Active Study Presentation

Question 1

Intro to CPZ Orientation - Name, Position

Answer 1

Good Afternoon, everyone! As Paige mentioned, my name is Ben Reitz. I’m the College Prep Zone Coordinator for the Red Rocks Learning Commons.

Question 2

Presentation Purpose

Answer 2

Today, I’m going to share some info about tutoring resources available to you as students enrolled in this section of statistics, and then we are going to discuss some active study strategies together. The goal is to make sure you all have some basic tools for success in this course before leaving class today.

Question 3

Intro to CPZ Orientation - Location of Learning Commons

Answer 3

How many have had a chance to visit the Learning Commons? Great. Well for those who haven’t, the LC is located in the East Wing of the Lakewood Campus, at the top of the large spiral staircase, across from the library.

Question 4

Tutoring Resources for You, as students

Answer 4

First, let’s talk about where you all can find tutoring help for this class. Typically, students seeking help in stats who come in the LC would be directed toward the math lab.

Question 5

Initial Intro to CPZ

Answer 5

However, for students enrolled in co-req support sections of statistics, like this class, another valuable tutoring resource is available: that’s the College Prep Zone, or CPZ.

Question 6

CPZ Defined

Answer 6

The CPZ is the tutoring center in the SW corner of the Learning Commons area. It is specifically dedicated to serving students enrolled in college prep math/English classes.

Question 7

Having access to the CPZ is great news for you all b/c…

Answer 7

…while the Math Lab is terrific and I can’t recommend their work with students highly enough, they do tend to be a very busy tutoring center. The CPZ’s tutors work with such a select group of students, that they are often above to work with students in a more immediate, leisurely and frequent way than is always possible in the ML.

Question 8

That is a great advantage because it means that…

Answer 8

…you all can get flexible help with stats homework on webwork, or on excel, for this class, in the CPZ, in a way that meshes well with your schedule.

Question 9

I should say a few brief words about our tutors as well…

Answer 9

Almost all CPZ math tutors have some background in statistics, from having worked in a statistical profession, to having taught college stats, to having gotten degrees in probability and statistics. But they aren’t just knowledgeable. They are friendly and patient and are ready to meet you where you currently are in your own journey with mathematics.

Question 10

So if you are interested in seeing what help they can offer…

Answer 10

…come up to visit the CPZ as soon as you are able. Our hours this spring semester are…
M-Th: 10-6
F: 11-3

If you would like to visit the ML, spring semester hours are:

M-Th: 9-6
F: 11-4

Question 11

Are there any questions…

Answer 11

…about any information I’ve shared about tutoring resources available to you before we move into our discussion of active study strategies?

Question 12

Transition to Effective Study Strategies

Answer 12

Terrific! Alright, now without further ado, we’ll get right into our first of two overviews of effective study strategies for helping you succeed in this course.

Question 13

Intro to Effective Study Strategies

Answer 13

Now, I love having the opportunity to share some insights about how to succeed with study, b/c when I started college, I was that student who knew I needed to study to succeed, but didn’t really know how to set myself up for real success. Of course, excelling in college classes goes so much farther than simply devoting time to study. HOW we study is just as important, and those extra skills are what these little workshops are all about.

Question 14

Slide: What are Effective Study Strategies?

Answer 14

Clearly, in order for us to have a meaningful conversation about how best to study, we must define what an “effective” study strategy really is. For our intents and purposes, such strategies are “[read definition]”

Question 15

I really want to stress that last point about extending to other areas of our lives.

Answer 15

There will probably never come a time when the skills you develop for college success aren’t highly valued by potential employers. They look for candidates expressly because they know they have had to develop things like good time management, solid note-taking, and so-on…

Question 16

Slide: Effective Strategies Include

Answer 16

Altogether, there are roughly five categories of effective study strategies we like to cover with students. They are: [list on slide]

Question 17

Today, we are going to…

Answer 17

…focus on just one of these, the category of “active” study methods, which include skills like actively reading and effective note-taking. Paige is especially interested in covering these, as they are some of the most directly relevant to skills you develop in this course.

Question 18

Please note that if…

Answer 18

…you have questions or comments to contribute as we move through this topic together, please feel free to share. Okay, everyone. Let’s dive in.

Question 19

Slide: Active Study Methods

Answer 19

So what exactly ARE active study methods? We define them as “[read definition]”

Question 20

That definition probably doesn’t seem…

Answer 20

…too surprising, but I should stress the phrases “intentional” and “time-efficient”. Active study is “intentional” b/c it is directed by strategic thinking and it is “time-efficient”, because the strategies used are devised to make the best use of study time to reap the greatest understanding of material.

Question 21

Why are active study methods important to success?

Answer 21

All active study methods have in common that they produce two types of benefits, both short and long-term.

Question 22

Short-term benefits

Answer 22

These methods help us to more fully process new information As it is being encountered

Question 23

Long-term benefits

Answer 23

Active study also does some long-term good for us. 1) it creates study resources for future review, and 2) it maximizes our ability to retain and recall what we’ve learned later on.

Question 24

Slide: Memory Fades

Answer 24

Speaking of recall and remembering, we are all aware that our ability to recall information diminishes massively with the mere passage of time. Here are some rather shocking but true statistics on that…

Question 25

In addition to forgetting easily…

Answer 25

…our brains are encountering upwards of 34 gigabytes of info in our field of perception each day. Our brains ignore most of that, and are constantly trying to “clear the cache” of our least active memories…

Question 26

Active study methods serve as a way for us to…

Answer 26

…ultimately hack our own brains, giving us power to dictate to them what is important to keep hold of.

Question 27

So hopefully, I’ve sold you on the power and importance of active study techniques, but…

Answer 27

…now you are thinking “Yeah, that’s great, but WHAT are the specific techniques, and HOW can I practice them?”

Question 28

Slide: Before Active Study

Answer 28

Now, while it may be tempting to jump right into actively studying, there are a couple things to do beforehand, to lay the foundation for getting the most out of these techniques.

Question 29

First, we need to find a conducive environment in which to study…

Answer 29

It may seem obvious, but “conducive” here means more than just finding a place where we won’t be bothered.

Question 30

Conducive also means 1)It means 1) keeping ourselves away from unnecessary distractions, like texts, emails and social media notifications.

Answer 30

I personally keep my phone in another room altogether when I need to study or concentrate. I know that we all believe we are good at “media multi-tasking” in 2023, but research shows that this is far from true for most people.

Question 31

Conducive also means…finding a well-lit area

Answer 31

…where our eyes won’t be susceptible to eye-strain (especially important for you all, as your textbook is strictly digital), and where we won’t fall into a state of mental fog from the association our brains have between darkness and sleep.

Question 32

Conducive also means relatively quiet…

Answer 32

Now, a little white noise may help some to focus, but there are those who claim they study more effectively with their favorite TV show playing, or with metal music blaring…again, this is something about which experts on effective study are appropriately skeptical.

Question 33

Apart from setting up good physical conditions for study, it can help to mentally prepare, by asking the first two questions in the famous “KWL” exercise…

Answer 33

Asking ourselves both what we already know and what we want to learn about the topic we will cover in the active study session. This preliminary reflection allows us to prioritize our mental focus, and be time-efficient in covering new material

Question 34

Slide: During Active Study

Answer 34

Once we have established the right conditions, both physically and mentally, we can move into the active study processes themselves. The two we will address here are: Active Reading and Effective Note-Taking.

Question 35

Active Reading is useful when…

Answer 35

We need to dissect, extract and retain information from new written information. That can come in the form of your textbook, notes posted by Paige on D2L, or online articles that you read to grow your understanding outside of class.

Question 36

Effective Note-taking is critical whether…

Answer 36

…whether you are in-class taking in new information in a lesson with Paige, or studying on your own. You should combine active reading techniques and effective note-taking during your own independent review of your course materials/readings. The two sets of skills feed into and improve each other.

Question 37

Slide: Active Reading

Answer 37

So what exactly is considered “active reading”? For the purposes of this discussion, it is defined as…“[read definition]”

Question 38

That point about the purpose of active reading being to reproduce information is most essential…

Answer 38

…as that difference in purpose is what separates active reading from other types, like reading for leisure, or entertainments, as we do if we keep a book on the nightstand and peruse it before bedtime.

Question 39

Slide: Tips for Reading Actively

Answer 39

So what are some of the techniques we can employ to make sure we are doing “active” reading, and not the other kind?

Question 40

Scan Reading in Advance

Answer 40

This means doing a once-over of the material you’ve been assigned to read. We don’t always have too much time for pre-reading, but a quick overview of titles, headings, pictures and so-on, will give you an early idea of key concepts to watch for as you move into the reading itself.

Question 41

Annotate

Answer 41

Traditionally, the word “annotate” would mean making notes in the margins of a piece of physical text, but you can still annotate with your digital textbook, by writing a brief overall summary of each section. This may seem tedious while doing it, but it 1) helps cement the concepts as you identify them for your summaries, and 2) creates a document to review all the chapter’s content later on, without needing to do a detailed read-through again.

Question 42

Re-read Confusing Passages Before Moving On

Answer 42

This also may seem like a bit of a no-brainer, but it’s important, especially in math, because later concepts (even in the same chapter) build on earlier ones, like with different types of plots depending on your understanding of categorical vs. quantitative variables, to take one example from this class. It that case, we want a solid understanding of different variables before we try to tackle how they are represented in visual plots.

Question 43

Try Reading Aloud

Answer 43

This method is especially effective for auditory learners like me. In fact, I used to whisper everything I read to myself in high school. I would also argue that it can be beneficial for learners of all types to take in new information with multiple senses, both sight and sound, to use all the brain’s tools for processing new info. It’s a great technique for making sure you are understanding the full context of word problems…

Question 44

Create Graphic Organizers to Map Concepts

Answer 44

So what do we mean here by graphic organizers? Anyone have a definition? Formally a graphic organizer is “Any visual display that demonstrates relationships between facts, concepts or ideas.” Your text book actually includes graphic organizers, from the very first unit…

Question 45

Slide: A graphic organizer example

Answer 45

You will probably recognize this as the graphic depiction of the relationship of units/topics in this course, from Ch. 1 of the text. But active reading means not only analyzing graphic organizers in the text you read, but potentially creating your own as you are reading along.

Question 46

Slide: More Active Reading Tips

Read Headings as Questions

Answer 46

This little trick can help your brain to frame a section of the reading as being directed at a specific learning goal. A good example might be if you encounter a section called “histograms” and you read it as “What is a histogram?” or “How do I build a histogram?” This frames the section as helping develop a skill, not just passively informing you.

Question 47

Create Notecards for Difficult Concepts

Answer 47

This is an age-old technique for exam preparation, but few realize how helpful it can be in helping you process/retain new information…and it leaves you with ready-made flash cards for future exams, which is a great bonus!

Question 48

Recreate Graphs/Diagrams from Reading

Answer 48

One example of this might be actively trying to redraw the graphic organizer about the big picture of statistics from before…trying to do it as accurately as you can without looking at the text can help you see how the puzzle-pieces of the unit topics fit together in this course. As an important note: be sure your recreation against the original, for the sake of accuracy.

Question 49

Move Around Between Sections

Answer 49

Sometimes, lack of focus can come down to simply not having enough blood flow to the brain. Getting up and taking a walk, or some other quick exercise can increase that flow of blood, and enhance focus while reading.

Question 50

Take Frequent Breaks

Answer 50

Then, of course, sometimes lack of mental agility is a matter of feeling mentally taxed/spent. This can itself be the result of “marathon reading”, or reading too long without periodic rest-time for the brain. Experts recommend the 45/15 rule: 15 minutes of break to every 45 of active reading.

Question 51

Any other strategies on Active Reading?

Answer 51

Does anyone else have any methods they like to use to stay engaged while reading for college coursework?

Question 52

Slide: Note-taking

Answer 52

Along with active reading, note-taking can help keep you engaged in your study process. But the mere act of taking notes itself is not enough. Note-taking practices must be effective; otherwise, we won’t be any better off for having taken the notes than poor Digger here, from the show Gravity Falls

Question 53

Two processes needed for effective note-taking, are…

Answer 53

developing effective listening, and creating a system of note-taking that is specific to your needs, both personally and in this class.

Question 54

Slide: Develop Effective Listening Skills

Listening skills are necessary because…

Answer 54

…the quality of our notes is only as good as what we hear or read while note-taking; “garbage-in, garbage-out” would seem to apply here. Here are some techniques for training ourselves to be effective listeners:

Question 55

Sit at or Near the Front of the Class

Answer 55

This may be uncomfortable for the more introverted among us, but we have the greatest chance of hearing and seeing all relevant in-class material if we are closer to its source. Sitting close the instructor also allows us to pick up on non-verbal cues about material that is high priority for instructors, like excited facial expressions, or pointing gestures

Question 56

Focus on the content, not the delivery

Answer 56

I think we’ve all had experiences with instructors whose delivery is a bit distracting. I once had an instructor who would pace endlessly while lecturing in history class. But importantly, we weren’t tested on how many times he went back-and-forth, so it was critical for us to try focus beyond the delivery. This probably won’t be too much of a problem with Paige, but it’s good to remember in all your classes.

Question 57

Listen for key terms from the reading

Answer 57

Ideally, you will finish all your readings before the units are covered in class. This is one case where actively reading before class allows for more effective note-taking during class. This is because it gives an idea of important terminology before your instructor even uses it.

Question 58

Avoid Distractions

Answer 58

We’ve already talked about how important this is for active study in general. But it’s doubly-important for note-taking, as note-taking is already a multi-tasking exercise, and no one needs texts, emails, or notifications pinging on top of an already multi-faceted activity.

Question 59

Listen as though you need to explain it to someone else

Answer 59

There is an old expression that they who teach others, teach themselves most. That is profoundly true. I would even encourage you to try teaching those outside of class in your life, or maybe struggling classmates, as it helps solidify and deepen your understanding to have to comprehend well enough to explain the concepts clearly.

Question 60

Ask for Clarification

Answer 60

There is, of course, another old cliche, that if you have a question, it’s likely someone else in the class has the same question. While that remains true, I would argue that even if you are the only one with that question, you are paying for and deserve clarity as content is delivered to you. So never feel shy about speaking out to make things more clear.

Question 61

Participate in class discussion

Answer 61

Just like sitting up front, the more actively you can be engaged in class, the more memorable the content of each lesson will be, because it keeps the lesson interactive for you. We are always more prone to remember what we actively took part in than what we passively received.

Question 62

Slide: Find the best method for you

Answer 62

Now, ultimately, there isn’t going to be a one-size-fits-all note-taking method that is best for everyone. However, note-taking styles that ARE effective will share the following concerns:

Question 63

Be Selective

Answer 63

It isn’t necessary that you write down every idea that you see or hear. That would be too overwhelming. Instead, you should try to pay attention to your instructors’ priorities. Paige may spend 30 minutes talking about measures of center, and 30 seconds talking about the Chi-square probability distribution; clearly, it would be a waste of time/energy to devote equal lengths of notes to each topic.

Question 64

Be Brief

Answer 64

Just as it is important not to cover every idea in great length, it’s important not to copy every word you see or hear in each sentence. To avoid this, try developing your own short-hand. For example, when I hear that one this “causes” or “implies” another, I use the shorthand A -> B. And every time I see the arrow sign, I know it stands for “implies that…”

Question 65

Be Clear

Answer 65

Clarity means writing notes in a logical order, and writing them with legible handwriting. It’s important to get all the important things down as they come, but remember: notes you can’t read later are effectively useless for future review.

Question 66

Be Accurate

Answer 66

This is something we have to balance against the concern for being selective and brief. Leaving out critical words can totally alter the meaning. For example, by leaving a couple words out, the first amendment can be made to say “Congress shall make no law respecting…the freedom of speech…” This is obviously contrary to the original’s meaning, entirely!

Question 67

Be Organized

Answer 67

This can mean including headings for various sections in your notes. That way, its easy to cross-reference the notes you have with topic names on study guides for future exams. This saves time as you don’t have to flip through all those notes each time you return to a specific topic.

Question 68

Slide: Example #1

Answer 68

Now, we are going to look at a couple specific note-taking methods that are designed with the concerns we just covered in mind. The first is this one, called the Cornell note-taking method, developed for students by educational researchers at Cornell University.

You’ll see that there is space on the left for each new topic/key term, with space on the right for the definitions, details, and pictures relating to each of the terms at the left.

You’ll also notice a section for short summary of the material covered in that topic at the bottom.

You’ll probably also notice some similarities to the note-taking template Paige has provided you for this course. We’ll get more into that template in a moment.

Question 69

Slide: Example #2

Answer 69

One especially helpful note-taking method for visual learners is called the graphic recording style. Many concepts in statistics could be made clearer by using this method for all types of learners, however. For example, we could break down the different kinds of charts in this class, drawing little examples as we go to keep the visual look of each chart type in mind, for future review.

Question 70

Slide: Example #3

Answer 70

Now we come to the specific method note-taking used in this course. I know that you have some familiarity with it already, but you’ll notice how it is also concerned with the major elements of effective note-taking.

For example, the section for vocab and key terms help to keep your thoughts organized. The section on questions to ask in class shows the concern for keeping notes accurate. And finally, the short summary add clarity and brevity to the notes for quick reference as a study tool later.

Using this template will set you up for note-taking success; I encourage you to take-advantage; not every instructor would go out of their way to provide them; Paige is awesome for doing that for you all.

Question 71

Slide: After Reading/Taking Notes

Answer 71

Now, it’s tempting after all that active study work, to consider ourselves finished. But in order to make the most of it, we must actively do something with that new information. Good suggestions for doing this include:

Question 72

Summarize

Answer 72

This is actually built right into your note-taking template for the class. So if you make sure to use the template, you will already be effectively connecting the details back to the bigger picture at the close of the note-taking process.

Question 73

Synthesize

Answer 73

This is anything that you do to “put the puzzle pieces” together after new details are shared with you. For example, you will learn about statistical inference in this class and how it uses rules of probability to make claims about whole populations of subjects; synthesizing might mean going back to the section on probability when the textbook reminds you about its connection to inference.

Question 74

Discuss

Answer 74

Again, there is nothing like needing to teach to help you master your own understanding. How many have worked with classmates yet? Feel free to come to the learning commons with friends/classmates for study sessions where you can discuss these concepts together and with tutors in a comfortable environment.

Question 75

Work through follow-up questions

Answer 75

The open-free textbook for this course offers plenty of these follow-ups in the form of “learn by doing” exercises. I’m sure Paige has already stressed this, but you will only be cheating yourself if you skip these as you read.

Question 76

Review material multiple times

Answer 76

Again, the brain needs repetition to hack its storage and maximize its memory

Question 77

Review and edit your notes!

Answer 77

This is a critical last step in effective note-taking but you might be asking if there are review methods I could recommend, and the answer is…

Question 78

Slide: How to effectively review notes

Answer 78

…YES!

These methods include…

Question 79

Reviewing notes within 24 hours, then at least once per week.

Answer 79

Our discussion about how memory fades so quickly highlights that review, soon and frequently, after your notes are created is essential to maximize how much is retained

Question 80

Fill in key words

Answer 80

This might mean approaching Paige in her office hours with key terms in your note-taking template for a unit that you missed/couldn’t find…be sure to make every template as complete as possible, in the run up to quizzes and exams

Question 81

Edit for illegible or unclear words/phrases

Answer 81

Look over your notes after the fact (soon after - each night after note-taking for the day is complete). Is anything impossible to make out? Try to clarify as soon as possible, so that the correct information doesn’t fade too much…

Question 82

Compare notes with the textbook

Answer 82

We’ve already stressed the importance of comparing any graphic organizers you recreate with the text for accuracy’s sake, but this is obviously important for all your notes in general.

Question 83

Edit with a different color

Answer 83

I happen to be a HUGE fan of color-coding. It visually categorizes notes to myself, which reinforces the connections between concepts I have covered. You might use pink for “Probability” related concepts, blue for “inference” related concepts, yellow for exploratory data analysis and so on…

Question 84

Underline unclear items as a reminder to ask the instructor

Answer 84

Paige is very good about holding regular office hours so take advantage of her expertise after class and be sure to come in with unclear items already identified in your class notes, to be respectful of her time.

Question 85

Consider re-writing or typing up your notes

Answer 85

This one is tricky, because as busy college students, you don’t have a lot of time to recreate notes. But if you happen to find some time, it can be a very fruitful exercise, as both the review of ideas and the physical action of writing out notes repeatedly can together reinforce your ability to remember the content long-term.

Question 86

Slide: Questions/Comments

Answer 86

I know that was a lot to cover.

Are there any other techniques/methods you like to use for keeping yourself active/engaged with study material, that we could all benefit from hearing?

Okay, terrific discussion, everyone! Thanks for your attention/time. I will return to discuss test-taking strategies in a couple weeks, and I will hope to see each of you soon in the CPZ!