Taking it step by step

Every student fears having that one instructor who expects you to keep up with his/her lecture and at the same time take down notes from the board that's covered from end to end. As the instructor lectures you feel as if he/she is going faster, you become confused, but you're too afraid to ask questions because you don't want to interrupt or admit you're lost. I recognized this fear was affecting my willingness to participate, as well as my note taking and study skills. I decided to improve on these elements by using techniques i learned in one of my classes at Maui Community College. These techniques were part of a step by step process. Sitting in the front row of the class was the first step i took to overcome my fear. Sitting in front definitely helped because i was away from all distractions, i no longer felt intimidated, and i became an effective note taker. All my attention was on my instructor as if we were on a one on one tutor session. I had the advantage of seeing the notes clearly and hearing the instructor loud. Noticing that my notes were organized, informative, and my note taking skills improved made me participate more in class. Participation was the next step i took. i was confident enough to ask questions when i was lost and join in class discussions. A good way for me to benefit from all the knowledge i was taking in and remember everything I've learned was participating in class activities which i saw as a fun way to study. The last step i took was to use effective ways to study by using different and interesting study techniques such as daily and weekly reviews, joining study groups, and creating flash cards or games. Utilizing all these steps improved my skills, grades, ability to do my best, and learn from my mistakes.

Waking-up late

I had an experience waking up late everytime I come to school. I had also missed my English class several times because of waking up late. But lately, I had improve this problem by setting up an alarm to wake me up in the morning. I also try to sleep early as I can by 10:00 P.M., especially when I have a long classes the next day. Because sometimes I feel so sleepy in my last class on Mondays and Wednesdays. These days I've learned how to avoid this. Now, I try to manage my time by scheduling everything I want to do such as doing my homeworks or reviewing notes for test. I always try to do my homeworks as early as I can before going to bed. Managing the time is very important because you can keep track on your desired works

Work and School

For the past months i've been busy, doing a lot of homework, studying, and going to work. I hardly had time for myself, family, and friends. From the beginning of the semester I've been mostly working and going to school. My life wasn't the same at that time. I hardly had any sleep. I would study & do homework during the night from 10:30PM till 1AM and sleep from 2AM till 7:30AM. From 7:30AM I would have to do some cleaning, go to school right after. Then after school, I would do some homework. The go to work from either 4PM to 10PM or 5PM-10PM. During the days I don't have classes, I go to work from like 10-12 hour shifts.

After learning about time monitoring, I been able to do things that I never did before. I can now hang with my friends & family and exercise. Being able to do these things again, made me feel so relaxed.

LEARNING BREAKTHROUGH

We learn something new everyday whether you are in school, with your friends, at work or simply anywhere. But to be effective, there are ways to improve on what you have learned. In school, students need techniques on how to lighten up their loads. Techniques that will help them manage and organize their school and outside world.

I am currently taking IS 106 course. This course itself teaches the students how to be productive. Productive in a way that it encompasses everything that allows you to be a better or the best student that you can be. It teaches you ways to improve on reading, test-taking, planning, thinking critically, and using memory and technology. In short, it improves your brain to work effectively.

This course helped me to have better grades and better manage my time in school and at work and it made me a better person that values learning. Not everyone knows what the reason why they go to school and grades are not that important for them. But for some students that want to improve and have good grades like A’s and B’s, I’d highly recommend this class.

Remember Names & Readings

Remembering has always been an issue for me, both remembering peoples names or remembering what was read.

I travel alot to attend buying shows and I meet many people in a short period of time. It's been embarrasing when I've had to introduce someone and I forgot their name. I've tried to eliminate this from happening by repeating peoples names in my head after meeting them. That doesn't work all the time, especially if I have other things on my mind. What has worked as a back up to this is associating that person with another person I already know with the same name. Somehow by doing this, it becomes meaningful to me so I recall it easier. I also try to clear my mind so nothing interrupts my ability to remember.

Remembering what was read is another tough one for me. I'd have to read and re-read and I'd still have a hard time recalling what was read. I didn't do anything before reading to prepare myself to remember. Now, by previewing the reading assignment and creating an outline, I can recall the information easier. Moreso, if I review my notes and outline within 24 hours. This has saved me lots of time that I used to spend re-reading.

Dont Do This

I was behind on my test taking for my business class, so I had two tests to take in one night. It was 7:00 at night and I was already tired from going to school and working that day. Each chapter was 30 pages long, so I had to read, take notes and study before 10:00, which is when the tests ended on web ct. I really had to push myself to read and not fall asleep. At around 8:30, I took my first test. Web Ct gave me 30 minutes to take the test, and I got so nervous, it took me 15 minutes because I rushed through it. I didnt get a very good grade. I was so overwhelmed, I was thinking about just giving up and not taking the second test, because I still had to study and review the chapter. Thankfully, I checked my e-mail and my teacher said she extended the date on the tests for another few days, and we could take them a second time if we didnt like our score. I was lucky that time, but it made me realize how important it is to manage my time for studying, so I wont get nervous and waste my hard work on a bad grade.

Just When I Was Getting Bored

First day of class, I thought to myself, "Becoming a Master Student? Who needs this subject? That's easy." So the weeks passed and I started to become more bored with the subject. I kept telling myself that I should just finish it because I need this course to get my degree.

I've always hated doing homework. I liked doing the journal entries, but I really hate the take home exercises that we were required to do. I remember that our topic at the time was "Planning" and I though to myself, "Another boring topic," and the worst part of it was we were given a homework that we were supposed to do for a whole week; we were required to monitor what we do with our lives everyday from 7am-7pm.

I finished the homework and I felt so relieved. The night before the next class, I examined the activity and saw that I was spending too much time on a lot of stuff that I really don't need. I always sleep until 11am if I had the chance, I watch too much TV, I never do any reading/reviewing in the morning or before class starts, and I never even tried to take at least a minute of my time to stop and pray. After examining the activity, I promised myself that the next week I would try to wake up early (at least 6:30am), and do stuff like exercise, jog, and/or read a book. It worked.

The week after that, i did it again, and I found myself to be more energetic and more active than how I previously was. Since I did some of my homework in the mornings, I had time to hang out with my friends during the afternoon and at night. I felt great about myself for being able to jog (something that I've wanted to do for a loooooong time).

So I'm really glad now that I took this course and for doing that homework. I will always be grateful for having this subject and a great teacher. I will never forget this homework that changed my lifestyle.