27Dec 2022 by admin No Comments

How do I Know if Something is True?

Learning Tip
Do you find it easy to find data or evidence to support a belief, a statement, or a particular truth? When you find data and evidence, how do you know if what you have found is true, reliable and trustworthy? In the years when I was growing up, searching out data and evidence was both easier and harder. Without smart phones and thousands of apps, we often relied on 26-volume encyclopedias, one book for each letter of the alphabet. I still remember sitting on the floor of my living room, surrounded by the letter books of the encyclopedia, as I wandered from the R volume for Rome to the M volume for Mediterranean to the C volume for Caesar! Then of course, all had to be put away as well!…
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28Nov 2022 by admin No Comments

Pizza Practice Time

Learning Tip
Learning Tip #3 November 28 2022 Studying for Finals?  Here’s a fun and quick way to check how well you know what you think you know. Go out for a pizza with two friends - Invite one friend who is taking the same course, and another friend who is not.  Let’s call one friend, the Knowing Friend and the other the Unknowing Friend.  Or call one Wise and the other Naive. Or... Before going out, prepare five questions on the knowledge you are working on mastering. As you are waiting for the pizza, send the questions to your two friends.  The next step is to ask your Unknowing Friend to ask you a question. As you explain the idea, concept or example,  see if your Unknowing friend understands what you are saying.  If…
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14Sep 2022 by admin No Comments

Being Mindful – What Did I Just Read?

Learning Tip
LEARNING TIP #2 - SEPT 14 2022 Has this ever happened to you? You have just finished reading a paragraph - or a page of an assigned reading — and a friend interrupts you, and when you return to your reading, you have no idea of what you were just reading. And you have to retreat back many paragraphs! If so, you are not alone. We often go on auto pilot while reading, and just read the words without thinking. What to do? Here are three ideas: If your reading assignment is a chapter with lots of sections and headings and subtitles, write down the heading, turning it into a question, and then test yourself to see if you can answer the question. For example, in a course in psychology, you…
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27Aug 2022 by admin No Comments

Make a Date with Your Mind

Learning Tip
LEARNING TIP #1 - Setting a Schedule A top priority for success in anything you do is to schedule time for it. If you want to learn, if you want to get good grades, schedule time for studying. So, your very first college task is to create a weekly schedule for yourself. Block out all the essentials. Including time for sleep because that is when your brain consolidates new information! Anything important should go on your calendar, including enjoying making friends and having fun. It is so easy to say to yourself regarding studying, or writing papers, "Oh, I can do it tomorrow." That is your Charlie Brown talking. If you say that, you may find that "tomorrow" never comes and all of a sudden you are in terrible crunch…
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