Study Skills Nancy Maggard Regional Manager Johnson County September 9, 2015 Timing Recommendations: 30 – 45 minutes 1

Understanding Study Skills 2

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Can you identify good study skills vs. bad study skills? Studying in designated study areas Studying with too much noise Studying while watching TV Color coding Cramming for a test or quiz Pulling an “all-nighter” Disorganized school materials Scheduling study times Asking Questions Flash cards Study Groups (all the time) Planning ahead Not using an academic planner 4

Can you identify good study skills vs. bad study skills? Cramming for a test or quiz Pulling an “all-nighter” Studying while watching TV Disorganized school materials Not using an academic planner Study Groups (all the time) Studying with too much noise Narrative: While it may seem fairly easy to point out, it’s also just as easy to fall into some of the study habits on the left of the screen and even harder to build disciplined study habits to get you over to the right side of the slide. 5

Can you identify good study skills vs. bad study skills? Studying in designated study areas Scheduling study times Color coding Planning ahead Flash cards Asking Questions Good Study Skills Studying in designated study areas Scheduling study times Color coding Planning ahead Flash cards Asking Questions 6

Identify Poor Study Strategies Are your child’s study habits down in the DUMPS? Distracted: “Studying” while watching a favorite TV show Unorganized: Messy study area or notebooks Multitasking: Facebooking, tweeting or texting while studying Procrastinating: Starting to study for a test or quiz the night before Social Butterfly: Only studies with friends and never alone Mentally check off in your heads if these apply to your child 7

Introduce Effective Study Strategies Introduce these habits to get them to the head of the CLASS Clarity: Ask the right questions to understand the assignment Learning Preference Assigned Study Time: Make sure to study when most productive (morning, afternoon, evening) Schedule: Use a planner and make sure everyone is aware of important deadlines Study Area: Create a comfortable, distraction-free area to optimize studying Clarity: Ask them: What directions did the teacher give? When will the test be? What types of questions will be on the test? What topics will be covered? Learning preference: Kids learn and study differently. We’ll go into how each can preference can study effectively but knowing right off the bat whether your child is an auditory, visual or tactile learner will help greatly. (please note that some kids might have a different preference depending on the subject or use a strategies supporting a variety of preferences to study) Assigned study time: Every kid is more productive at different times. Got yourself an early riser? Have them review some tougher concepts right before school. Also, it’s important to allow breaks when they’re really hunkering down. Give them time to take a quick break to text a friend, watch a funny video online or chat with you in order to get them to focus better once they settle back down. (How about encouraging kids to be active rather than passively on devices? Encourage them to take a walk around the block or something) Schedule: Encourage kids to use a planner so they can block out when big tests or assignments are due and back out enough time to complete them efficiently and without stress (or as stress free as possible) These can also be used to set goals and milestones for completing long-term projects Study areas are important because they help a child get into a “study mode” quickly without wasting time on gathering all their supplies and settling in. A designated study spot will have everything that they need. 8

How to Create a Good Study Environment at Home Checklist Good lighting Enough outlets to charge devices Sturdy work surface (table, desk or lap desk) Comfortable seat Limited distractions Place for supplies (pens, pencils, highlighters, paper, sticky notes, index cards, etc.) NO TEXTING during key study times As discussed briefly on the last slide, setting up a go-to study area is very important because it helps them get settled into “study mode.” Follow this check list to set up an effective study area in your house. Allow your child to experiment with the space to see what works best for them! 9

Now that you’ve laid the ground work for your child to be effective in his or her studying, it’s time to deploy actual study skills and strategies to make this the most successful school year yet! 10

Study Skills & Strategies: Study Skills Essentials 11

Time Management Skills Use a planner Helps students keep track of homework, tests, long-term projects, extracurricular activities, social engagements and other appointments For younger kids, mark these down on a large family calendar in the kitchen and talk them through the upcoming schedule Recognize peak productivity Find out when your child is at peak productivity (morning, afternoon, night) and schedule in tasks that are most complex and demanding Encourage your child to block out their peak productivity times as study times before they accidentally schedule other things during those times Work the weekly schedule Introduce the benefits of a weekly schedule to help them learn how to map out their week and plan their time more wisely Itemize tasks Following the weekly schedule, help your child create a daily to- do list so they get in the habit of writing things down Narrative: Time management isn’t just an adult term – students have to learn how to make time for homework, project and test deadlines while balancing extracurricular activities and free time Good time management skills will benefit them through the their life. Here are the top 4 ways to instill good time management skills in your child 12

Note-Taking The purpose of note-taking is to record main ideas and details of a topic. Your child can accomplish this by employing the following note- taking skills: Use a graphic organizer (Venn diagram, story maps, 5Ws) related to the material to organize main ideas and details. Write down main ideas of each paragraph Record a question related to each paragraph and then record the answers to identify main ideas and details Create an outline to record main ideas and details Use active listening strategies to draw conclusions, identify main ideas, and follow instructions and use abbreviations to quickly record information 13

How To Avoid Test Taking Anxiety Kids can experience anxiety before tests or major deadlines Help your child combat test anxiety by: Using a study process to make sure he or she is fully prepared Teaching them to breathe deeply whenever they feel tense during a project or test Using relaxation techniques to imagine or focus on a calming or happy place Having them visualize success 14

How Sylvan Learning Can Help 15

Sylvan Advanced Study Skills Designed for students in grades 4-12 Program courses teach students to build: Independent and effective study habits Effective time management and organizational skills Active reading, listening and presentation skills Effective note taking strategies and how to use study tools (e.g. flashcards, color coding, etc.) And more…! Additional Resources: SylvanSourceBlog.com (Sylvan Learning’s parenting and education blog) Narrative: Our programs are for kids K-12, but our specialized study skills programs start at grade 4 because that’s when school work and the need for these types of skillsets become necessary due to the course work. 16

Learn more! Sylvan Learning of Overland Park 913.681.1141 9165 W. 133rd Street Overland Park, KS 66213 Sylvan Learning website: www.SylvanLearning.com/OverlandPark 17

Questions? 18

Thank You! 19