When creating strategies for exam preparation it was extremely difficult to relate to my own major. Being an art student, I have very few tests or quizzes and in the one class I do have an exam, it is essay styled questions with a very set, structured style of studying. In Design History we are tested on about 14 of the 80 designs we learn before a test, so memorizing each fact about each object is the best way to be prepared. Although this is extremely tedious and time consuming, it is expected to have studied at least 20 hours before a test and flash cards have proven to be the most effective for myself.
Choosing to use the anticipating test questions strategy was the most relatable to my situation. Although I already know the anticipated test questions because it is always simply stated, "How is this important to the History of Modern Design?" I can anticipate the answers to this question for each design that I study. My flash cards are my life line for this test. They have a picture of the object on the front and every fact possible on the back. While "Big Ideas" are the main concern aside from the memorization of names, dates, and places, these facts on the back all seem to relate to each other. I find this information from the syllabus.
The syllabus has a list of topics that we read in the textbook each week. These topics are "Big Idea" kinds of concepts that intertwine the relativity of each of the pieces we learn about in class. By understanding the "Big ideas", I am able to categorize, learn, and recognize where each of these 80 or so objects fit into.
Realizing that the syllabus had the "Big Idea" topics listed out by class was a huge help! Not only did I know that this was the reason I did so well on my first test, but it also made studying SO much easier. I will definitely utilize my syllabus to a much greater extent after seeing my exam score on the first test.
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