Smart Learning: A Study Skills Guide for Teens

For all intents & purposes, this book meets the requirements of a good study skill book for teens. The various topics covered are relevant & the eight chapters are organized, as follows: 1. Introduction 2. Active Learning 3. The Writing Process 4. Introducing PREPsteps 5. Taking & Making Notes 6. Time Management 7. Test Taking Strategy 8. Goal Setting However, I am intrigued by the authors' arrangement of the chapters, particularly Chapter 6 & Chapter 8 pertaining to time management & goal setting respectively. In any kind of endeavours, goals & priorities must always take precedence. In the case of learning & studying for the student, goal setting & priority (as opposed to time) management must come first. Goals set the purpose & direction in life, & priorities set everything (i.e. all the tasks toward goal achievement) in motion. Without setting goals & managing priorities, everything one does become random activities. For example, in the introductory Chapter 1, the authors write in the first paragraph, "All kids - & that includes you - can become smart learners. But you won't get there by wishing...." If `goals setting & priority management' has been set as the introductory chapters, the contents of this particular chapter would make more sense for the teen reader, because smart learners are always goal-oriented! Again in Chapter 2: Active Reading & Chapter 3: The Writing Process, one very important element is missing. Active readers/writers always set a purpose (or goal) for reading/writing. With a purpose or goal in mind, the brain can search for/produce important information relevant to the purpose or goal during the reading/writing process. In fact, goal setting is paramount in setting all the four communication skills in motion: reading the textbooks, listening in class, speaking during discussions, & writing essays or reports. With a focus on goals (or the end in mind) & priorities (or first things first), (to paraphrase Sean Covey's & his 'Seven Habits for Highly Effective Teens'), Chapter 4: PREPsteps would become much more meaningful for the teen reader. Therefore, it would have been more appropriate for the authors to set Chapter 8 (goals) and Chapter 6 (priorities) as lead chapters accordingly in the book. Nevertheless, the authors give good instructions as well as appropriate examples for the above chapters. In Chapter 5: Taking & Making Notes, the authors outline three note-taking/making methods. The first one, which the authors call it the `i' note method, using the symbolic alphabet `i' as a platform. Correspondingly, on a sheet of note-paper, the top half of the dot denotes an area for `topic' & the bottom half denotes an area for `main idea', & the stem denotes an area for `details'. `Summary' is located below the stem, with `vocabulary (new words or terms) as well as study questions are to be arranged on the left side of `i'. This is a refreshing approach to note-taking/maki