How to learn complex material-thebasics

Seite 1

Problem:

In college, students often don't know how to effectively study complex material they've never been exposed to before such as in the sciences. As a result, they fail to achieve the grades they hoped for in spite of putting in a significant amount of time studying.

The biggest culprits of this problem are:

1. Studying too passively (E.G. skimming a textbook)

2. Actively studying but dealing with information in one way repeatedly (E.G. flashcards)

Solution:

The following method focuses on combating these two issues by taking the student through a step by step process of producing notes which forces the student to actively deal with the information in a different way during each step. While doing this, the student produces a set of notes which is very easy to read and study.

Author's note:

This method was developed as a result of my own struggles to succeed as a disabled student taking science, math and technology courses. It is heavily influenced by Laia Hanau, who was a study-technique instructor for the University of Michigan medical school during the 1970's. Her work is cited below:

Hanau, Laia. The Study Game; How to Play and Win with "statement-pie." New York: Barnes & Noble, 1974. Print.

Hanau, Laia. The Study Game, How to Play and Win. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1979. Print.

- Brian Dixon

Fundamentals:

First, to use this method, it’s crucial to understand the following information:

Almost all effective communication, whether spoken or written, can be divided into one of two categories:

Statements Or Supporting information

A statement is the basic point someone is trying to make when they communicate. The supporting information (also referred to as S.I.) are the related details which serve to back up the statement made by the speaker or writer.

The supporting information will look very different depending on what topic or subject is being studied. In the sciences, the S.I. could be the results of an experiment or if you’re studying history the S.I. could be an event or a quote by a historical figure.

One method to distinguish a S.I. sentence from a statement is to remove the sentence from the paragraph. If the paragraph seems confusing and unfocused without the sentence, it’s probably a statement. If the paragraph still makes sense without the sentence but feels less convincing, it’s likely supporting information.

Consider the following example:

“Batman is a better character than Superman. Superman uses near-god like powers to defeat his enemies. By contrast, Batman lacks any superhuman abilities but instead relies on his mind and his physical training to accomplish the same feats. Given a hero who only has his wits to fight evil and a one who can defeat his enemies without breaking a sweat, which character would you rather read about?”

Notice that “Batman is a better character than Superman” is the point the writer is trying to get across. The three sentences following this statement are the pieces of supporting information which give examples and argue why the statement is true. Sometimes writers/speakers insert the Statement at the end or in the middle of a paragraph to make it more interesting.

For example:

Given a hero who only has his wits to fight evil and a one who can defeat his enemies without breaking a sweat, which character would you rather read about? Superman uses near-god like powers to defeat his enemies. By contrast, Batman lacks any superhuman abilities but instead relies on his mind and his physical training to accomplish the same feats. These factors make Batman a better character than Superman.

Or

Superman uses near-god like powers to defeat his enemies. By contrast, Batman lacks any superhuman abilities but instead relies on his mind and his physical training to accomplish the same feats. These factors make Batman a better character than Superman. Given a hero who only has his wits to fight evil and a one who can defeat his enemies without breaking a sweat, which character would you rather read about?

The statement and supporting info sentences are arranged differently in each paragraph but each example expresses the exact same information. Often, academic-style communication varies sentence and paragraph structure in a similar fashion to make it more interesting.

Intro

Fundamentals: Part 1

Fundamentals: Part 2