The EYI Study Technique When astudent wants to studva chaoter in his ehemistrvteat he usuallv finds aauiet dace. Armed with man" hriehtlv a strong sense of unease about those things he still does not understand, but feels reassured by all the significant items he has underlined. Then he takes the exam on that chapter and earns a low "C". He confronts his instructor and, with an anger born of repeated frustrations, demands to know why he did so poorly when he studied so well. Did he study well? Probably not. No doubt he studied hard, and with much good intent. He probably feels like Charley Brown did when, after losing yet another ballgame, he lamented, "How can we lose, we're so sincere?" All of us recognize that something more than sincerity is required to win hallgames, but it is also true that something more than well-intentioned concentration is required to study well. To convert "sincere" study into effective study should stop passing over those parts of the chapter that he doesn't understand, and adopt the "Eliminate Your Ignorance" (EYI) attitude and technique. With this approach the student concentrates, during his first reading of the chapter, on what he does not understand. It was his ignorance, after all, that earned him his low "C". As before, he fint finds a quiet place. Instead of marking pens he has a # 2 lead pencil. Anytime he encounters somethine that he doesn't understand. he makes a mareinal note. After he has finished readine the e h a ~ t ehe r seeks helo
As with any technique there is an impressive distance between the ideal and implementation. The technique consists of three steps: I) Identify items not understwd; 2) Ask questions about them; and 3) Keep asking till explanations are obtained which make sense. Most students find the first s t e easy, ~ but balk a t stem 2 and 3. Our educational svstem seems to have conditioned a large proportion of them to not ask &&ions. Any instructor recommending this technique to his students will also need to encourage them to seek the explanations they need. He may even want to suggest that since they are paying for their education they have a right to such explanations. The number of students in my classes who have chosen to use this technique is not overwhelming, hut the change in attitudes and performances of those who did is both impressive and encouraging. A number of them improved their class standings hya full letter grade. Most important to me, they all improved their self-confidence by realizing a potential they didn't know they had.
American River College 4700 College Oak Drive Sacramento, California 95841
746 / Journal of Chemical Education
S. P a u l Steed
