Studying and Learning Anatomy and Physiology
Anatomy and Physiology is the foundation for further education. Do the best you can; this course will make further studies more understandable. As a Doctor, EMT, or Nurse, Anatomy and Physiology will be part of your profession. Medical professionals must know Anatomy and Physiology to further their careers.
You need to study hard to understand and learn the materials. If studying was easy and casual before, now is the time that serious studying need to be done. Knowing how to study and having good study habits will make this course less stressful, possibly easier.
Studying Anatomy and Physiology also involve a lot of memorization, but also application and analysis of how the body parts function. The human body is very complex. It is very important to have a study group for Anatomy and Physiology. This will help you keep up the pace, find out what you may have forgotten to study, and help keep you motivated. Find a few students, who are serious about learning and get together to study, compare notes, quiz each other and keep current in the coursework.
Why A & P are different?
You can compare learning A & P to building a house. Like a house, which must be built foundation first, walls second and roof last, Anatomy and Physiology must be learned in a specific order. Just as you cannot build a house roof first, you cannot learn complex problems without first learning simple one. Because of this sequential process, you really need to try and take A & P (or biology) classes back to back to keep from forgetting any material.
Like a foreign language, A & P (biology) has unfamiliar vocabulary words or terms which must be put in sentences called expressions or equations. Learning how to speak biology as a language is the key to biology success. Also, if you do not practice foreign language, you forget it.
Football / Basketball / Tennis – you have to practice to get better, just like with the foreign language – How many times a week do Football Players practice? They make BIG money! Would you make time to practice biology everyday if you made that kind of money? That is external motivation; you need to find what motivates you to do your homework everyday.
Biology is a popular topic – we hear biology articles frequently on television news – science is often at the forefront of our lives…talks about major events that we can relate to politically, geographically, and historically. Biology concepts are sometimes reinforced in our everyday lives.
Poor past experiences with biology! Society reinforces students’ negative feelings about biology. It has become socially acceptable not to do well in biology. (Oh, that’s ok..it’s a hard class)
EX: Students frequently receive sympathy from other when they fail in biology, while the same people will criticize the student for failing other courses.
Time Management is very important in any coursework. Set aside time to study. Make sure you are (relatively) free of interruptions or distractions. Study a little bit each day. This will keep the knowledge fresh, since there is so much to learn and memorize. This will be more effective than trying to “cram” it all in at the last minute. Make this course a priority. Before you start a new chapter, go over the things you got wrong either on a test or during your previous studying. Then go forward.
Learning Styles
Learning Styles reflects your habits and natural tendencies. You are not limited to just one style, you may use several. However, knowing your dominant learning style can help you adjust your study habits, the way you take notes, where you sit in class, etc.
Visual learners – prefers to “see” rather than hear. Learns better by reading than by listening to lectures
Auditory – learns by listening – lectures suit this type of learner well
Kinesthetic – learns by doing, understands concepts more easily which can be experienced – performing experiences such as cutting a pizza to learn fractions
Note Taking;Golden Triangle of Success
Golden Triangle of Success in their handouts – where you sit in class will help you become a more effective listener. Visual learners sit in the front as they are more likely to pay attention and not get distracted. Auditory learners sit in the back because this is where the instructor’s voice is projected.