Study Smarter, Not Harder by Kevin Paul. Library section 12F: Teen, Planning Your Future. By mastering the tools and techniques in this book, students in HS and college can study smarter and more efficiently. Do you know what to do right before you study to help you retain significantly greater amounts of information? Did you know that particular types of music aid concentration and other types significantly hinder it? Do you know how to take notes in class – what to include and what to leave out? Did you know that the ten minutes after a class ends are critically important; in that time you complete and review the notes you just took, and this aids in much higher rates of retention of that new information? This book is written for HS and college students or anyone with a lot of reading or information to process. Who wouldn’t want to learn a lot more in a lot less time? ME!! Get in line! Actually, there is no line. The book is yours to borrow for three weeks when you are ready to read it.
The first few chapters discuss in simple terms the brain and how it learns. We all have the same number of brain cells but it is the synapses – the nerve connections linking brain cells that differs between individuals. A dimwit has few, a brilliant person has a LOT. You build these links every time you study and retain information. The more of these links you develop, the stronger the connections become, and the easier it becomes to absorb and retain information. This is why child development books tell parents not to expose babies and toddlers to TV, the electronic babysitter. From birth to age 2 is the crucial time for the brain’s nerve connection development which develops ONLY through contact with the real world around the baby – caregivers, family, home, baby toys, furniture, outdoors, pets, etc. TV steals away this time and those neurons never develop.
In the same way, in your adolescence and teens, TV and video games pare down your attention span to 5-10 minute spurts of concentration. Studying is dependent upon much longer attention spans (an hour between breaks). Imagine concentrating and taking notes in a three hour lecture course with just one break! This book teaches you how to study efficiently and increase your ability to concentrate in just a few months.
The rest of the chapters deal with preparations for efficient and focused studying, how to improve memory, retention, and concentration, how to manage your time, the importance of setting goals and using lists, tools to improve studying, how to take notes, and how to prepare for and take exams.
It is easy to become overwhelmed with school work, especially in your last years of high school and in college. The amount of reading alone can instill panic. But it can be accomplished with planning and efficient studying. This book will help you plan when, where, and how to study, what to do during classes, and how to study for and take exams. Read it this summer so you have time to plan a quiet study space, assemble your study tools, and be ready for fall term. You will save a lot of time and you will be one step ahead of those students who haven’t read this book.
There are a good many other books in section 12F on college – what it’s like, whether it’s for you, and how to apply, along with a big plastic bin full of college catalogs to look at to begin to explore what colleges are like and how they differ. ( )