A teaching strategy that I used was instructing students on
how to study for test. It is important to have learned how to take effective notes
in order to prepare to study.
Preparing to study should be compiled of three
components: main idea, reviewing, and practice self-testing. All of my students
were special education and seeing that my strategy only involved three steps
made them more willing to try it.
Main Idea: Very important: students must have
already identified with being successful in knowing main idea. The main idea is
normally listed within the first paragraph of any lesson. Once this has been
established, moving forward to small and large details of the main idea should
be identified. Most of this information should be highlighted, written, placed
in order of action, etc.
Reviewing: Once information is complete, reviewing
should take place as soon as possible. This is what I call the train brain;
this gives the brain a slim chance at being allowed to disremember any new
information that is expressed as being important. After reviewing is performed
within days (2 to 3) revisit prior to self-testing.
Self-testing: Self-testing
which is speaking questions out loud and then writing and speaking answers
aloud, the brain will 90 percent of the time store information giving brain the
ability to recall more swiftly. Most of my students who
were presented with these tips identified them as being effective when used to
prepare for testing in most subjects.
Please note that when studying for math,
students would perform self-testing by writing down problems while speaking
aloud as they would write and then writing and figuring answers/solutions while
speaking aloud as they would write. Almost like a check and balance sequence.
This really worked well for students that learned better visually/hands-on.
This gave students the opportunity to utilize written out/spoken aloud notes
continually while preparing for test.
Submitted by:
Gail
Bonds Carpenter
Manager,
Services for Students with Disabilities Office
South Suburban College
