AP World is one of many classes that requires an obscene amount of reading and note-taking. It might seem like a daunting task to do thirty pages of reading in a night, but by dividing up the work and taking efficient notes, writing and studying will be much more achievable. Start off by dividing your chapter in segments between ten and fifteen pages. Try and keep them roughly the same size, and end before a large heading. Even if you're doing all your work in one night, dividing up the chapter makes the work more manageable by building in opportunities for breaks and adding variety. To keep myself on track, I like to set timers. I've embedded one below! By allotting specific amounts of time for tasks, I find I'm less likely to get off track. Even if I do get distracted, a timer reminds me of how long the specific assignment is taking. Try and work in thirty minute chunks of time, with timed two to three minute breaks. During the breaks, try and move a bit. I wouldn't recommend getting on your phone, simply because it's easy to get distracted. Here's the schedule I use for AP World notes: 20 min: read through first segment 2 min break 30-40 min: take notes 3 min break 20 min: read through second segment 2 min break 30-40 min: take notes Keep going until all sections are finished. I try and plan it out so that I only have to do one or two segments a night, but even if I have to do the entire chapter, it's so much easier to do it in parts. In the next part, I'll cover outlining and note-taking strategies. Bye!
8 Comments
Megan, your way of taking notes reminds me of the way I like to study when teachers give a textbook chapter to study from. I like to organize the information into chunks and make sense of each chunk before moving on. I like the advice you gave to take breaks between studying or taking notes on each chunk. I know that I get distracted very easily from my phone and other things around me. Maybe taking planned breaks would lessen the urge to quickly scroll through my social media which usually turns into a 15 minute distraction. Also planning the days and setting allotted time to study specific chunks helps me too. Some people can get overwhelmed when they have to memorize a whole chapter of information the night before a test and planning in advance can really help with that. I really enjoyed your post, good job!
Reply
Megan
11/20/2014 11:04:11 pm
Chanel, thank you for the comment! I'll definitely remember to really think about information before moving on.
Reply
Preston
11/22/2014 04:56:25 am
Hi Megan,
Reply
Colin S.
11/23/2014 09:30:07 pm
Hi Megan,
Reply
Sarah
11/23/2014 09:30:40 pm
Megan, I love your blog! This week I wrote about note taking, so I'm excited to compare that with what you'll write next week. Your idea of actually setting a timer and not just looking at a clock is one that I should really use, because I'm always getting off track when doing homework then look at the clock and see I've taken twice as long than expected! By following your tips of dividing sections and taking breaks, I think I could manage my time better and absorb the information better. I think the breaks are where this tactic could also go wrong. The key to them working I think would be to not do anything but sit and relax doing them. As you said, definitely don't go on your phone, because it's just a distraction. The best thing to do for 2-3 minutes is sit still, close your eyes, relax, take a few yoga breaths, and review what you just read. By doing this, you effectively calm yourself down so that you don't go into a panic about how you'll never ever be able to commit this to memory and that you'll fail the class because this is all just too much. Instead, you process it calmly, mull it over, and formulate opinions for class discussion. This way, you stay focused but also don't have the negative effects of cramming. Any other thoughts on what to do during breaks?
Reply
Megan
11/23/2014 11:02:29 pm
Sarah, your point about reviewing information during breaks was something I hadn't thought of! It's a really good idea. I'll be sure to try it out.
Reply
Megan
11/23/2014 11:03:30 pm
Colin,
Reply
Megan
11/23/2014 11:05:21 pm
Preston,
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMegan. Student. I wrote this. Archives
April 2015
Categories |