Study Skills
Small changes can unlock big academic results
With a new school year students have an opportunity to start fresh and be a better student. Study habits play a huge role in how successful a student will be in reaching this goal. Rereading notes, redoing notes, flashcards, study guides, color coding and drawing pictures are several ways to study. “I prefer to use summaries that I have taken or given in my notes so I can go over main points in the subject,” Kynlee Wickham, senior, said. Applications and websites are out there to be used to help students study like Quizlet, WolframAlpha and XMind. Studying in various ways can expand the mind and enhance information retention for upcoming tests. A study method that proves effective for one class may not be suitable for another. This is why it’s beneficial to explore multiple study techniques. “Color coding works
best for me because the important facts are in a specific color and it’s easy for me to read and I can use different colored pens and highlighters to help me differentiate. I also find that creating flashcards helps me retain information better,” Leah Peltier, junior, said Other students have also found that looking at notes and summaries has been really helpful. Some students don’t study far ahead. “I don’t like to study super far in advance; I use cram studying. It works best for me,” Cheyenne Evans, senior, said. Staying focused is very important when it comes to studying and being productive. “Limit as much noise, maybe try and work in a quieter area, and then give yourself a reward for doing stuff, not food and drink but getting a sweet treat or a certain amount of phone time or game time,” Peltier junior said.
Good note-taking is crucial for success in high school and college, as it helps focus, understand main concepts and improve active listening and understanding. Good and clean notes save time, energy and confusion. To take good notes in class, prepare by going over assignments and keeping notes organized. During class focus on main points, look for information, record the stuff that’s confusing and take visually clear and structured notes. Use smaller words, symbols, bullets and phrases for consistency. This will help the mind stay engaged and retain information. Color-coding is a mental tool that helps in boosting attention and organization. It helps in finding key information, improving memory, organizing notes carefully and increasing interest. To successfully color-code notes, choose a common color scheme, use useful tools like colored pens, highlighters and markers, create a color- coding key, highlight important content, underline or box key concepts, use different colors for different sections, organize information and use symbols and diagrams. This approach can make studying more enjoyable and efficient, especially in subjects you don’t normally enjoy.
Flashcards are an effective learning strategy for students helping activate memory and understanding. They create mental paths making it easier to remember information in the future. Students who created and used flashcards scored higher on exams. The method involves writing terms, defining them in their own words and generating an example to improve grammar. The experience of creating flashcards is helpful as it allows students to move away from interruptions and engage with course content.
The Totem
14 | Study Skills Written and designed by Kayleigh Gerdes
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