Suggestions for Studying General Chemistry (zz)
Some Comments/Suggestions for Studying General Chemistry
(and, by extension, everything else as well!)
Dr. A. J. Pribula
9/96
One of the most common challenges that General Chemistry students have is tha
t they don't realize the importance of being actively involved in their own l
earning. Many seem to think that coming to class and passively listening to t
he instructor's pearls of wisdom is all that is needed. No instructor, no mat
ter how gifted they may be, can teach you anything if you aren't actively eng
aged in, and responsible for, your own learning. It is widely accepted among
those who study learning that no idea can be transported wholesale from one m
ind to another. The hearer (or observer or reader) of an idea does not simply
take the idea into his or her mind as a package deal. Each hearer hears a sl
ightly different message, depending on their background and current ideas abo
ut the topic and the world. Each hearer responds a little differently and mus
t do what is right for them to fit this new piece of information into their m
ind (unfortunately, sometimes filtering out parts, ignoring, or even distorti
ng what they have heard) and re-construct their view of the world. Everyone i
s a little different; everyone has at least slightly different intellectual e
quipment and a different set of life and school experiences which they bring
to the learning situation. Therefore, the learning experience is a little dif
ferent for each person, even those in the same classroom.
The person who wishes to become a learner must be actively involved in constr
ucting their own set of ideas. This process will be different in its details
for each person, but each must go through a similar process of hearing (or se
eing or reading) the new item, comparing it with what is already in his or he
r mind, and integrating the new information into the memory bank. This is not
a simple process--it requires work! The work may take the form of reading an
d re-reading, thinking about the new information and how it fits in, practici
ng with the new fact or skill, making a few mistakes, allowing an "induction
period" for the information to "settle in," talking about things with other s
tudents and/or the instructor, asking questions, etc., or (most likely) most
(or all) of these in some combination which will be different for each studen
t and each new item. How does this relate to learning General Chemistry? It i
s commonly (and correctly) perceived that this is a difficult course. There a
re a multitude of new words, facts, concepts, and techniques introduced in th
is course. (There are more new vocabulary words used in an introductory scien
ce course than in any other course except a foreign language.) Moreover, ther
e are terms used which have one meaning in a general context (i.e., outside o
f Chemistry class), but another, much more specific one in the context of the
course. You need to understand the word in the context of the course for ful
l comprehension of the material. Beyond that, the new terms need to be used m
ore precisely than in many other disciplines. And beyond that, you will often
be required to use these concepts at a number of levels, including mathemati
cal ones, simultaneously. Without an awareness of your own background (specif
ically including its limitations), a desire to work to learn, and some sort o
f effective learning strategy to guide you, the prospects for success are not
good. What follows is an attempt to give you some suggestions which should h
elp increase your chances for success in this course. (Many of these suggesti
ons apply to virtually any course, but some are more specific to science and
chemistry courses.) These suggestions are in no particular order. They do not
comprise an exhaustive guide for study skills, nor will all of these comment
s apply to any individual. As soon as possible, read this over carefully and
thoughtfully. Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself which of these apply to y
ou. Which of these do you already do? At which could you use some improvement
? Which had you not even thought about before? Refer back to this handout oft
en during the semester for a "refresher course."
Take responsibility for your own learning
Put in the required effort.
Read the assignments carefully before coming to class, and then again after c
lass.
Do the assigned problems--and maybe extras for good measure.
Come to class and lab prepared and on time. Class attendance is important eve
n if your instructor doesn't specifically require it.
Take complete notes in class and lab. Review these as soon after class as pos
sible, fill in any gaps, and formulate questions which need answering. You ma
y also want to make an outline of the major points of the chapter based on yo
ur notes and your reading of the text.
In addition to the notes, be sure to write down all important announcements (
test dates, due dates, assignments, changes to experiments, etc.)
Pay attention in class. Listen to your instructor, not to the student next to
you.
If anyone in the class or lab interferes with your learning (by talking or ot
her distractions), then move away from them. If the problem persists, discuss
the problem with your instructor.
If you miss class, make sure that you get all the necessary information from
the instructor or another responsible student. You are responsible for the ma
terial whether or not you are in class!
If any problem arises, aggressively seek help as soon as you can to deal with
it.
Use all the resources (text, lab manual, instructor, tutor, exams on file, st
udy skills center, library, other students, etc.) which may be available.
Get questions answered as soon as you have them.
Get timely feedback from whatever appropriate sources (study guide, instructo
r, other students, tutor center, exam reviews, etc.) you can. Remember that t
he results on exams, quizzes, and lab reports are feedback also. Use these as
a guide to where you need additional work and practice.
Believe what the instructor says--if he/she says something, assume that they
mean it and act accordingly! If the new information doesn't agree with what y
ou currently believe is true, then resolve the discrepancy.
Follow directions carefully.
Keep current in your studying--getting behind in a course where there are lot
s of new ideas, facts, concepts, etc. can be fatal to your understanding (and
your grade!).
Be aware of deadlines.
Take a mature approach to the course--don't complain about the work, just do
it! Remember that actions have consequences. If you don't like the (real or e
xpected) consequences, change your actions! If your background is weak (as ev
idenced by difficulties with concepts or skills in problems in the early chap
ters, or from comments by your instructor like "I assume that you can already
do X," and you know you can't do it), do what it takes to shore up the weakn
esses as soon as you realize that this is necessary. Your instructor will hav
e a set of expectations for your initial level of skills and knowledge--find
out what that is and, if appropriate, do extra work early to bring your actua
l level up to his/her expectation level. Don't expect them to bring theirs do
wn just for you! (It is not at all unreasonable for an instructor to expect y
ou to remember something from your previous education or experience!) Progres
s towards your ultimate career and life goals is a cumulative process.
Show (or develop) a willingness to leam--have a positive attitude about learn
ing new things. Even if you have taken a very good High School course and hav
e "seen this all before," you still have room to refine your knowledge and sk
ills.
Learn to take criticism in a positive manner. Nobody is perfect--we all have
ways in which we can improve. Even if you don't like hearing the criticism, l
isten to it and gain something from it.
Show your instructor the best you can do, not the least it takes to "get by."
Develop an effective set of study skills.
Manage your time wisely--you should expect to spend at least 1-2 hours of stu
dy time for each hour in lecture, plus additional time to work on laboratory
material.
Pace your studying throughout the week and throughout the semester--"cramming
" right before the exam is very unlikely to produce good results.
Get enough rest and otherwise take care of your health.
Find a place in which you can study effectively (noise level, light level, la
ck of distractions, etc.).
Learn to read effectively (more on this below).
Do many practice problems and get feedback to test how complete your understa
nding of the concept is.
Learn when memorization is necessary and do it only when necessary. The list
of things which must be memorized is fairly short (e.g., elemental symbols, n
omenclature rules, solubility rules, definitions of units, rules for electrol
yte behavior, etc.), but these things are crucial. Certain items cannot be de
rived from other knowledge and must be memorized--there is no other way to le
arn them. These are the things from which other bits of knowledge can be cons
tructed and on which these will be based. However, don't waste time on memori
zing lists of things which don't need to be memorized (either because they ar
e not important or they will be available from tables, etc.). If you are not
sure what does and does not need to be memorized, consult your instructor. On
ce you have memorized something, practice using it in appropriate situations.
Look for patterns and generalities when you study.
Form a study group with classmates and discuss words, concepts, problem-solvi
ng strategies, etc. to the benefit of all the members of the group. Having to
explain something to someone else is an excellent way of finding out what yo
u do and don't understand!
Learn to read effectively.
This is one of the most important learning skills. "Reading" does not mean si
mply pronouncing words correctly in the order they appear on the page. It als
o means actively trying to get meaning from those words.
As you read, think about the meaning of each word in the given context. Try t
o paraphrase the author's words to test your understanding of the new materia
l and to help fit into your overall un-derstanding of the world and the subje
ct.
If you encounter an unfamiliar word, think especially hard about it. Can you
figure out its meaning (from the context, or from breaking it down into prefi
x-root-suffix)? If not, consult a dictionary or glossary immediately! Expandi
ng your vocabulary is a significant aid to learning.
As you read a word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, section, or chapter, be alwa
ys thinking of how this new information fits into what you already know. Does
it extend it? Conflict with it? Does your previous thinking need revision ba
sed on this new information? Tying new information in with old is one of the
most effective means of fostering long-term memory and understanding. Learnin
g is a constant process of integrating new material into old, and revising ho
w you view some part of the world.
If you are having trouble understanding a concept, find another textbook and
read the corresponding section to see if it is clearer to you there.
Develop your problem-solving skills.
This will involve general thinking and reasoning skills as well as mathematic
al and symbolic reasoning and logic.
Sharpen your basic mathematical skills so that they are second nature to you.
One of the primary reasons students have trouble with General Chemistry is t
hat their math skills are weaker than they realize--and then they compound th
e problem by not taking remediation steps when these are clearly needed. (The
math needed for General Chemistry is not particularly advanced--algebraic ma
nipulations, solving first-order and simple higher-order equations, graphing,
exponential notation, and a few other skills. Most students have at least a
basic knowledge of the concepts needed. What is commonly lacking, however, is
a true facility with the manipulations and a gut-level meaning for the conce
pts and for numerical magnitudes.)
Learn how to use your calculator effectively. If your calculator has lots of
buttons whose purpose is unknown to you, this is of limited value.
Learn and practice using units for physical quantities. These can be of immen
se help in setting up and checking mathematical procedures.
Have a feeling for the magnitudes of answers and whether or not they are reas
onable (i.e., are they "in the ballpark" based on previous experience?). Chec
k every answer for mathematical and physical reasonableness.
Learn to think your way logically through a problem.
If your first approach to a solution doesn't work out, try another one. Be te
nacious--don't just give up and look up the answer in the study guide. (Being
able to follow what someone else did and being able to do it yourself are tw
o very different things!)
Try to figure out how the problem you're working on is like examples you've s
een before and reason by analogy.
Try to find more effective solutions for problems which arise repeatedly, so
that you don't have to use "the long way" continually.
Don't lose sight of what the question is asking. Re-read the question often a
s you are attempting its solution.
If you need a piece of information, look it up using the index of your text o
r other suitable source.
Don't be afraid to be wrong--as Sir Isaac Newton said many years ago, "Truth
comes more easily out of error than out of confusion."
Practice, practice, practice! If you are having trouble with the practice pro
blems, then you are very likely to have trouble with the exam also!
Develop an effective test-taking strategy.
This usually involves an initial scan of the entire exam to "get the feel" of
the test, followed by a quick estimation of the time involved for each quest
ion or problem, then a decision of which questions to do in which order (this
generally means answering the easier problems first as a "warm-up," followed
by the more time-consuming ones), and finally, doing the questions themselve
s.
If you run short of time, make a choice which will allow you to get the maxim
um amount of credit in the given time. Set problems up, even if you can't fin
ish the solution.
If you have extra time, make use of it by reviewing your work and checking yo
ur answers for mathematical and physical reasonableness.
Stay calm and pace your work to give yourself the best shot to show what you
can do.
Try to get "the big picture."
Try to integrate what you are currently being exposed to into what you alread
y know (or you think you know!). Do your previously-formed ideas fit this new
situation? Do they need modification--or even need to be discarded and refor
mulated?
Try to integrate new material with the old, integrate material from different
courses and/or disciplines, integrate material between lecture and lab.
Look for as many patterns and generalities as you can.
Learn to "chunk" material into "packages" of related concepts to aid memory a
nd use.
If the above seems like a lot to do and remember, why are you surprised? Did
anyone ever tell you that it would be easy? To paraphrase the opening line of
F. Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled, "Learning is hard!" If you believe t
hat there is some magic formula for effective learning that makes it easy, pl
ease tell me about it! I am not aware of any! (If you really do believe this,
however, I suspect that you have been deceived in this regard.) Putting in t
he requisite effort in the appropriate way will bring success. (Unfortunately
, knowing as you are progressing through the semester what is "the appropriat
e way" is not always easy!) As was stated earlier, no instructor can do the j
ob for you--but all instructors can help you on your journey to learning. If
you do the right sort of work, then they will be more than glad to do their j
ob--that of helping you learn in an effective fashion. What you learn (both f
acts and attitudes) in your college years is a big factor in determining how
well you will do for the rest of your life. The more effort you put forth now
, the more likely you will enjoy what you do in the future.