blog topic #8: Preparation

What can I do?  More than I am doing.  What am I doing?  Not as much as I could... basically, still just making sure I have assignments and everything finished on time.  I have meant to start studying, and I have done some, but I am still a little behind.  Hopefully, I will be able to find time for everything.  What will I do?


Friday, April 9 - Do chapters 3-4 in the Living Prophets book.  Go to bed at a decent time.
Saturday, April 10 - Wake up at 7 or 8.  Start laundry.  Shower.  Buy milk.  Finish the Study & Application parts from the Living Prophets book.  Read and write in at least 14 General Conference talks.  If possible, try to finish these.  Maybe leave 1-2 for Sunday.  If time, begin putting Spanish Lit notes into Voodoo Pad.  Get cereal.  DISCIPLINE YOURSELF!  bedtime AT A GOOD TIME.
Sunday, April 11 - Do no homework, unless you have some General Conference talks left.  bedtime AT A GOOD TIME.
Monday, April 12 - Monday morning - review sewing notes.  Be ON TIME to work!  Study & Applications + Ensign are due.  Review session in Literature.  At least have reviewed "Querido Diego."  Practical final in sewing - Good luck!  After school, write final for Eff. Study & Learning.  If time, finish putting Literature notes into Voodoo Pad. Family Home Evening.  bedtime AT A GOOD TIME.
Tuesday, April 13 - No reading for D&C!  Yay!  Attend review session for ELang.  Happy last day of school!  After class, eat lunch.  Finish putting Lit notes into Voodoo Pad if not done.  Begin inputting notes into the computer/study guides for other classes.  Start with perhaps ELang.  Don't forget work at the normal time - TAKE YOUR TIME SHEET.  Dinner, possible other notes input, bedtime AT A GOOD TIME.  Unfortunately, I didn't get much done today.  I was a little too happy to be done with class...
Wednesday, April 14 - Yay!  No school!  Are all of your notes in the computer?  Study ELang study guide.  (Should be at least partly filled out from yesterday!)  Make note cards to quiz yourself.  Have Joel help if he has time.  This will be your first test (hopefully on Friday, but as late as Monday).  Also, begin doing note cards for  Literature.  This class is harder, so be prepared!  Look over Living Prophets material - this will be your second test, for Saturday.  Dinner group.  Maybe watch a show.  bedtime AT A GOOD TIME.
Thursday, April 15 - Continue preparations for Living Prophets.  Look over material from ELang.  Do some dishes if you have time.  bedtime AT A GOOD TIME.
Friday, April 16 - Take your ELang test!  You should be prepared!  The last possible day you should take it is Monday.  If you haven't turned in your Study and Learning test, it's due tomorrow!  Don't be stressed.  Exercise.  Living Prophets test tomorrow!  Make food for Study & Learning get-together tomorrow.  Support Family Togetherness Night on NBC.  The movie about the treasure hunt. :)
Saturday, April 17 - Finalize looking over Living Prophets material.  Test is 11-2.  BE ON TIME.  Be ready for your final at 3 for StDev.  Ready for Spanish Lit test on Monday?  bedtime AT A GOOD TIME.
Sunday, April 18 - Enjoy not doing homework.  bedtime AT A GOOD TIME.
Monday, April 19 - Spanish Lit final at 7am.  Take your note cards with you.  Make sure you're ready for D&C final tomorrow.  Meet with Carrie.  Family Home Evening.  Good luck!  bedtime AT A GOOD TIME.
Tuesday, April 20 - D&C final at 8am.  Then you're done!  Congratulations!  You made it! :D  


Finished! :D

Blog Topic #4: Stress

What's stressing you out? What techniques do you do to reduce your stress levels? Are those techniques working for you?


Stressors in my life:
homework.  grocery shopping.  deciding when to do laundry.  keeping my house clean.  finding time for things like exercising.  that's all I can think of right now.


Techniques to reduce stress:
go for a walk to get the mail or take out the trash.  take a break and read for a minute or something.  take a nap.  read my scriptures.  I like doing yoga-lates/piloga to help reduce stress, but I don't always have time for it.  make food... which then adds to the stress of dirty dishes...  doing the work I'm stressed about helps if I do it with a calm attitude.  telling myself to relax.


Do they work?
Sometimes.  Going for a walk helps.  Sleep helps.  Taking a break helps during the moment but might make me more stressed later.  Same with baking.  I like to read my scriptures or the Ensign because it helps a lot.  Yogalates/piloga definitely helps if I can get myself to not think about my stressors.  Probably the biggest thing that helps is just getting the work done, whatever it is, because then it's done and I don't have to worry or think about it anymore.  

Blog Topic #5: Reading a Textbook

How long can you sustain attention for textbook reading before you start to lose concentration?
It depends on what textbook it is.  If it's a subject that doesn't interest me, or if it's more difficult reading, I can only pay attention (without taking notes - if I am taking notes, it's a little longer) for probably 20-30 minutes.  However, sometimes I can get into really good concentration, and then I can focus for much longer.

What are some of the things you do to stay focused on reading assignments that are long, dry, flat and boring?
Before I read, I like to read my scriptures.  That helps me to establish good concentration.  I don't listen to music, and I try not to do or talk much between reading my scriptures and doing homework - this helps me retain that concentration.  Then, while I'm reading, I sometimes will read out loud, and it also helps if I take notes or at least underline while I read.

Describe your process of reading a textbook. (What do you do first? Do you have a "system"? etc"
Well, I kind of answered that after the second question... But I read my scriptures, make sure I'm in a comfortable, but not TOO comfortable place, and then do my textbook reading, often while taking notes. 

Blog Topic #4: Memory

What do you think about the concept of having good memory? Is a good memory something you can build, or is it something you're born with? What are some memory techniques you use to study? Do they work for long-term learning or short-term?

I think that a good memory is definitely something you can develop, but it also is something some people are born with. 

Example: One of my best friends from high school didn't have a whole lot of friends when he was very young, and often his older sisters didn't want to play with him, so he played Memory by himself a lot.  He now has a photographic memory and is sure that's how he developed it.  

When I study, I like using note cards and going through them by myself or with someone else.  I also like to write and rewrite the information and drawing pictures, making up songs and different mnemonic devices, etc.  They usually work for short-term, but depending on how much I go over them, they can also work for long-term learning.

Example: When I was a freshman out here, I used pictures to help me remember the different amendments in the Bill of Rights while studying for a test.  Now, I can't remember any of the pictures or most of the amendments.  BUT When I was in high school, we had songs in seminary to help us remember the scripture mastery scriptures.  To this day, those songs are the only way I can remember some of the scriptures, and sometimes I even get them stuck in my head, like normal songs.

Blog Topic #3: Test Prep

What has been your experience with test preparation in the past? 
Usually, my test preparation involves wanting really badly to start preparing ahead of time, but just getting bogged down with the day-to-day and the due-tomorrow and the cleaning and dinner-making and everything else that fills up my time... so I don't have much time to study for the test until I make time starting about a week ahead of time.  Then, I try to go to review sessions or study with a group or something because, 1). These strategies help me understand and retain information better, and 2). They give me motivation to get the studying done.  I try to have gone over things before I meet with the group, and then I study with them for a while, and may meet with them once or twice more before the test to go over things more... and then I study a lot by myself.  


What are you doing now to improve your study habits? 
I am trying hard to start studying ahead of time.  This particular time around has been tricky because I have been learning about test prep and feeling motivated during the semester and feeling really pumped up about doing it... but then my computer broke and it's been in the shop for a long time.  It kind of threw me out of whack.  Almost none of my notes are actually on my computer - that's not why it threw me off.  I had a program that I was going to use to help me create "wikis" for each subject, where you can link to the different subjects and easily read all the info you've taken notes about any given subject.  I thought it would help because I would be going through all my notes as I was typing them into the program (I take written notes in class), and having such an easy-to-go-through, well-organized database with the information separated by date AND by topic would be really nice to have, too.  I kept thinking my computer would be done soon, so I kept putting off starting studying by a day, and now it's been more than a week and I'm just starting... yeah, not the best idea :P


One thing I am though, is using my husband to help me stay on-task.  He's really good about helping me keep on my homework until it's done.  I also have been working hard to have the "there's homework every night, even if it's just studying" mindset.  It's been tricky because I'm not used to it, but I'm getting better.  :)


Why is it important to develop good study habits?
It's so important!  High school was always easy for me, so I never developed very good study habits, and now I almost feel like I was gypped out of a crucial lesson!  Good study habits are the core of succeeding in school, in one's testimony of the gospel, in anything one might want to learn about.  They teach good concentration, self-discipline, organization - these are so important to success!  Without having developed good study habits, it would be impossible to get things done in a manageable amount of time, without procrastinating and then stressing out like crazy.  

Blog Topic #2: Tracking Progress

The kinds of activities I monitor my progress on depend on what types of goals I have set for myself.  For example, the main thing I am currently tracking my progress in is my schoolwork.  The biggest academic goal I'm focusing on right now is to get all A's in my classes this semester, so I have little goals to help me get there.  Some of those include doing the reading for every class, every time there is reading; doing the bigger assignments that are worth points; studying ahead of time for tests instead of the night before... you get the drift.  I track my progress academically by highlighting on my syllabi when I have finished a reading or other kind of assignment - then, when I want to see how I'm doing, I can check my syllabi and see where I need to put forth a little extra effort.  For example, this weekend, I've been doing a lot of make-up reading for my Spanish lit class :)  This method works really well for me because it's easy to take a look at a list and see where I'm at, how I'm doing.  

I also have spiritual goals, like being a good visiting teacher (visiting each month, but also being more of a friend to my teachees) and attending the temple every month with my husband.  These types of goals are easy to track because they have deadlines.  When I have more abstract goals, though, like "being more of a friend," my tracking is also more abstract.  I think of what I may have done lately to accomplish that goal - whether I've seen them in the past few days or said hi at church last week, or remembered a birthday in a couple days, etc.  Then, if I feel I'm lacking, I make a goal to do something to help me get closer to accomplishing my goal.  

Tracking my progress helps me to attain my goals.  It lets me see where I need to put in extra effort and where I'm doing a good job.  It allows me to see where I can improve.  It helps me avoid feeling upset with myself at the end of the semester, or after a test when I haven't done well, because I can see all along the way.  

something about me...

They want me to write something about myself? How should I start?? ........

Well, I could do the whole, I'm 20, so here are 20 things about me. Or, I got married on the seventh, so here are seven things about me. Hey! I could add them up and say, My birthday is on the 27th, so here are 27 things about me!

hm.

orrr..... I could write a paragraph about how I was born in Iowa and moved to Oklahoma when I was six, have one brother and three sisters and I'm the third child, how much I love the snow, say that I'm majoring in Spanish and want to be a Spanish teacher when I grow up but that I don't really ever want to grow up, and that on August 7th, I got married to an awesome guy who's going to save the world one computer program at a time, while I am currently working as a secretary and also as an accompanist for a voice teacher because I've played the piano my whole life and that I love music of almost all kinds... but, man! That'd be a boring paragraph.

Ooh, I know! I could write one of those creatively descriptive stories...

As she opened her eyes to the alarm sounding annoyingly in her ear, she realized that, once again, she'd pushed the snooze button too many times. The young and spritely girl leaped out of bed, ninja-jumped over all the clean laundry that had yet to be folded, threw her hair back into a ponytail while washing her face with some refreshing menthol-tingly face wash, and apparated to the kitchen. Once there, she telekinesis-ed some delicious chocolate Cocoa Pebbles into a - thank goodness there was a clean one! - bowl while making her favorite kind of sandwich (plain cheese on bread) for lunch... What time is it? 7:50? Perfct! Plenty of time, she thought. Stuff the sandwich in the lunch bag, make sure husband's awake, grab extra shoes for work, pack the backpack, grab the bike... and she's off! Stumbling gracefully into the classroom at 7:59, another perfect landing for alisonmj.

Nah, no one would want to read about my morning routine. Dang. None of these ideas are working for me. I guess I'll just have to think about it some more. Until then, perhaps some pictures will suffice? (just look under this part:)