Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Learning Objectives
On completion of the lecture, the student
should be able to
1. Identify student academic stressors and
explain the common problems faced while
studying
2. Apply the solutions to address the study
problems
3. Develop personal study tactics and goals
4. Learn personal learning style
5. Learn the importance of emotional learning.
Student
Academic
Stressors
Im not
smart
enough to
be in
medical
school.
What do you
call the
person who
Graduates
last in his or
her class
from medical
school?
Specific stressors
Interpersonal conflicts with faculty
and fellow students
Fear of increasing responsibilities and
the potential consequences of bad
decisions
Death of patients
Dealing with chronic or terminally ill
patients
Fear of infections such as AIDS
Discomfort in discussing personal
issues
Discomfort in performing physical
exams
Levels of
Stress
One set of
investigators
found that stress
was highest at the
start of school and
just before
examinations and
lowest midway in
the third year.
The most common
stress pattern is
Type A Personality
Lack of sleep
Motivation
For some college students,
limited motivation is a major
concern, especially if the career
choice was not their own.
Unmotivated students are less
inclined to study or to turn away
from social pulls to get studies
done.
Additionally, students who lack
motivation may quickly develop
a feeling of helplessness once
they experience failure.
Test Anxiety
When you think about an important test,
what are you afraid of? The obvious answer
- being afraid of failing or performing badly.
Test anxiety affects many people of all ages
and intelligence, and its symptoms are
rooted in our biological "fight or flight"
response
Fear often causes us to see things
differently from reality.
Tips for
Successf
ul
Studying
Active
Learning
College level learning requires your active
engagement. You cant just do the reading
and leave it at that.
You have to actively participate by
underlining, making notes and questioning
what youre read.
You need to connect new material to what
you learned last week to make it into a
cohesive whole.
During Class
Attend all your classes.
Take notes, ask questions and join in discussions.
Learning requires your engagement in the subject.
If you do miss a class, ask a class friend if you can
borrow their notes.
Know yourself
Know yourself as a learner (learning
preferences, talents, best times of day to
study, ability to match study skills to
learning task);
Know a variety of study skills and
learning strategies and how to use them.
Know the contexts in which what is being
learned can be used now or in the future.
Learning Styles
Prefere Defining
nce
characteri
stic
Active
Prefers
learner interaction
s
with others
Learning
style
Learning advice
Learn by
Group activities in
explaining to which members
others.
explain topics to
Prefer
each other.
pictures,
Finding ways to
models.
apply or use the
information.
Reflecti Prefer to
Learn by
Periodically
ve
think about developing
reviewing what has
the
connections been read. Writing
material
&
a summary of
first.
relationships readings or class
Sensin Detail
g
oriented,
look for
and trust
facts
Like learning
facts and
solving
problems
using wellestablished
methods
Intuitio Look for
Dont like
n
patterns
courses that
and
require
relationshi memorization
ps among and routine
facts, trust calculations.
intuition.
Case study
method.
Connecting
information to
real world
applications.
Finding
interpretations or
theories that link
the facts.
Using care to read
the entire question
before answering
and rechecking
work to prevent
Prefere Defining
nce
characteri
stic
Visual
Remember
learner what they
s
see
Learning
style
Like pictures,
diagrams, flow
charts,
demonstration
s
Learning
advice
Finding or
drawing
diagrams,
sketches,
schematics,
photographs,
videos. Using
concept
mapping.
Color-coding
notes.
Verbal Get most
Learn by
Writing
Learner out of
developing
summaries or
s
written and connections & outlines of
Global Learn in
learner large
s
jumps,
randomly
absorbing
material
until they
suddenly
get it
Judging Gain
:
understandi
Sequen ng in linear,
tial
logical steps
Skimming
through
the entire
chapter to
get an
overview.
Outlining
course
lecture
material in
a logical
order
Understanding Strategy
On first pass: mark spots you do not
understand
On second pass: focus on marked areas you
still dont understand,
Then:
a) Identify why you dont understand (words,
sentences, paragraph)
b) Break the problem down into parts, look at
the surrounding text for clues
c) Check other resources
Recall strategies
After the initial reading:
Paraphrase and use imagery. Try to form
mental pictures of the concepts.
Transform the material into concept maps or
networks; you recognise their interrelationships
You can code these relationships. For example,
the categories of:
i. hierarchies(type)
ii. chains(lines of reasoning)
iii. clusters(characteristics, definitions)
Strategies for
Comprehension
and Retention
1. Set the mood to study
2. Read for understanding by highlighting,
marking important points
3. Recall material without referring to the
text
4. Correct recall, amplifying material
5. Review mistakes (learn from tests)
6. Repeat , using active recall,
7. Process the information by putting the
material into an alternate form.
Concentration
management
Attitude problems: When setting the mood to
study, learn to monitor your negative and positive
self-talk along with the images created. Stop the
negative self-talk spiral before it gains
momentum.
Coping with Distractions: Then learn to control
your thinking by stopping the automatic thoughts
and thinking errors and identifying faulty thought
themes. Keep your end goal in mind.
Assistance Outside of
Class
V
S
Study in Groups
Teaching and Learning in small groups has a
valuable part to play in the all-round
education of students.
Helps in assisting students to clarify their
attitudes to and ideas
Provides opportunities for students to receive
more immediate feedback on their learning
Encourages students towards selfdirected
and independent learning
(JAQUES D, 2004. Small Group Teaching, Oxford Centre for
Staff and Learning Development, UK)
Combat Test
Anxiety
Tips during a
test
For multiple-choice questions, eliminate
and decide. Make an educated guess - you
have a 50% chance of getting it right.
For essay questions, brainstorm and
outline before writing.Don't let yourself
freeze up while staring at that blank essay
form. Organize those thoughts into a brief
outline, then start writing.
Keep it moving.Because most tests are
timed, it's important to pace yourself during a
test and not spend too long on any one item.
Emotions in Learning
If we were disembodied beings, pure minds
free of our messy emotions, our responses to
our successes and failures would lack
seriousness and excitement.
Like a computer, we would have goals and
succeed or fail to achieve them.
For embodied, emotional beings like us,
however, success and failure do matter.
Summary
1. Medical students can have study problems in their
preclinical years due to the volume of study, fear of
failure and the loneliness of leaving home for the first
time.
2. During clinical years, confronting the realities of
illness and death play a role in causing stress. Fear of
exams and the workload can interfere with studies.
3. Proper time management, good study tactics,
motivation, group study and relaxation techniques
can help combat study problems.
4. Emotional involvement and a sense of commitment
to the chosen career are good ways to stay on track.
References
Behavior and Medicine4 Rev Upd Edition by
Danny Wedding, Chapter 6, Special Problems of
Medical Students, Darlene L. Shaw, Danny
Wedding, Peter B. Zeldow, Nancy Diehl.
Ann Med Health Sci Res. 2013 Jan-Mar; 3(1): 51
54. doi: 10.4103/2141-9248.109488
http://www.academicinfo.net/
http://www.testprepreview.com/test_anxiety.htm
http://
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generali
zed-anxiety-disorder/expert-answers/test-anxiet
y
Any Questions?
Thank you