Study Skills

The Bible occasionally speaks of negative types of knowledge that are not functioning as God intended His people to think.

More often, the Bible speaks of the positive aspects of learning and knowledge.

Rather than using knowledge to control or puff up our pride, we can truly understand God's Word and world in order to embrace and revere the truth and live in conformity with it.

The great astronomer Johannes Kepler spoke of this kind of knowledge as "Thinking God's thoughts after Him."

We can conform our understanding of things to God's truth and therefore have a more accurate and complete picture of reality in order to live more successfully and blessedly.

It is noteworthy that the great commission in Matt. 28:16-20 contains the phrase "...teaching them to obey all I have commanded..." as a key part of the way we can fulfill this commission of making disciples. That is because the idea of "discipleship" is inseparable from the idea of training. The word discipleship is actually a synonym for training. And discipleship to Jesus is a shorthand way to say that we live in an apprenticeship relationship to Him, learning from Him how to live in every part of life and eternity, taking on His mindset and understanding, and imitating Him (as much as humanly possible) in His goals, attitudes and actions.

And in 1 Timothy 4:7-16, Paul commands Timothy to train in godliness and to train others in these things as well. Training in godliness is more valuable than physical training (though Paul does not disparage this). Therefore Timothy was commanded to consistently learn and grow, paying close attention both to his doctrine and his lifestyle. And he was to teach and command these things to others, so that they also could grow in the same ways, and for the same benefits.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.
When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of my mother,
he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live.
Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.
She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor."
Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.
I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.
They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.
Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
You will say, "How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!
I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors.
I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly."

To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.
You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding.
Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.
My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.
All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.
To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who have knowledge.
Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.

From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.

Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.

The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.

Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.

Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--
and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise,
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs-- he wants to please his commanding officer.
Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.
The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Subsistence - eating, sleeping, laundry, devotions [note: devotions are subsistence], church, family time

Education - class time, study time, research and writing, reading time, small group

Work - employment hours, ministry work, volunteer work

Leisure and rest - Sabbath, friends, going out, etc.

Learning periods, such as reading and watching lectures,

Time for study and review of course material,

Textbook study and review

Working on course activities, and

Preparation of long-term activities and projects.

Sunday afternoon or evening is often a good time to plan the week ahead.

I recommend that you don't study any one subject for more than two hours (at most) at a time.

Any more than that and your mind will wander and the effectiveness of your learning will be diminished.

If you want to study for a larger block of time than this, I suggest changing to a different subject in order to keep yourself engaged and effective.

It is best to study in 10-15 minute sessions with 2-3 minute breaks in between.

Plan breaks into your schedule

Plan small breaks, because it is easier to return focus after a short break, than after a long break.

This helps your motivation - to keep you from procrastinating that which is most difficult.

This also helps your effectiveness by putting the difficult work at the time when you are most able to succeed.

After you are somewhat fatigued, you can still be effective in easier subjects and tasks.

You cannot schedule 22 hour work days over a period of 10 weeks. You will die.

if necessary, lighten the load.

You can't do everything, and you should be realistic about this.

I recommend that you challenge yourself to do more than you thought you could, but also let reality have the final say in your scheduling.

Schedule honestly according to what you know about yourself, and your tasks.

It is helpful (at least at first) to keep a journal of the actual time taken to do various tasks. This will help you to better plan and schedule for these kinds of tasks in the future.

If you lose a study block due to an unforeseen emergency, make up that time in your scheduled buffer time, or adjust your schedule to make time.

Always make up for a time you have missed.

Exercise the discipline to not let your time be stolen.

A schedule that is only wishful thinking and that is not realistic, is not helpful.

You will be able to grasp the lecture material much easier if you already have some familiarity with the topic.

Do not think of assignments as busywork. Realize that they are meant to be learning activities, and therefore treat them as such.

Make sure you have successfully learned all the prior material in order to better learn and understand the current material.

If you are behind on homework, you will not be as able to understand new material which builds on previous material.

Record the lecture material as fully and as meaningfully as possible.

Make note of the instructors organization of the material (use their outlines and headings, etc.)

Make note of anything given special emphasis by the instructor.

Use some kind of special symbol to mark what the instructor emphasized.

Use shorthand and abbreviations as much as possible, as long as you are certain you will recognize and understand your own notes at a later date.

Adapt your note-taking style to the teaching style of the instructor.

As you're taking notes, keep the cue column empty.

As soon as practical after the lecture, reduce your notes to concise points as clues for Reciting, Reviewing, and Reflecting.

In other words, use the cue column to highlight the most important ideas and concepts from your notes, as you have discerned from the material itself and its presentation.

The cue column will serve as an index and highlighter to help you find the information in the main part of your notes at a later time.

After you have filled in the cue column, use this area to sum up each page of your notes in a sentence or two.

You can list a short description of the most important ideas on that note page in summary statements which are as short as possible to clearly communicate the idea.

During the lecture, record in the main column as many meaningful facts and ideas as you can.

Write as legibly as you can.

As soon as possible after the lecture, summarize these facts and ideas concisely in the cue column.

Summarizing clarifies meanings and relationships, reinforces continuity, and strengthens memory.

Cover the note taking area. Then using only your writing in the cue column, recite the facts and ideas of the lecture as fully as you can, not mechanically, but in your own words.

Then, verify what you have said and review anything you missed.

Draw out your opinions and reactions to the material from your notes and use them as a starting point for your own reflections on the course material and how it relates to other material you have already learned.

Reflections will help prevent ideas from being inert and soon forgotten.

Spend a short time every week in quick review of your notes, and you will retain most of what you have learned.

Do you need to master the material for an exam?

Do you need to get an overview of the book for a book report?

Are you researching for a paper and only need certain details?

Don't read everything at the same speed.

Some material should be read carefully and in detail.

Other material needs to be just skimmed until you get to the part that requires more detailed reading.

"What does the author mean by this?" (look up any words you don't know)

"Why did the author include this material?"

"Is this statement true and accurate?"

"How does it compare to what I already know about this subject?"

"How does this material apply to my life and ministry?"

etc.

This means mentally having a conversation about the material and clarifying it in your own mind.

Ask the reasons and evidence for the ideas the author is advocating.

Ask yourself about any presuppositions that underly the author's statements. Ask whether they are valid or not.

Ask if the author has given sufficient reasons for you to believe the things they are teaching.

Don't do this with a negative skeptical attitude. But do this in order to be clear in your own mind what the author is teaching and the evidence they have given for what they have written.

Follow the truth wherever it goes. And be clear about how strong a case the author is making for what they have written.

Different cues are appropriate for different subjects and are more or less helpful for different people.

Mnemonic devices such as acronyms (words where each letter stands for a word e.g. NASA)

Pictures that symbolize aspects of the material to be learned (Walk through the Bible has excellent examples of this)

Sound alike words or concepts, e.g. the Greek word for "heart" is kardia from which we get the word "cardiologist" which is a heart doctor.

Old fashioned flash cards are helpful to learn and review many types of information.

Restating concepts in your own words is extremely helpful for learning.

Reciting the material out loud - "vocalizing" is helpful for many people.

Recording yourself saying course material and listening to the recording is helpful for many people.

Likewise, writing out the material and then reading it is one of the more helpful ways to learn.

In other words, connect it to something you already know.

If it is a Bible story, is it before or after another story you already know?

How does it fit into the overall story of the Bible?

etc.

If you were teaching the class, how would you explain the material?

That is the organization you can use to help learn the material.

Include the fact(s) the instructor is looking for.

You don't need to restate the question or give a flowery introduction.

If you are trying to bluff or BS, the instructor will almost certainly know, and it will likely count against you.

Search and find as many relevant resources as possible.

The first task is to FIND the resources, later you will cut it down to the best resources to use. But first you must find all the possible resources that are available.

Start with any bibliographies included with the course and from any course textbook.

Your instructors and knowledgeable friends/peers may also be able to recommend great resources.

Use library searches, internet searches, and bibliographies from other resources and courses.

When reading for a research paper or project, start with the Table of Contents and Indexes.

Get a taste for the resource and what it contains.

Quickly choose those resources that will be the most helpful.

And weed out the rest.

Don't waste your time with inferior resources. Choose the best available.

Don't just use the first resources you find, or the most convenient. Chose the best available.

Don't read all of the material at this time. Just skim quickly, looking for material relevant to your topic.

Note which resources have the best and most relevant information for your research.

Then weed out the resources again.

Determine which resources are the best and therefore will be your main research materials.

And note which resources will be only supplemental for specific items or not used at all.

Don't read all of the material carefully.

Just skim quickly, looking for material relevant to your topic.

Index card notes are helpful because of the ability to rearrange them later.

Or use a computer system that lets you easily and quickly rearrange notes, e.g. OneNote or Evernote.

Put one fact in one place, and keep your facts separate.

Don't put multiple facts in one place because that limits your ability to rearrange the facts later.

List the facts you have put into your brain, without looking at your notes at first.

Quickly getting down what you have learned in research off the top of your head will often give you a decent coverage of the most important points on the topic.

Then review your notes if necessary to complete the brainstorm of important information and anything you missed.

Organize the list of what you have learned from your research.

Put the information into logical categories and try to order those categories so that it displays the most natural development of the topic.

Using the note cards or computer notes you gathered from your research, reorder and group the notes based on the outline categories you have made.

Put the notes in the order of the outline.

Based on the outline, you may decide to leave out some notes/facts that don't fit well in the outline you have brainstormed.

Alternately, you may wish to rework your outline to better account for and organize the facts you have gathered.

And you may also decide to do more research if you don't have enough data to support one or more of the points you have planned in your outline.

Let the facts determine your outline and let your outline organize your facts.

Write topic sentences for each major section and then subsection, based on the outline and the facts from your research for that subsection.

A topic sentence is a sentence that simply states or summarizes the facts that are covered in that overall section or subsection, which will be developed in the rest of that section or subsection.

If you cannot yet summarize what will be covered in the section, you have not yet researched and organized your notes sufficiently.

Feel free to adjust your outline and/or reshuffle your facts to better fit the organization that emerges as you work through the material.

Once the subsections and major sections are organized and you are satisfied with your overall outline, write a topic sentence for the entire project, which matches the outline and briefly states what will be covered in the entire project.

Write in whichever order you choose, filling your outline and writing out your project in full prose, explaining and elaborating on each fact.

Write from fact to fact, using your organized notes to guide your writing.

Make sure to write appropriate transitions from section to section, and between subsections.

Make sure to demonstrate the connection between the facts and flesh out the flow of thought from your outline.

Typically, the introduction and conclusion of the project should be written last, after the body of the project has been substantially completed.

The introduction should attempt to explain what the project will cover in a way that will grab the reader's attention.

The conclusion should summarize what was covered and wrap up the project in a meaningful way.

The format and content of the introduction and conclusion should be based on the topic and content of the project.

Editing and rewriting is an extremely important step.

Don't shortcut this step.

Proofread your project and make any necessary changes and corrections.

Once your first draft is complete, it will be easier to see any inconsistencies and incompleteness in what you have written as you proofread it.

Make sure to leave time to proofread and rewrite your project.

You can have a friend or mentor help you with this step if needed.

Listen to another person's feedback and suggestions for improvement. But do not put forward their ideas as your own without clearly citing any help you received that significantly contributed to the final content and/or presentation of your project.

For instance, did your reading take you as long as you expected?

Are you as far along on a project as you expected?

What type of interruptions took place, which set your schedule back?

Most importantly, the feedback will give you an indication of what things you have mastered and what things you need to go back and review in order to learn it more thoroughly.

Also look for any comments or instructions from the instructor that will help you to do better the next time and cement the material from the assignment.

Always strive to do better by looking for specific ways to improve.