Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College Book

Preface     viii
Challenges to the 21st-century Student     xiii
College: Strategies for Success     1
The College System: An Orientation     1
Information Sources     2
College Services     5
Campus Diversity     6
Course Organization     10
Grades and Grading System     13
Thinking Critically...About Grades     14
Classroom Success Tips     15
Taking Charge of Your College Career     22
Coping with New Expectations     22
Thinking Critically...About Course Content     27
Taking Charge     27
Early Warning Signals of Academic Difficulty     29
Active Versus Passive Learning     32
Critical Thinking: The Key to College Success     35
Building Academic Integrity     39
Establishing Goals and Managing Your Time     46
Establishing Life Goals     46
Organizing Your Life for Success in College     49
Analyzing Your Time Commitments     54
Building a Study Plan     57
Making Better Use of Time     62
Time Management in the Electronic Age     63
Time Management Tips for ReturningAdult Students     64
Time Management Tips for Commuters     64
Thinking Critically...About Procrastination     65
Concentration Tips     66
Managing Your Life     71
Managing Your Finances     71
Maintaining Your Health     75
Thinking Critically...About Drinking     83
Managing Your Part-Time Job     83
Managing Relationships     86
Managing Online Relationships     89
Managing Stress     93
What Is Stress?     93
Symptoms of Stress     94
Causes of Stress     95
Changing Your Thinking to Reduce Stress     98
Changing Your Habits to Reduce Stress     101
Thinking Critically...About Accomplishing Tasks     102
Communication Skills for the Classroom     108
Listening Critically     108
Participating in Class     110
Asking and Answering Questions     114
Thinking Critically...About Meaningful Questions     115
Working with Classmates: Group Projects     115
Planning and Making Oral Presentations     117
Thinking Critically and Solving Problems     123
Thinking Critically About Decision Making     123
Problem-Solving Strategies     126
Problem-Solving Processes     128
Keys to Problem Solving     135
Thinking Critically...About Alternatives     136
Learning and Thinking Strategies     140
Learning Styles and Teaching Styles     140
Analyzing Your Learning Style     140
Interpreting Your Scores     145
Deciding What to Learn     149
Thinking Critically...About the Intent to Learn     150
Using Learning Style to Choose a Study Method     150
Adapting to Various Teaching Styles     153
Evaluating Your Learning     156
Learning and Memory     161
How Learning and Memory Work     161
Strategies for Improving Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval     168
Thinking Critically...About Learning Strategies     173
Applying Your Skills to Academic Disciplines     179
Study Strategies for Academic Disciplines     179
Approaching New Fields of Study     180
The Social Sciences and History     181
The Life and Physical Sciences     184
Mathematics     190
Literature and the Arts     193
Thinking Critically...About Literature     197
Career Fields     199
Learning Specialized and Technical Vocabulary     205
Terminology: The Key to Course Mastery     205
Mapping Related Terminology     210
Thinking Critically...About Vocabulary     212
Learning Core Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes     212
Developing a Course Master File     215
Mastering Course Content     222
Thought Patterns of Academic Disciplines     222
Thought Patterns: Guides to Learning     223
Academic Thought Patterns     224
Thinking Critically...About Patterns     234
Applying Your Knowledge of Thought Patterns     236
Note Taking for Class Lectures     240
Sharpening Your Listening Skills     240
How to Start with an Advantage     243
Recording Appropriate Content and Organization     245
Working with Various Lecture Formats     253
Thinking Critically...About Lectures     254
Note Taking and Learning Style     258
Using the Lecturer's Thought Patterns     259
Editing and Reviewing Your Notes     261
Learning from College Textbooks     268
Features of Textbooks      268
Previewing Your Textbooks     281
Thinking Critically...About Previewing     283
Using the SQ3R Reading/Study System     286
Learning from Graphs, Tables, and Diagrams     291
Thinking Critically...About Graphs and Statistics     300
Learning from Supplemental Reading Assignments     301
Learning from Visual and Electronic Media     307
Video, Film, and Television     307
Using Electronic Study Aids     308
Using Internet Sources     309
Evaluating Internet Sources     312
Thinking Critically...About the Timeliness of Web Sites     321
Organizing and Synthesizing Course Content     325
Textbook Highlighting and Annotation     325
Thinking Critically...About Highlighting     328
Note Taking to Organize and Condense Information     332
Mapping to Show Relationships     336
Using a Computer to Synthesize Course Content     346
Critical Analysis of Course Content     352
Synthesizing Information     352
Recognizing and Evaluating Subjective Content     354
Asking Critical Questions     364
Thinking Critically...About Arguments      368
Exams: Thinking Under Pressure     372
Preparing for Exams     372
Organizing Your Review     372
Thinking Critically...About Group Study     375
Thematic Study     375
Strategies for Particular Types of Exams     381
Strategies for Specific Academic Disciplines     387
Controlling Test Anxiety     389
Reasoning Skills for Objective Exams     395
Starting with an Advantage     395
Skills for Objective Exams     399
Thinking Critically...About Practicum Exams     411
Achieving Success with Standardized Tests     411
Taking Essay Exams     419
Writing Effective Essay Exams     419
Thinking Critically...About Returned Exams     430
Achieving Success with Competency Tests and Exit Exams     430
References     437
Endnotes     437
Credits     438
Index     441