Comments on: Note-taking theory http://notratched.wordpress.com/2007/10/04/note-taking-theory/ Nursing, nursing school, gadgets, rants, and whatever else I feel like writing about Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:54:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU By: notratched http://notratched.wordpress.com/2007/10/04/note-taking-theory/#comment-1338 notratched Sun, 07 Oct 2007 03:29:05 +0000 http://notratched.wordpress.com/2007/10/04/note-taking-theory/#comment-1338 I don't do study groups. I don't do study guides. I tried doing a few study guides recently (beyond scanning through them and noting, "Yes, I have heard of all this before"), and they were all a giant waste of time. I spent time fruitlessly looking up stuff that didn't show up on the test, and large categories of stuff that WAS on the test wasn't on the study guide. I felt I would have done much better by skimming chapters and repeatedly reading my notes! Study groups just confuse me because I think weirdly or something; hearing other people's explanations for things throws me off. I guess I am better off sitting around pondering things on my own---scary though that sounds! Teachers give out chapter objectives, so I use those more than the study guides. Still, lately my guideline is "Am I likely to need this information at work?" I don’t do study groups. I don’t do study guides. I tried doing a few study guides recently (beyond scanning through them and noting, “Yes, I have heard of all this before”), and they were all a giant waste of time. I spent time fruitlessly looking up stuff that didn’t show up on the test, and large categories of stuff that WAS on the test wasn’t on the study guide. I felt I would have done much better by skimming chapters and repeatedly reading my notes! Study groups just confuse me because I think weirdly or something; hearing other people’s explanations for things throws me off. I guess I am better off sitting around pondering things on my own—scary though that sounds! Teachers give out chapter objectives, so I use those more than the study guides. Still, lately my guideline is “Am I likely to need this information at work?”

]]> By: Caroline http://notratched.wordpress.com/2007/10/04/note-taking-theory/#comment-1335 Caroline Sat, 06 Oct 2007 02:16:17 +0000 http://notratched.wordpress.com/2007/10/04/note-taking-theory/#comment-1335 I, too, am re-examining my note-taking theories particularly in pharm. I am also examining whether or not my study group is actually helping me. We divide the chapters up (there's like 8 chapters each test) and do the objectives and then share them with each other. Well these other high achievers are sending me, like, three PAGES PER CHAPTER. Add that up...it ends up being a 25-30 page "study guide" and I'm totally panicked because I know I'll never remember any of it. This time around I'm taking a risk; throwing my study group objectives out the window and hitting the book hard and taking notes MY way: on an excel spreadsheet with a limited amount of information. We'll see how it goes. The thing about studying is you just always have to be so damn flexible and unafraid. If something's not working, it simply must be changed but that's a scary process for Type A's like me who don't want to risk losing one tiny point. I, too, am re-examining my note-taking theories particularly in pharm. I am also examining whether or not my study group is actually helping me. We divide the chapters up (there’s like 8 chapters each test) and do the objectives and then share them with each other. Well these other high achievers are sending me, like, three PAGES PER CHAPTER. Add that up…it ends up being a 25-30 page “study guide” and I’m totally panicked because I know I’ll never remember any of it. This time around I’m taking a risk; throwing my study group objectives out the window and hitting the book hard and taking notes MY way: on an excel spreadsheet with a limited amount of information. We’ll see how it goes.

The thing about studying is you just always have to be so damn flexible and unafraid. If something’s not working, it simply must be changed but that’s a scary process for Type A’s like me who don’t want to risk losing one tiny point.

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