Tips on Basic Study Skills
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 test 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.
Tip #5: Always look ahead: This applies to the use of the planner first and I'll let you look at the pdf file on this topic on my site. 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 test 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, but it is important for them not to be put on the spot. It will also develop very important communication and self-confidence skills.
How To Develop Effective High School Study Skills
Effective study skills determine a student’s success in his school life. If he knows how to balance his time for studies, extracurricular activities, personal life and play, he will not have difficulty in passing the school stage, especially the stressful high school life. However, most high school students, like most teenagers or young adults, are still less focused and study skills are yet to be cultivated in them. With help from parents and teachers, they can develop effective high school study skills that they can use not only during their high school or college years, but after school when the time comes for them to value time and organization in life. Below are some effective high school study skills that a student can practice and develop over time. Related : How To Be An Influential Student ?
In order for a student to have a good high school study skills, he needs to focus first. You can do this by making a timetable of the things that you need to study on a day to day basis. Get a pen and paper, list down all the topics that needs to be covered. Put a time frame for each subject. Remember to put more time on topics that you are having hardship while in school. Make a rundown of the topics that were discussed in the classroom. Find out how they are related to other topics. Develop an interest to each subject, although a favorite can not be eliminated.
While studying, it will be helpful to develop some techniques. For example, if you are doing memorization, you can build on some acronyms. If your high school study skills can include using some acronyms in memorization portion, you will not have any difficulty at all. Learning to do acronyms will cut down memorization time for almost a quarter or more. But how do you do this? It is easy. It is just like playing a game. For example, pick out the first letter of each item that you need to memorize. Then try to form a funny word out of it. Try to make an association in your mind of those letters and where you took them. During exams or recitations, all you need to do is remember the acronym and you will automatically recall the thing that it stands for.
High school study skills can be enhanced with practice. The students just have to do it repeatedly and it will become a habit that will be hard to erase from their system. The students can develop other techniques which they will feel comfortable in using. Different people will naturally develop different skills. Work on a study skill and this will help you in the future, not only in school but in the workplace as well.
Time Management Tips for the High School Kids
Getting into high school heaps more responsibilities for an individual. There are a lot more homework, practice schedules, additional subjects, and many others. Being in high school does not only keep you into the borders of studying but rather you also get exposed into other socializing activities. But then, normal high school kids are not only confined into preparing your assignments since there are still the household chores that you must attend to as you reach home. These things when combined altogether will certainly bring you into a world filled with stress and pressures. The question isówill you be able to manage it ? How will you budget your time between all these activities ? Time management is as essential as having a concrete plan about what you want for your own life. It is significant that young ones like you already know about the essence of time management. After all, you are already a young adult and it is only proper that you begin setting things straight in your life. Get a glimpse of the following time management tips and help yourself achieve peace of mind. Be organized at all times. At one point in time you would like to be able to spend extra time with your loved ones, friends, or even for yourself. But how will you successfully do such thing if your schedule is crowded up? You may just end up wailing out of depression. Being organized with your things, your responsibilities and appointments will save you half of the worry. If only you know when to attend to things, you will not be lacking time, running late, and ending up in misery. Set an everyday goal. As you turn in every night, it will be best to visualize the things that you will have to accomplish for the next day. Setting up a must-be-done list will specifically do you good as it will help you meet your deadlines in attending to all of your tasks.Learn to prioritize things. As you make your to-do lists, note which of them is of the greatest importance. You must attend to the things which rank as the most necessary. Just be sure that what you have in your list are all achievable. Learn to do worthwhile things in your spare time. You may not know it at all but high school kids like you really have a lot of leisure times. Instead of hanging around the campus during break times, why not attend to your homework ? By this, you lessen the loads of work that you will have to attend to in the nighttime. Always find time. Don't reason out that you have no time for this and that. If you only know how to organize your schedule, you will realize that there is always time for all your stuffs. Jot down notes. Important discussions must be noted. Since your mind may not be able to accommodate so many reminders, it is important that you write down ideas. With this scheme, you are able to effectively memorize things as you study. Get enough sleep. Of course there are a definite number of hours that growing kids like you need to devote for sleep. And basically, you cannot attend to your business for the next day if you feel groggy and all. Your concentration will be devoid of enough focus if you lack adequate time to sleep. Maintain realistic goals. If your aims are nothing but out of this world, you will always end up frustrated and depressed, so to speak. Remember that you can always get the best results in all your endeavors provided that you know of the important time management tips that can help you live a better life.
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