These are some of the study habits and tips I have learnt / found most helpful in years 7-10. It’s mostly aimed at students in years 9-12, but can be applied to older and younger students too. Hope you find this helpful (:
1. Find a homework organisation system that works for you. Some schools (my school) may try to push particular methods on you, but ultimately you should use what is best for you personally. You can use a traditional organiser like a planner or homework app, or get more creative with something like a bullet journal system. I myself use a site called Trello, which although not designed for homework management works very well for it. Within a ‘board’, you can have seperate lists for homework that is overdue, due tomorrow, due soon, due in a long time, and done. Tasks can be moved between these lists as their status changes, and each task can be colour coded by subject and have a due date and checklist of subtasks / checkpoints. I find the system works extremely well. And remember, you can always use more than one system.
2. Keep a list of skills / concepts that you have trouble with, and use it as reference for getting help at the start of each class. This way you won’t forget something that needs clearing up, and bits of information won’t be missing from your knowledge when exam time approaches.
3. You need to know vocab, so get in to the habit of making flashcards. Even if you understand the concepts behind a topic, you will not do well in an exam if you can’t communicate your knowledge through accurate, subject-specific terms. This is important for all subjects, but especially those with a lot of complex definitions such as biology.
4. I know you’ve heard this before, but please don’t leave your work to the last minute. I know it is hard not to procrastinate, but I’ve been using a technique this year that has made it so much easier for me. The idea is that rather than assigning a list of tasks that need to get done in the day and then stopping once they are complete (and leaving non-essential tasks for later), assign each day a particular length of time that you will study for. Work out approximately how long you need each night for homework + extra study and revision, and then adjust based on which days you have other responsibilities. Then, work until either the time runs out or you have no work left set (even if its not due for weeks, it still counts as set). If you don’t complete everything in time then keep going until all essential tasks (those due the next day) are done, and if you finish early use the remaining time for extra study and revision. I’ve found this technique to be all around beneficial - I don’t procrastinate much at all, I never have to rush on tasks because I left them to the last minute, I am way less stressed, and I’ve also improved how I manage the time I spend on homework.
5. Revise consistently, not just in preparation for tests and exams. If you do so, you’ll have learnt all the basic vocabulary and concepts by exam time, and you can focus your time right before exams on deepening your understanding and completing practice questions. I’ll do a detailed post on how I schedule my revision sometime, but basically I make concept summary cards and vocabulary cards at the end of every week (for my maths and science subjects), and I begin other revision (practice tests, concept maps, etc) halfway to each test (eg. in week 5 for a test at the end of a 10 week unit, or at the end of term one for a unit that runs for a semester). I do this for both small unit tests and end of semester / year exams.
6. When it comes to test time, reinforce conceptual understanding through videos. It’s like you’re being taught the concept all over again, but in a summarised manner so you can work on remembering the key points. Also, things are often easier to understand when presented visually. You can also use this technique when you are struggling to understand a concept. Some great YouTube playlists for revising concepts are:
us government and politics
7. Studying with friends is fun, but don’t let yourself get distracted. If you are going to study with someone else, use them to help explain things and bounce ideas off, rather than as a distraction. Set an amount of time you are going to dedicate to study, then afterwards you can do something fun together.
8. Learn the subject so you could teach it to someone else. By doing so you ensure you have a complete and thorough understanding of the topic, without any gaps in your knowledge. Try teaching the content to a friend or sibling, or creating a mini-guide / lesson plan as if you are a teacher preparing to deliver the subject. Make sure you can elaborate on any questions someone may ask you on the topic.
9. Don’t study as soon as you get home from school, but don’t leave it too late either. Take a break when you get home to have a snack, check social media / emails, and maybe practice a musical instrument or do something artsy. Start your homework so you can complete 2/3 to ¾ of it before dinner, and then finish the rest afterwards. At least an hour before bedtime, stop studying and instead watch tv, read, or do something creative. This way you get plenty of sleep and don’t have to study for too long at once.
10. Work on applying theories to real-life examples and problems. This is another way to ensure you have a full understanding of all concepts and vocabulary. Your textbook should have plenty of application problems, or you could try writing a research essay or lab report to demonstrate your understanding. If you’re good at applying concepts to a variety of problems, it will make short and extended response questions in an exam so much easier.
titsay
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