Navigating the Classroom and Being a Smart Student

1. Preview: Before class begins, take 5-15 minutes to skim new materials. Note big ideas.
2. Attend: Go to class! Take notes. Ask questions.
3. Review: Take 10-15 minutes to reread your notes. Fill in gaps. Develop questions.
4. Study: For 30-50 minutes, schedule several focused study sessions per class each week.
5. Check: Can I teach this material to someone? Are my study methods effective?

Adapted from Frank Christ’s PLRS system.

©2015 Louisiana State University, Center for Academic Success

Have you ever sat down to study your notes and they didn't make sense?

They were disorganized, they didn't include enough detail or were otherwise unhelpful?

Taking good notes in class is essential to being successful. If you don't have good notes from class, how can you study what you covered in class?

Try the Cornell method of note taking (.pdf) in your next class! (You need Adobe Reader to view and print this document.)

What do beneficial study groups look like?

1. Keep your group small. A group of 4 to 6 people should stay on task and allow each person to contribute.
2. Study with good students who are alert, take notes and ask questions in class. They may or may not be your friends, but they will be a good study partners. Students who are confused by the material won’t make as much progress as students with understanding of the material who can contribute knowledge and ability to the group.
3. Pick your study location carefully. Look for a distraction free zone! You don’t want to be interrupted by friends or students walking past you. Limit the technology to only what is needed; close unnecessary computer programs and turn off phones. Remember you will need a lot of space to spread out your books.
4. Work for 2 to 3 hours. Shorter periods of time will force you to be more productive and stay focused.
5. Plan to meet regularly. Think of your study group as an extension of your class. Pick a day and time to meet weekly and stick to it.

How do we keep our study meetings productive?

Studying in a group will require that you do things differently than what you do when you study alone.

1. Make a plan for the study time and stick to it.
2. Show up to your study group prepared. You will have to study outside of your study group; some of this will be time spent preparing for study group.
3. Give assignments to members. Here are a few ideas for assignments:
   1. Divide the week’s class material among the group and have each person write 10 to 20 questions about their section. Quiz each other and use the questions to review the week’s material.
   2. Pinpoint the main ideas of the week’s units. You can compare and discuss where you have agreement and disagreement.
   3. Summarize the material, breaking it down to the simplest ideas and then flush out the details.
   4. Create an outline together in proper order.
4. Take turns teaching and speaking so that everyone has the opportunity to reinforce his or her knowledge.