How To Study To Improve Your Grades

Two Important Things Your study area is JUST as important as HOW you study. Reading over your notes is NEVER the only thing you should do to study – it is the least effective method to remember information!

Find a Good Study Spot The place where you study should be relatively quiet (traffic outside your window and quiet library conversations are fine, but interrupting siblings and music blasting in the next room are not). It should be a comfortable place – but not so comfortable that you fall asleep! Keep it in the same place every time. Your mind will get used to concentrating there! Your study spot needs to be clear of distractions…

Get Rid of Distractions! Music? That’s up to you. It’s better if the music doesn’t have words (classical and movie soundtrack music increases memory!) but really familiar music is ok too. Turn off your tv AND your cellphone. Sorry – but these things take your attention AWAY from what you need to be doing and actually will suck the information you just worked hard to learn out of your brain.  In fact, make sure you’re in a room without these distractions! Download an app for your computer or phone that will block some of these distracting sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, etc.). You can unblock them after! Download an app for your computer or phone that will block some of these distracting sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, etc.). You can unblock them after!

Manage Your Time Make a weekly schedule to plan to spend a certain amount of time per day on studying; this will help to make studying for quizzes and tests easier and quicker!

Manage Your Time Study in minute chunks. It takes time for your brain to form new long-term memories! Take 10 minute breaks to do some physical activity to get the blood flowing again. (It’ll also wake you up a little more!)

SLEEEEEEEEP! Sleep is SO important for what you studied to get cemented in your brain – finally some good news! Sleep is SO important for what you studied to get cemented in your brain – finally some good news! Think of it this way: If you sleep only 4-5 hours, you'll probably need to double your study time in order to be as effective as if you'd gotten 7-9 hours of sleep. Get a good night’s sleep every night! If you end up a little sleep-deprived despite your best efforts, take a short nap (20 minutes) before studying. Then do some physical activity (like you would do during a break) right before you start.

Ways to Study There are many different ways to study. You can use a certain study method depending what type of learner you are. Studying works best if you combine a few different study methods that work for you. It can take a bit of time to get used to new ways of studying, and you may have to try a couple of different ones before you find the ones that work for you.

Studying Using Your Learning Style

Visual Learners Underline, use differently coloured pens, or highlight important ideas in your notes. Replace words with symbols that stand for words. Make a mind map outline of your notes. Turn words into charts and diagrams and then back to words again.

Auditory Learners Record your notes and listen to them. Read your notes out loud. Explain the topic to someone (How do I do this?) Get a study buddy to explain something one more time.

Kinesthetic Learner Remember any field trips, experiments, or roles plays that you did during the unit. Put lots of real examples in your notes. Write out your study notes or a shortened version of them. The more different ways you rewrite it, the better you may remember it. Walk around as you review information. Use visualization skills. Construct a movie in your mind that illustrates the concept you're trying to remember, and play it several times over. Imagine every little detail. Use your senses-- how does it smell? look? feel? sound? taste?

Other Ways to Study Learn the most important facts first. Turn your notes into a song. Write a catchy jingle about it (or write lyrics to the tune of your favourite song). Teach the topic to someone else. **THIS IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO REMEMBER YOUR NOTES** Turn your notes into a step-by-step process so you can teach the topic to someone else! Turn your notes into a step-by-step process so you can teach the topic to someone else! Draw a comic about the topic.

I created these with my friend while trying to remember everything we learned in our History of Math class – it was so much easier to remember aftewards! Some Comics

More Ways to Study! Make a study sheet. Try to shorten all the information in your notes to 1 or 2 pages, writing it by hand or typing it out. (You could even keep it with you to review when you have some down time!) Get a study group together (as long as your friends are interested in studying of course!).If you’ve made flash cards, everyone can bring theirs and quiz each other.

Make Flash Cards Make them colourful or even draw or use pictures on your flashcards! You can also download computer programs that cut down on space and the cost of index cards. You can also just use a regular piece of paper folded (vertically) in half. Put the questions on the side you can see when the paper is folded; unfold it to see the answers inside. Keep quizzing yourself until you get all the answers right reliably. Remember: "Repetition is the mother of skill."

Any questions?

It’s Time… …to pick some (new) ways you plan to use to study for your upcoming test or quiz! Underline/highlight/circle 3 different ways you will use to study for your next evaluation. If you want to know your learning style, you can check out the surveys I will post on our website! If you want to know your learning style, you can check out the surveys I will post on our website! Write down your choices on the slip of paper I will give you, as well as your learning style if you chose that route. We’ll check to see if these worked after your next quiz or test!