Workshop Equips AUN Students with Study Techniques
Students can improve the quality of their work, their grades, their social life, and save a lot of time by adopting the SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review) study technique.
In recognition of the merits of this study tool, the Career Services office of the American University of Nigeria organized a workshop on September 14 for a select group of students who will in turn act as SQ3R trainees for the AUN community. The workshop was moderated by Ms. Jelena Zivkovic of the University’s School of Business & Entrepreneurship.
Training students with the skill set to train others will provide a better way to transfer study habits. “Students need help to read better, more effectively and efficiently,” said a staff member from Career Services.
Ms. Zivkovic said the study technique is “just one of the numerous techniques that can be used to enhance study and encourage students to stick with what works best.”
The interactive session started with an introduction of participants. The moderator told attendees that the first step in academic reading is to survey the material. Surveying includes scanning book pages for topics, captions, graphs, charts, maps, review questions or study guides.
The next step, she said, is to make questions out of the surveyed topics, graphs, summaries, italicized words etc. and to document them. In drafting questions, she urged participants to ask test-like questions.
“There is no rule as to the number of questions to ask. Questions that have no answers should be deleted, as you probably won’t need them on your exam. When you find your answers, underline and highlight them in your book,” said Ms. Zivkovic.
She emphasized Step 3; reading, noting that students do not have to read everything in their textbooks. She told the participants to always read with the essence of answering the questions they asked in Step 2. This she said is the “secret of efficient and effective study.”
After reading, recitation is encouraged to store the information one has just read. After reciting comes the last step, which is to review. Reviewing is an on-going process.
The Coordinator of Career Counseling & Placement, Mrs. Grace Nwokoma, organized the weekly training sessions taught by student trainers, all students were invited to attend the session.
Participants at the workshop ranged from students who have trouble reading to those who find reading boring, struggle with reading assignments, and fail to remember what they read, simply want to improve their grades or want to help others develop their reading habits.
In attendance were first-year students, sophomores, juniors and seniors. The Honors Society was also represented at the workshop. After the workshop, participants were divided into groups to test their understanding of the subject. In the groups, one participant volunteered to instruct, another volunteered to provide the instructor with feedback, while others listened.
The Career Services office organized the train-the-trainer workshop to help improve grades. Trained students will teach other students the study skills they have learned.
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