 I AM A GOOD STUDENT
A Study Skills Program
By Constance M. Messina, Ph.D.
Overview of I AM A GOOD STUDENT, A Study Skills Program
Content:
Teachers open the door...You enter by yourself.
Ancient Chinese Proverb
Introduction: I AM A GOOD STUDENT
The study skills program, I AM A GOOD
STUDENT, is designed and
formulated to be used with students in the regular education setting as well as
learning disabled students. As such, the concepts incorporate multisensory
approaches with an added emphasis on organizational skills. The acronym I AM A
GOOD STUDENT represents various ideas that are needed to achieve in successful
academic situations and pursue goals needed to maximize ones life situation.
Each letter of the title is developed and coordinated both for its concrete need
as a study skill strategy and its greater place in the responsible enfolding of
the youngsters' life situation. The triad of home, school, and student is
developed, used and encouraged throughout the program. Thus, enforcing the idea
that the youngster does not and can not achieve and maintain success without
support from the home and the school.
I is for the INTEREST that
is needed to enable a learner to experience what is in life and to open up
potential vistas. In this section the youngster learns to see the direct
application of what he or she is doing in school to the real world and his
emerging place in that world.
A is for the need to
ACTIVATE and MOTIVATE. A child needs to activate the desire to learn. This can be done by
involving them in situations that demonstrate the challenge of learning and the
rewards of accomplishment in such enterprises with their peers. Motivation
results from an involvement in programs designed to demonstrate the pay offs of
effective studying, which then results in better education, which then leads to
better job opportunities and the resulting "better life".
M is for
the need to MANAGE ones time before, after and during a learning experience.
Managing and taking control of the learning situation maximizes time utilization
and provides space for recreational activities.
A is for AFFIRM
with both verbal and non-verbal affirmations, that are needed to reconfirm the
concept that each child is capable, valuable, worthy and good enough to put
forth the effort needed to succeed in this program.
G is for the need to
GATHER the available information in the area of effective student learning and
develop the necessary skills.
O is for
ORGANIZE.
Youngsters need means and
methods to organize desks, lockers, schedules and assignments.
O (the second O) is
for OUTLINE. A student will learn to outline textbooks, notes and various
assignments. Skills are provided to develop this concept.
D is for the
need to DECIDE. The student is made to be aware of the fact that the choices are
his or hers and in so doing directs their efforts in a positive way towards the
use of effective studying methods.
S is for STRATEGIZE,
which process provides the student with a means to learn
strategies such as listening and textbook reading designed to assist studying.
T is for TEST
. In this section the student is exposed to
test-taking techniques and methods for test preparations.
U is for USE
and
UNDERSTANDING of the multisensory approaches stressed in this study
skills program.
D is for DO,
DEVELOP and maintain good study skills and study habits.
E is for EVALUATE
by which students assess their progress in the appropriate
use of the study skills techniques and their impact on the students' learning situations.
N is for NORMALIZE,
which is ways to make proper and appropriate study skills a
normal part of the students' lives with the hope that habituation occurs and
these skills become habits.
T is for TRY. The students
are made to realize
that an attempt to try these skills is viable and rewarding and in so doing they
are offered the opportunity to train and discipline themselves to the
ultimate benefits of good study habits. So that some day they can say: I AM A
GOOD STUDENT!
PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING
Before we actually get into the program, learning principles that have
evolved over the years need to be reiterated. These specific principles form the
foundation upon which this program is built.
1. Learning happens when students feel a sense of satisfaction with what they
are learning. Learning matters to them. Learning is a means to accomplish
certain purposes - stickers, grades, smiles on teachers faces, parental love and
approval, social approbation, the prospect of adult success.
2. Learning happens when students have a sincere desire to remember what is
learned.
3. Learning happens when students participate in the learning process and
learn by doing. The "cognitive" aspects of learning have to be
"done" by the students. This belief is related to the ancient proverb:
I hear and I forget
I see and I remember
I do and I understand.
4. Learning happens when it is related to previously learned material. Thus,
we begin to build on our already existing knowledge.
5. Learning happens when individuals become aware of their progress..
6.Learning happens when material is repeated several times. The repetitions
are not in the form of meaningless drill, but practice in meaningful situations.
7. Learning happens when students use a combination of the senses.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Various research projects
have proven that one of the secrets of super achieving students is the level and
amount of parental involvement. From early on parents can instill in their
children the love for learning . Parents can set high standards for their
children and hold them to these standards. They can encourage their students to
do their assignments but not do the work for them. Parents can "talk
up" education and the important role it has played in their lives. Parents
can show children by their example - turn off the television and read, schedule
time for homework, share their experiences.
ACTIVITIES FOR PARENTS WHICH
ENCOURAGE THEIR INVOLVEMENT
1. Demonstrate the advantages to be
gained from appropriate learning through the playing of commercial or created
games. This demonstrates the challenge of learning and the reward of
accomplishment.
2. Parents can set excellent role
models regarding the value and worth of education. Talk up school. Talk about
positive experiences. Provide magazines, books, newspapers and other reading
materials in the home. Conduct discussions of local, national, and global news.
Be a role model for positive talk rather than purely negative talk concerning
school and learning.
3. Establish a time for study - no TV.
Either use the time for homework or for reading. Set consistent limits on study
time - minimums and occasionally maximums.
4. Provide recreational and leisure
outings - museums, zoos, cultural and historical sites. Learning is not
restricted to a school environment but to all arenas of life.
5. Encourage on going education -
learning is a lifelong process rather than a time limited format.
6. When assisting your child in their
studies, remain as unemotional as possible. Remain steadfastly your child's
advocate and protector.
7. Fully accept your child as he or she
is. Modify your child's behavior but not your child. Please remember your child
is not his or her grades.
8. Provide a physical environment
conducive to learning.
9. Maintain a family calendar of
activities.
10. Affirm your child on a regular
basis - catch them doing well and acknowledge it. By using these techniques,
parents can greatly influence their youngster 's feelings about themselves and
their academic and life pursuits.
11. Help your children
make choices through discussion, sharing of experiences and citing examples of
good and poor choices that you as parents may have experienced.
12. Help your children
schedule time to study for tests and use the appropriate test taking skills.
13. Once the study
routine has been established, maintain a consistent schedule to make studying a
habit.
14. Good study skills
can only be valuable if they are used. TRY THEM.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allen, Rebecca. You Can Do It, Guide to School Success.
Pinellas Park, FL: Worthington Press, 1989. This material helps students decide
what school success means to them as well as how to achieve it. This book also
shows students how to make friendships and extracurricular activities work for
them.
Archer, Naita and Gleason, Mary. Skills for School Success.
North Billerica, MA., 1989. Skills for School Success is a four-level
teacher directed program designed to teach critical organization skills and
study skills systematically to students in the elementary and middle grades. In
this program, students are taught skills required for success in the classroom:
appropriate school behaviors, organizational skills, specific learning
strategies, textbook reference skills, graphic skills and the use of classroom
reference materials.
Bleiweiss, Robert. How To Study Workshop. Middletown, CT: Xerox
Corporation Publishing, 1969. This booklet describes how to schedule study time
and how to prepare assignments. The skills included are: vocabulary and reading
comprehension: map, graph, and table reading; organization; interpretation; and
use of the library. There are extensive exercises and self-help inventories to
enable students to evaluate their progress.
Breasure, Joyce. Nonverbal Communication Skills Handbook.
Tampa, FL: Advanced Development Systems, 1982. This book provides readings and
exercises in six areas of nonverbal communication
namely, use of interpersonal space, touching, the environment, use of time, use
of movement and use of language. The terminology used is unique and not only
provides a new vocabulary but insight as to ways to improve communication.
Butler, Kathleen. It's All In Your Mind. Columbia, CT: The
Learner's Dimension,1988. This book provides materials designed to allow
teachers and students to explore the issues and aspects of learning and thinking
skills.
Christ, Frank L. Studying A Textbook. Chicago, IL:
Science Research Associates, Inc., 1966. This booklet is a set of exercises in
the study of chapters and textbook reading. It is designed primarily for use at
the high school level.
Colligan, Louise. Scholastic's A+ Junior Guide to Studying, New
York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.,1987. This book provides easy tips to show fifth and
sixth graders how to take notes, to have a better memory, to face up to a
fearsome teacher and to take tests without terror. Several checklists and
workbook pages are provided.
Colligan, Louise and Doug. The A+ Guide to Good Grades. New
York, NY: Scholastic Book Services, 1979. This "school survival"
manual includes tips on note taking, studying, writing a paper test taking,
memorizing, and organizing. This book is used primarily with junior and senior
high school students.
Green, Lawrence. Study Smarter, Think Smarter. New York, NY:
The Center For Applied Research In Education, 1993. This book provides an
effective, practical, easy-to-use system and many exercises to help students
acquire vital skills. The sequential activities in this book systematically
train students to learn, think, and study actively and efficiently. This
material addresses a universal concern shared by every teacher: namely, how to
help students develop their maximum brain power.
Gruber, Gary. Dr. Gruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking For Kids.
New York, NY: William Morrow, 1986. This book was developed to help parents help
their children to avoid the emotional shocks resulting from low test scores and
from seemingly poor learning potential and low confidence - shocks that can
cause substantial and lasting damage to the psychological and educational
development of the child. Topics include critical thinking skills, Math test
taking techniques, reading comprehension techniques, strategies for reducing
test taking anxieties, and fool proof methods for zeroing in on correct answers.
Herber, Harold. Developing Study Skills in Secondary Schools.
Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 1965. This text covers the major
areas in study skills and provides practical suggestions for teachers. The
"how" and "why" of teaching study skills are developed. The
title implies that secondary school students are the target of this book,
however, intermediate instructors may also find applicable suggestions in this
text.
How to Study. Greenfield, MA: Channing L. Bete Inc., 1970. A short,
concise approach to all aspects of studying. Students are provided with a quick
statement of the needed techniques. This pamphlet is designed for intermediate
and junior high school students.
Instructor's Big Book of Study Skills. New York, NY: Instructor
Publications, 1983. This book is filled with teacher tested techniques designed
to provide a conceptual base and activities for students. All the typical study
skills topics such as listening, vocabulary development, critical reading,
problem solving, researching, reporting, testing and basic skills for basic
subject areas are included.
Instructor's Big Book of Study Skills Reproducibles. New
York, NY: Instructor Publications, 1983. This book provides self-directed
learning pages to help students learn how to plan to do a project, how to use
the library media center, how to locate information, how to read to gain
information, how to interview, how to take notes and how to organize the notes
for reporting. Each section contains pages for beginners, including primary
students and pages for more advanced learners.
Kranyik, Robert and Shankman, Florence. How to Teach Study Skills.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.,1963. This book is a presentation of a
comprehensive study skills program spanning both the elementary and secondary
schools. The authors believe that every student must learn to locate, evaluate,
select, organize, communicate, and retain information. This book provides
activities and exercises designed to achieve the stated goals.
Lass, Abram. Success in High School. New York, NY: Scholastic
Book Services, 1967. This book is an excellent resource for the high school
student. The reader is given techniques for studying, taking tests, and getting
good grades and improving their reading. Students also are provided with a
review of two hundred books every high school student should read.
Lock, Corey. Study Skills. Lafayette, IN: Kappa Delta Pi, 1981.
This booklet provides an excellent resource for the conceptual aspects of study
skills. Learning principles are presented as well as the methods needed to study
efficiently in the content areas and how to take test effectively.
Maiorana, Victor. How to Learn and Study in College. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1980. This resource provides a self-management
program for studying that empowers the student and gives him or her total
responsibility for the development of their study techniques.
Mannix, Darlene. Be A Better Student. West Nyack, NY: The
Center For Applied Research in Education, 1989 This book is a program for
students, grades four through nine, who will profit from specific instruction in
behavior management as it relates to school situations. The purpose of this
program is to: (1) provide students with an overview of basic principles of
behavior management, (2) provide examples of school behavior problems and
student models who have used behavior management techniques to attack these, (3)
provide students with an opportunity to evaluate and discuss the student model's
approach to solving the problem, and (4) provide guidelines for students to use
behavior management principles to modify their own behavior or problems at
school.
McMasters, Dale. How To Study. United States, ESP, Inc., 1979.
This series of written lessons teaches students how to make the most of research
and study time. It gives explicit instructions for identifying and strengthening
a student's individual study skills.
Messina, James J. Personal Values Analysis Handbook.
Tampa, FL: Advanced Development Systems, Inc., 1982. This handbook is intended
to be used in training in which values and value conflicts are to be analyzed.
This book is also set-up for individuals to use for self-directed value
clarifying experiences.
Messina, James J. Tools for Communication. Tampa, FL: Advanced
Development Systems, Inc., 1987. This book covers the strategies for effective
communication. The five chapters explore the components of effective
communication: reflective listening, identifying nonverbal cues, responding with
understanding, and using effective problem solving techniques.
Messina, James J. Tools for Personal Growth. Tampa, FL:
Advanced Development Systems, Inc., 1987. This book covers issues affecting
self-esteem and self-worth with strategies for improved self-health.
Moore, George. Success With Study Skills. United States: Walker
Publishing Co., 1989. This book contains worksheets addressing commonly accepted
study skills topics in the following areas: dictionary skills, reference skills,
information gathering, information organizing and alphabetical order. The
material is introduced, practiced and reinforced at increasing levels of
difficulty appropriate to a curriculum progression from Grade 3 to Grade 6.
Nason, Leslie. You Can Get Better Grades. United States:
Better Grades, 1961. This manual is addressed to the student interested
improving his grades. Both elementary and high school students will benefit from
the chapters presented in this book. Each of the chapters sets forth specific
"know how" strategy combined with practical activities.
Ohme, Herman. Learn How to Learn. Los Altos, CA:
California Education Plan, 1986. Learning is a skill. This text states that
learning can be mastered, improved and perfected by using the right methods and
techniques. The book describes the basic study skills and how to acquire,
practice and use them so that "learning how to learn" becomes a life
long habit. Hands-on exercises, worksheets, and explanations make the process
understandable and "user friendly."
Peters, Ruth A. Who's In Charge. Clearwater, FL: Ruth A.
Peters, Ph. D., 1989 This booklet is a comprehensive guide for effective study
skills training. It is designed for children and adolescents. Such concepts as
the use of the daily report card system, consequences both positive and negative
and the study buddy system are presented and effectively developed.
Preston, Ralph C. How to Study. Chicago, IL: Science
Research Associates, 1967. How to Study is a self-involvement handbook
developed for secondary school and college students, as well as for adults in
need of streamlining and improving their reading and analytical ability.
Reading and Study Techniques for Academic Subjects. Greenwich,
CT: Baldridge Reading Instruction Materials, Inc., 1966. This book is designed
to assist the reader to become familiar with many reading and study techniques.
The student is also encouraged to combine techniques in a variety of ways to
meet the demands of different academic studies.
Reith, Martha C. Study Skills. Scottsdale, Arizona: Remedia
Publishing, 1984. This book provides study strategies designed to help students
survive in school. Topics include: learning styles, scheduling, notetaking
skills and reference tools.
Richardson, I. M. Study Skills. Mahwah, NJ: Troll Associates,
1983. The exercises in this book are designed to help students develop strong
research and study skills of all kinds. Each page focuses on one particular
skill, such as reading maps, using the library card catalog, or taking notes.
Each student is immediately given the opportunity to put the skill to use to
obtain information. This procedure assures that each student will completely
understand the concept before completing the exercise.
Riskin, Beverly S. Survival Study Skills. Pleasantville, NY:
Sunburst Communications, 1983. This program is a set of fifty activity cards
designed to help establish good lifelong study habits. This comprehensive
step-by-step approach shows how to find, organize, record and use information.
The program also outlines a systematic approach to test taking. Students in
grades four through nine would benefit most from the use of this program.
Robinson, Francis P. Effective Reading. New York, NY:
Harper and Row Publishers, 1962. This book covers a wide range of study skills,
the SQRRR method, examination skills concentration, motivation, classroom
skills, use of the library, foreign language study, and the remedying of the 3
R's as well as many diagnostic tests and practice exercises.
School Division of the Association of American Publishers, Helping Your
Child Succeed
In School. New York, NY: Association of American Publishers School
Division,1989.
This thirty-six page guide was created for parents with children of all ages -
preschool through high school, as well as parents-to-be. This booklet offers
practical advise on how to help children make the most of their adventure in
learning.
Shankman, Florence and Robert Kranyik. How to Teach Reference and
Research Skills.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1963. This text provides a formalized
approach to the instruction of reference and research skills. The topics include
the use of dictionaries, libraries, audio-visual materials and basic research
techniques. All of the topics are developed cognitively and practical exercises
are also provided.
Smith, Samuel. Best Methods of Study. New York, NY: Barnes and
Noble, 1958. This text is designed for the college freshman or high school
senior and presents a brief summary of suggestions applicable to their immediate
needs.
Staff of the Communication and Learning Center. 125 Ways to Be A Better
Student
East Moline, IL,1987. This book is a compilation of several years of hands on
experience with students in the areas of organization and study skills. This
text is intended for students and teachers whose goal is to develop and enhance
these skills. The purpose and procedure are given for each skill and numerous
practice activities are provided.
Staton, Thomas F. How To Study. Circle Pines, MN: American
Guidance Service, 1959. This book demonstrates to the reader ways to divide
their time and direct their efforts to get the greatest amount of learning and
memory in the amount of time spent studying.
Tracey, Anne C. How To Study. Cleveland, OH: Modern
Curriculum Press, 1970. This book explains simply, clearly and in straight
forward language, how you can learn to study. The material cuts across all
subjects in the curriculum, selects the basic skills and shows dramatically and
visually how each skill is acquired.
Tyler, Vicki. Great Study Tips. Middletown, CT: Weekly Reader
Books, 1986. This booklet is designed for intermediate grade level students.
Organization skills, homework skills, methods to read a textbook, ways to take a
test and specific tips for math and spelling are provided.
Williams, Jamie. The Organization of Study Skills. Dallas, TX:
The Polished Apple, 1984. The author feels that children deserve specific
training to improve their organizational skills, study skills and study
techniques. This book presents the concepts, structures and techniques of
studying. This is a "should do" and "how to" book. It tells
which study skills should be taught and how to teach them.
Williams, Jamie. The Organization of Study Skills: Teachers' Handbook.
Dallas, TX: The Polished Apple, 1985. This handbook describes the concepts and
order for teaching a course in organization and study skills. The author
believes that organization and study skills should be an integral part of the
education of all children at all grade levels and that the responsibility for
teaching these skills belongs to all teachers.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First I want to thank my fellow faculty members at Tampa
Palms Elementary School, who without their assistance I would never have been
able to field test the materials for this book. I am deeply indebted to: Deborah
David. Lucy Edwards, Jo LoCicero, Shirley Paschal, Bonnie Pullara, and Anne Shea
I would like to thank the following students: Ian Hensley,
Kevin Stiver, and Jamie Markley for helping me to field test this book. They
were very generous when sharing their positive and negative comments. Some items
were "yucky" while others were actually "helpful" and maybe
"awesome." It is my hope that these young men and anyone who uses this
book can truly state: I. A.M. A. G.O.O.D. S.T.U.D.E.N.T.
Constance G. Messina. Ph.D. April, 2000, Tampa, Florida.
Feedback Request
I am very interested in your reactions to this book. Please feel free to send
your comments to the following address or email or fax:.
Dr. Constance Messina, 6319 Chauncy Street, Tampa, Florida 33647, Email: jjmess@tampabay.rr.com
Fax: 813.631.1119
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