Good study habits

Besides using a planner, lots of other strategies exist to help you manage all the academic work you need to do. The following two check lists of good study habits is provided so that you can incorporate them into your routine NOW and keep them around forever.  The first lists general habits for handling all your homework:

  1. Know how your teachers’ assign homework. When and where does your teacher (think about each subject you take) give out assignments? Some teachers post assignments online. Know which ones do, so that you can make use of their posts, and know which ones DON’T so you are not caught at home without an assignment.
  2. Get those emails! Most teachers will share their school emails so if you have questions about an assignment you can email them. Feel nervous about that? Remember this: they chose to become teachers, to devote their lives to helping kids like you learn, and they gave out their email. Now do you think they want to hear from you?
  3. Where do you keep track of your assignments? As discussed above, make sure you USE a planner or calendar and KNOW WHERE IT IS at all times.
  4. Some people routinely forget to bring home an important binder or textbook they need to do their homework. So, draw up a schedule of what books need to be home on which days according to #1 above. Paste that schedule inside your locker and make a habit of checking it each day.
  5. Do parents get overly involved in your study habits and make you more stressed? If you’re studying hard and reaching your goals, sit down with them and explain how you feel. If you feel stressed by all that your parents are expecting, discuss that too.
  6. Do you finish your homework on time? If not, why? Is it too much? Do you need some extra time or help? Do you have plenty of time and skill but you still procrastinate? Whatever the deal is, you need to address it if you want to do well. Enlist the help or your parents, friends and teachers.
  7. Read directions carefully before starting any test, project or paper. Highlight key words to help remind you of any steps involved. Can you ask for help if you need it? To whom will you go?

This second list is for when you get down to the knitty-gritty – how to create a solid study environment each time you do your homework:

  • Find a good quiet study spot; one where you will not be distracted by other people or by televisions, etc. 
  • Make sure you have a good comfortable chair or lounge area.  The less comfortable you are, the more likely you will be distracted.

• It’s been reported that the attention span of a middle school student is less than 20 minutes at a time. If you feel distracted after an amount of time (it could be 15 minutes or 55) get up and stretch, take a break, treat yourself to something. But get right back to work after your 5-minute break. from a brain science perspective, this will help solidify information in your brain and get it ready to learn more.

• Keep your study spot well stocked with what you need to study- plenty of paper, pens, pencils, calculator etc.  Getting up and down to fetch things will interrupt your study flow.

• Play music if it helps you to study and remain focused. Turn it off if it takes away from your concentration. Many students report that music helps them to feel more relaxed while studying, and that is a benefit. Being more relaxed generally improves your ability to study.

(Source: https://study.com/academy/popular/is-it-good-to-listen-to-music-while-studying.html)

Post Question:

What study technique do you find most helpful? What do you need to avoid to maintain attention?

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