Our Peer Tutors performed exceptionally well in the courses they tutor. We asked them to share their secrets! Below is what they shared:
GENERAL LEARNING STRATEGIES
Psychological Aspects of Learning
- Focus on what you want to achieve – when you set clear goals and focus on them, they have a better chance of becoming a reality.
- Be patient with yourself if you do not understand something.
- Believe that perseverance will pay out.
- Do not underestimate what you can do and be your own source of encouragement by engaging in positive self-talk.
- Try to keep a positive attitude towards your courses in order to appreciate the learning experience.
- Get to know yourself as a student - figure out at what time of day you work most efficiently, as well as which study methods work best for you.
- Don't focus too much on grades - focus on learning, the grades will follow.
- Don't procrastinate. People tend to underestimate the amount of time it will take for them to learn or memorize material. By starting sooner, the studying process becomes much easier and less stressful.
On Campus
- Attend lecture in person. Lecture recordings are there to be used as a reference, but they should not be used as a primary learning tool.
- If time permits, try to review lecture slides prior to lecture. This will give you an idea of what the lecture topic encompasses and will work to facilitate active listening during the lecture.
- Pay attention to lecture and practice active listening when you are there. You decided to invest your time, might as well make it worth it.
- Review lecture notes as soon as possible. This will increase retention of the material, and make the studying much less stressful when the time comes.
- Good note taking is NOT writing down everything the professor says – be concise, make your own abbreviations, refer to lecture notes and add on to them, and listen for key words.
- Make note of concepts you do not understand and clarify them with peers, TAs or professors as soon as possible - ambiguities build up and can be daunting the night before a test.
- Take advantage of various resources around campus – peer tutoring, writing centres, etc. These resources are available for your success
At Home
- Do required readings prior to lecture, and note any important concepts you may have trouble understanding- they may become clear with the professor's explanation.
- Figure out your learning style – auditory, visual, kinesthetic or a mix of many. You have to know yourself to work efficiently and effectively
- Try to understand the overall concept, and then move on to memorizing details. If you start to memorize details first, it may become overwhelming. Details will make sense once you understand the fundamentals.
- Practice good time management. Prioritize your work. Be aware of your own studying pace and give yourself necessary breaks.
- Good grades are not magical. They require necessary effort.
- Put your cell-phone (or any other sources of distraction) out of sight when you study
- Review the material multiple times. You will more likely retain better if you review it more.
TEST TAKING STRATEGIES
- For multiple choice tests, read the entire question carefully, and try to answer the question yourself before looking at the options. Look for words like AND/OR/ALL/NOT/ONLY/EXCEPT
- Use process of elimination to get rid of wrong answers (this is especially useful for questions involving options such as “a or b”, “a, b, or d”, etc)
- Depending on your learning style, you may or may not want to review information immediately before the test. For some it may increase anxiety and actually hinder test-taking performance. It may be best to simply relax.
- Fill in the scantron bubbles as you write the test. Leaving the scantron sheet empty until you finish the test is not the best idea for if you run short on time, you may have to rush filling in the bubbles, which may cause you to make errors.
- Mark multiple choice questions that you are not entirely comfortable with, so that you can look back at them later
- Start with the type of question you feel more comfortable with (ex. if the test consists multiple choice and short answer, start with the type you feel more confident)
- Do not start to panic if you do not know the answer to a question. Skip the question and re-visit it later. Sometimes the hint to the question is found in subsequent questions
- Try to eat a light, balanced meal at least 1-2 hours prior to writing a test. This will help ensure your brain has an adequate supply of vitamins and macronutrients that will allow it to function optimally.
- If possible, try to get a good amount of sleep (about 6-8 hours) the night before, so that you feel refreshed and alert at the time of the test
COURSE SPECIFIC
KINE1000
- Attend tutorials and participate in discussions. It will increase the chance of retaining the information and enhance understanding of concepts.
- If you are too shy to voice your opinion during tutorial, discuss lecture content with a friend
- Try to complete the required reading before the related lectures. That way, you will be more likely to keep up with and understand the concepts being discussed
- Try to make a relevant personal connection to the concepts introduced in lecture. Applying concepts in this manner will enhance your understanding and retention of the material.
- This course is not entirely focused on the readings. Concepts may be brought up in lecture that relate to, but are not drawn directly from the readings. These concepts are just as important as the ones in the textbook.
- Do not leave major essays until the last minute. For most, essay writing is a process that requires multiple drafts in order to create a concise final product.
- Try to finish your essay early so that you have time to take it to the writing services offered on campus such as the Writing Department.
KINE1020, KINE2011 (Phys I), KINE3012 (Phys II), KINE4010 (Exercise Phys)
- Draw your own diagrams and flow charts on a large sheet of paper so you can see everything together to analyze how everything is interconnected
- Use visual aids. If lecture notes and textbooks are not enough, search for videos online to help you understand complex concepts
- Do practice questions that are provided online by some textbook companies
- Imagine what and how it will affect one's overall physiology if an organ system is weakened or begins to fail. This will help you with the application questions that often show up on tests and exams
- Explain how a system works to a friend, a pet, or even a stuffed animal. This will help you find gaps in your understanding.
KINE 4020 (Nutrition) and KINE 2031 (Anatomy)
- These courses require a lot of pure memorization. Therefore, it may be helpful to create flashcards, complete with labelled diagrams (for anatomy in particular), in order to most efficiently memorize all necessary information.
- Leave yourself enough time before your midterms/finals to review the entire material as a whole and make sure you don’t confuse different concepts
KINE3000
- The concepts are fairly straightforward. Do not try to memorize them word-by-word. Instead, practice paraphrasing them in written form or by explaining them to a friend
- Once you understand the overall concept, then begin to memorize the finer details
- Make charts for yourself about different theories and experiments in order compare and contrast them
KINE2049 (Research Methods)
- Do all the labs. It is tempting to skip the tedious labs but doing them yourself will help you remember how to manipulate Excel (they are also huge mark boosters). This is crucial for tests.
- Be aware of the slight differences between terms. Make a table of terms and learn to differentiate between them (ex. different types of sampling). Come up with your own examples that would describe such terms.
- After having covered the course material, try to read journal articles in order to understand how the material is applied in real world situations.
KINE3020 (Motor Learning)
- Do all the labs. It is tempting to skip the tedious labs but doing them yourself will help you remember necessary practical concepts (they are also huge mark boosters). This is crucial for tests.
- Draw a large diagram of the brain and fill in the functions of its various parts. Create flowcharts of the neural pathways to see how parts of brain function together.
- Imagine what would happen when parts of brain are affected/damaged.
- The second half of the course is very practical. The concepts can easily be applied when playing sports or in daily activities. Try to think about how you can improve your athletic performance by applying concepts that are taught in class. This will help you to better remember the main ideas.
KINE3030 (Biomechanics), KINE2050 (Statistics)
- These courses involve both theory and application. It is essential to have an understanding of underlying concepts before trying to apply them.
- Do as many variations of practice problems as possible. Also, do not look at solutions before arriving at an answer of your own.
- Units are your friends. Please familiarize yourself with units.
- Try to understand the logical relationships among variables in formulas rather than just memorizing them. This will allow for a better understanding of the formulas and when to apply them. Also, it will reduce the need for memorization.
- Do all the labs. It is tempting to skip the tedious labs but doing them yourself will help you remember necessary practical concepts (they are also huge mark boosters). This is crucial for tests.
- (Biomechanics-specific): If needed, refresh yourself with rearranging equations, basic trigonometry, basic calculus and basic kinematics. The course builds up on these fundamental skills.
- (Biomechanics-specific): When possible, always try to draw out diagrams when doing practise problems. This will help ensure you don't miss any details/information given in the question itself.
