Lesson 1: Your Study Space
ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS
The most important thing you can do to increase study effectiveness is eliminate visual distractions. Although the ear can tune out many noise distractions (your parents will agree with this), the eye cannot. That is why the first two Blast Off! steps are to eliminate the movement of people and TV in your eye “space.”
TRY THIS EXPERIMENT
Here is an interesting experiment you can try with the help of your parent(s).
Select two newspaper stories from the front page of the newspaper, each about eight inches in length. Ask your parent to prepare three questions about each story for you to answer.
For the first part of the experiment, place your chair so you can see the TV screen. Turn on a favorite show (sitcoms or cartoons are good for this experiment). Ask your parent to record the time it takes for you to read the newspaper story and answer the questions while you have the TV turned on and facing you.
For the second part of the experiment, turn off the TV. Read the second newspaper story and answer the questions on that story. Have your parent record your time again.
Check the answers to both sets of questions for correctness and compare the time it took to read both stories and answer the questions (accuracy of your answers counts, too).
One hour later, see how much of each story you can recall for your parent.
Most students find a big difference in time and accuracy and especially in how much information they are able to remember.
MUSIC TO LEARN BY
Whether or not to listen to music while studying is a difficult question to answer. Some research has found that listening to classical music by composers like Mozart increases the ability to concentrate. For example, research has found that listening to classical music while studying math is beneficial. Dr. Howard Gardner, in his theory of multiple intelligences, indicates that mathematical and musical intelligence are closely related, which may explain why listening to classical music while studying math works. Other kinds of music, like most popular music, have the opposite effect, and decrease your attention span.
If you want to try listening to classical music to see if it helps your concentration ability, try Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major or Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major. Other selections by Mozart are also good. There are some CDs on the market that have combined several selections by Mozart under names such as The Mozart Effect. Just be sure to select CDs or tapes on which there is no singing (words or lyrics) because your brain will focus on the words of the music rather than on the material you are studying.
USING YOUR STUDY SUPPLIES
You may already use most of the study supplies and equipment; however, you may not have used them in these ways.
Divide the three-ring notebook so that each subject has its own section and each subject is divided into three areas—notes taken, teacher handouts, and completed homework. Each subject should have a different color for the divider tabs (for example: red for math, green for science, etc.). Using different colors for each subject makes materials easy to see. Organizing each subject into three categories (notes, handouts, homework) makes information easy to find. No more lost papers!
This three-ring notebook has tabbed dividers for notes, handouts,
and homework for two subjects (science and math).
Some schools require individual binders for each subject; others discourage binders. When using a binder, it is helpful to organize it with the sections for notes, handouts, and homework.
The hole punch is used for handouts so they can be put in your notebook. No more crumpled paper in the bottom of your backpack!
Your zippered pocket divider should be equipped with two pencils, a pen, hole punch, ruler, and any special supplies your school requires (like a pocket calculator). Dont let this become your version of Mom’s “junk drawer”—no pencil stubs, scraps of paper, etc.
The file box is to store materials you are using for projects as well as notes and handouts from previous weeks that are needed for test review. Color code file folders to match your subject divider tabs in your notebook. This makes it easier to file and find files for each subject.
There are many reference materials available but a dictionary and thesaurus will get frequent use. A thesaurus is a book of synonyms and will be helpful in writing reports.
The small, spiral notebook is to be used for recording assignments and will be explained in Lesson 2.
The large monthly calendar is a planning tool, and its use will also be explained in Lesson 2.
The kitchen timer or alarm clock is a time-management tool and you will learn how to use it in the next lesson, too.
Some students like to use the colored pencils or pens to write assignments in a color that matches the color you are using for the dividers and files for that assignment, making it easy to spot assignments by subject. Just make sure that the color is easy to read.
