EFFECTIVE NOTE TAKING

Study! Study! Study! From the very first day of secondary school to the day you finish your leaving cert you are told that you must study consistently and college is no different. But in college you’re not spoon fed the information like in school. You’re given bite size information in the lecturer’s notes and a lot of information from your lecturer.


So when you’re studying you can’t just rely on your lecturers notes. You have to make your own notes because like all of us you will forget a lot of it and when you go studying you might not understand your lecturers notes and the study session you planned will be completely useless.


To correct this problem we need to take our own notes during lectures by listening intently . This will be useful in the future when you are studying. It also helps with reading comprehension and exams. It is also useful as you will personalise the information in your own words so it will be easier to learn and remember.


Here are some tips to help making your note taking more effective:

·      Don't just use lecture notes - if there is more information about the subject somewhere else use it.

·      Always keep your notes together and in chronological order so that when you go back for more information it is easier to find.

This video should provide  even more information and some good tips on note taking.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igDbkrmDouw&feature=fvwrel

TIME MANAGEMENT

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." - Rodin

How often in our day to day lives do we go around and we are asked to if we want to do something or to go somewhere? Quite often - correct ! And how often will we say "No sorry I don't have the time" - nearly as much I assume. I think this is because time is precious to us and we treat it just like our own personal currency - sort of similar to the new movie In Time with Justin Timberlake.

So when we decide to say yes or no to something we have decided if its worth our precious time. But we all at some points in our lives will lose track of our precious time and might not achieve whatever tasks or goals we should have completed.

This might be alright if these tasks or goals we have are personal and dont really affect yourself or others around you. But in a working enviroment, not completing a task on time is very frowned upon and if you are consistent in this way you will be guaranteed to get a formal warning or even fired.


Many people can have bad time management skills especially - as we all know .... college students. But here are some simple steps for all of us to follow to improve our time management:

1.  Use a calendar

2.  Write down all your plans

3.  Prioritise your task

4.  Establish routines

I hope these links are helpfull
http://collegelife.about.com/od/academiclife/a/timemanagement.htm
http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/timemanagement/a/timemgttips_2.htm