Study Habit Flow Chart

 The best study habit that I've developed through suggestion and experience is the ability to read without understanding. 

What???

I think that's one of the biggest challenges that I've faced in my limited time as a science student. My chemistry professor in the fall '20 semester said to read the chapter without working hard to understand it.

That is really hard for me.

What I'm learning, though, is that if I can plow through it and just read it and maybe learn some of the vocabulary before the lecture, that I can then go back and it will start to make sense. 

For example, in studying for a test, I'm going back and filling in my notes from class. The class moves way too fast to make detailed notes during the lecture. I find myself missing important information and discussion if I take too many notes, so I just try and get the highlights and make "bookmarks" of where in the PowerPoint it can be found. 

Now that I've laid that foundation, I am going back and filling in notes and making compare and contrast tables and it's all coming together.

Again, though, it starts with that first step of reading without understanding, which actually takes a good amount of fortitude because you keep saying, "What???" to yourself and the desire to go back and read and reread until you get it. 

Oh! And make questions about the things you don't understand, even if it's just, I don't get X main topic. Those become bookmarks for your mind and will actually help to reinforce the learning that comes from the lecture.

So: read without fully understanding -> form questions from the reading to take to lecture for discussion ->  take notes on the lecture and ask when your questions aren't answered in the lecture -> reread and make flashcards for vocab with new understanding -> review notes and fill in missing info and detail -> tables to compare and contrast concepts and processes -> flow charts to show the steps and components of a process