Studying can be a major hurdle for students. Making the most of study time can be particularly challenging as kids head back to school and try to adjust to new classes and sometimes even new surroundings.
- Time Management โ This is often one of the most difficult issues for students to tackle. Between time spent in class, after-school activities and family time, there is very little left for anything else. It is important for students to sit down and create a schedule that works for them.
While there is no such thing as a perfect time-manager, there are various ways, some of them very structured, others much looser, to organise different types of workloads. You can adapt them to suit your preferences so that you have a timetable that works for you.
- Essay Planning โ Many students feel trepidation when required to write something. They often feel as though the ability to produce a clear and concise thought on paper is beyond them, a situation that can be adduced to a lack of forethought. Thoroughly planning out the essay before sitting down to write it can be a big step towards improvement.
By learning to plan, you can develop your ability to read and interpret, to create logical links and to think laterally.
- Memory Tricks โ Mnemonics is a very old technique, but one that still works. On its face, it may seem a bit silly, but for many students this is far more effective than strict memorisation. Mnemonics involve making imaginative associations, so students with good imaginations love these techniques. They are particularly useful in subjects such as Biology, Chemistry and History where names, facts, figures, dates and sequences need to be learned by heart. However, they’re also helpful in other subjects to remember lists of key points and dates. Mnemonics also help you to observe what you remember best.
- Mind mapping โThis is a visual form of studying that prompts students to literally draw thoughts and ideas on paper so they can be reviewed visually rather than verbally.
Mind mapping offers a terrific shortcut to revision and essay planning. You can also use it for brainstorming. It works for most subjects, particularly arts and humanities, but also some sciences. It’s effective even at the highest levels of university education. It involves sketching out information in a strikingly visual manner, using key words, colours and making use of shapes and space, stimulating your right brain.
- Note Taking โ Students typically fall into two categories when it comes to note taking; those who write down everything the teacher says verbatim, and those who write almost nothing down. The key to knowing how much to write down lies in the students’ ability to pluck out keywords from a lecture. Some waste time writing everything out neatly or putting their notes into the computer. None of this is necessary. The art of taking good notes lies in identifying key points. This is a very active form of revision which enables you to summarise and absorb vast quantities of information quickly and easily.
