Using Review Sheets, Mind Maps, and Other Tools

To prepare for an exam that will cover large amounts of material, you need to condense the volume of notes and text pages into manageable study units. Review your materials with these questions in mind: Is this concept one of the key ideas in the chapter or unit? Will I see it on the test? As suggested in Chapter 6, you might prefer to highlight, underline, or annotate the most important ideas or create outlines, lists, or visual maps.

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Use your notes to develop review sheets. Make lists of key terms and ideas (from the recall column if you’ve used the Cornell method) that you need to remember. Also, don’t underestimate the value of using your lecture notes to test yourself or others on information presented in class.

A mind map is essentially a review sheet with a visual element. Its word and visual patterns provide you with highly charged clues to jog your memory. Because they are visual, mind maps help many students recall information.

mind map A review sheet with words and visual elements that jog the memory to help you recall information more easily.

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Figure 8.2 shows what a mind map might look like for a chapter on listening and learning in the classroom. Try to reconstruct the ideas in that chapter by following the connections in the map. Then make a visual mind map for the chapter and see how much more you can remember after studying it a number of times.

FIGURE 8.2 Sample Mind Map on Listening and Learning in the Classroom
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In addition to review sheets and mind maps, you might want to create flash cards. One advantage of flash cards is that you can keep them in a pocket of your backpack or jacket and pull them out to study anywhere, even when you might not think that you have enough time to take out your notebook to study. Also, you always know where you left off. Flash cards can help you make good use of time that might otherwise be wasted, such as time spent on the bus or waiting for a friend. See Chapter 6 for more information about creating and using flash cards.