Topical Guide 165
Mark Dorset
School: Tests: Strategies for Preparing for: “Study Buddies”;
Doodling
Veronica was quite nervous about the social studies test that we would have the next day, a test based on the first three chapters of Our Town and Its People, a history of Babbington that all fifth-graders were required to study.
“We can study together,” she suggested.
“All right,” I said.Little Follies, “Take the Long Way Home”
Want a quick tip to cut the amount that you have to study in half? Partner up! Study buddies are a great way to divide study material, save time, and gain new perspectives.
Here’s how it works:
Select a Study Buddy. The best study buddy is someone who you will be able to work well with. It’s nice to partner up with your friends, but if you’re going to spend your time gossiping or discussing video game high scores, then it won’t be time well spent.
Set a Schedule. Select a time and place to meet up to study.
Divvy up the Workload. If there are two chapters to study, each student is responsible for one chapter.
Talk it Out. A study buddy isn’t about sitting down together and quietly reading side by side. A study buddy helps you learn, helps you discover areas that you need to focus on, and helps you cut down on the amount of studying you have to do on your own.
Prepare. Before you meet for the first time, do your review. …
Create a fake test for your study partner.Oxford Learning, “INSIDER GUIDE TO STUDYING TIP 5 – STUDY BUDDY”
School: Tests: Strategies for Preparing for: to Study or Not to Study;
Doodling
“You created the Klamburger,” I reminded him. “That’s pretty clever.”
“Child’s play,” said Porky. “To compete with Ed’s Eggs, we need names that are much, much cleverer than Klamburger. They’ve got to be clever enough so that people repeat them, turn them into slang words, use them in everyday conversation, even joke about them. They’ve got to become part of the currency of contemporary culture. You see what I mean?”
“Wow,” I said. “That’s going to be—that’s going to be—”
“What?”
“ —really, really hard.”
“You said a mouthful there, pal. I’ve been sweating over this for days
now. …” Then, as if suddenly inspired, he said, “Say, Mister Investor, why don’t you … see if you can come up with some of the clever names we need?”
“It’s the night before the big test,” I said. “The Coll Comps. The Comprehensive College Competency Exams.”
“So?” said Porky with a derisive snort. “Everybody knows you can’t study for those tests. You’ve been preparing for them all your life. Either you’re competent now or you’re not. You don’t need to study. All you have to do is go in there and spill your guts. You might as well work on clever names. It’ll help you relax. That’s much more important than studying.”
So, on the night before the big test, the test that would map my life’s journey, I didn’t study. I accepted the idea that studying was useless, that if I wasn’t ready for the Coll Comps now, it was too late to make up for my shortcomings.
Instead, I sat in my room, brooding, listening to moody jazz, doodling, … and trying to think of clever names for Kap’n Klam menu items.Albertine’s Overcoat
Doodling
[more to come on Monday, January 3, 2022]
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