HOW TO SUMMARIZE?

A summary is an abbreviated version of a text. This technique is very useful since it helps distinguish what are the important concepts. A good summary must have a careful composition, in which the topic is exposed in an organized manner and ideas must relate to one another.

Summarizing is writing all the relevant ideas of the text in a briefer manner.

A good method is to write a summary by noting down all the highlighted ideas, in the order they appear on the text. It is convenient to write each idea on a line and use different colors for each. This helps simplify the meaning of the words hardest to understand.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR AN EXAM?

Studying for an exam requires time. It is necessary to start studying two to three days prior the date of the exam.

These are some of the steps that may help study in a better manner:

· Making a list of all the topics you need to cover for the exam.

· Check if all the material is there, so you have enough time to look for what is missing.

· Divide the topics into three or four parts, and study one of these each day.

· Read all the topics, and mark what you don’t fully understand so you may ask the teacher about it.

· Work with the highlighted information and the schemes you came up with, so you may strengthen the contents and your memorization.

· Read out loud all that you retained regarding this topic. It may be useful if someone hears or records you, so you may listen to what you said and correct if there are errors, this exercise may also help you revise.

WHAT TO DO DURING AN EXAM?

·  Having a positive attitude: “It will go well!”, “if I focus and think, I will be able to answer all the question”…

·  Having a list of all the possible questions and consult them with the teacher.

·  Answer all the questions that are easiest to you.

·  Don’t stop if you can’t remember something. Just keep working on the following steps; you’ll be able to come back to this point later.

·  Go through all the answers before submitting your evaluation.

Summarizing an Essay

Planning an Essay

Paying attention to the title The title is what marks the steps that need to be taken

Gathering material It is convenient sometimes to keep in mind the titles of some essays on a certain lecture or book.  Knowing a little bit more on the topic, you can start to put together notes and ideas.

Planning the outline In certain measure, the planning of the outline is tied to gathering the information for it.  The outline should be done while you are working, but only when you have all the information necessary should you write a definitive outline.

An outline is a series of headings with one or two ideas under each one, but it is basically all about the headings.  The headings used determine the material covered, but the detail that should be of interest is the number of theories considered and the examples given.

Paragraphs.

Each paragraph generally expresses an idea or something new.  The logic behind outlines is that they are followed through their paragraphs.

Thinking Clearly

OBJECTIVE:

Analyze an argument and note any errors or presumptions, like: Points where the argument lacks evidence, causal fallacies, and inadequate examples.

Thinking Clearly

Individuals prefer sentences to ideas.  It is easier to hang onto comfortable beliefs with irrational bases than facing the truth.  There are those who believe the pursuit of knowledge is a good thing.  They are those who are more ready to elucidate their problems than to accept logical models and appropriate thinking.

If you want to think clearly and efficiently, great changes need to be made.  Surely it is possible to think clearly in one field and fail at another.  Everyone has areas in which they stop being rational.  It is true that logical thinking, going off true premises, should get to truthful conclusions.  On the other hand, irrational thinking, going off true premises or not, can only reach the truth by accident.