Do you ever have the impression that you’re in a class with students who don’t need to study but nonetheless succeed? If you’ve seen this, or even if you are this person, you should be aware that in order to continue to achieve, everyone will need to excel at studying.
For effective results, the capacity to study, brainstorm, and learn in a productive manner is required. If you didn’t have solid study skills in high school, more difficult classes in college will come as a shock! As a result, getting a head start on developing the study skills you’ll need to succeed is worthwhile.
We are here to walk you through some strategies for improving your high school study skills in this blog. These abilities will be critical in making the most of your study time and applying what you’ve learned when exam time arrives, regardless of whatever subject you’re studying.
Find the best working environment for you.
Everyone likes to study in different settings, so it’s crucial to figure out what works best for you! Do you prefer the complete silence that a library provides? The convenience of having your own desk in your own room? How can you establish a better study environment for yourself if you’re distracted at home by TV or family members’ activities?
Everyone learns best in a low-stress atmosphere, regardless of their preferences. Make sure you’re not getting distracted all the time. If you’re studying on your bed, for example, make sure you’re not so comfy that you could fall asleep at any time. Take care of yourself at the same time. Bring some snacks with you. Also, make sure you’re drinking enough water to stay hydrated.
With a pen in hand, be an active reader.
Make “marks” on the pages of your school books as you read. This has been proved to boost reading retention substantially, so you should practise annotating. You can do the following:
- Highlight or underline
- Try to write questions in the margins or at the bottom
- Make a list of the most important observations
Make a circle around repeating concepts and vocabulary words - Make a list of terms you have to look up and their definitions
- Keep track of when specific themes arise
- Try to represent concepts diagrammatically
While marking up the text may take longer to finish a reading assignment, it will save you time when you return to the material to study for an exam. On your initial reading, you’ll have retained more information. You’ll also be more equipped to build on concepts if you have recognized the key information.
In class, take careful notes and record lectures.
Active note taking, like active reading, saves time and is an important aspect of improving your high school study skills.
When you take notes, you process the information the first time you hear it, increasing your chances of remembering it. You can also go back over your good notes to study more effectively.
Is it difficult for you to take detailed notes because your teacher speaks too quickly? Request that you be allowed to record lectures so that you can listen to them afterwards. You should take notes by hand even if you’re recording a lecture, since you’ll remember it better. You can also annotate your books if the teacher is teaching directly from the book.
Avoid rote memorization at all costs.
Many students are successful because they memorise their textbooks. While this strategy might work in school, you’ll have a lot more success in college if you study by drawing connections and applying what you’ve learned. Understanding a topic differs from being able to repeat the topic’s description from your textbook, which is a vital high school study skills.
We recollect new facts regarding events that we have personally witnessed. To put it another way, we learn by putting new knowledge into context with what we already know and understand. This is why it’s crucial to study by connecting things. There’s just so much memorization that can be done! Apply what you’ve learned as you study. Consider instances in which such information is significant and aids in explaining what you saw, heard, or felt. It is possible to know you have learned a concept or topic only when you can apply it to new scenarios.
Make a study plan and get started early.
Make plans for your day or week so that you can commit enough time to studying. This is a crucial component of being able to begin learning early. Everyone understands that cramming is ineffective, but do you understand why? Cramming results in exposure to a topic rather than comprehension. Even if you can recognize knowledge after a night of cramming, you’re less likely to be able to recall it and apply it in a different context on a test the following day than if you prepared for a week. It’s just as vital to learn to manage your time so that you can study.
Focus on your work and stay away from distractions.
It’s critical that the time you spend studying isn’t wasted on other activities. When studying, stay away from distractions. Put your phone on silent or put it in a different room. You must process and apply the information you read in order to learn. This is impossible if sending a text interrupts every paragraph you’re reading.
You will be able to learn more efficiently and retain more of the knowledge you study if you devote your complete attention to it. Multitasking becomes a habit after a while. This means it functions in a similar way to an addiction. Once you’ve developed the habit of multitasking, your brain will continue to operate in this manner, restricting your ability to focus on vital tasks. As a result, it’s critical to study without interruption.
Study with Rostrum
Rostrum Education is a premium tutoring and education consultancy launched in London in 2016 with the intention of assisting students with their learning curve and providing them with a global platform, allowing them to achieve their academic goals.
Rostrum, with the motto “teach beyond boundaries,” offers a wide range of tutoring and consulting services to students pursuing various curricula such as the International Baccalaureate, IGCSE, and A-Levels. Rostrum is based in London and has offices in Dubai and New Delhi, allowing them to create a worldwide learning matrix.
Our knowledgeable tutors assist students in realising their full potential and achieving academic distinction. Our education experts and counsellors, who assist students in achieving academic achievement, also translate this academic achievement into success.
