain a deeper understanding of the course concepts by focusing on idea-based learning during their study group meetings.
  • Circular seating
    Students should make an effort to sit in a circle, or at least in a less structured format than the typical classroom setup.  This will help them feel like everyone is on an equal footing, in addition to relaxing the study group, which will improve participation and comfort speaking to the group.  Many smaller humanities classes are trending toward this seating arrangement, so practicing sitting in a circle will ultimately help humanities students in the future as well.

These tips can help humanities students grow more comfortable discussing concepts openly with their classmates, which will later benefit them in class.

The Ability to Collaborate with Other Students via Online Education

Online collaborative learning efforts were promised to provide everyone with access to the best teachers available. When the concept rolled around, digital learning was still a reasonably new idea, but the implications were far reaching. No longer were students limited to the teachers that populated their school of choice, making selection of a school the ultimate limiting device.

With digital collaboration, the best teachers from each discipline were available to the best and brightest students, who would presumably seek them out. And the system has delivered on the promise. Qualified students are now able to learn from a professor of Harvard rank, while they live in Lincoln, Nebraska, far from the hallowed ivy covered school’s buildings.

It is now possible for the best and brightest to remain in a comfortable and familiar home setting, retaining their own cultural flavor, while collaborating with folks of a similar caliber from across the nation. No longer does coming from an area as remote as Lincoln mean that one’s opportunities are limited to whatever is available in the Midwest. Now, the best minds in physics, for example, can come together and learn about one another’s regional differences as they problem solve. For example, the physicist from South Central Los Angeles and the physicist from Bloomfield, Indiana can now appreciate one another’s cultural nuances while still getting a project completed.

Successful projects and collaborations lead to further unions, and online learning resources such as elearners.com allows talent to reach across the nation. Video chats put your project partner right there in the room with you, so collaborative efforts are more convenient. After this fashion, the best minds quickly learn that remaining at the top of a field of study necessitates remaining amongst the best and brightest in that field. Whether it is in person or via technology, that is no longer relevant. Specific personal traits can also be sought, so the group remains cohesive and highly productive.

Methods of Conducting Peer Reviews

Communications and discussions are greatly enhanced in any classroom with the help of peer reviews. A variety of methods can be adopted by teacher to carry these out.
General peer reviews are simple in form and the best method. These do not include any specific instructions but require an honest and unprejudiced review. Such reviews are for uninitiated teachers and students who are new to the concept.
Mini Groups
Mini groups comprise smaller groups of students. Each member of a group gives feedback to other members of his or her group. Such groups enable team bonding and effective learning.
Specific Questions
Students can have particular questions about their own papers they would like reviewed. They are encouraged to write down these questions at the beginning of the session and ask peers to take these into consideration while writing their review. This is a positive approach toward guided feedback that encourages students to have their work analyzed through questions and deliberations of their own.
Advanced Peer Reviews
Many advanced classes encourage paper writing as a mode of conducting peer reviews. This entails more complex and detailed peer reviews, requiring more lucid and effective communication. Such reviews may be saved for the latter part of the semester when students have got accustomed to writing peer reviews.
Questionnaires
A method of peer reviews that works well with uninitiated and shy students are questionnaires. These ensure reviews molded by teachers themselves. A set of questions can be set by the teachers, helping students compile their review.
Self-Evaluations
Perhaps the toughest yet most effective method of writing peer reviews is assessing one’s own work. This can be done based on some set questions such as ‘What is the biggest strength of your paper’, or’What grade would you give yourself for this paper’ and many other questions.
Peer reviews can be very beneficial for any classroom. The more a student writes, the more improved will be his or her communication.

Mastering Your College Final Exam with these Study Group Tips

Final exams are crucial for students to pass and that too with excellent grades. They cover course material studied during the term year, which may seem enormous but can be studied efficiently.
The Most Important Sentences
The key ideas or concepts are explained in either the title sentence or the key sentences, that is, the first few sentences of a topic. Going over these ensures students understand a particular topic or concept.
Useful Reviews
Tests, quizzes and homework assignments over the course in a year can be the source of many of the exam questions. Students should carefully review these before the final exams.
Study Cards
Flashcard from elementary school can be converted into index cards that can contain important terms and concepts or formulas. Information on these cards can help students remember material or sections during exams.
Study Group
Study groups help break classroom numbers into smaller groups of students. This activity enables better focus on students, thus helping them resolve individual queries and questions. It also enables discussions, per reviews and mock tests that can enhance their learning experience to a great extent.
Students in a study group can compare notes; help each other identify problems and their solutions, thus enabling them to work together for completion of assignments. When uncertain about any topic, they can seek guidance as a group.
Explain to a Friend
A simple yet effective way of learning is to explain what you have learnt to a friend or even a roommate. This gives the student a chance to explain the course in an unhesitating manner and also gauge what the areas not fully understood are. This can help ascertain those sections that need more concentration.
Conclusion
A wide variety of methods are available for students to prepare for their final exams. These not only reduce time spent on studying but also help in achieving quality results.

Organize an Effective College Group Study

Effective study groups often help college students reduce time spent in studying and organize their studies better.
Planning the Study Group
Getting together a study group also entails determining the place, date and time. It could also imply booking a study room, section of the library or other such venue.
Preparing Mock Test Questions
An effective method of initiating study groups is to ask each member of the group to prepare mock test questions that can then be answered during the meeting.
Allocating Topics
Different topics can be given out to different students of the study group so as to make each student an expert on a topic. The notes, material and research prepared by a student on his or her topic can be shared with the rest of the group, with important sections emphasized. While a number of topics can form part of the study group, only limited time needs to be spent by each student on researching all these topics.
Completion of Review Guides
Study groups often get review guides to be filled out before their meeting. These offer practice questions and introduce concepts expected to appear in the examination. Completed review guides can be discussed and shared during the study group meeting.
Study Groups: Enabling Better Understanding
Study groups offer students a comfortable environment to pose questions and understand topics in better way. They can also be useful in comprehending difficult sections of the course material. Students can prepare a list of all their queries and issues before arriving and discussing them during the meeting.
Not only do study groups help students grasp course material in a better manner, they also help them prepare more efficiently for the final exams. With the aid of review guides, mock exam questions and study group guides, students have the opportunity to fare better and learn more.