My Learning Approach

conclusion report

2007-12-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

I actually tried very hard this semester to improve the skills of the Learning Inventory. My biggest downfall was note taking, however, over the course of the semester we have learned some strategies that have greatly improved the way I work and interpret information. I also significantly increased skills of metacognition, writing, and goal setting and have also become a fairly motivated student. Some of the topics that I didn't improve on as much are reading, and attention & memory. I sometimes get distracted and lose concentration when I am reading and usually turn to music or start watching tv. I believe that this has been my best year for education that I have ever had, I have maintained an average of almost 4.0 and plan to put forth the same effort to the following years as i did this year. I will continue to try using the same techniques from this course in all of my years of college. I feel that this was important elective to take because it not only helps you in college, but life in general. You need to be organized and prepared for the working world to be successful and I now feel comfortable that I can handle anything that is in the path of my future.

Test Taking Option

2007-11-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

I find that sleep is one of the major aspects that are needed to have a good test. I normally read over all my notes before I go to bed. I don't know if there is an actual term for this, but I dream about my notes in my sleep and I usually memorize all the definitions just by reading them and going to bed, however this usually only works for definitions. I normally use the recall method when studying for my tests because I force myself to study so hard that I won't need a list to remember the points from.

I usually have some healthy food before going into a test such as grapes, or even an apple. I have personally found that if you have to much sugar in your system before an exam, you usually crash half way through and can't think straight.

I never bring tension to the test room, I try to forget everything that is going on and focus on the main goal of doing well on my examination. I find that if you don't try and relax, you start thinking of things that stress you out in the middle of a test. In turn, when you realize that you're way behind on the test by getting sidetracked you then get stressed even more and quickly start cramming all your thoughts on the piece of paper.

I personally look through the whole test and find the hardest question which I always do first. I find that if I do the hardest questions first, I won't be worried for the rest of the test and it will feel like I'm "smooth sailing".

Overall, for this whole semester I have basically used the same methods. I usually try to quiz myself immediately before and after each lesson and have recently started using the 24 hour recall method. All my test marks have been around 85-100% for the whole semester so i think that i have been doing very well for myself. In the future I hope to get more learning strategies from this book and try using them in later years. I find that they all work well but for some people you can only use so many.

Reccomendation Letter

2007-11-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Future Students,

The Elective strategies for success is a course that has progressively helped me throughout the education process this year. It helps with many aspects such as time management, learning styles, and lots of learning strategies. Over the semester there have been a few minor details that I wish I would have known before coming into this class. In writing this letter I hope you follow my instructions to complete to complete the target course and learn from my personal experiences.

To begin, it would of helped me a considerable amount if I would have known that I'd need to do the optional projects in order to complete the class. I guess I didn’t really pay attention to the fact that the required projects only added up to 50% and that you would have to complete numerous optional assignments to reach your desired mark. It’s not as hard as it sounds if you think about it. It’s just a process that takes a while, but it takes your best efforts nonetheless.
In addition, The Strategies for Success course is to what I believe the best elective to choose for the Pre-Health Science students. The programs that lead from this course are pretty difficult ones that need a lot of the strategies involved (Paramedics, or Nursing) and in taking this course it will help you along the inevitable path to success in both education and in life.

Moreover, the number one most important thing is time management. Make time to go to class. If there is nothing scheduled for that class, you should still make the effort to attend class because you get hours of time to complete optional assignments that you need to complete the course. Don't procrastinate and do all the optional assignments at once because it only leads to bad outcomes.

Finally, I truly hope you take the opportunity to take this course and follow the simple but very important steps to be aware of in the Strategies for Success course. This course will help you throughout the course of your educational career and help you with major aspects of your life in getting organized and living in the working world. Good luck future students!

Sincerely, Dwayne Butler

Multiple Learning Strategies

2007-11-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

I actually tried this multiple learning strategies option twice, once in biology and the other in chemistry. The Cornell Method works great for both classes but especially biology. There is a lot of information that needs to be taken in, and it really helps when you line up the questions on the right side of the page. I have biology class Thursday and Friday every week so it helped to use the Cornell method as there is twice as much information as chemistry. There are many questions that can be made up from biology either from the lectures, or the text book. I hope that the other people in Strategies for Success used it as well because I made a great improvement from the test before. I found that both the pre-class, and post-class preparation were critical and helped in remembering the information after the 24 hour recall. I thought that it was difficult to remember the immediate recall as there was to much information to remember all at once so this is where the post-class preparation helped. It was convenient the day after to use pre-class preparation. It totally recalls everything you learned the day before, making it easier to learn the new information as it is usually a continuation of the topic. This Process definitely worked for me, I feel that I have been very successful in doing this, and I strongly encourage others to use it as well. I know I will again!

stress management workshop

2007-11-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

This was a workshop that I was very happy to attend, I had a big test in math class just after strategies and it really calmed me down. I'm sure with time, my techniques for relaxation will improve if I continue to follow what was in the lesson. It really just made you let go of everything which worked very well before my test which i got 111% on (including bonus marks). Could it be from the stress management workshop? I don't know for sure but we should try it again sometime.

My Progress Report

2007-10-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

As we have moved closer to midterm of my first semester it seems as though I've done exceptionally well. When i add all my marks up from each class it shows that i have maintained an average well over my goal of the semester. Going into my first year I wanted to maintain an average of around 80 - 85% but I have well over a 90 average when I calculate it all. I have learned a few things from our "Strategies for Success" class and I find that some of the note-taking methods work very well during lectures in both biology and chemistry. I don't really plan on changing anything about my study habits, but i could start doing assignments a little earlier. I'm also going to start doing our optional assignments to get ahead of myself and possibly start some more study groups. All I need to do is study hard, complete all assignments and attend class for the rest of the semester and I should be able to fulfill my goals I have set for myself.

Cognition and Metacognition

2007-10-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

Assignment 3: Cognition and Metacognition
Strategies for Success
Dwayne Butler
October 11/ 2007

Part 1: Chapter 7 Improving Your Cognition and Metacognition

1. Identify the cognitive strategies that you plan to apply this semester.

I plan to apply a few cognitive strategies throughout this semester to help with my learning strategies. I would like to use deep rehearsal rather than shallow rehearsal. In addition I intend to study over a period of time instead of cramming all the information in one night. I also plan to use strategies such as elaboration. I will accomplish this by summarizing, paraphrasing, and using analogies.

2. Identify the metacognitive strategies that you plan to apply this semester.

The metacognitive strategies that I plan to use this semester include planning and modifying my study habits.

Part 2: Approaches to Learning: Deep vs. Surface

Survey Item Answers

1. D
2. E
3. B
4. D
5. E
6. E
7. A
8. B
9. B
10. E
11. B
12. B
13. D
14. C
15. A
16. C
17. D
18. E
19. B
20. D

2. Analyze Your Approaches to Learning

Deep Strategy Surface Strategy Deep Motive Surface Motive

1. E 1. D 1. D 1. B
2. E 2. B 2. E 2. A
3. E 3. B 3. B 3. B
4. C 4. C 4. D 4. A
5. E 5. D 5. D 5. B

I use a deep processing approach to learning much more than I demonstrate strategies of surface approach learning.

3. Reflect on what you learned and what changes you feel you should make to your leaning approach.I must work on making study topics appealing and try to motivate me to work harder in my courses.

Part 3: Self- Directed Learner

1. Did this story speak to you in any way?
Not really.

2. Do you have a similar story from your own experience?
Working on this assignment reminded me of it. I didn’t know what I was doing at first.

3. Having read the story, what do you feel the characteristics and strategies of a self-directed learner?

I feel the characteristics and strategies of a self- directed learner are: dedication, determination, and motivation.

4. Are you a self-directed learner in your everyday life and your academic life? Is it important to you to become more self-directed as a learner? What would you need to do?

I have always been a self-directed learner in both everyday and in academic life because I am always motivated and devoted to my work ethics.

5. What are your reactions to Weimer’s comments that “College should be the time when and the place where students develop prowess as learners”?

I agree with this statement. To be successful in college you must devote your time to develop the necessary skills.

My Learning Priorities

2007-09-24T03:57:00.000-07:00

On our first Assignment, i thoroughly read through the chapter and summarized all the key terms in my own notes to improve my understanding of the topic. I feel I did a good job on the original assignment because I answered all the questions well, and didn't make any spelling or grammar errors. I would give myself a 7 or 8 on the original copy because all the required questions were complete and done thoroughly. I didn't have a format to go by, so I have to add an introduction and a conclusion to my original work and maybe add a couple headings as well. My approach to completing the assignment is to answer all the questions and hand it in on time. I have learned the proper format for a research paper, and I will change the way I lay out my work. (Example: Course Name, Title, Name, and Date)

Hi, my name is..

2007-09-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

My name is Dwayne Butler. I am attending St. Clair college for my first year. The program I am involved in this year is Pre-health science. Next year I hope to be accepted into the paramedics program. My goal over this year is to get more scholarships so i can pay for my next couple of years at college. I have already payed off my first year debt free, and haven't used a loan or osap.

I am employed at Glitters Fun Eatery and have been working there for almost 6 years now. Over the past year I have been bartending and I really enjoy it. If i have time next year I plan to apply for the bartending position at St. Clair College for pub nights.

that is all... good day.