Study Techniques

Study Techniques

1. Notes

   • Organization
     • There is a relationship between orderliness and high grades
     • Knowing where all your notes are is a key to success, it will help later on in the course
     • Having a calender for the course so that you can write all your due dates and test dates
     • A well kept notebook is a part of having a good notebook
   • Note taking
     • Taking good notes is a MUST
     • Without good notes you will not be able to reread or review the assignment or prepare for the test
     • Taking good notes is not a waste of time it is actual a time saver

2. Yourself

   • Learning Style
     • Auditory
       • Auditory learners can try reading their notes aloud or recording key points and playing them back to themselves
     • Visual
       • Visual learners should use colors in their notes and drawing diagrams to represent key points. Also, try remembering ideas as images
     • Kinesthetic
       • Kinesthetic learners should use methods like role-playing or building models to reuse key ideas
   • Help
     • If you get stuck on your homework, assignment or you just do not understand something than ask your teacher or fellow classmates
   • Study mindset
     • Always think positive "I can do this"
     • Avoid claustrophobic thinking "i am a mess"
     • Avoid absolute thinking "I always mess things up"
     • Avoid comparing yourself to others "She/He is so much better than me"
   • You
     • Take responsibility for your own studying

3. Material

   • What you need during studying
     • Having pens, pencils, etc
     • Do not have your phone or any other electronic device unless you actually need it
     • Have food and a drink near you will reduce breaking concentration
   • Test yourself
     • Any form of pre-test like flashcards
     • Provide your own explanations for problems while learning the material
   • Over learning/ Review
     • A student who does not review frequently can forget up to 80 % of what has been learned in the last 2 weeks
     • Over learning is helpful
       • Students who over learn material retain 4 times as much after a month than students who did not
     • Frequent reviews throughout that course will bring rewards at test time and will release pre test anxiety
     • The first review should be shortly after the lesson was taught

4. Location

   • Setting
     • Be free from all distractions
     • A quiet area
   • Place
     • Study at a desk or a table
     • Same place everyday
     • Same time everyday

5. Tools

   • Assignments
     • Keep ALL your assignments by doing this you are able to learn on what you are expected to do
     • Put your assignments in your notebook
   • Flash cards
     • Make flash cards and bring them with you wherever you go and use them during "dead time"
     • They improve your study skills
   • Schedule
     • Set aside certain hours for each day for studying
     • Keep that same schedule
     • Studying everyday for 2 hours for each class is recommended but not everyone is the same