HOW TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY?

 STUDYING:

When you sit down to study, how do you transfer that massive amount of information from the books and notes in front of you to a reliable spot in your mind? You need to develop good study habits. At first, it'll take a good deal of conscious effort to change your studying habits, but after a while, it'll become second nature, and studying will be easier to do.

PREPARING FOR STUDY:

 Make a weekly schedule and devote a certain amount of time per day to studying. This can be an hour or even 3 hours in total. This will also improve your grades. That amount will vary depending on whether you're in high school or college, and also varies by field of study. Make sure you stick to your schedule as much as possible but don't be afraid to go off of plan sometimes to study more for the most recent upcoming exam. Make sure this study plan is realistic and not impossible.

• You need to balance school, work, and extracurricular activities. If you are really struggling with your classes, you may want to give up the after-school job or an extracurricular activity until your grades come up. You need to prioritize your time. Remember: your education is the most important thing because it is the foundation of your future success.

• For college classes, you should base the hours you study per class on how difficult the class is and how many credit hours the class is worth. For example, if you have a 3-hour physics class that is really hard, you want to study 9 hours a week (3 hrs x 3 for hard difficulty). If you have a literature course that is worth 3 hours and is kind of hard, you may want to study 6 hours a week (3 hrs x 2 for medium difficulty).

TIPS FOR STUDYING EFFECTIVELY:

• GET ORGANIZED=Carry a homework planner at all times. Entering homework, projects, tests, and assignments as soon as they are assigned will make sure they aren’t forgotten about.

• PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS=It’s important to concentrate and avoid distractions when the teacher is speaking. Practice active listening by concentrating on what’s being said and taking notes in your own words. This will help make sure you hear (and understand) what is being taught in class.

• STEER CLEAR OF DISTRACTIONS=Distractions are everywhere from cell phones to social media to friends. Be aware of what distracts you in class and know how to steer clear of these distractions. Avoid sitting next to friends if you know they will distract you. Turning off your cell phone will also help make sure you are paying attention to your teacher.

• MAKE SURE NOTES ARE COMPLETE=Writing clear and complete notes in class will help you process the information you are learning. These notes will also become study notes that can be reviewed before a test. Talk to friends or the teacher if you have missed a class to ensure your notes are complete.

• ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND=Raise your hand and ask questions if you don’t understand something. If you don’t feel comfortable asking in front of everyone, write yourself a reminder to talk to the teacher after class.

• MAKE A STUDY SCHEDULE/PLAN=When making a study schedule, look at your planner and think about what needs to be accomplished. Think about the types of questions that will be on the test and the topics that will be covered so you know what you should focus on. Set specific goals for each study session, like how many topics you will cover by the end of the session.

• REVIEW NOTES FROM CLASS EVERY EVENING=After school, review and expand on the notes from class. Reviewing notes helps move material learned from short-term memory into long-term memory, which will help next time you have a big test.

• SIMPLIFY STUDY NOTES=Make studying less overwhelming by condensing notes from class. Underline or highlight keywords. Create visual aids like charts, story webs, mind maps, or outlines to organize and simplify information and help you remember better.

CONCLUSION:

Learning with understanding is more likely to promote transfer than simply memorizing information from a text or a lecture. Many classroom activities stress the importance of memorization over learning with understanding. Many, as well, focus on facts and details rather than larger themes of causes and consequences of events. The shortfalls of these approaches are not apparent if the only test of learning involves tests of memory, but when the transfer of learning is measured, the advantages of learning with understanding are likely to be revealed.