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Learn—Maximum Time: 45 Minutes

Read:In the last meeting you learned about understanding and meeting expectations. In today’s meeting you will learn study skills that will help you succeed in your training program. You will strengthen your study skills by doing the following:

1. Choose a place and time for study.

2. Remember what you learn.

3. Read and write effectively.

4. Overcome procrastination.

5. Prepare for tests.

1. Choose a Place and Time for Study

Discuss:When and where do you study? Do you feel that your study is effective in these places and times? Why or why not?

Read:Setting consistent study times will help you succeed in your education or training program. Find clean, quiet, well-lit places to study where you can study without becoming distracted. “Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion” (D&C 132:8).

Observing the Sabbath day will increase your faith and improve your learning. Avoid doing schoolwork on the Sabbath.

Activity (5 minutes)

Choose places and times to study regularly.

Step 1: Write your two best places to study:

Step 2: Write your best times to study:

Step 3: List any problems or distractions that might keep you from studying at the places and times you listed above.

distractions from studying chart

Step 4: Discuss with a partner how you can solve these issues. Consider the problem-solving steps you discussed in today’s My Foundation principle.

Read:Because studying takes time, you will have less time to do other things. You will have to say “no” to some activities to be able to do well in your studies.

2. Remember What You Learn

Read:There are many ways to memorize, learn, and retain information. Here are a few methods.

• Scheduled reviews: Read and recall information repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example:

  remembering what you learn table

• Flash cards: Write ideas, quotes, data, formulas, and thoughts on index cards, and then review them regularly. For example, Afu wrote electrical formulas on cards to help him remember them. He goes through his cards many times a day. Here is an example of how Afu uses his cards: he writes a study term on the front of the card and the formula on the back, like this:

  flash cards

• Connect what you learn to something you already know: Connect something unfamiliar with something you already know. For example, Stefano was studying computer terms. He didn’t know what an algorithm was. He read that it is a “process or set of rules to be followed, especially by computers.” Stefano likes to cook, and a computer using an algorithm reminded him of someone following a recipe. That helped him remember.

• Teach what you learn: Share what you are learning with someone. This will give you the chance to better understand and remember the new information. At his parents’ house one weekend, Afu taught his father how to fix a long-broken light fixture.

• Apply what you learn: Applying in your life what you are learning helps you remember it. If you learn a new word, use it several times. If you learn how to fix a motor, go fix a motor as soon as you can. When a neighbor told Rachel of a legal problem she didn’t understand, Rachel was able to explain it based on something she had just learned that week.

Discuss:What experiences have you had with any of these methods or other ways of remembering?

3. Read and Write Effectively

Read:Reading is important to your education. Improving your reading skills will help you better understand and remember the things you are learning. The following activity will help you find ways to improve your reading skills.

Activity (7 minutes)

Step 1: Read the following quote from President Henry B. Eyring. While reading, highlight the points that you feel are most important, make notes in the margins, or do other things that help you understand.

“Conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ brings a desire to learn. … It is the natural fruit of living the gospel of Jesus Christ. …

“The Lord and His Church have always encouraged education to increase our ability to serve Him and [His] children. For each of us, whatever our talents, He has service for us to give. And to do it well always involves learning, not once or for a limited time, but continually.

Continued on next page.

“… Through prayer, fasting, and hard work, … we can expect His grace to attend us. … [This] means that we will learn more rapidly and grow in skill beyond what we could do only with our unaided natural abilities.

“Our first priority should go to spiritual learning. … Remember, you are interested in education, not just for mortal life but for eternal life. When you see that reality clearly, you will put spiritual learning first and yet not [ignore] the secular learning. In fact, you will work harder at your secular learning than you would without that spiritual vision” (“Real-Life Learning,” New Era, Apr. 2009, 2–4, 5).

Step 2: Summarize what you feel that President Eyring was teaching:

Step 3: Get with other people in the group and see how they marked up this text to improve their reading skills.

Discuss:What are some other ways you can improve your reading skills?

Good writing is also important to your education. When writing, make sure to match your style to the instructor’s expectations. There are three main styles of writing assignments:

• Informative

• Creative

• Persuasive

Informative writing: Organize information and make complex ideas easy to understand. For example, Stefano was given an informative writing assignment on food. He wrote about the history of his favorite food and some interesting facts about it.

Creative writing: Write your own ideas, original thoughts, and things that people would find interesting. Stefano’s next assignment was to do creative writing about food. Stefano wrote about the flavor, texture, and color of his favorite food in a way that was fun and interesting.

Persuasive writing: Write in a way that motivates, convinces, or persuades someone to do something or to think a certain way. To do this effectively, you need to know facts and opposing viewpoints and be able to support your argument. Stefano suggested in his persuasive writing that every tourist should try his favorite food because of its peculiar flavor and its cultural value.

Activity (5 minutes)

Now it’s your turn to try a writing assignment.

Step 1: Think of a food you like.

Step 2: Choose one of the writing styles (informative, creative, or persuasive) and take two or three minutes to write about the food you chose in step 1.

Step 3: Share your sentences with another group member.

Discuss:How can strengthening your writing help you succeed in your training program?

4. Overcome Procrastination

Read:Use your time and energy wisely to complete assignments. Avoid procrastination. “Reap while the day lasts” (D&C 6:3).

Discuss:What are some reasons we procrastinate?

Activity (5 minutes)

How well do you complete assignments? Circle the word that best describes how often you do these things:

assignment completion survey

Read:When you finish an assignment, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Here are some ways to get things done:

1. Do the hard thing first. Do the project you least like to do first. Once you’ve dealt with the most difficult or least favorite to-do item, the rest will usually seem easier.

2. Block out your time. Set a realistic amount of time to do specific tasks. If you don’t have a set amount of time, you will likely waste time.

3. Take short, regular breaks. Your mind will be refreshed and you will be better able to focus after a break. Short, regular breaks improve your learning.

4. Adapt. When you are tired, do the tasks that take less thinking.

5. Reward yourself. If you complete your assignment by a certain time, reward yourself with something you like (a treat, time to do something you enjoy, and so on).

Discuss:What works best for you in completing tasks?

5. Prepare for Tests

Read:Tests are often used to show how well you have learned something. Here are some ways you can become a better test-taker:

Before the test:

• Regularly study the material you will be tested on.

• Get enough sleep.

• Eat nutritious food and drink enough water.

• Pray before studying and before taking the test.

• Make sure you have items needed for the test (pencil, calculator, tools, and so forth).

During the test:

• Trust what you know.

• Be honest. Don’t cheat.

• Manage your time; as you begin each question or section, decide how much time you can spend on it.

• Carefully read and reread instructions: what is really being asked?

• Complete the easiest questions first to gain confidence; then go back to the others.

Discuss:What have you done to prepare for and take tests effectively?

Read:“The learning process is endless. We must read, we must observe, we must [take in], and we must ponder that to which we expose our minds. I believe in the evolution of the mind, the heart, and the soul of humanity. I believe in improvement. I believe in growth” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Standing for Something [2000], 62).

Discuss:What are the most important things you learned in this group meeting?