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I need help on figuring out an operant conditioning approach for this:
When I study for tests or quizzes I normally reread my notes that I have prepared for the reading material. I sit in a quiet area of the house or place on campus and reread them. Also if the professor provided a study guide I make sure that I can answer each question or address each topic sufficiently. Also I look for chapter summaries and any materials that the professor handed out. On incredibly difficult tests I will even try to form a study group so that I can learn from other students and we can help each other.
Flashcards can be good studying material especially in courses that require memorization of lots of material. Flashcards do not however assist in understanding a specific material. For instance, learning the organs of the body can be done with flashcards. However, learning how the body’s organs work together to complete bodily functions cannot really be memorized. Instead, it needs to be learned and understood. Also, there most courses don’t provide you with a written list of everything that is on a test or quiz. Because of this, students must be prepared and think outside of the box. Flashcards only provide students with specific material; flashcards do not prepare students for material that the professor did not but on the study guide. This is why group study sessions and reviewing notes comes in to play; discussions in groups provides new ideas and reviewing notes will help you to learn and understand the material and sometimes think of new perspectives of the given topics. Flashcards are good for introductory level courses and regurgitation of material, not discussions or thinking outside of the box.
If I was leading a Freshman Seminar for income students and focusing on the methods of studying, I would first advise the students to find their specific style of learning. According to Nevid (2015), there are three types of cognitive learning – insight learning, latent learning and observational learning (Nevid, 2015, p. 206). Personally, I favor observational learning but it can be different for everyone. Finding one’s preferable learning style is key to studying for a test or assessment. For instance, if someone was having a math test I would advise creating math problems and working through them. This is insight learning; while working through the problem and struggling with it, eventually the student understands the material and figures out how to do the math problem. Nevid says, “Insight might occur by reconstructing or reorganizing a problem in your mind until you see how the various parts fit together to form a solution” (Nevid, 2015, p. 203). So, if someone was going to be tested on the parts of the eye, I would advise creating a rough drawing of they eye and indicating where each part of the eye is (ex. Iris, pupil) and write down the function. In this way, they would be imitating what they have learned and studying the material productively.
I also need help figuring out a cognitive approach for this:
Studying is essential in all ways more than academically; we should also study our work and the Word. It is essential to helping students develop study habits, time-management as well as self-discipline. Studying helps students to learn and providing knowledge that can be kept and used throughout a student’s life and with the career that they choose. When I am prepare for a test I usually read over the chapters included in my test, go over any notes that were taken, look over and memorize the study guide as well as quiz myself on information from the chapter just to make sure that I have obtained the information required of me for the test that is upcoming. I try and keep my mind focused directly on things that will be on the test, pulling the important information from my study guide and readings. Asking and answering questions as well as using memory strategies helps me recall information on the day of the test. Learning how to successfully prepare for a test helps students to also develop good test taking strategies and skills.
Students typically rely on flashcards and rote repetition as their primary method of studying. Some advantages of using flashcards as a primary method of studying include allowing students to be able to spread time out the time that they study and allowing themselves to be able to quiz themselves over a period of time instead of cramming all the information in at one time. “When studying for exams, don’t cram. Rather space out your study sessions. You’ll learn more and remember more of what you learn” (Nevid, 225). When students take time to study information they tend to retain the information more than someone who crams and does not make time to study. I think disadvantages to flashcards would be cram sessions “…massed versus spaced practice effect, is that massed, or crammed, practice causes mental fatigue that interferes with learning and retention” (Nevid, 225). Sometimes flashcards can be a disadvantage because we typically use them for the answers and memorize the answers and often times the answers are not on the test that we had on the flashcards.
Most importantly, if I were leading a freshmen seminar for incoming students I would stress these study strategies. I would recommend chunking which is “the process of enhancing retention of a large amount of information by breaking it down into smaller, more easily recalled chunks” (Nevid, 215). I would apply this method in information learned from a teacher or professor, as well as when you are reading materials. I would also suggest using maintenance rehearsal “the process of extending retention of information held in short-term memory by consciously repeating the information” (Nevid, 215). I use this method often especially when I have information that I need to learn and memorize to teach my children’s church class. Getting plenty of rest and sleeping on the information you have learned is another tip, our text lets us know that sleep appears to enhance learning and memory by helping to convert fragile new memories into lasting ones. Lastly, practice, practice, practice! “Practicing or rehearsing fresh memories aloud or silently can strengthen them, making them more resistant to the effects of interference” (Nevid, 226). Practice makes perfect, by practicing and studying materials over and over again it gives you a better chance of retaining knowledge and being able to recall it when the time is needed.