Study Habits and Academic Performance: the Three Study Skills - Essay Example

Power Learning: A Summary The article en d “Power Learning” is an interesting dis proffering study techniques which would guide and assiststudents in succeeding in their academic endeavors. It stipulated three important areas to help improve one’s study skills. These areas are: time control, classroom note-taking and textbook study. This essay aims to confirm if indeed learning how to learn is the key to succeed in school. The first important area – time control shows students the way to plan and organize their time through three simple but practical steps.

The first step is the preparation of a monthly calendar which would contain relevant dates for academic requirements: schedule of examinations, submission of papers, and daily academic plans. The second step for time control is to design and prepare a weekly schedule through a chart which includes daily schedules and specific time to note all activities (study time, fun, rest, and relaxation). Finally, the third step is to write a daily or weekly “to do” list which will help prioritize the specified activities.

The second study skill is classroom note taking. The discourse presented helpful tips to take notes efficiently. The following hints were discussed: attend classes faithfully, make use of abbreviations, determine and discern signals of importance, write down examples given by the instructors, write down connections between ideas, review the notes as soon as possible, and finally, get down a written record of each class discussion. Attending classes faithfully would ensure that nothing is missed in the discussions.

Making use of abbreviations would make taking notes easier through the use of a personal short hand. Signals of importance are usually definitions of terms and enumerations which usually appear in examinations. There are also examples provided by the instructors which make vivid illustrations of topics being discussed. Connecting ideas assist in relating one topic to the other. In addition, reviewing the notes taken immediately would ensure that these would not be forgotten. The third and final study skill which would help students succeed in school is reading and studying a textbook skillfully.

The textbook study can be efficiently done in four simple ways: previewing, marking, taking notes and reviewing these notes. Previewing means taking a glimpse or a bird’s eye view of the textbook. This can be done by studying the title, browsing over the first and last paragraphs of the selection and by reading the first sentence of each paragraph and looking for highlighted marks (boldface or italics). Marking is done by shading relevant details and putting symbols or notes in margins. Usually definitions, enumerations and emphasis words need to be marked.

Taking notes is done after re-reading the selection and making an outline of the main ideas. Finally, reviewing these notes is necessary to ensure that important elements are remembered and mentally absorbed. If one is wants to improve study habits and academic performance, it would take learning the three study skills: time control, classroom note taking, and textbook study to succeed. Work Cited: “Power Learning.” Chapter 18: Writing a Summary. Pages 388 – 395.