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Essay Subject: Examines four skill strategies (outlining, readability of material, memory devices & learning logs) & their application in classroom.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines four skill strategies (outlining, readability of material, memory devices & learning logs) & their application in classroom. Paper Introduction: Introduction One of teachers most important functions as educators is helping students improve their ability to learn by instructing them in study skill strategies (Klausmeier, 1991). The purpose of this paper is to explain and discuss the following four study skills and the common ways teachers apply these in the classroom: (1) Outlining; (2) Readability; (3) Memory Devices; and (4) Learning Logs. Outlining Teachers instruct students in outlining as a study skill through both: a) modeling the behavior (such as when they outline a lecture they are presenting on the chalkboard or provide students with written outlines of materials they are going to cover in the class) and b) through formal instructional processes Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Outlining is sometimes referred to as a form of freewriting; otherforms might include summarizing presented information into small paragraphscovering basic themes. Summary This paper examined four study skill strategies. & Davis, J.K. Although noevaluations have been conducted of the instructional efficacy of modellingoutlining, there has been some research examining the effectiveness offormal instruction in outlining. biology. However, studies have shown that thismethod works well only for non-learning disabled students (Ahrens, 1988).Learning Logs D'Arcy (1981) defines learning logs as a kind of diary or journal inwhich students write down their reflections concerning each day's classincluding not only what material was presented to them but also theirintentions, observations, and feelings during the school day. (1986). (1979). Thisinstructional method has been shown to be highly effective in bothimproving students readability skill as well as in improving theirvocabulary and comprehension of selected texts (Nemeth, 1996).Memory Devices Memory devices refer to those mnemonic strategies which students'utilize to better recall information presented to them in class(Klausmeier, 1991). (1983). Research indicated that formalinstruction in outlining increased performance, tended to be ageneralizable skill, increases ability to understand orally communicatedinformation, and test performance, especially of low-performing students. Visualization or imagery was said tobe a strong technique for remembering material. Journal of Experimental Education,44(2), 44-46. Special Issue: Psychologists teach writing. Several mnemonic devices were listedalthough it was noted that the ones teachers most frequently teach tostudents was the first letter process---a technique that was not especiallyuseful to learning disabled students. Electronicstudying: Using computer-based outlining programs as study tools. & Sakyi, A. Instruction inreadability involved not only having students make such decisions based onthe number of easily identified words but also helping them to improvetheir vocabulary and so increase their level of reading ability. It was also found that students increased their performances ontasks used to assess the generalization of this study skill (Bianco &McCormick, 1989). Nemeth, J.S. They arethen asked to skim through the text and pick out the one that is the mostdifficult to read. The effect of encoding and anexternal memory device on note taking. A personalized approach to comprehension.Journal of the Reading Specialist, 8(3), 124-127. Keetz, M.A. Learning logs also serve multicultural purposes. (1996). By having students outline course material, teachers state that thetechnique not only helps them to better remember the material, but it alsoimproves their writing ability and makes the memory device personallyrelevant because it is their own words they are using to generate theoutline. One innovative and high-tech way teachers are currently instructingstudents in outlining is through the use of computer programs that provideoutlines for students as tools for studying material in content areatextbooks. The teacher would then focus on teaching students vocabulary whichfalls at the level between the gap in students reading ability and thereadability level of the text. Reading Teacher, 32(4), 39 -396. D'Arcy, P. It also seems wise to concentrate on goodlearning strategies, which are good memory devices, rather than on complexand ambiguous mnemonic devices. Hinkle, S. Thus, astudent's given readability skill lies in his or her ability to identify acertain number of words in a passage and know that on the basis of thisevaluation whether or not the passage is at his/her level of readability(Kibby, 1979). The plan teachesstudents three categories of outlining: (1) title/main topic selection andformat; (2) subtopic selection and format; and (3) detail selection andformat. Audet, R.H., Hickman, P. This methodhas been shown to improve the test performance of high school students,especially those students whose performance is at the lower one-third ofthe class (Anderson-Inman, Redekopp & Adams, 1992).Readability In general, the term "readability" refers to the interaction betweena students' level of reading ability and the level of ability for which atext or book was written; for example in one study of the readability ofstudy habit books given to students taking a study skill class, it wasfound that the books were designed for students who had attained a collegelevel of reading while students in the class only had a tenth grade readinglevel (Keetz, 1978). (199 ). The final study skill examined was that of learning logs in whichteachers instructed students to write down each day's information as wellas their reflections about what they had been taught. Learning processes in aCanadian exchange program for multicultural, anti-racist education.CanadianJournal of Education, 19(4), 399-417. English Journal, 75(7), 73-75.----------------------- 1 When the process of writing becomes a tool forlearning. Passage readability affects the oral readingstrategies of disabled readers. (1991). One of the most popular memory devices teachers use to help studentsimprove their recall is the "first letter" technique in which studentsremember a string of information by remembering the first letter of thewords (Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993). Journal of Reading Behavior, 1 (1), 97-1 1. (1993). (1996). Bianco, L. Mnemonics well used, however, help andencourage children to create their own memory devices, which, of course,are easier to remember. Mnemonics and the Very Young Children: APosition Taken. An experimental comparison of theeffects of focused freewriting and other study strategies on lecturecomprehension. ED 238 557). Educational psychology (6th ed.) NY: Harper& Row. 3326. For example, in a study of classroom instruction in which studentswere taught how to condense and reduce orally presented information,including reducing information to an outline, it was found that improvingthe freewriting ability of students immediately increased their ability tounderstand oral communication (Hinkle & Hinkle, 199 ). Thelogs helped students to value the conceptual understanding of others. After instruction in vocabulary, theteacher might then have students read passages in the text to determinewhether there are any improvements in their comprehension levels. & Hinkle, A. For example, students in the classroom mightbe given two or three texts on a given subject, e.g. For example, one instructional plan for teaching the reading studyskill of outlining involves ten days of instruction for a thirty minuteperiod in how to outline various reading passages. In other words, students will write downtheir comments concerning the day's lessons; other students will thenreview the remarks and respond to them. Journal ofResearch in Science Teaching, 33(2), 2 5-222. & Adams, V. (1978). Evaluative data collected on the use of this formal instructionalapproach to teaching outlining---collected using a sample of high schoolstudents 15 to 17 years of age---found that students' outlining skills notonly increased but the increase was maintained at both four and eight weekfollow-ups. There are a wide variety of memory devices whichteachers can teach students. (1994). Cumming, A., Mackay, R. (1992). Introduction One of teachers most important functions as educators is helpingstudents improve their ability to learn by instructing them in study skillstrategies (Klausmeier, 1991). These claims have been supported by research (Annis & Davis,1976). (1976). The readability of study habit books and collegestudents' reading ability. Once the class agrees on the most difficult text, theteacher would then evaluate its readability level. As to how teachers help students to improve their readability level,most instruction involves not only teaching students how to spot thosewords which he/she cannot define but also uses this ability to encouragestudents to then go and learn these words so as to be able to understandthe passage (Nemeth, 1996). The purpose of this paper is to explain anddiscuss the following four study skills and the common ways teachers applythese in the classroom: (1) Outlining; (2) Readability; (3) Memory Devices;and (4) Learning Logs.Outlining Teachers instruct students in outlining as a study skill throughboth: a) modeling the behavior (such as when they outline a lecture theyare presenting on the chalkboard or provide students with written outlinesof materials they are going to cover in the class) and b) through formalinstructional processes (Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993). (1989). In terms ofinstructing students in learning logs, most teachers focus on the writing,offering ideas to students are diverse ways to write such logs andemphasizing that they utilize those methods that keep the log personallyinteresting and relevant (Weiner, 1986). Klausmeier, H.J. Partridge, S. References Ahrens, S.L.B. Curriculum: Foundations,principles and theory (2nd ed) Boston: Allyn & Bacon. (1981). AAD89- 3 75) Anderson-Inman, L., Redekopp, R. Analysis of effects of a readingstudy skill program for high school learning-disabled students. & McCormick, S. Some teachers help students to make learning logs more interesting byhaving them keep their logs on classroom computers and utilizing theirremarks for group discussion. However, it has been found thatless well thought out uses of mnemonics with young children can haveunexpected results, such as when elementary school students learning tospell "wagon" added spokes to the "o" when told to remember that a wagonhas wheels (Partridge, 1983). (Microfilm Order No. Putting your own mind to it. It has been found that helping students to learnall forms of freewriting, including outlining, can improve their ability tolearn. The third strategy reviewed was that of utilizing mnemonic devices torecall presented information. Students' generalreading level would, of course, also be determined. Diverse benefits weresaid to be associated with the use of learning logs. Annis, L. Itwas also stated that conversing about science via computerized LearningLogs resulted in a closely knit community of reflective learners (Audet,Hickman & Dobrynina, 1996). The second strategy, readability, was defined as the study skill ofbeing able to skim information and make a correct assessment of whether thematerial was at or above one's level of reading ability. A study of this computerizedmethod of learning logs as used in a high school advanced physics class,found that by helping students to share thoughts and observations, defendviewpoints, and negotiate consensus about their thinking, the methodimproved general class performance and understanding of the material. Weiner, W.F. Kibby, M.W. For example, astudy of the learning processes of 12 14-2 year old high school studentsduring exchange programs emphasizing multicultural, antiracist education invarious Canadian cities, required students to maintain learning logs whichwere then coded according to the topics they reported learning about andtheir reported learning processes (Cumming, Mackay & Sakyi, 1994).Analyses of the logs revealed that students learning multicultural topicsin four basic ways: acquiring facts or information about incidents,learning new concepts, gaining an awareness of others, and developingpersonal leadership skills (Cumming, Mackay & Sakyi, 1994). The teacher shows students how to generate outlines using thecomputer program and then utilizes the outline each day as he or she beginsthe teaching of course material, referring to it frequently. Learning logs: Aclassroom practice for enhancing scientific sense making. The effects of first-letter mnemonic strategyadaptation for elementary students used with intermediate grade students.(Doctoral Dissertation, University of Kansas) Dissertation AbstractsInternational, 49(11-A), p. One type of memory device used with very young children involves anapproach to reading and spelling that pairs intrinsically interestingimages with letters of the alphabet and their combinations. Journal ofEducational Research, 82(5), 282-288. Teaching ofPsychology, 17(1), 31-35. The first strategyexamined was outlining which was taught to students through both modelingprocesses and formal instruction. Forum for theDiscussion of New Trends in Education, 23(2), 38-4 . (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. & Dobrynina, G. Ornstein, A.C. & Hunkins, F. (Bianco & McCormick, 1989). Research on the use of memory devices for very young children hasgenerally shown that while there is a place for mnemonics, its use shouldbe based on the uniqueness of the child, the material to be learned, andthe purposes for learning it. Readingand Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties, 8(4), 337-358. These include: outlining as a memory device,flash cards, the use of imagery or visualization, phonetic or semanticclustering, and so forth.Most teachers utilize instruction in outlining as a memory device (Annis &Davis, 1976). (1988). For example,the sentence "Arthur Ar has a get-away car" illustrates this approach tomaking the "ar" combination memorable. As a study skill, however, readability refers to thedegree to which students are able to skim a reading passage and decidewhether it is at or above their reading level (Kibby, 1979). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.