This month

Testing and studying skills

• Feature — Creating a positive study environment
• Web quest — Tips on studying
• Stay on track — A checklist of "to-dos"
• Take notice — Important dates
• All about AIEmail — Subscribe, suggest, review

Feature

What's your learning style?

You probably approach a new task the same way each time. Over time, you've developed a pattern of behavior that you use for learning. This pattern is known as your personal learning style.

Each person learns differently. Some like to use pictures. Others choose to work in groups. The way in which you take in information, sort, retain, retrieve, and reproduce it depends a lot on your style of learning.

Understanding different learning styles
There are four basic types of learners:

• Visual/Verbal
  These people remember more information when it is presented in a visual form, including in a written language format.
• Visual/Non-verbal
  These people remember more information when it is presented visually and in a picture or design format.
• Tactile/Kinesthetic
  These people remember more information when they are involved in a learning process that requires "hands-on" activity.
• Auditory
  These people learn and retain more information when it is presented in a sound or voice format.

Figuring out your learning style is the first step in learning things more easily, quickly, and effectively. Once you're aware of your preferred learning style, you can find ways to strengthen your weaknesses and take advantage of your strengths. You will also be able to understand others' learning styles.

Putting learning styles to use
This week, pay attention to your personal learning style. Think about what you do when you have to learn something new. For example, think about the following:

• Do you see information "in your mind's eye" when you are trying to remember something?
• Do you prefer to work in a quiet room or dislike studying with groups?
• Do you enjoy learning something "hands-on" or like learning outside the regular classroom?
• In a classroom setting, do you learn more from lectures, from group discussions, or from group activities?

To learn more about learning styles, take the DVC Survey at www.metamath.com/multiple/multiple_choice_questions.html.

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Web quest

Tips on studying

There are many resources on the Web that can help you when you need homework assistance. They can also serve as useful study aids. Here are a few sites:

• Adventures In Education — Get Ready
  The "Get Ready" section of AIE includes useful information about studying and preparing for college.
  www.AIE.org/HighSchool/hs_ready.cfm
• Word Central
  Merriam-Webster's Word Central provides students with an easy to use, illustrated dictionary.
  www.wordcentral.com
• Students.gov — Online study help
  Explore interesting subjects or look for resources to help with school projects and coursework in this collection of government Web sites.
  www.students.gov/STUGOVWebApp/Public?topicID=96&operation=maintopic

You can also find more scholarship-related Web sites in AIE's "Internet Resources" (www.AIE.org/Links/Paying/).

Watch for next week's issue of AIEmail for more scholarship resources.

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Stay on track

Checklist for this week

For freshmen

• Now's the time to learn how to stay organized. Make an effort to keep track of your time and activities.
• Buy or put together a daily planner to track your activities, appointments, and assignments.
• Go though your class notebooks, sorting and organizing the information you have into a binder or other useful format.
• Go through your locker, throwing away trash or other items that you no longer need. Consider each item you decide to keep, and if you don't need it regularly, consider taking it home.
• Set up a study time and stick to it. When you don't have homework, use your study time to read ahead in your textbooks or study for college entrance exams.

For sophomores

• It's important for you to begin to develop your leadership skills at this point in your high school career. Consider leadership options that may be available to you.
• Take on the opportunity to lead in an after school activity, school project or assignment, or other task.
• Learn to organize multiple tasks; use a notebook, day planner, or other tool to keep your assignments and appointments handy.
• Money skills are important. Watch your spending. Set up a budget, and try to stick to it.

For juniors

• By now, you should be receiving lots of mail from colleges, universities, testing services, and scholarship and grant programs.
• Set up a sorting system to keep everything organized so it will be easy to locate.
• Find three boxes and label them as follows: "Definitely Interested," "Maybe Interested," and "Not Interested." When you receive mail, sort the packets into one of these categories.
• Spend a couple of hours each weekend exploring the contents of the boxes and flag important sections of materials you will want to refer to later.

For seniors

• The time to think about how to pay for your education is now. If you haven't discussed college costs with your parents by now, it's important to have that discussion as soon as possible.
• Write down deadlines for financial aid applications; keep an eye out for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
• As you receive college applications, go through the information that is sent to you and see if additional forms are required for you to prepare and send directly to the school. If no forms were sent, call the school's financial aid office.
• Set up a draft budget and start to estimate what expenses you will have once you go to college. If you plan to attend a school that requires you to move away from home, this budget is especially important. You can use the in school (www.AIE.org/HighSchool/Worksheets/hs_inwkst.cfm) and out of school (www.AIE.org/HighSchool/Worksheets/hs_outwkst.cfm) budget worksheets at AIE to get started.

For parents

• Organization is an important skill to teach your child. By preparing them to handle multiple tasks and responsibilities, you will help equip them for college.
• Work with your child to set up an organizational system for filing/sorting schoolwork and college materials. Reinforce a daily activity of sorting this information.
• Teach your child how to identify particularly important documents. These may include personal identification items, bills, registration and other verification documents, and other similar materials. These days, privacy is a big concern, so children need to become especially adept at protecting their identity and property.

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Take notice

Important dates

Mark down these dates.

To get more information on the SAT or SAT Subject Tests, access useful tools, or register, visit the College Board's Web Site(www.collegeboard.com) or call (609) 771-7600.

To get more information on the ACT, access useful tools, or register, visit the ACT Web Site (www.act.org) or call (319) 337-1270.

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