1. Practice answering case study questions.
2. Remember what you have learned from reading on the subject. Use the knowledge gained to answer the questions.
3. What is the question asking you to solve?
4. Read or focus on the meaning of the entire study question to become familiar with the nature and scope of the problem. Go over it a second time.
5. Imagine the problem and then try to solve it. Visualize the scenario or situation posed by the question.
6. Slow down if you start to get confused. Answer the easiest questions first and then come back to the harder ones.
I have never tried to practice answering case study questions. Since each case study we have worked on in this course correlates directly to the lesson for that week, there really isn't a "practice test" we can take to see how we do with the questioning. What I do find myself doing however is looking at the questions before I read the case study. I then highlight specific sections of the case study with post-it tabs that relate to the question I'm being asked so that I can refer back to it when answering. I also highlight sections of the chapter that relate to the questions. When I answer a question I try to be as thorough as possible. I read the question, read it again, and then I hand write it out. This enables me to jot down notes or ideas that I feel could be used to answer the question. I can honestly say that I have never visualized or imagined a problem. I've never thought about answering a question in those terms. I am not certain that that would be a good methodology for me or not? Is the process going to add to my already analytical approach? I don't want to over think questions (because I already do that) so visualizing or imagining how to approach a question I do not think would benefit me for the purpose of what I am trying to accomplish, however I could see it being beneficial to others in order to solve problems (e.g. physicians, lawyers, or architects). One thing I always try to do with the case study questions is to take my time. I do not rush through answering the questions. I read the case study once then I put my book down and come back to it again about a day later and re-read the case study. Since I have already read the questions and for the most part have the jist of what the questions are asking of me and how I want to answer it, I then begin to consider what will be incorporated into my answer (theories, practices, outside sources).
I think the eHow article has some valid suggestions, some of which I already practice. My current methodology has served me well in case studies but there is always room for improvement. I think one of the things that I could do moving forward it to review case studies ahead of time. In the past I had a classmate that would review two case studies ahead so that she would be familiar with the study before it was due. I remember I approached her in the beginning of a term to analyze a case study for MSLD 630. I was working on week one (since we were in week one) and she was already analyzing the case study for week 3. She had already paired with another classmate and they got through the first case and decided to move onto the second in order to prepare for the following week. This was a good strategy because she was never behind in the class, generally worked ahead (which can be a double edged sword in my opinion). One thing I can take away from the article is skipping a harder question and working on the ones I have a better grasp on. In our last case study, while answering questions about Veja, I had some difficulty with some of the questions and instead of moving on and coming back to the question, I found myself going in circles for a while trying to come up with the best answer.
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