Study Prof

Double-click any word for the dictionary reference. Check back every day for more words.

abscission
addendum
agrarian
amorphous
antipathy
arbitrate
assiduous
avert
beatitude
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Really thorough article on organizational skills and using daily planners. It’s specifically for those with ADHD, but the principals will work well for anyone…
http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/adhd-organizational-skills.shtml

Using a day planner is one of the most essential coping skills that a student with attentional issues or disorganization struggles can develop; however, it is also a skill that they must practice and develop over time.

Actually, using a day planner is not a single skill, but involves a set of skills that can be worked on one-by-one. —By Michelle Fattig – 2007-07-20

Here’s a good basic site that offers solid tips…

http://www.additudemag.com/index.html

The New York Times recently talked to Winifred Gallagher, author of Rapt—A Guide to the Science of Attention. Here are a few of her suggestions…

• Use earplugs to decrease distractors (this will sound familiar to my GRE students)
• If possible, do your important work in the morning. Most brains are fresher then.
• Avoid interruptions. The brain can’t reboot instantly.
• Sip caffeine. It does help you attend.
• “Multi-tasking is a myth.” Concentrate on one thing at a time (turn off the TV, the iPod, the cell phone, etc. whilst studying).

I firmly believe that Great Truths are found in Far Side cartoons. In this case, Ginger has shed light on the topic of reading comprehension … really.

Granted, the skill of reading comprehension ain’t sexy, but it is WAAAAY valuable. Consider; you can read that research paper on “Platypi Reproductive Rituals” several times in a row in an attempt to understand it well enough to answer the essay question on tomorrow’s test, or you can read it once with excellent understanding. And don’t get me started on the reading comprehension passages in the SAT and GRE. In short, upping your reading comp. skills will save you time and get you better scores.

Sorta stinks, then, that it’s so difficult to improve one’s reading comprehension. In fact, SAT and GRE books devote almost zero attention to improving the skill, preferring to acquaint students with details about the layout of the passages and the different reading comprehension question types they may encounter. They know that actually improving students’ skill levels in this area are more than they can reasonably accomplish before the SAT or GRE.

However, YOU CAN INCREASE YOUR READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS. (more…)

Here are some useful sites with free math worksheets for those of you beefing up your basic math chops.

http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/math/

http://www.math-drills.com/

http://www.schoolhousetech.com/downloads/worksheets

Alright, alright.

I’m sorry I’ve taken so long to complete my “Test Stress Reduction The Navy SEAL’s Way” on my iTunesU podcast, Wired Study Tips.

It’s up now, so go take a look and get off my back.

Do a google search or search on iTunes for “Wired Study Tips.”

Dear old dad (someone’s dad anyway) has put out 3,565 math worksheets for free! Although most of the worksheets are on the easier end of the math spectrum, it’s some great practice in the basics. There is also a built-in timer and quick access answer key.

Here’s a useful site with a solid overview of memory principles and how they apply to your studies.

Wow. Ain’t they sweet?! ETS — the company that makes the GRE — is offering the GRE for only $75 (normally $140) if you are a US citizen currently receiving unemployment benefits. Here’s the link for more info…

http://tinyurl.com/ctk4l9

On a totally unrelated note — riiiight — they have raised the normal price of the test by $10 to $150 for everyone else.  You do the math; if 8.5% of those taking the GRE test (the percent of Americans currently on unemployment) only pay 75$ for the test, and all the remaining test-takers’ rates are increased by 10$, ETS is …

(A) Gosh! Real sweeties. Can you believe they are bending over backwards to help out the jobless? Can you?
(B) Just doing their part to help out in tough times.
(C) Absolutely nuts when it comes to taking care of their fiscal interests. I mean, do they even have accountants working for them?
(D) A bunch of disinterested do-gooders storing up karmic brownie points.
(E) Taking advantage of the situation to make themselves look good while still padding their bottom line.

The correct answer is (E). According to my back-of-the-napkin calculations, their new policy will net them over $3.50 more per test taker while giving them lot’s of free press and making them seem like they’re doing us all a favor.

So, if you’re currently unemployed, I’d definitely see if I could snag that $75 test cost (please let me know exactly how lengthy and painful the application process is). And for those of you, who are paying full price, pat yourself on the back, because you’re the ones paying for that price reduction for the unemployed.

NOTE: I in no way blame the unemployed for taking the $75 rate! In fact, you definitely should! It will reduce ETS’s bottom line AND save you money. The rest of us will still have to pay the extra $10 anyway.