Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College integrates study and critical thinking skills as a means of helping students achieve academic success. Teaching studying through active learning strategies and techniques, the author emphasizes the cognitive approach to learning, how to apply study skills to academic disciplines, and how to identify early warning signs of academic difficulty.

Table of Contents

Preface. Challenges to the 21st Century Student I. COLLEGE: STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS. 1. The College System: An Orientation. Information Sources. College Services. Campus Diversity. Course Organization. Grades and Grading System. Thinking Critically... About Grades. Classroom Success Tips. 2. Taking Charge of Your College Career. Coping with New Expectations. Thinking Critically... About Course Content. Taking Charge. Early Warning Signals of Academic Difficulty. Active versus Passive Learning. Critical Thinking: The Key to College Success. Building Academic Integrity. 3. Establishing Goals and Managing Your Time. Establishing Life Goals. Organizing Your Life for Success in College. Analyzing Your Time Commitments. Building a Study Plan. Making Better Use of Time. Time Management in the Electronic Age. Time Management Tips for Returning Adult Students. Time Management Tips for Commuters. Thinking Critically... About Procrastination. Concentration Tips. 4. Managing Your Life. Managing Your Finances. Maintaining Your Health. Thinking Critically... About Drinking. Managing Your Part-Time Job. Managing Relationships. Managing Online Relationships. 5. Managing Stress. What Is Stress?. Symptoms of Stress. Causes of Stress. Changing Your Thinking to Reduce Stress. Changing Your Habits to Reduce Stress. Thinking Critically... About Accomplishing Tasks. 6. Communication Skills for the Classroom. Listening Critically. Participating in Class. Asking and Answering Questions. Thinking Critically... About Meaningful Questions. Working with Classmates: Group Projects. Planning and Making Oral Presentations. 7. Thinking Critically and Solving Problems. Thinking Critically About Decision Making. Problem-Solving Strategies. Problem-Solving Processes. Keys to Problem Solving. Thinking Critically... About Alternatives. II. LEARNING AND THINKING STRATEGIES. 8. Learning Styles and Teaching Styles. Analyzing Your Learning Style. Interpreting Your Scores. Deciding What to Learn. Thinking Critically... About the Intent to Learn. Using Learning Style to Choose a Study Method. Adapting to Various Teaching Styles. Evaluating Your Learning. 9. Learning and Memory. How Learning and Memory Work. Strategies for Improving Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval. Thinking Critically... About Learning Strategies. III. APPLYING YOUR SKILLS TO ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES. 10. Study Strategies for Academic Disciplines. Approaching New Fields of Study. The Social Sciences and History. The Life and Physical Sciences. Mathematics. Literature and the Arts. Thinking Critically... About Literature. Career Fields. 11. Learning Specialized and Technical Vocabulary. Terminology: The Key to Course Mastery. Mapping Related Terminology. Thinking Critically... About Vocabulary. Learning Core Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes. Developing a Course Master File. IV. MASTERING COURSE CONTENT. 12. Thought Patterns of Academic Disciplines. Thought Patterns: Guides to Learning. Academic Thought Patterns. Thinking Critically... About Patterns. Applying Your Knowledge of Thought Patterns. 13. Note Taking for Class Lectures. Sharpening Your Listening Skills. How to Start with an Advantage. Recording Appropriate Content and Organization. Working with Various Lecture Formats. Thinking Critically... About Lectures. Note Taking and Learning Style. Using the Lecturer's Thought Patterns. Editing and Reviewing Your Notes. 14. Learning from College Textbooks. Features of Textbooks. Previewing Your Textbooks. Thinking Critically... About Previewing. Using the SQ3R Reading/Study System. Learning from Graphs, Tables, and Diagrams. Thinking Critically... About Graphs and Statistics. Learning from Supplemental Reading Assignments. 15. Learning from Visual and Electronic Media. Video, Film and Television. Using Electronic Study Aids. Using Internet Sources. Evaluating Internet Sources. Thinking Critically... About the Timeliness of Web Sites. 16. Organizing and Synthesizing Course Content. Textbook Highlighting and Annotation. Thinking Critically... About Highlighting. Note Taking to Organize and Condense Information. Mapping to Show Relationships. Using a Computer to Synthesize Course Content. 17. Critical Analysis of Course Content. Synthesizing Information. Recognizing and Evaluating Subjective Content. Asking Critical Questions. Thinking Critically... About Arguments. V. EXAMS: THINKING UNDER PRESSURE. 18. Preparing for Exams. Organizing Your Review. Thinking Critically... About Group Study. Thematic Study. Strategies for Particular Types of Exams. Strategies for Specific Academic Disciplines. Controlling Test Anxiety. 19. Reasoning Skills for Objective Exams. Starting with an Advantage. Skills for Objective Exams. Thinking Critically... About Practicum Exams. Achieving Success with Standardized Tests. 20. Taking Essay Exams. Writing Effective Essay Exams. Thinking Critically... About Returned Exams. Achieving Success with Competency Tests and Exit Exams. References. Endnotes. Credits. Index.