Optimize Your Study Skills
Study skills are a subject that is breezed over by students around the world. Each student has a different learning style that needs to be optimized. When you compare two students one seems to naturally grasp the importance of good study skills. Another student may face challenges because they don’t know were to start. Students need to get their minds focused on learning something new every day. It’s easy to see why students are distracted because study skills are taking second place to all of the technology. Students make sure that their ipods and cell phones are working. They offer a more convenient way to mentally escape from their obligation to study.
Teachers complain about their students poor study habits. Their student’s lack of study skills is clearly evident on the first test of the school year. Many students and parents struggle with having a good study plan. Of course most parents would love for their son/daughter to earn an A+ in every class. Most parents know the value of good study skills but they struggle to convince their student of its importance.
Good study skills begin with the altitude in the attitudes of students. A student with good study habits realizes that it takes time to memorize information and to give it a personal meaning. They know that studying for 20 minutes after school will not lead to success. Students need a study guide that will teach them how to study. Books such as the “Seven Secrets of How to Study” offer effective study skills strategies. Students need test taking tips that will launch them into a successful academic year. There are seven ways to optimize your study skills:
- When you are supposed to reading the assigned text book write down notes about important points. Review your additional notes everyday.
- You can improve your study skills memory by using 3 x 5 cards to review important terms.
- Create study skills activities that you will use every week. For example have a weekly session where you write down important facts on a sheet of paper using your memory alone.
- Start your own study skills lesson plan for each subject. Your study skills lesson plan should include test taking ideas that you will use for each class.
- Don’t allow test anxiety to creep into his emotions. Reduce your test anxiety by spending more time preparing for each test. Spread your test preparation time out over five days. Related : Exam Stress Management
- The main helpful study skills resource is your teacher or tutor. Don’t be too prideful to pursue help when you need it.
- Write down notes on important facts so that you can review them the morning of your test. If you are involved in a math or science course write out all of the important formulas on one sheet of paper and review these formulas the morning of your next test.
Study skills as a way of life is the key to your success in school. Prepare a list of questions before you go to class. If your questions are not answered during class meet with your teacher or send an e-mail that contains your questions. You need to be pro-active in using creative study skills activities that tap into your own learning style.
Maintain a positive attitude and don’t let tests anxiety overcome you. Expect to have success on every test and you will. A belief that you will fail will lead to failure. Develop and practice a new study skills list each day and follow it. Implementing all of these study skills strategies will lead to a successful learning strategy and the best grades possible.
Additional Relevant Study Skills Tips
Have you ever been stuck on one little problem and suddenly, just one word, one little sentence from one person solved hours of trying to work it out? Have you ever tried to fix something and failed and when the expert came, it was done in 5 minutes? Do you want your kids to improve their study skills in just 5 MINUTES?
This will literally take 5 minutes. These 10 very simple tips about study skills will make all the difference in your life and, more importantly, in your kids' school life.
Tip #1: There is always Homework : What that means is that for each subject that your kids have that day, whether they have been given official homework or not, they must review their notes. This will mean that when a big tests or an end of unit test comes, they will never have to study for it. It will also help them be ready for the next lesson with their notes fresh in their minds and ready to ask any question that might have come up.
Tip #2: Keep your notes neat and clear : While your kids are applying Tip # 1, they can kill two birds with one stone and improve the quality of their notes, make sure that they have all the information they need and highlight or underline the important points. Notes full of crossed out words and messy ink patches need to be re-written altogether. In the long run, this will ensure, A: more success for final revision and B, more effective note taking habits.
Tip #3: Keep your bag tidy : At least once a week, especially with middle schoolers, have your kids completely empty their bags and tidy them up. You will be amazed what they will find! A lot of the time, some "lost" notes or homework will show up just in time. For this reason, it is better to do this in the middle of the week, Wednesday night for instance. After a little while, your kids will also become naturally tidier.
Tip #4: Use your time efficiently : If your kids get stuck on one particular piece of homework, leave it and move on to the next piece, otherwise frustration will rise and make matters worse. Go back to it after a while and things might be clearer or contact the teacher or a friend to find out more.
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Tip #5: Always look ahead : This applies to the use of the planner first. But it also applies to doing a little bit extra, even when you seem to be finished with the homework for that day. If a tests is coming up, don't leave it to the last minute. Be ahead of yourself and start on it now!
Tip #6: Do research wisely : If any research is involved in a project, just be careful how your kids use the Internet. It is the most fantastic resource, but it is also very distracting and kids get side-tracked very easily and waste a lot of time, being taken from one related topic to the other. So every now and then, just take them to the library to do their research. It will teach them a lot of useful skills too.
Tip #7: Use technology : Now I've said what I had to say about caution with the use of the Internet but please, whenever you can, teach your kids to use a computer effectively to apply to their school work. Let them play with PowerPoint, Publisher, Front Page, etc. Let them learn to type properly and use Word correctly. Put some relevant audio-books on their I-pods and watch the discovery Channel or educational programs with them.
Tip #8: Find YOUR way : Now, this is going to be trial and error at the beginning but for whatever subject and whatever type of homework, your kids will have to find what works for them. If results are not showing, there is something they are not doing right. Some kids may have to write all their notes over to remember facts, others might have to read them aloud, others will need to act them out or build something. Once the right way is there, it works every time.
Tip #9: Have a schedule : Your kids need to learn to prioritize and achieve things that need to be done at an early age. Always plan things according to school work and extra curricular activities that are as important. Anything else comes AFTER. Make this very clear and stick to the rule and you'll see your kids work way more efficiently.
Tip #10: Communicate with the teachers : This applies to you and to your kids. Please if in any doubt on any subject, call the teacher or contact him/her whichever way. For your kids, always encourage them to go and ask if anything is unclear. It can be done after class or the next day academic success academic success, but it is important for them not to be put on the spot. It will also develop very important communication and self-confidence skills.
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2 Comments
Very nice and informational post. Thanks for sharing .
ReplyDeleteThank you.
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