![Picture](/uploads/2/3/1/4/23142216/817433719.jpg)
Fig. 1. As a young child, the human brain is developing important skills, or in other words, getting “wired together” (Stages of Brain Development).
Kaylee Johnson
Professor Cassel
English 1201
November 24, 2013
"Positive Effects"
The struggle to perform well continues to increase throughout one’s educational career. Difficulty occurs for multiple reasons that become very apparent after looking over research and important information on the issue. One of the most important reasons that are things many parents or students don’t normally consider. Teachers aren’t fully informed on how to achieve well. For that reason, students don’t have a whole lot of knowledge on the studying matter. There’s a ton of information needing to get out to the parents, teachers and students. Hopefully, the problem doesn’t persist and great studying skills can be taught. Studying begins with knowing the facts. Studying hasn't been delivering positive effects because students aren't learning what skills are most effective, how to set goals, or when they are most motivated.
At a young age, children begin to get taught how to achieve well in school. This begins with learning how to study for simple spelling tests or math quizzes. Beginning in first or second grade, students learn simple note taking skills. In elementary school this may include simply writing down the facts, but as a student progresses in school, note taking becomes more complicated. When a student advances in their education note taking consists of summarizing large amounts of notes the teacher places on the board. These notes are now used for big exams or chapter tests. Learning how to be well prepared for a simple quiz or a big chapter test begins with note taking. Achieving well gets more difficult as students get older.
Useful study habits will show excessive amounts of positive effects. Study habits play a different role than study skills. Skills will vary depending on how far before the test a student begins to study, and what hour of that day the student begins. Studying habits are something one will need for each assignment throughout one’s educational career. These include; organizing with color, establishing a study zone, preparing one self, take useful notes, or conquering procrastination (Fleming 1). Habits will increase with age and are necessary in homework assignments, to big exams. In conclusion, at a young age students begin learning important study skills or habits that need to be utilized as they grow older. Students will see spelling tests, and before you know it, a graduation test.
The ability to conquer these difficult tasks thrown at students starts with the capacity of the brain. It begins with the understanding of how the human brain has developed and in addition, how it works. It’s clear that simple lessons are taught to younger children because the brain is just getting “wired up”, according to the research done at Oregon University (Brain Institute). The study was looked over by the Oregon Health and Science University. The Brain Institute of the College took on the task of studying the brain’s awareness and health. The information they present to the public helps in defining important details about the brain. After the wiring of the brain has taken place, the adult brain begins to form. This explains why difficulty of school work increases with age. Schooling then becomes extremely difficult for some, or easy for others. One could conclude, from the Institute’s research that this occurs because of what each brain has been exposed to. Experiencing new things, getting a decent amount of exercise daily, sleeping an average eight hours every night, eating a healthy diet, while drinking plenty of water, will produce many positive results (Brain Institute). Before a student needs to comprehend how to study well, one needs to understand one’s own brain. A student needs to know the factors that play a key role in brain development, that when combined with important study techniques, will make schooling an easy ride.
“Is underlining material a good way to retain information” asks Valerie Strauss in her article titled “Study Techniques That Work-And (Surprisingly) Don’t” (Strauss 1). Students, and teachers alike, don’t know this answer. This may be a prime example of what is hurting them. Knowing whether it’s better to reread over and over again or to quiz multiple times is the question. Strauss illustrates a report to readers done by Professors at Kent State University, Duke University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Virginia who play a part in the Association for Psychological Science. The report defines practice testing and distributed practice as the most useful study skills to retain. Practice testing is defined as “any form that allows students to test themselves, including using actual or virtual flashcards, doing problems or questions at the end of textbook chapter, or taking practice test” (Strauss 2). Distributed practice is defined as “studying material over a number of relatively short sessions” (Strauss 2). These aspects of studying are used to show general studying skills.
Cal Newport presents to readers the book “How To Become A Straight-A Student”. Newport gives his readers detailed advice on how to study, prepare for work, or take notes as well as many other important details in his book. Newport’s book focuses on study basics, class assignments, tests and quizzes, essays and papers. Newport uses his novel to show students how to approach work and get it done on time. Newport shows his knowledge, from research, on studying skills. He states that becoming a straight A student requires working ahead by breaking each assignment up, so one doesn’t become overwhelmed. Cal tells his readers of specific test or exam studying. This consists of; constructing practice questions, check marking problems that a student has trouble on, continuing until all aspects are check marked off, memorization, listing main ideas and details in between, while taking breaks in between (Newport).
Many wouldn’t be able to accomplish, or even know what to accomplish, without setting goals. These need to be realistic, that make sense for the allotted time one has. An article from Mind Tools describes personal goal setting which relates well to achievement on all levels. “Goal setting is used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge, and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life” (Mind Tools 1). This shows just where goal setting can get someone. Notice the authors of the Mind Tools discuss “short-term motivation”. It’s clear that this type of motivation shows many outcomes that appear to be more positive. This is exactly what’s needed for short studying dates.
Setting goals doesn’t only have to be for the moment, or night of studying. Setting lifelong goals can show very positive results. Set a goal to be a lifelong learner or become an efficient student. These simple goals may be hard to achieve, but will show improvements. Cuesta College suggests goal ideas in their Academic Support excerpt. “No matter what your goals are, work at maximum efficiency. Be a student who works smarter as well as harder” (Cuesta Edu. 1).
Thinking of early morning turns attention to the grumpy and lazy side of much of the population while mid-evening exhaustion begins setting in later in the day. So what is a student supposed to do? Finding when the body will be able to study and retain all the information one needs, will only happen if the mind knows what time is best. The mind needs a good idea of what is going to work and what won’t get one very far. Sue Shellenbarger tells readers of the Wall Street Journal about the body and its best times for everything. Sue is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal. She is actually the creator of the Wall Street Journal’s “Work and Family” column. She provides the nation with coverage on the conflict between work and family. Shellenbarger speaks with Steve Kay, a professor of molecular and computational biology at the University of Southern California about cognitive work. Dr. Kay states that many people perform best in the late morning. “As body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase through midday, working mercury, alertness and concentration gradually improve” (qtd. by Shellenbarger). This shows that human’s immediate remembrance is highest at this time of day. This time may vary depending on what time one normally wakes up. If one is an early riser, this may be between ten or eleven in the morning. This allows for a few hours for breakfast to digest and in addition, a few hours before sleepiness begin its rise. Rising around ten doesn’t give time to catch that late morning burst. This may result in one waiting until their motivation is back in tack.
“Alertness tends to slump after eating a meal” states Sue Shellenbarger in her Work and Family insert (Shellenbarger 1). The body will be ready for rest or a nap soon after that meal. This explains why research states that anywhere between noon and four in the afternoon is not the best time to try and focus. Most people actually begin extremely distracted around that time. Unfortunately, not all “body clocks” produce the same results. One’s who are more alert in the evening may find that time to be more productive. Research has shown that tiredness may in fact boost creativity. This means concentration levels and the ability to think will increase dramatically hours after dinner. Either way, knowing one’s body and when it can achieve at its best is crucial information to take throughout life.
Teenagers begin to care less and less about their educational responsibilities after spending more than a decade doing to the same thing every day. When this happens, high school students quit taking notes, guess on homework questions, and decide it isn’t necessary to study. Many people believe this is a prime example as to why it is not necessary to care about achieving well. If students know they’ve down well for the majority of their educational career and they can graduate, why continue to work hard? This may result in rough times in the future. A study states that “over one's life and within a person's average annual salary, individuals who attend college earn more as a result of their higher levels of education” (Kezar et al. 1). This could affect many future goals and desires.
Another counterargument some use to neglect the idea of studying is time. Many teenagers or college aged students go to school full time, work a part time job, do homework, while trying to keep a social life. For young teenagers in particular, keeping a social life seems like a need and comes before school or anything else. This becomes a problem when school becomes last on their list.
When humans try to find a good time to sit down and study they can’t seem to find out when. Although much research has been proposed, others disagree. Many believe everybody is different so the research does no good. This may be true when you begin to get in discreet detail, but in other cases a general study on whether people achieve better in late morning or right after a big meal are quite obvious.
Studying begins with knowing when, how and where to begin. “Some common strategies markedly improve student achievement, whereas others are time-consuming and ineffective. Yet this information is not making its way into the classroom” (Dunlosky et al 1). Teachers don’t know the information, so it isn’t getting out to students. Hopefully, important information needed to help students achieve well and make their lives easy will begin to get out. Studying hasn't been delivering positive effects because students aren't learning the skills, setting goals, or working when they are most motivated.
Works Cited
Dunlosky, John, et al. “Psychologists Identify the Best Ways to Study.” Mind & Brain. Scientific
American, 29 August 2013. Web. 23 October 2013.
Kezar, Adrianna et al. “Why is education important for your future and How can education IDAs
help you reach your educational goals?” Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis. University of Southern Carolina, September 2007. Web. 9 November 2013.
“Motivation and Goal Setting.” Cuesta College. Cuesta Edu., 25 September 2011. Web. 6
November 2013.
Newport, Cal. How To Become A Straight-A Student. New York: Broadway Books, 2007. Print.
“Personal Goal Setting.” Mind Tools. Mind Tools Ltd., 2013. Web. 6 November 2013.
Shellenbarger, Sue. “The Peak Time for Everything.” The Wall Street Journal, 26 September
2012. Web. 23 October 2013.
Stages of Brain Development in an Infant. 2010. Photograph. Brain Studies Mash. Tangient
LLC. Web. 20 November 2013.
Strauss, Valerie. “Study Techniques That Work- And (Surprisingly) Don’t.” The Washington
Post, 27 August. Web. 26 October 2013.
“The Adult Brain.” Brain Institute. Oregon Health and Science University, 2013. Web. 20
November 2013.
Professor Cassel
English 1201
November 24, 2013
"Positive Effects"
The struggle to perform well continues to increase throughout one’s educational career. Difficulty occurs for multiple reasons that become very apparent after looking over research and important information on the issue. One of the most important reasons that are things many parents or students don’t normally consider. Teachers aren’t fully informed on how to achieve well. For that reason, students don’t have a whole lot of knowledge on the studying matter. There’s a ton of information needing to get out to the parents, teachers and students. Hopefully, the problem doesn’t persist and great studying skills can be taught. Studying begins with knowing the facts. Studying hasn't been delivering positive effects because students aren't learning what skills are most effective, how to set goals, or when they are most motivated.
At a young age, children begin to get taught how to achieve well in school. This begins with learning how to study for simple spelling tests or math quizzes. Beginning in first or second grade, students learn simple note taking skills. In elementary school this may include simply writing down the facts, but as a student progresses in school, note taking becomes more complicated. When a student advances in their education note taking consists of summarizing large amounts of notes the teacher places on the board. These notes are now used for big exams or chapter tests. Learning how to be well prepared for a simple quiz or a big chapter test begins with note taking. Achieving well gets more difficult as students get older.
Useful study habits will show excessive amounts of positive effects. Study habits play a different role than study skills. Skills will vary depending on how far before the test a student begins to study, and what hour of that day the student begins. Studying habits are something one will need for each assignment throughout one’s educational career. These include; organizing with color, establishing a study zone, preparing one self, take useful notes, or conquering procrastination (Fleming 1). Habits will increase with age and are necessary in homework assignments, to big exams. In conclusion, at a young age students begin learning important study skills or habits that need to be utilized as they grow older. Students will see spelling tests, and before you know it, a graduation test.
The ability to conquer these difficult tasks thrown at students starts with the capacity of the brain. It begins with the understanding of how the human brain has developed and in addition, how it works. It’s clear that simple lessons are taught to younger children because the brain is just getting “wired up”, according to the research done at Oregon University (Brain Institute). The study was looked over by the Oregon Health and Science University. The Brain Institute of the College took on the task of studying the brain’s awareness and health. The information they present to the public helps in defining important details about the brain. After the wiring of the brain has taken place, the adult brain begins to form. This explains why difficulty of school work increases with age. Schooling then becomes extremely difficult for some, or easy for others. One could conclude, from the Institute’s research that this occurs because of what each brain has been exposed to. Experiencing new things, getting a decent amount of exercise daily, sleeping an average eight hours every night, eating a healthy diet, while drinking plenty of water, will produce many positive results (Brain Institute). Before a student needs to comprehend how to study well, one needs to understand one’s own brain. A student needs to know the factors that play a key role in brain development, that when combined with important study techniques, will make schooling an easy ride.
“Is underlining material a good way to retain information” asks Valerie Strauss in her article titled “Study Techniques That Work-And (Surprisingly) Don’t” (Strauss 1). Students, and teachers alike, don’t know this answer. This may be a prime example of what is hurting them. Knowing whether it’s better to reread over and over again or to quiz multiple times is the question. Strauss illustrates a report to readers done by Professors at Kent State University, Duke University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Virginia who play a part in the Association for Psychological Science. The report defines practice testing and distributed practice as the most useful study skills to retain. Practice testing is defined as “any form that allows students to test themselves, including using actual or virtual flashcards, doing problems or questions at the end of textbook chapter, or taking practice test” (Strauss 2). Distributed practice is defined as “studying material over a number of relatively short sessions” (Strauss 2). These aspects of studying are used to show general studying skills.
Cal Newport presents to readers the book “How To Become A Straight-A Student”. Newport gives his readers detailed advice on how to study, prepare for work, or take notes as well as many other important details in his book. Newport’s book focuses on study basics, class assignments, tests and quizzes, essays and papers. Newport uses his novel to show students how to approach work and get it done on time. Newport shows his knowledge, from research, on studying skills. He states that becoming a straight A student requires working ahead by breaking each assignment up, so one doesn’t become overwhelmed. Cal tells his readers of specific test or exam studying. This consists of; constructing practice questions, check marking problems that a student has trouble on, continuing until all aspects are check marked off, memorization, listing main ideas and details in between, while taking breaks in between (Newport).
Many wouldn’t be able to accomplish, or even know what to accomplish, without setting goals. These need to be realistic, that make sense for the allotted time one has. An article from Mind Tools describes personal goal setting which relates well to achievement on all levels. “Goal setting is used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge, and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life” (Mind Tools 1). This shows just where goal setting can get someone. Notice the authors of the Mind Tools discuss “short-term motivation”. It’s clear that this type of motivation shows many outcomes that appear to be more positive. This is exactly what’s needed for short studying dates.
Setting goals doesn’t only have to be for the moment, or night of studying. Setting lifelong goals can show very positive results. Set a goal to be a lifelong learner or become an efficient student. These simple goals may be hard to achieve, but will show improvements. Cuesta College suggests goal ideas in their Academic Support excerpt. “No matter what your goals are, work at maximum efficiency. Be a student who works smarter as well as harder” (Cuesta Edu. 1).
Thinking of early morning turns attention to the grumpy and lazy side of much of the population while mid-evening exhaustion begins setting in later in the day. So what is a student supposed to do? Finding when the body will be able to study and retain all the information one needs, will only happen if the mind knows what time is best. The mind needs a good idea of what is going to work and what won’t get one very far. Sue Shellenbarger tells readers of the Wall Street Journal about the body and its best times for everything. Sue is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal. She is actually the creator of the Wall Street Journal’s “Work and Family” column. She provides the nation with coverage on the conflict between work and family. Shellenbarger speaks with Steve Kay, a professor of molecular and computational biology at the University of Southern California about cognitive work. Dr. Kay states that many people perform best in the late morning. “As body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase through midday, working mercury, alertness and concentration gradually improve” (qtd. by Shellenbarger). This shows that human’s immediate remembrance is highest at this time of day. This time may vary depending on what time one normally wakes up. If one is an early riser, this may be between ten or eleven in the morning. This allows for a few hours for breakfast to digest and in addition, a few hours before sleepiness begin its rise. Rising around ten doesn’t give time to catch that late morning burst. This may result in one waiting until their motivation is back in tack.
“Alertness tends to slump after eating a meal” states Sue Shellenbarger in her Work and Family insert (Shellenbarger 1). The body will be ready for rest or a nap soon after that meal. This explains why research states that anywhere between noon and four in the afternoon is not the best time to try and focus. Most people actually begin extremely distracted around that time. Unfortunately, not all “body clocks” produce the same results. One’s who are more alert in the evening may find that time to be more productive. Research has shown that tiredness may in fact boost creativity. This means concentration levels and the ability to think will increase dramatically hours after dinner. Either way, knowing one’s body and when it can achieve at its best is crucial information to take throughout life.
Teenagers begin to care less and less about their educational responsibilities after spending more than a decade doing to the same thing every day. When this happens, high school students quit taking notes, guess on homework questions, and decide it isn’t necessary to study. Many people believe this is a prime example as to why it is not necessary to care about achieving well. If students know they’ve down well for the majority of their educational career and they can graduate, why continue to work hard? This may result in rough times in the future. A study states that “over one's life and within a person's average annual salary, individuals who attend college earn more as a result of their higher levels of education” (Kezar et al. 1). This could affect many future goals and desires.
Another counterargument some use to neglect the idea of studying is time. Many teenagers or college aged students go to school full time, work a part time job, do homework, while trying to keep a social life. For young teenagers in particular, keeping a social life seems like a need and comes before school or anything else. This becomes a problem when school becomes last on their list.
When humans try to find a good time to sit down and study they can’t seem to find out when. Although much research has been proposed, others disagree. Many believe everybody is different so the research does no good. This may be true when you begin to get in discreet detail, but in other cases a general study on whether people achieve better in late morning or right after a big meal are quite obvious.
Studying begins with knowing when, how and where to begin. “Some common strategies markedly improve student achievement, whereas others are time-consuming and ineffective. Yet this information is not making its way into the classroom” (Dunlosky et al 1). Teachers don’t know the information, so it isn’t getting out to students. Hopefully, important information needed to help students achieve well and make their lives easy will begin to get out. Studying hasn't been delivering positive effects because students aren't learning the skills, setting goals, or working when they are most motivated.
Works Cited
Dunlosky, John, et al. “Psychologists Identify the Best Ways to Study.” Mind & Brain. Scientific
American, 29 August 2013. Web. 23 October 2013.
Kezar, Adrianna et al. “Why is education important for your future and How can education IDAs
help you reach your educational goals?” Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis. University of Southern Carolina, September 2007. Web. 9 November 2013.
“Motivation and Goal Setting.” Cuesta College. Cuesta Edu., 25 September 2011. Web. 6
November 2013.
Newport, Cal. How To Become A Straight-A Student. New York: Broadway Books, 2007. Print.
“Personal Goal Setting.” Mind Tools. Mind Tools Ltd., 2013. Web. 6 November 2013.
Shellenbarger, Sue. “The Peak Time for Everything.” The Wall Street Journal, 26 September
2012. Web. 23 October 2013.
Stages of Brain Development in an Infant. 2010. Photograph. Brain Studies Mash. Tangient
LLC. Web. 20 November 2013.
Strauss, Valerie. “Study Techniques That Work- And (Surprisingly) Don’t.” The Washington
Post, 27 August. Web. 26 October 2013.
“The Adult Brain.” Brain Institute. Oregon Health and Science University, 2013. Web. 20
November 2013.