PC 103 W04 Lesson: Study Skills

Read the headings. These are the large type words that come before each section.
Look for images and anything that stands out, such as bolded text or text in colored boxes.
Scan over lists that are numbered or bulleted.
When you read articles or excerpts in the course, quickly look for the title and author, if available.
Use the information from steps 1–4 to determine the main idea of the reading.

Take a moment to quickly scan over this entire page. Do steps 1–5 listed above. Scroll back to this point and answer this question: “What is the main idea of the material on this page?”

Make Inferences
Different from previewing, which happens before reading, making inferences happens during or after reading. Clues from the reading merge with your prior knowledge and questions. Together, these point toward conclusions about what you are reading. For example, "After I read the parable of the good Samaritan, I inferred that the priest and the Levite did not have enough courage to help the man because they were afraid." When readers infer meaning like this, they become more personally connected to the text. This results in a greater understanding of the text.

Making inferences is summarized with this simple equation:

What you already know + What you learn from reading = What you can infer

Question
Questioning is an active reading strategy that occurs before, during, and after reading. Questioning allows you to connect with the text by engaging and asking questions. Asking questions before you read will allow you to make predictions about the text. During your reading, you can ask questions to clarify concepts and understanding. Following up with questions after you read will increase your comprehension of what the author was trying to teach you.

There are two types of questions you can ask to improve your reading comprehension: closed-ended questions and open-ended questions.

Closed-ended questions help you with memory and recall. Usually, you can answer these questions with simple, short answers or even a “yes” or “no.” You can answer these questions by referring to the text you read. Common closed-ended questions might begin with who, what, when, or where.
Open-ended questions have longer answers and require more thinking and reasoning. You can answer these questions by thinking about what you read and including some personal thoughts and opinions. You can really connect with the reading through these questions and see how the text applies to you and your life. Common open-ended questions begin with how or why.

Make Connections
This reading strategy is particularly important since it makes the text relevant to you and your life. Making connections increases your interest in the reading and as a result, improves your comprehension. This happens as you draw on your past experiences and prior knowledge to actively connect to the text. As you read, find connections to the words on the page in the following ways:

Text-to-Self connections allow you to think of your own life and how the text relates to you. Maybe you can relate to a character, how you would react to a certain challenge or situation, or relate a past experience to what is happening.
Text-to-Text connections draw on your knowledge of other things you have read, like articles or books. You can think of the similarities and even the differences in the information. Maybe the text made you think of something you read before and can enhance what you are learning now.
Text-to-World connections bring together the past and present world with the text you are reading. You might connect what you are reading to an event in history, current news, or even something you saw through a media source.

Check My Understanding
Answer these questions to see what you remember from reading the text above.

You can make an inference by adding what you already know with __________. ^{ANSWER

x
What you learn from reading.}
What is the purpose of previewing before reading a text? ^{ANSWER

x
Previewing helps increase reading speed and comprehension by improving focus, concentration, and memory of the material.}
What are the three types of connections discussed in the text-to-world connections? ^{ANSWER

x
Text-to-Self connections, Text-to-Text connections, and Text-to-World connections.}

Taking Notes

Successful students, like you, remember important parts of what they read, see, and hear in their courses. Taking good notes can help this process. As an online student, it may be tempting to think you don't need to take notes because everything is already written in the course materials. However, taking notes helps you summarize information so you can use it more meaningfully.

Elder David A. Bednar told a story of someone who took notes very well:

I have a friend who was a conscientious student in law school. During the course of a semester, Sam invested time every day to review, summarize, and learn from his notes for each course in which he was enrolled. He followed the same pattern for all of his classes at the end of every week and every month. His approach enabled him to learn the law and not merely memorize details. And as final examinations approached, Sam was prepared. In fact, he found the final exam period to be one of the least stressful parts of his legal training. Effective and timely preparation precedes successful proving (We Will Prove Them Herewith, Oct. 2020, emphasis added).

Elder Bednar went on to say that Sam’s approach to his legal education highlighted one of the Lord’s primary patterns for growth and development. “Thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more" (2 Nephi 28:30).

The Cornell Note-taking System is a method of taking notes that helps students retain their learning. It was created by Walter Pauk in 1950, and it continues to help today's students master their studies. Mr. Pauk was an education professor at Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, United States. ("Cornell Notes" and "Cornell University." Wikipedia.org. Retrieved July 10, 2013.)

The Cornell Note-taking System divides a page or electronic table into three spaces. On the right is the notes column. Write here the major points of what you are reading or learning. On the left is the cue column. For each major point in the notes column, write a question or one or two words that relate to the major point. When you review your notes, you can cover the notes column and use the cue column to help you remember each major point. Finally, the summary space at the bottom allows you to summarize the notes column in one or more few sentences, an important learning strategy.

Image illustrating the paragraph above

Below is an example of a Cornell Note template filled out electronically. The example takes notes on 1 Nephi chapter 1 from the Book of Mormon. You will be required to take notes like this for W04 Application Activity: Study Skills.

W04 Gathering Prep

What will you do this week, in preparation for the gathering, to exemplify the Learning Model principle of “Teach One Another?” Practice taking notes this week using the Cornell method. Write down your thoughts and ideas about the different study skills covered in the lesson. Explain to someone you know what it means to make an inference.

Ponder and Record
After reading this lesson, ponder the following questions. If desired, record your thoughts in a learning journal.

Why is reading one of the most important skills of a successful online student?
For you, how does writing notes help you remember things?
What is one way you could improve the way you take notes?

Introduction

Reading Comprehension Strategies

Taking Notes

W04 Gathering Prep