Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Ashley Potts

Reading secret formula is: #1 Remove Distractions + #2 Take Notes + #6 Set Aside Time to Read = Success

Coming out of high school I really wasn’t into reading. Now as a college student there comes a lot more reading. I mean who wants to spend hours reading their textbooks? I know I didn’t, but after taking this course I learned that reading is not so bad after all. Over the next four years of my life I will be studying to become a physical therapist. Therefore, I will have to stay current on all new information about the body. As a result, I will need to prioritize and not procrastinate. Also, I found out that I do my best work when I remove all the distractions in the room. I will use the Reading Secrets strategies that I learned through this semester in order to be a successful college student.

Time management was a big factor in my daily stress. In order to keep myself organized I wrote all my assignments down on the date they were due. This helped me to prioritize assignments and turn my work in on time.

When I use to read I would just read the words and not pay attention to what the text was saying. This created a problem for me. I couldn’t really get into what I was reading. Nothing interested me. One of the Reading Secrets is to take notes. Taking notes in class was a huge help in my success this semester. It helped me connect what I already knew to what I learned so the new information would transfer into my long-term memory. I now love to take notes in the margins of the texts and limiting my highlighting to three important things in the reading, prevents me from highlighting too much.

I use to do all my school work with the TV on and my phone right beside me. I tested the theory that I could do better work with the TV off, and it worked! I got better grades when I removed distractions.

As a result of my reading secret formula, I am now a mature reader. Therefore I know what techniques to use when studying and reading texts for school. Managing my schoolwork has become a lot easier and it just seems to flow with my schedule. I can still have a social life along with getting good grades in class without stressing out because I don’t understand the information. Thanks to Reading Secrets I’m able to keep things simple and easy to understand.

16 comments:

  1. This is how i used to be until i learned to get into my reading and then i understood it.

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  2. time management is a problem for me too. with working and studying, it is hard to manage our time wisely. taking notes is a big deal for me. that is the number one rule i follow to become a successfull student

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  3. My number one reading secret I use the most often would be Remove Distractions because if I have any distractions near me I can't focus.

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  4. Ashley did a realy good job making her essay flow together and most importantly making it worthwhile to read!!!

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  5. Ashley,
    I also have a problem with self management. I need to write down and organize my assignments more like you. I'm glad you managing your school work better now. Keep up the good work!

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  6. it has been huge for me as well to take notes in class. it helps alot

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  7. my problem is also time managment and just starting the work. i can work once i get started but gettting started is another big problem for me

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  8. I felt the same exact way! but then i realize that success cant come to me over night or without ME trying, so that is what i started doing and this class has helped me enjoy reading way more then i ever have!

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  9. I seem to have alot of the same problems, i tend to procrastinate more then i should. However i have also found that if i remove distractions and focus more on my work then my phone i get alot more out of reading and studying.

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  10. Time management is a the hardest thing for me next to reading and forgeting. writing side notes helps me not forget solid information i need to remember.

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  11. I think I can realate to this alot! To keep myself in what I was doing, I found that takeing notes was the way to go. As Mrs. Potts said, it helped me connect information to what I already knew and that can make a hell of a difference

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  12. I agree ! It was hard for me to realize how easily we are distracted. It wasn't until I was introduced to the reading secrets that I understood. This is a great way to organize & set aside time for studying and still make time to RELAX ! :))

    -MyKeira

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  13. Time managment is a problem I sometimes have. For me getting started is a hard thing to do. I always seem to have things distract me and it takes longer to get stuff done. I am starting to realize that I have to get focused and stay focused.

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  14. We had the exact same problem. I always got distracted when I would read or do my work with other things. I never thought I was suppose to listen to the "theory", but eventually the theory worked and working with the tv off and destractions being removed (cell phones.. etc) helped me a lot !
    Aminah S.

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  15. I have toruble with time management too. Sometimes I forget a project which causes me to procrastonate. I also still get distracted sometimes and need to work on that more.

    -Jess Baldwin

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  16. This is inspiring because I had some of the same issues, I feel like I read more and I came into college thinking it was a breeze. Obviously that was the wrong mindset because it back fired on me. -Ishanti Commander

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