The Psychology Of Effective Studying: How To Succeed In Your Degree

Description

This book provides a vital guide for students to key study skills that are instrumental in success at university, covering time management, academic reading and note-taking, academic integrity, preparation of written assignments, teamwork and presentations. With each chapter consisting of sub-sections that are titled with a single piece of fundamental advice, this is the perfect ‘hit the ground running' resource for students embarking on their undergraduate studies. The book uses evidence from psychology to account for the basic errors that students make when studying, illuminating how they can be addressed simply and effectively. Creating an ‘insider's guide' to the core requisite skills of studying at degree level, and using a combination of research and practical examples, the author conveys where students often go fundamentally wrong in their studying practices and provides clear and concise advice on how they can improve. Written in a humorous and irreverent tone, and including illustrations and examples from popular culture, this is the ideal alternative and accessible study skills resource for students at undergraduate level, as well as any reader interested in how to learn more effectively. Cover ......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Table of Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 12 Chapter I: Introduction: Metacognition, the foundation of successful studying (or at least how to avoid being ‘that person’ on the TV talent show)......Page 18 Delusion comes in many forms, usually quite flattering......Page 21 The enemy within......Page 26 Preaching to the (hopefully now) converted......Page 28 References......Page 30 Chapter II: Conquering procrastination: Why it’s so hard to DO IT. JUST DO IT!......Page 32 Procrastination: first, know the enemy of time management......Page 34 The theory of everything (about doing nothing constructive)......Page 39 A procrastinator’s guide to fiddling the numbers......Page 41 Increasing the value of a task......Page 60 Reducing delay......Page 61 References......Page 62 Chapter III: Academic reading and note-taking: What we can all learn from 50 Shades of Grey......Page 66 What you need to know about memory: it doesn’t work like a camera, so you might want to stop studying as if it did......Page 68 Maximum effort, minimal gains: why the most popular method of studying is not what it’s cracked up to be......Page 70 Never mind the width, feel the quality: elucidating meaning from your reading......Page 72 Take note: your note-taking might not be working for you as well as you think......Page 75 Marker pens aren’t magic......Page 79 Treat yourself, test yourself......Page 81 The read, recite, review method of studying......Page 85 Never mind the breadth, check out the depth......Page 88 References......Page 90 Chapter IV: Academic integrity, citation, quotation and referencing: Credit where credit is due......Page 92 The fundamentals of citation, quotation and referencing......Page 97 Quotation......Page 98 Citing and referencing secondary sources......Page 99 Citation, quotation and referencing in practice: the thorny issue of paraphrasing......Page 100 Version one......Page 101 Version two......Page 102 Version four......Page 104 Engineering out study practices conducive to inadvertent plagiarism......Page 105 Taking responsibility for the academic integrity of your work......Page 113 References......Page 115 Chapter V: Producing high quality written assessments at degree level: It doesn’t have to be rocket science, even if you’re studying rocket science......Page 118 Know the enemy......Page 119 Making your (research) connection more reliable......Page 122 Prior planning and preparation prevent pretty poor performance......Page 132 Elements of guile......Page 136 Proofreading: measure twice, cut twice, then measure again......Page 142 Feedback: live it, especially if you don’t love it......Page 146 Obtaining and evaluating sources......Page 149 Using feedback......Page 150 References......Page 151 Chapter VI: Working collaboratively: There is no ‘I’ in team, but there is an ‘I’ in “I really hate teamwork”......Page 154 Natural born loafers......Page 156 Communication: is this thing on?......Page 162 Collaborative decision making: that’s another fine (cohesive) mess we’ve gotten ourselves into......Page 168 Interpersonal conflict: there is always one; possibly you......Page 172 Co-ordinating team efforts: the blind leading the blind......Page 177 Improving communication by reducing the spotlight effect......Page 180 Establishing effective teamwork processes......Page 181 References......Page 182 Chapter VII: Delivering an effective presentation: It’s not about you......Page 186 Presentation goals: back to the basics......Page 189 Death (of bad presentations) by PowerPoint......Page 199 The seven deadly sins of slideshows (and how to atone for them)......Page 205 Improving your slideshows......Page 214 References......Page 216 Chapter VIII: Revision: Cleaning up a dirty word......Page 220 Jamais vu: it’s what happens when you cram......Page 222 Harnessing context: it’s all relative, relatively......Page 227 Master the ordeal by re-creating it......Page 234 Making revision count, by making your life a little harder......Page 236 References......Page 238 Index......Page 242