ST Study Techniques

You are working in your ST quadrant when you memorize lists of information, such as names, dates, places and stuff in history class, or items for a grocery list you need to get from the store, or the names of constellations on a clear night.

If your profile shows dominance in the ST quadrant, that is, if the ST quadrant has the greatest amount of area after you play dot to dot and draw in your quadrilateral profile, you probably are most comfortable memorizing what you will need for the test. If this is you, or if the material that you need to learn demands this treatment, there are certain things you can do to make it even easier.

First, you will probably be most comfortable studying alone, in a place that is quiet and free from distractions. You also probably like good lighting and a conventional table and chair. If you want music on (you probably don't, but if you do) be sure that it is instrumental only, nothing with words. It also should not be anything with which you have strong memories or personal connections. Many students find that Mozart's instrumental works are good study music.

Next, you need your study area to be well organized. Be sure you have everything you will need at hand and arranged in a way that suits you before you begin. If you will need a calculator, for example, get it out before you start. Your pencils should be sharpened, your light at the angle you like, in short, everything set the way you like, before you begin.

As for the material itself, begin reading at the beginning of the chapter, taking care to assemble the details in order. Take notes while you are reading, either in outline form, or as numbered lists of facts. Every so often, perhaps every 5 to 10 minutes, or by sections in the text, stop and review what you have done so far. Don't let too much time go by before these little reviews. no more than 10 minutes. If there are problems to be worked, work a few of them each time you stop. If there are vocabulary words or terms, practice spelling the words, writing them out with the definitions a number of times until you know them well.

For difficult material, you may find it helpful to make up flash cards of the important terms or concepts as you study, that you can carry with you for added review as you wait on line for meals or whatever odd monents.

Break the material into manageable pieces, and work to *get* one piece down at a time, before you go on to the next piece. Remember, you are working to understand the material, not to just be able to regurgitate it.

If there are complex calculations to work:

• Lay out a sample problem on evenly lined paper, preferably quadrille.
• Identify the steps you go through to solve the problem, and what happens to each variable in the process.
• Write out instructions for each step, not in terms of "plug and play" but in terms of the meaning of each variable.
• Remember you are learning to solve the problems, not just plug numbers into an equation.
• after you have done this, practice solving similar problems, and problems where different variables are given, where you must solve for different variables than in the sample problem.
• Look at word problems from the chapter, and practice setting up the problems according to your steps.

For the ST learner, practice makes perfect. Just be sure you practice each of the many different types of problems, not all the same type.

Some parts of the ST and SF study skills are quite similar because both ST's and SF's are concrete learners. The major differences lie in ST's dong best alone, and SF's doing best with company. If you are an ST and your best friend is an SF, you will need to be tackful in telling her that you study best alone, but after you have it down, the two of you can work together on practice problems and drills.