SAGE

Economics - Spring 2020

Issue link: http://sagepub.uberflip.com/i/1198152

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 2 of 2

HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS (OR ANY OTHER) COURSE* Professor and author Bob Sexton knows Principles of Economics can be a challenge. He also knows what it takes to succeed. He believes that "most students aren't lacking in ability—they just need an effective strategy." To help students, he developed 10 strategies for success. *Adapted from "Steps on How to Do Well in This (Or Any Other) Course" (p. 18) in Exploring Economics, 8e by Robert L. Sexton @sage_econ sagepub.com N0B0187 Connect your motivation to goals. I want an A in this class. I want to graduate. I want to go to law school. Put yourself in the right mindset. Setting goals sets an intention to achieve, creates focus, and activates learning. Attend class AND take good notes. Listen actively—think before you write, but be careful not to fall behind. You can't capture it all so focus on the main points. Leave space so you can add more. Don't email, text, or use social media while you try to listen—you are not as good at multi-tasking as you think. Read before class! Do the best you can to read the assigned chapter before it is covered in the lecture and stay current. If you are studying Chapter 3 when the lecture is on Chapter 6, it will harm your performance. Don't just highlight as you read. It's too passive. Instead, write down in your own words what you have learned when you complete a section. Be an active reader—question, recite and review while you read. Do NOT read something without learning anything! Know when you study best. Don't study when you are tired. Know when you function best. To many people, an hour of studying during the day is worth two at night! 1 2 3 4 5 Practice, practice, and then practice more. Study actively. Study by doing problems and answering questions in the text and online. Before you check your answer, assign a "confidence factor" to it. On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you that you are right? Be honest! The more often you prove yourself right, the less test anxiety you will have. Don't be OVERconfident! Many students are, and they tend to underperform. Try to teach others. Can you explain the concepts to others? If you can explain an idea to others, perhaps in a study group, you really know it. There is no better way to learn something than by teaching it. Find a quiet place to study. Music and TV are not conducive to quality study time. If you find your mind wandering, try getting up and walking around for a few minutes. Treat studying like a training session; set a goal for what you want to accomplish in each study session and try to increase it gradually. Apply what you are learning. Retention is always higher when you can make the connection between the course and your life. Look at the world around you and make connections between what you learn in class and what you encounter in your everyday life. Don't cram! It doesn't work. Cramming for tests leads to fatigue, test anxiety, and careless mistakes. Start preparing your review materials a few days ahead and then study regularly, with more focus on the review being the only difference in your habits before a test. 6 7 8 9 10

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

view archives of SAGE - Economics - Spring 2020