A FEW WEEKS before the First Semester Midterm examinations, the Guidance Counseling Office (GCO) spearheaded a forum for freshmen of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) entitled, “Access to Academic Success: An Improving Study Habits Seminar” that took place last September 18 at the Jonathan Sy Auditorium.
During the seminar, the Office’s guest speaker and its former Guidance Counselor, Asst. Prof. Mark Christian M. Francisco, MA, RGC, touched on student learning styles based on the Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing and Kinesthetic (VARK) learning styles after a short quiz.
He later urged his audience to set a goal, identifying the “Goal, Reality, Options and Willingness to act (GROW)” in pursuing it.
Moreover, engaging more with the audience, he presented organizational techniques such as the “Promodoro technique, Eisenhower Matrix, Parkinson’s Law, Time Blocking technique, and Eat that Frog technique;” along with various note-taking methods like the “well-known Sentence note-taking method, Outlining note-taking method, Mapping note-taking method, Charting note-taking method, Cornell note-taking.”
Leading to the end of his talk, Asst. Prof. Francisco gave “Test preparation and Test-taking Strategies” such as prioritizing sleep before an exam and optimizing studying, listening and reading instructions carefully during the exam, recognizing the inner critic, and checking one’s work post-examination.
Post-event, Asst. Prof. Francisco confirmed his talk was based on his Masteral thesis which covered “study habits, correlating it with academic achievement,” he told The Bedan.
The first step in developing study habits, he emphasized, was “self-awareness in terms of study or learning styles and preferences.” Hence, such became the reason why he hoped for the freshmen to “consider and eventually adopt” the VARK assessment and for them to “take it one day at a time na muna in terms of the adjustments.”
The Study Habits seminar, from its inauguration until its stunted annual operation during the pandemic, was initially focused on aiding student-athletes and students under academic probation. However, this year’s newly redesigned program was a result of the observations coming from Assoc. Prof. Jackqui R. Moreno, CPA, DBA, Chairperson of the Department of Accountancy and Taxation.
Ms. Ma. Lorena M. Galang, RGC, Head of the CAS GCO and one of the event organizers, explained that “parang [Asst. Prof. Moreno] suggested or requested na kasi nga napapansin niya na ‘yung mga freshmen may problema in terms of academic…So, nag-suggest siya na, ‘could you please facilitate or gawa ng program for study habit seminar, particularly para sa first year nga?’”
She also added that the seminar’s objectives were based on the previous Academic Year’s (AY) Student Needs Assessment, saying, “‘yung mga sumagot kasi is ‘yung previous students. So, parang nakita natin na applicable ito para sa mga freshman natin.”
With more activities in the following months, Ms. Galang tells the Bedan community that “if they have concern or experiencing, mental health concern, academic concerns, open ang guidance office to entertain them, facilitate kung ano ‘yung problem nila. And para matulungan natin sila sa magiging journey nila.”
(with Prince Piolo Tagarino)