As students gear up for state tests and finals, it’s time to start
taking a look at how they study. Knowing how to study not only helps
boost students’ performance on major exams, it also helps them go into
the exam with confidence. Even students who already know how to study
can stand to re-evaluate their study skills to make sure they’re
maximizing their brain power. These strategies for improving study
skills will not only help students learn how to study, they’ll also help
make their study time more effective.
1. Start Early
Despite its popularity, cramming for an exam rarely works. Focusing
on a lot of the same information at once may make students feel
confident that they know it, but often it doesn’t stick. Instead of
cramming for exams, students should start studying early and gradually
review the information over time. This helps them learn and review a
variety of information at once and in smaller amounts, making it easier
for the information to stick. It also removes some of the stress because
they don’t have to spend the night before a test studying instead of
getting a good night’s sleep.
2. Find Your Optimal Study Environment
Sometimes students know the basics of studying, but they don’t do it
in the best environment. They may think they can study with the TV on
and radio blaring or while sitting in the library with their friends,
but that’s not always the case. Students should conduct an honest and
thorough evaluation of their study environment to see whether it’s
really working for them. One way to do this is to read a paragraph in
the normal study environment, test what they remember, and then switch
to a quieter environment, read another paragraph and see if they
remember more or less.
A few questions to ask when finding the optimal study environment include:
- What do I hear around me? Does it distract me from what I’m reading/doing?
- What do I smell around me? Does it make me feel positive or negative?
- How is the lighting? Is it too dark? Too bright?
- Am I comfortable? Too comfortable?
- Do I have all the resources I need around me?
- What objects/sounds/smells/etc. take me away from my studying in this environment?
Answering these questions will help students determine whether their
study environment is working and what they need to add or remove
to create the optimal study environment.
3. Learn How to Study
Of course students can study all the time in the optimal study
environment, but it doesn’t do any good if they don’t know how to study.
Studying involves more than re-reading highlighted notes or flipping
through a stack of flashcards.
HowtoStudy.com
offers a guide to help students learn how to study. The guide covers
aspects of studying such as creating a study plan, taking effective
notes, managing stress, and learning how to effectively study and brush
up on your skills before a test. While the guide has been designed for
college students, many of its principles also work well for students in
middle school and high school. Too often students get to college without
knowing how to study, so it’s good to teach them how to study while the
stakes are lower and they have their parents and teachers around to
support them.
4. Think Positive
When students have trouble with a subject and develop a negative
attitude, no amount of studying will work. Instead, the negativity will
overpower most of the learning that takes place. The goal of studying is
to help students learn to master difficult concepts and become more
confident in the material and they must approach studying with that
mindset.
Parents and teachers can help encourage students to think positive by
encouraging them with phrases such as “I know you can get this” or
“you’re almost there.” Adding motivational quotes, posters, or other
positive pictures and phrases to the study environment can also help
students subconsciously think more positively about themselves and their
abilities. When studying, students also shouldn’t start with the most
difficult material they need to learn. Instead, they should start with
easier material so they experience success early on and, therefore, are
more motivated to keep going.
5. Use Study Skills Worksheets and Organizers
Study skills worksheets and organizers, like those found as part of Help Teaching’s
free printables
collection can help students learn the key words, vocabularies, and
strategies needed to become better at studying. These worksheets will
also help students by helping them with concepts such as
creating a study calendar, learning what
foods to eat while studying, and even just getting a handle on the
vocabulary related to studying.
Focusing on the details involved with studying before actually
looking at the material can help students vastly improve their study
skills and, therefore, improve their performance on major exams.
Taken from
http://www.helpteaching.com/blog/5-ways-to-improve-study-skills.html
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