Steps To Improve Concentration

Concentration and memory work together but one does not lead to the other. To concentrate is to direct your mental powers or your efforts towards a particular activity, subject or problem. Memory is the ability to remember information, experiences and people. There are some specific skills that can be learned to enhance both concentration and memory. Practicing these skills is likely to improve one's success as a student.

Once something is stored in our brain, we never forget it. We may, however, have difficulty recalling the
information. It is also possible that the information we are trying to recall was never stored. This program will help you understand the structure of memory and also suggest some skills you can use to try to improve your memory.

Good concentration will enhance memory. If we only practice skills that improve our memory but never look at factors that enhance concentration, our efforts will only be marginally successful. For this reason, some tips for improving concentration will also be discussed in this program.

We can divide strategies for improving concentration into two categories. Each category can include numerous strategies. It is not necessary to do all of them but the more of them you use, the more you are likely to be able to improve your ability to concentrate.

Study Environment
	Distraction free
	Conditions (i.e. chair, desk, temperature, and lighting) are conducive to studying
	Materials you need for studying are present
Structure for Study Sessions
	Develop realistic goals for the study session
	Decide the order in which you will complete tasks
	Plan a reward Now that you have assessed the quality of the three locations you study most frequently, let's look at variables that make certain environments more conducive to study than others. Distraction Free Much study time is wasted by distractions, whether that is talking to friends, playing computer games or watching TV. Think about your last study period. How long did you try to study (time from beginning to end) and how much of that time was actually spent studying? If there is a big discrepancy in your response to these two questions, you may wish to explore another study location with fewer distractions. The result may be that it actually takes you less time to accomplish the same amount of work because you are able to stay focused in that environment more easily. Another source of distractions may be personal concerns, which can be more difficult to control. If you find that this is your greatest study distraction, you may wish to talk with a counselor on your campus to try to find ways to reduce or resolve your personal concerns. Conditions (i.e. chair, desk/table, lighting, and temperature) are conducive to studying The chair used for studying should be comfortable enough that you can sit for 45 - 50 minutes at a time. Sitting at a desk or table that provides adequate space for your materials to be spread out is important. The lighting in the room should not cause eye strain and the temperature should be comfortably cool. Materials needed are present It's important to make sure you have everything you will need for a particular study session present when you begin. If you're going outside your room to study, think through what you will need to accomplish your study goals and take it with you. MEMORY BASICS Creating conditions for better concentration is likely to improve the quality of your studying; however, it is also necessary to implement skills that will enhance your ability to remember the material you are studying. The next few pages will review four skills that can improve memory: organizational skills, using your body, using your brain, and including time for recall. ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS Learn main ideas first, then details At the beginning of the semester, preview your textbook for each chapter to get an idea about what you will be learning in the class. Prior to reading each chapter, preview the chapter to gain an understanding of the topics that will be covered in the chapter and what you will be expected to learn from your reading of the chapter. This will provide a framework for understanding the details you will gain as you read the chapter. Make the information relevant Try to make connections between what you are learning in class and your everyday life or your future career. Making the information meaningful to you will make the information easier to learn and remember. Link the information you already know with new information. Creating associations also makes the information easier to learn and remember. Information is stored in our brains according to a scheme. Creating these associations helps to fit the new information into the schemes that already exist in your brain.

CONCLUSION
Improving memory and concentration can be challenging. If you want further information about strategies to use to improve these skills, you may wish to review other Internet pages on the Cook Counseling Center web site related to concentration and study distractions. You may also wish to review the on-line resources about memory from Chapter 3 of the textbook, Becoming a Master Student, 9th edition, or purchase a copy of this text from a local bookstore. If you have been trying to improve your memory and concentration but the strategies you're trying just don't seem to be helping as much as you would like, please contact the Cook Counseling Center or the counseling center or learning skills center on your campus to arrange an appointment with a counselor.

CLOUDS -- COOL PICS

Cool pictures of rare clouds on Planet Earth. Clouds fill the skies above us and are part of our every day lives, often going unnoticed. However, there are some clouds that are so rare that you will be very lucky to see them in your lifetime. This is a list of the top 10 most rarest cloud formations (in no particular order) that for those lucky enough to see them, were caught on camera.

1. Nacreous Clouds
These rare clouds, sometimes called mother-of-pearl clouds, are 15 - 25km (9 -16 miles) high in the stratosphere and well above tropospheric clouds.




They have iridescent colours but are higher and much rarer than ordinary iridescent clouds. They are seen mostly but not exclusively in polar regions and in winter at high latitudes, Scandinavia, Alaska, Northern Canada. Lower level iridescent clouds can be seen anywhere.





Nacreous clouds shine brightly in high altitude sunlight up to two hours after ground level sunset or before dawn. Their unbelievably bright iridescent colours and slow movement relative to any lower clouds make them an unmistakable and unforgettable sight.







2. Mammatus Clouds

Mammatus are pouch-like cloud structures and a rare example of clouds in sinking air.
Sometimes very ominous in appearance, mammatus clouds are harmless and do not mean that a tornado is about to form - a commonly held misconception. In fact, mammatus are usually seen after the worst of a thunderstorm has passed.




3. Altocumulus Castelanus
Also known as jellyfish clouds due to their jellyfish-like appearance.
These formed around 17,000 ft due to when the rush of moist air comes from the Gulf Stream and gets trapped between layers of dry air. The top of the cloud rises into a jellyfish shape and long tentacles known as “trailing virga” form from rain drops that have evaporated.



4. Noctilucent Clouds
Noctilucent Clouds or Polar Mesopheric Clouds: This is an extroadinarily rare cloud formation that occurs out on the verge of space between 82km to 102 km from the earth’s surface.
Noctilucent clouds appear to be luminous yet they reflect the sunlight from the other side of the earth at night, giving them a glowing appearance





5. Mushroom Clouds
A mushroom cloud is a distinctive mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke, condensed water vapor, or debris resulting from a very large explosion. They are most commonly associated with nuclear explosions, but any sufficiently large blast will produce the same sort of effect.
Volcano eruptions and impact events can produce natural mushroom clouds.

Mushroom cloudsorm as a result of the sudden formation of a large mass of hot low-density gases near the ground creating a Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The mass of gas rises rapidly, resulting in turbulent vortices curling downward around its edges and drawing up a column of additional smoke and debris in the centre to form its “stem”. The mass of gas eventually reaches an altitude where it is no longer less dense than the surrounding air and disperses, the debris drawn upward from the ground scattering and drifting back down.





6. Cirrus Kelvin-Helmholtz
Appearing as a slender, horizontal spiral of cloud, cirrus Kelvin-Helmholtz is one of the most distinctive cloud formations. However, it tends to dissipate only a minute or two after forming and, as a result, is rarely observed.

Average height is around 16,500 ft.



7. Lenticular Clouds
Lenticular clouds, technically known as altocumulus standing lenticularis, are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally aligned at right-angles to the wind direction.
Where stable moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains, a series of large-scale standing waves may form on the downwind side. Lenticular clouds sometimes form at the crests of these waves. Under certain conditions, long strings of lenticular clouds can form, creating a formation known as a wave cloud.






8. Roll Clouds
A roll cloud is a low, horizontal tube-shaped arcus cloud associated with a thunderstorm gust front, or sometimes a cold front. Roll clouds can also be a sign of possible microburst activity.
Cool air sinking air from a storm cloud’s downdraft spreads out across the surface with the leading edge called a gust front. This outflow undercuts warm air being drawn into the storm’s updraft. As the cool air lifts the warm moist air water condenses creating cloud, which often rolls with the different winds above and below (wind shear).

9. Shelf Clouds
A shelf cloud is a low, horizontal wedge-shaped arcus cloud, associated with a thunderstorm gust front (or occasionally with a cold front, even in the absence of thunderstorms).
Unlike a roll cloud, a shelf cloud is attached to the base of the parent cloud above it (usually a thunderstorm).
Rising cloud motion often can be seen in the leading (outer) part of the shelf cloud, while the underside often appears turbulent, boiling, and wind-torn.


10. Stratocumulus Clouds
According to the Sapporo Meteorological Observatory, these low-altitude stratocumulus clouds were rolled into long, distinctive ribbons after becoming trapped in air currents.
While it is not uncommon for wind to form such patterns in stratocumulus clouds, photos that clearly show the clouds rolled into strips are rare, says the observatory.