I enjoyed reading all our comments on memory and reading techniques last week. Knowing some of these techniques can make studying so much more efficient and less stressful. Distributing the practice is my favorite technique. The brain works better with small amounts spaced out over time with frequent review. It is easy and powerful.
This week read the chapter on taking notes, writing and speaking and then make two comments on any of these topics:
Psychologist and philosopher William James said, “The essence of genius is knowing what to overlook.” How can you take steps toward being a genius by being selective at school, at work or in your personal life?
Many students have difficulties with writing assignments because of writer’s block. Read the section on writer’s block in the text and comment on some ideas that you can use to overcome it.
Write some intention statements about what you will do to become a better writer or note taker.
Ask a question or discuss any aspect of college success that is relevant to your college experience at this point.
In order for me to become a better writer I need to learn how to brainstorm better and take better notes. I will start taking notes better by focusing on the main ideas during lectures. I will also use symbols and abbreviations so I can take quick fast notes. Once I make those quick notes, after class I will write everything out so I can better understand what was going on in the lecture and prepare for any tests. For brainstorming I will write down as much information as I can about certain topics.
ReplyDeletePsychologist and philosopher William James said, “The essence of genius is knowing what to overlook.” How can you take steps toward being a genius by being selective at school, at work or in your personal life?
ReplyDeleteI think in order to be selective at school I need to focus on the main things. I shouldn't allow other things get in the way like parties and not worry about unnecessary things. At work I feel focusing on the tasks that needed to be done and less socializing would be beneficial. In my personal life my family is the main thing that is most important. I think by spending more time with them would be beneficial because you never know what can happen.
I think that overall I am a pretty good writer; however, I am not the best not taker. I need to take notes that I actually understand. Sometimes I just write things down so fast and when I look back I have no idea what it says. I need to use abbreviation in my notes because I am not the fastest writer, so sometimes I do not get all of the information down. I also plan on using the outline technique when taking notes. Using the outline technique is great because you know the main parts of the lecture, so you know exactly what to study. I really like the outline technique because it helps me study my notes easier.
ReplyDelete-Vanessa Lathan
*Note taker is what I meant in the first sentence. Not "not taker" :)
ReplyDeleteSome tips from the chapter to overcome writers that I would use are, free-writing, brain storming, breaking the assignment up into small parts, and don’t procrastinate. First of all, free-writing is a great technique to use because you are just getting all of your first thoughts and impressions of the topic on paper. Free-writing doesn’t have to be structured or perfect it is just a starting point. Next, brain storming is another really helpful method. It is another way to get all of you first thoughts and ideas on paper. Furthermore, breaking up the assignment into small parts helps some people. Doing that helps me because I cannot do all of my work at once or I will over think and have writers block. However, some people can’t just break their assignment up into small parts because they might not ever finish. I know that some people have to do all the work at once sometimes. Anyways, breaking the assignment up into small parts is something that does help me not experience writers block. Lastly, not procrastinating is really important for me! If I procrastinate I will never get the work done. But sometimes when I do procrastinate I have to just do all of the work at the last minute and that is not good because I usually experience writers block when I do that. I experience writers block when I am pushed for time and trying to cram my thoughts down onto paper, and I usually cannot think straight.
ReplyDelete-Vanessa Lathan
Sometimes when I am writing an essay whether that would be for a term paper on an exam, I also tend to hit a writer's block as well. To overcome this I have a few methods that I use to help me overcome this. First of, I look at the main idea of what I want to talk about. Then once I have a good idea on my topic, I break that down into three or four smaller ideas which I can use for buliding a paragraph. Then I look at what I have written down for the body of my essay and apply it to the introduction by stating the main points in my introduction. This also helps to develop a good thesis statement that I will need to open and conclude my thoughts in the paper.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the tips suggeseted in the chapter reading there are many tips on how to become a more effecient note taker. The tips that were suggested in how to take notes in outline formation was the one that I thought were most useful to me because I tend to use outline formation the most when I am taking notes. Instead of using roman numerals, like the text suggested, I prefer to highlight the main ideas in the outline. When I see a bold color I will automatically know that the highlight is an important main idea that I need to know. I do also use indentation to seperate main ideas from supporting details.
ReplyDeletein order for me to become a better writer I need to brainstorm more frequently and get all of my ideas out of my head and onto the paper before i begin my paper. and i nee to start taking better notes. I will start using abbreviations and symbols to help me take better notes and i will overlook the thing the i do not need from the lecture by being more selective and focusing on main ideas. Not only this, but I will also try and review my notes more often, instead of a few days before the test i will review shortly after class and in small times here and there also
ReplyDeleteWilliam James said, “The essence of genius is knowing what to overlook.”
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that I can relate this too. In my life I can over look unneeded and unnecessary things that can be wasteful and potentially harmful to me. I can focus more on the important things in my life and rid myself of the things i do not need. Overlooking things that are not important to me is a very good thing to do. i do not need to soak up all of the information including the pointless things. I just need to important facts and the key concepts.
In school I can take steps to becoming a genius is school by being selective in my note taking process. When I hear the main points in lectures I can write them down and then add details to the main ideas. That way I can easily come back to my notes and review them for the test. I know that I cannot write down everything in the notes so if I write the key points and the things the teacher puts emphasis on then I can remember what to study. At work I can focus on the main tasks to be done first and then complete everything else by timing it out and doing it throughout the day. In my personal life I can choose to not just waste time hanging out with friends but instead complete my work first before spending time with them.
ReplyDeleteSome ideas I can use to overcome writers block is brainstorm ideas about what I am going to write about so I can get a sense of what to write. I can also try free writing on my subject so I can get some sort of ideas flowing through my head. I can eliminate distractions by working in a quiet place so I can focus on my work. I can also try and make a outline of what I am going to write so I can think of ideas to write about. I can become a better write by making outlines for my paper and brainstorming ideas. I can also try to work in an environment that will help me focus and get help if I do not understand how to expand what I am writing about. An aspect of my college success so far is planning out what I am writing and that is relevant to what I am learning now. I can also not procrastinate and complete my work on time.
ReplyDeleteWrite some intention statements about what you will do to become a better writer or note taker
ReplyDeleteTo become a note taker I will write down the main points that the instructor is discussing. I will make sure to write ideas within the margins to keep the organization of topics separate. Using abbreviations for words will help me be able to write topics and ideas more organized. Reading my notes after each lecture and rewriting them to help better organize topics will be become a better writer and note taker. I intend to review my notes throughout the semester to help me with my long term memory skills.
Many students have difficulties with writing assignments because of writer’s block. Read the section on writer’s block in the text and comment on some ideas that you can use to overcome it.
ReplyDeleteTo overcome writer’s block I will make sure to be well rested before beginning a paper. I intend to exercise to keep me relaxed also before I begin organizing my thoughts for the paper. Brainstorming and writing topics will help me organize my thesis sentence and potentially overcome my writer’s block. I will make sure I begin to write in a well lighted area designated to do work where there is limited noise and more creative space.
Some ideas for overcoming writers block for me are first to walk away for a few minutes to clear my head. Also, telling other people what you are writing about might help. THey may be able to bounce a couple of their own ideas off of you and that can help you to start thinking. If none of that helps I would say sleep on it and try again the next day.
ReplyDeleteTo take better notes I can pay more attention to the key points of the lecture. Also instead of feeling like i need to write every word that the teacher says I can make smaller sentences that make sense and also shorten up words. If I keep them all in order and in the same place I'm more likely to make sense of them and get more out of my notes.
ReplyDeleteBeing selective helps not only in school, work, but overall in life. The first step is to jot down several ideas when in school and select the ones that seem most important, or that we could back up with information. If one is selective on what they choose to include in their writing and speeches they seem much more organized. Selective does not always mean vague. I have been there before when someone just is all over the place with their ideas and not focused on some important points. In order to be selective at work one needs to focus on a task and complete it instead of taking on too much responsibilities and not being able to excel in any. It helps to be able to work with people who are sure of themselves and what they want to do and get done. Philosopher William James knows exactly what it means to be selective.
ReplyDeleteWriting is definitely an area where I can improve and I usually always have trouble when starting a term paper. I seem to get writers block and always find myself thinking for almost an hour to get down the first paragraph. I will try the brainstorming before I start my paper in order to get down my ideas and be selective on the ideas that I choose to talk about. I will also like to start early when writing so that I can have time to edit my rough draft and have time do edit my work and improve the first draft. I have only started early a number of times and found myself finishing my paper just in time.
ReplyDelete1st Topic:
ReplyDeleteI can become a selective genius at school by doing my assignments days in advance. Scheduling the time needed for each assignment, and doing the assignment in a place where I can concentrate and not be bothered. I will prioritize my assignments from easiest to hardest. After completing the easier assignments, I will have more time to dedicate to the harder assignments. To complete the harder assignments I can note down steps on what I would need to do first; checking or crossing out the steps as I complete them. Doing this will allow me to complete the assignments more effectively and on time.
3rd Topic:
ReplyDeleteTo become a better writer, I will follow the recommended steps in this chapter. Instead of sitting around doing nothing I can be sitting and reading instead. I will start reading the assignment as soon as it is assigned and write down key words and notes after each chapter. Before I would write down questions for example, “Who is or are the main character(s)?” “What is the plot?” “What are the actions against character(s)?” After I finish reading the book I can write freely about what I think about the book, answer the questions I noted earlier. I can also write down notes after each chapter which will help me remember important events in each chapter.
To be selective is to de-clutter your own life and limit the stress load by remembering what's important and what it is that you need. I recently had to do this myself. I was feeling over powered by my own life and all the responsibilities piled on with school, being a mommy, a girlfriend, and a daily worker. I was taking too many units then what my lifestyle was able to handle and on top of that my living environment started feeling cluttered and uncontrolled. So took a day aside to plan my life a little bit as well as get rid of things that I did not need. I went through all my things and got rid of big trash bags full of stuff that was just laying around that none of us cared about. It's all about getting rid of things that make you feel bad about yourself. If your rooms not clean then that will be stuck on your mind, if your school work isn't done that's going to be on your mind as well. Take a day aside and go through your life and figure what it is that you can handle. For me I had to drop a class because it was one too many for myself. This was not something that I wanted to do but I knew it was necessary. The next day I felt like my head was clear again and I had control over myself because my things were put together and I could handle my school load. Everything seemed to just fall into place because I had a clear mind to make decisions about things.
ReplyDeleteI love to write but need some work to have it down. I am not good at taking notes (reviewing them I'm even worse) and I know that I have to look at the key points and not focus on the details first. After I know what it is that I am learning I will be able to focus on the details and know which details are important. Same goes for writing. If I do not know what it is that I am writing about then my paper will not sound good and I will sound like I don't know what I'm writing about. I will be gathering information and keeping myself organized on whatever assignment I will be doing or any note taking I will be doing.
ReplyDeleteTo achieve to be selective and a genius in our college, or in our work we have to implement all the small issues that we discussed in this chapter as: taking notes, using signal words, using the method telegraphic sentences, read the material before going to the class to understand that the person is speaking, to be attentive to the class without interruptions from friends, etc. I think every one of us are able to be selective in every aspect of our lives, but we just have to be a little more dedicated to succeed.
ReplyDeleteChapter six on College Scopes offers several different approaches to dealing with writers block. The two approaches I found to be the most helpful was free writing and brain storming. The free writing approach suggests that when you are experiencing writers block you should start writing freely about the topic without worrying about organization or perfection. The logic behind this is that the expectation of perfect writing causes anxiety, so by freely writing without worrying about being perfect you eliminate the anxiety and it enables you to overcome your writers block. With the brain storming approach is when you take five minutes to focus your attention on the topic and write whatever comes to mind, usually not full sentences. This helps because when you get stuck you can always go back to your brain storming for ideas.
ReplyDeletebeing a selective genius is to overlook the unnecessary things i dont need in my life, focusing on the prize like to be successful in every aspect in work, school and my life. i want to be successful in my life therefore i need to take steps to be successful for example for school, to finish college i have to take a good amount of classes a semester i cant overwhelm myself.i need to make sure i write everything down be organize for school. review all my notes right after the lecture and throughout the semester to be sure i have all the information fresh in my mind. get good grades and be out of college and to an university and get my degree. in work i need a job to pay for school and being the best i can be to get a raise and help people out. in my life i want to be happy and being selective i have to make sure i do the right thing and avoid the distraction and the unnecessary objects.
ReplyDeletewriters block is a problem for most people because the reason i get it is because i have to write a paper on something i don't know much on or isn't interested to write about it but i have to write there are steps to overcome writers block. to overcome writers block first you need to relax and inhale and exhale deep for 10mins, get information on the topic you have to write about, and lastly organize the paper by brainstorming and outlining the information. getting information on the topic can get you to understand it more and be about to complete your paper and just be able to write freely and it doesn't have to be structure. be sure to write the paper on time and not at the last minute.
ReplyDeleteI along with many other students have had difficulties with it comes to writing assignments due to writer’s block. There have been times where I stare at blank computer screen not knowing where to start. It seems for me at least I get writer’s block whenever I have a paper or report that I have to do but for some reason I am not interested in the topic or subject. There are ways to overcome this; for starters one can practice free-writing where they just write anything and everything that comes to mind regarding that particular topic. A lot of people think it has to be perfect from the get go, however that is not the case one can easily go back to organize and edit later on. Another great way to get over writer’s block is actually brainstorming; setting aside five or so minutes and jotting down ideas, if for some reason one finds themselves stuck just take a break and resume brainstorming later. Lastly one should have a place for writing that suits their personality, their preferred working environment. One’s environment is something to be aware of and it can easily be changed.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this statement. I find myself stress at times at work. We work in multiple projects and play multiple roles; the budget has affected the hiring of new personnel in our department so this situation has gotten worse. I plan to learn to overlook the little things: I plan to prioritize, and focus my energy on those items/projects that matter most and will move my department forward. Perhaps the 20% rule also applies here too.
ReplyDeleteArnulfo Chavarin
ReplyDeleteAll in all, what William James believes genius is, is what relevant to him. Even so, it is partially true. A doctor told me a story once; he said that his father was looking for a job as a chemist. During the interview, the father was asked to determine an unknown substance, and various lab equipment and chemicals were given to him at his disposal. Many intellectuals would immediately conduct tests to find out the unknown substance. However, this man who was applying for the job had a different approach: he tasted the substance and said “it’s salt,” and landed the job.
Arnulfo Chavarin
ReplyDeleteMany people suffer from writer’s block, and I was in this category a long time ago. Formerly, I used to grieve with “what do I write,” “where do I begin?” However, soon after attending college I became a competent writer. I was able to visualize via brainstorming. After receiving a topic or theme to write about, I would immediately brainstorm on information that would be relevant to the topic. Then, simply placing order and relation to the central thought, I found that I could picture the term paper, and how I would go about it. Brainstorming works very well for me.
On the topic of how to overcome writers block, I plan to practice free writing. It is a simple concept but one that we can easily forget to practice. I tend to be too hard on myself and I want the first draft to be perfect. I plan practice free writing and let it evolve in to my first draft. I will do my best to let my ideas flow. It may just be the right technique for me to get me to jump-start my writing projects. I am looking forward to using this technique.
ReplyDeleteThe more I think of William James quote, ““The essence of genius is knowing what to overlook,” the more I find ways it applies to life in general. When a person concentrates on little things and insignificant details they often miss out on the bigger picture and grander things in life. To me what James is saying is the equivalent of the old saying, “don’t sweat the smaller things.” This applies to both school and life in general, when you focus too much on the insignificant points instead of overlooking them you not only waste time and resources, but you can miss the main points as well, and the things that really matter.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey Miller
ReplyDeleteHow can you take steps toward being a genius by being selective at school?
Picking out a needle in a haystack is similar to being selective in the way that in school many details surround the main ideas, but the most important thing is the main idea. First off, be selective in your studying. Rather than spend all your time memorizing all the dates, people, time, etc. Go through the text, look at the headings, find the italicized words, and find that main point of the text. I'll need to do the same with lectures and those sort of things. There are a lot of excess ideas and points that don't necessarily end up on the test that I don't need to spend time studying. Also, I can be selective by focusing the most on the classes that matter, that go with my major, while still trying to spend a good amount of time on general ed and the sort.
Jeffrey Miller
ReplyDeleteHow can you take steps toward being a genius by being selective in your personal life?
Being Selective as something means to simplify things to the finest detail. In my personal things there are a lot of things that can be and should be simplified. If my desk is an utter mess I should take off everything that I haven't used in a week and throw it away or put it somewhere that I will remember, but that I don't need to easily access frequently. Such as a closet or attic. If I'm strapped for time on an assignment I'll need to simplify my day down to the things that are the most important. So, sleeping, eating, drinking, and school and just sort of take everything else out until I get things done. Another way I can be selective in my life is financially. I can make a tab of everything I buy, and take out everything that doesn't affect my life too much. That isn't the part of the "main idea" of my life, I guess you could relate it to writing in that way. Such as entertainment things or frilly objects.
Many students have difficulties with writing assignments because of writer’s block. Read the section on writer’s block in the text and comment on some ideas that you can use to overcome it.
ReplyDeleteIts true that many people ave writers block. Writers block is when someone find themselves staring at a blank piece of paper not knowing what t write or where to start. Some good ways to overcome this is to write freely, brainstorm, and avoid procrastination. When writing freely, just choose any topic that comes to your mind and write about it. Don't worry about punctuation or spelling at this point just write. Brainstorm is when you just write down whatever comes to mind almost like free writing. Except this time the ideas are a little more similar. And last avoid procrastination. Find a good comfortable place to write, and try not to let your mind wander off to places like when the next party is or who has the cutest dress. Focus on the task at hand or suffer the consequences.
Write some intention statements about what you will do to become a better writer or note taker.
ReplyDeleteI intend to use the note taking skills that were introduced in chapter 6 of college scope to help me become a better writer and note taker. When taking notes I will remember to use abbreviations of certain words, including sentences which is called a telegraphic sentence as told in the college scope e-text. Also using symbols to better utilize my note taking experience. This will help me store the information I wrote down in the long term memory. That way when an exam comes up, I will know the material and be ready for the test.
Carrie Ducharme
ReplyDeleteI think I am an pretty good writer but not so good as note taker. I believe my biggest issue with note taking is the amount of time it takes me to take notes. I sometimes have to go back and finish my notes after the lecture as I an not good at abbreviating or using symbols will taking notes. My notes are sometimes very sloppy and not easy to read. When I get home I have to rewrite my notes so I can review them later for exams. I am going to work on using abbreviations and symbols when taking notes.
I intend on becoming a better note taker and writer so I can do better in college. To become a better note taker, I will use many strategies that I learned in this chapter. First, I will establish a note taking system that works for me. I like the idea of a mindmap, because it seems like it would be a free way to take notes based on what I think is important to the material. Next, I will take notes during the lecture on what is important and what relates to the main idea or thesis of the lecture. I will take better, faster notes by using abbreviations while still understanding the material. Also, using telegraphic sentences will help the note taking process go more quickly and smoothly.
ReplyDeleteTo become a better writer, I will also use strategies that I learned in this chapter. I will start by brainstorming any ideas that come to mind about the subject that I am writing about. Free writing will also help the brainstorming process. I will also help my writing skills by citing my resources. Plagiarism is not good and weakens your writing skills, so citing resources properly will make my paper more powerful and well-written. Also, I will start working on my paper early with plenty of time before the due date. Procrastination is what always results in a bad grade for me, so giving myself enough time to write the paper will help me write a much better paper.
ReplyDeleteCarrie Ducharme
ReplyDeleteOn the topic on how to overcome writers block, I use a few different techniques that I think are helpful and have worked for me in the past. I will to brainstorm and write down ideas. I will read over my notes and the chapters that the material is on. I like to draw my ideas or make diagrams to help me break my writers block. I think diagrams and draws with notes is one of the best techniques to help me with my writers block. I usually do not have this problem but when I do its usually due to my workload that causes this to happen to me. I also try to find a calm, quite place to write.
Write some intention statements about what you will do to become a better writer or note taker.
ReplyDeleteTo become a better writer or a better note taker is to know what to write. When writing an essay, I would always start with brainstorming and what my essay should be about if the topic is an open decision and if not I would put down ideas about the subject anything that comes to my mind. I would always write the first draft, and then go over it. I would then go get help in the tutor center, to check my writing and to check if I am missing something in my essay. To become a better note taker, I always use different color pens to separate different ideas and to separate the important ideas with different color pen. In addition, write down what I think is important during the lecture, and make a symbol next to it if I think it is important enough to be on an exam; however, I will stay focused on the little details because little details could be important as well.
Many students have difficulties with writing assignments because of writer’s block. Read the section on writer’s block in the text and comment on some ideas that you can use to overcome it.
ReplyDeleteSome ideas to overcome a writer’s block that were mentioned in the section of the writer’s block are: brainstorming, this is a very good idea to start a paper, separate the paper to small pieces until it is completed and try the best to get it done before the due date to have the time to look over it to make sure everything is correct. Use the writing center, spell checking, good introduction and conclusion. These tips are very helpful to overcome a writer’s block, and since I am one of them I use these tips when I am writing a paper.
There is always room for improvement and that applies to writing as well. In an effort to improve my writing skills I plan on following some of if not all the suggestions from chapter 6 pertaining to writing. As I mentioned in my previous post I have had writer’s block on more than one occasion particularly when it comes to a paper or report that I have to do but for some reason I am not interested in either the topic or the subject. To help overcome this I will make an effort to not procrastinate because the longer I put of writing the more difficult the task will be to complete. By making a schedule and then sticking to it that should help with the writer’s block. To further help with writer’s block it would be beneficial if I start breaking the assignment up into smaller parts.
ReplyDelete