How to Make the Most Out of Your Study Sessions
It’s important to study in order to do well in school. Not everyone knows how to study properly, though, and it can feel like your efforts aren’t paying off. Luckily, it is possible to find a way to maximize the effectiveness of your studying by tailoring your study methods to your unique needs.
Understand How You Learn
Everyone learns differently. What works for your friends and classmates might not work the same way for you, and that’s okay. Some people might be visual learners, some people might be hands on learners, and some people might even learn best without any help from others. If you’re not sure what category you fall into, try a few different methods and see what you like. You could start by getting a study group together and discussing what you think about the chapter that week. Someone in the group might have mastered a concept that’s difficult for others and they can help each other out. If that isn’t your cup of tea, see if you can try some experiments or interactive lessons. This can be especially great for science classes, as there’s so much you can learn through experimentation. There are also tons of videos that can teach you in fun, unique ways!
Know What You Need to Study
Go into the session prepared. If you have a test coming up on chapters six and seven, think about the material and what you’ve learned in class. Is there anything you had a particularly hard time with? Write down both the topics with which you aren’t super comfortable and the topics with which you are most confident. This will show you what you should be focusing on instead of just going through and rereading the chapters again. If you have a study guide, that’s great! You can use it to help you plan. If you don’t, you can make your own. Consider the things that were emphasized in class, on homework assignments, and in your notes. Write down everything that might be on the test in a way that’s easy to read and understand. You may want to take a quick look at this before your test, so be sure it’s well-organized.
Find Motivation
You can’t do well if you don’t want to. Motivate yourself to improve on every test, take better notes with each class, and welcome learning new things. If you struggle with motivation, figure out what motivates you outside of school. Do you look forward to getting ice cream after winning a soccer game? Do you live for that standing ovation at the end of your performance in the school play? Reward yourself for doing a good job with studying and doing well in class, too. Whether it’s a treat or positive recognition, you should feel good after a good study session! If that doesn’t resonate with you, think about what makes you happy and come up with a good system that works for you in order to keep yourself motivated.
Ask Questions
Stay curious. Ask questions in class, to your teacher after school, and to your friends in your study group, especially if you’re having trouble understanding something! Someone else might know the answer. It can be helpful to write down any questions that come to mind in your notes. This way, you can easily refer back to them if you forget your question and you can write your answer down as well. Being interested and curious is key to learning. And remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question.
Note-Taking Strategies
Make sure you’re taking good notes in class. There are so many ways to take notes, and surely there’s a method out there that will work for you. Look up a few different styles of note taking and try one, or even a few until you get it just right. Your notes will help you study, probably more than anything else, because they came directly from you. How do you know what to write down during the lecture? You may not need to write down each and every word your teacher says, but writing bullet points about topics and key ideas that pop up often are great things to include, especially if it’s new information you haven’t covered yet. It can take time to perfect note taking skills, but with practice, you can have stellar notes that will help you perform well in your classes.
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