Study Skills

Knowing how to study is an important skill to have. Students who use strategies to understand and remember what they read, such as underlining important parts of the texts or discussing what they read with other people, perform better in class and on tests. One of the biggest differences between top students and everyone else was that when they study, they take practice tests. Only 11 percent of students do this, but they perform better because they are studying in a way that goes beyond memorizing material. Here are some ideas and strategies to help students learn more.

When you are studying:

--draw pictures or diagrams to help me understand this subject.

-- make up questions and try to answer them

--When learning something new in this subject, think back to what you already know about it.

-- discuss what you are doing in this subject with others.

--practice things over and over until you know them well.

-- think about my thinking, to check if I understand the ideas.

--When you don’t understand something, go back over it again.

--make a note of things that you don’t understand very well, so that you can follow them up with a parent, friend, or teacher

--When finished with an activity, look back to see how well you did.

-- organize to manage learning.

--make plans for how to do the activities.

--take practice tests such as those in the end of a chapter, old versions from the teacher, or those available online

During class, think about these questions:

• What is the topic for today’s lesson?

• What will be important ideas in today’s lesson?

• What do you already know about this topic?

• What can you relate this to?

• What will you do to remember the key ideas?

• Is there anything about this topic you don’t understand, or are not clear about?

From “Smart Strategies That Help Students Learn How to Learn” by Annie Murphy Paul

 

Also helpful is to create a study timetable & stick to it-- first include things you like/need to do on your schedule and then work study time in after. This method naturally ensures that you are doing things you like to do every day in addition to studying, so you don’t burn out and give up. These kind of balanced schedules are easier follow.