College Study Skills: Becoming a Strategic Learner, 7th Edition

Dianna L. Van Blerkom

Copyright 2012
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College Study Skills: Becoming a Strategic Learner 7th Edition by Dianna L. Van Blerkom

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Overview
Meet the Author
What's New
Features
Table of Contents
Pricing

Overview

A market leader for the study skills course, COLLEGE STUDY SKILLS: BECOMING A STRATEGIC LEARNER, Seventh Edition is a wide-ranging, practical text that focuses on helping students become actively engaged in their own learning. The text incorporates active learning strategies to help students succeed in college by introducing a strategy, allowing them to practice it, and having them do self-assessments to gain feedback on their own success. This variety of strategies and activities, as well as authentic and engaging text material from numerous core subject areas, gives students opportunities to apply what they are learning to their course work in other college classes. The Seventh Edition has a new focus on motivation. Chapter (1) Getting Motivated focuses on the importance of motivation in college success. More information on the causes of motivation problems and strategies for increasing motivation are also included, and each of the chapters that follow in the text strengthens the connection between motivation and the strategies that are presented, so that students continue to increase their motivation throughout the course.

Meet the Authors

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Dianna L. Van Blerkom

Dianna L. Van Blerkom is an experienced author and educator. She is an assistant professor in the Academic Support Center at the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, and previously served as the director. She also has published numerous articles and textbooks, including COLLEGE STUDY SKILLS: BECOMING A STRATEGIC LEARNER, TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR LEARNING: A GUIDE TO COLLEGE SUCCESS, and COLLEGE READING AND STUDY STRATEGIES with co-author Patricia Mulcahy-Ernt.

What's New

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The Seventh Edition of COLLEGE STUDY SKILLS: BECOMING A STRATEGIC LEARNER has a new focus on motivation. Chapter 1, "Getting Motivated," focuses on the importance of motivation in college success. More information on the causes of motivation problems and strategies for increasing motivation are included. Each of the chapters that follow in the text strengthens the connection between motivation and the strategies that are presented, so that students continue to increase their motivation through-out the course.
The Chapter Opener page of each chapter has been refreshed with a new "Terms You Should Know" feature that provides students with a quick reference list of key terms that will be covered in that chapter.
A new interactive feature called "What's Your Motivation?" pushes students to understand what motivates them and why.
A new critical thinking activity feature asks students to analyze decisions they have made or will have to make in their college career and the consequences.
The popular "Where Are You Now?" assessment feature now includes write-on lines to encourage interaction with the text.

Features

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A section in the opening chapter introduces and explores the concept of becoming a self-regulated learner, providing an effective model students can use to approach college-level academics and apply in many or all of their courses. Each chapter includes motivational basis for using the strategy, instruction in the strategy, student examples, exercises for practice, and activities for self-evaluation.
A chapter on taking essay exams combines essential content and activities previously covered in two chapters for a more focused presentation and a streamlined overall structure, making the current edition more manageable and practical for instructors and students.
The Seventh Edition contains an expanded selection of group activities, offering more opportunities to explore key concepts or practice essential skills through classroom exercises or collaborative assignments.
The seventh edition of COLLEGE STUDY SKILLS: BECOMING A STRATEGIC LEARNER is replete with a wide variety of excerpts, real-life student examples, and engaging and relevant exercises, freeing instructors to focus on teaching and engaging with students instead of devoting time to research and select appropriate supplemental materials.
The hugely popular Quick Start Guide provides an overview of more than 50 critical-thinking strategies students can apply immediately to help them succeed in their courses from day one. Topics include a new section called Getting Motivated, along with Succeeding in College, Managing Time, Taking Lecture Notes, Text Reading, Preparing for Exams, and Taking Exams.
This appealing text features a flexible, straightforward format and organization that makes it ideally suited for a variety of courses and instructors of all backgrounds, including full- or part-time faculty, counselors, residence life personnel, or anyone in academic assistance.
The text adopts a practical and effective "hands-on and experiential approach" throughout based on leading theories about how students really learn.
Over 100 examples drawn from the real-life experiences of students make it easy for readers to see how effective study strategies have been used by their peers in a variety of realistic, highly relevant situations.

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1. Getting Motivated.
2. Goal Setting.
3. Time Management.
4. Memory and Learning.
5. Taking Lecture Notes.
6. Improving Concentration.
7. Reading Your Textbook.
8. Marking Your Textbook.
9. Organizing Text Information.
10. Preparing for Exams.
11. Taking Objective Exams.
12. Taking Essay Exams.
13. Succeeding on Finals.