Plan | Organize | Places | Health | Help | Style | Preparation | Notes | Summary

Plan Your Time

Being a good student involves being a good planner. You must be able to budget and plan your time so that you can do all those things that absolutely must be done and that you would like done in the week or month.

One way to do this is to get a large monthly calendar and record all necssary information & time spans on it. ( a weekly calendar may work).

Colour Code It

On your calendar or in your notes, use a highlighter or a different colour pen to make all due dates for test and assignments stand out.

1. record all long term commitments that you have (part time work hours, sports practices, babysitting, school hours, household chores, sleep, church, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.
2. record all commitments that have come up for that week only (doctor's appointment, car repair, meetings, etc.)
3. record all entertainment / free time activities that you would like to participate in (going to movie, watching television, exercise, surfing the net, etc.)
4. record all test dates & assignment due dates
5. record all times when you plan to study.

Note: if you don't have enough time to study, you must make time by eliminating something from the first three categories.

Organize Your Book

Use a separate notebook for each course or use one large binder for all courses. If using one binder, be sure to use dividers for each subject.

• Subjects may be divided into smaller units as well (e.g. English ... novel, poetry, short story, drama).
• Put the date on your page at the beginning of your note.
• Indicate what assignments or tests are due and when. Perhaps have a separate sheet at the front of your binder for all due dates and homework.

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Home:

• Kitchen: It is the highest traffic zone of the house. It is where families gather, where dishes are done, where food is prepared, and where children like to play. It also has delicious temptations (food) to draw you away from studying.
• Dining Room: As long as a meal isn't going to be eaten there, a good choice. Less traffic, no fridge.
• Office: a good choice. it should be quiet, the atmosphere is conducive to learning, you will probably have access to a computer and other materials, but you must avoid the temptation of surfing the internet.
• Family Room: Television and stereo will be distracting or tempting, and you may have others around you who will talk and bother you. The couch or chair may also be so comfy that you fall asleep.
• Bedroom: You are accustomed to sleeping there, so you may unintentionally become sleepy or fall asleep altogether. You may have all sorts of distraction posters, photos, etc. However, you may have a desk in your room and it may be a quiet place for you to focus.

School:

• Library: probably the best place to study away from home. We have quiet areas, computers and books for research, a quiet reading room, and much more. The public library would be great as well.
• Cafeteria: Probably far too noisy and distracting. However, if you are studying in a group, you will be allowed to talk freely.
• In Class: If your teacher gives you time in class to study, take it. Your teacher can be a resoource for you.

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Why do I get sleepy when I study?

Your health and physical well-being help determine how well you study.

1. Eating a big meal before studying can make you sleepy as your body uses energy to digest food.
2. A room that is too warm can make you sleepy. Better to have a cool room and wear a sweater.
3. A room with dim lighting is inviting you to sleep. Make sure your room is well lit.
4. You're studying in the wrong room.

Studying in a room that you mentally associate with sleep may make you sleepy. If you are used to sleeping on the couch, lying on the couch to read or study will tell your body it is sleep time.

The same is true of your bedroom. There are two scenarios:

• You mentally associate sleep with that room, and trying to study while in your room may lead to sleepiness.
• You use your room for more than just sleep, and when you try to sleep, your body can't relax and fall asleep. You are mentally alert. If you don't rest well, you won't have energy and you won't be alert enough to study well

Don't study when your are either hungry or full.If hungry, you may feel weak and you may be distracted from your task. On the other hand, if you are full, your body works hard to digest food and you may find yourself feeling sleepy. Eat a light snack if you are hungry and plan study times around heavy meals.Eating or drinking sugary foods is not a good idea. You will feel a boost of energy for a short period and then you will crash and feel very tired.

• Wash your hands often
• Don't share food or drink
• Get plenty of sleep
• Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals
• Avoid sick people
• Drink plenty of fluids
• Exercise regularly

Pay special attention to these things when due dates are approaching and around exam time.

There are always people who can help you when you run into trouble. Know who they are.

• Who can explain material to you?
• Who can drive you to work, practice, school?
• Who can loan you notes that you missed when absent? You can photocopy them.
• Who can take your shift at work for you?
• Who can help you to study?
• Who can do your household chores for you?
• Won can baby-sit in your place?
• If you're sick, who can hand in an assignment for you?
• What classmate can you phone or text message to get information?

You should use a highlighter to review your notes and highlight all important words, definitions, terms, concepts, or ideas. However, not everything should be highlighted. Your goal should not be to indicate what you've read. Highlight only those parts that are necessary to remind you of what you need to know. If your topic is the war of 1812, highlight key names, dates, battles, etc. You should know the material well enough to fill in the rest on your own. If you highlight too much, nothing becomes important ... everything is equal in your notes.

Caution: Unless you buy your own textbook, do not use a hi-lighter to identify important parts. This is vandalism

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You've Got Style, Kid!

Determine if you are a learner who needs to see (visual), to hear, (auditory), or to do (kinæsthetic). What is your learning style?

See: If you need to see things in order to best learn, sit where you can see the teacher and the board. Take thorough notes. Also, draw diagrams, symbols, flow charts, etc. in your notes to explain things to yourself.

Hear: If you learn best by hearing the material being covered, sit where you will hear the teacher as well as your classmates, avoid sitting close to other students who may prevent you from hearing because they talk, fidget, or do anything else that may distract you. If you have an assigned seat, ask the teacher if yo can move to another seat.

Do: If you learn best by doing, try explaining the information to someone else or to your bedroom mirror. Write down the concepts taught or pretend to write a letter to a friend explaining what you know.

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1. Sit close to the front of the class where you can see and hear everything (avoid sitting by the door.).
2. Avoid people who may distract you.
3. Participate in discussions. Explaining things to other or sharing your ideas and questions is a very good way to learn and reinforce concepts.
4. When reading, never sacrifice understanding for speed. it is beter to slow down and understand the material.
5. Instead of memorizing, try understanding and putting things in your own words. Teachers don't necessarily want you to use the exact same words that they or the text use.
6. If you must memorize, the key is repetition, repetition, repetition. When you have memorized a section, add new material slowly.
7. Know if you are a morning, afternoon, or evening person. Study during those hours when you are most fresh and alert.
8. Take breaks when you are tired. Nap, if you must, but try to keep it to a maximum of 20 minutes. After doing school work for one to two hours, schedule in a break (watch television, go for a walk) but keep it to about 15 minutes.
9. You ride the bus for 15 minutes, your teacher gives you the last 15 minutes of class to study, you have a 15 minute break at work, your favorite television doesn't start for 15 minutes. Isn't it amazing how four periods of 15 minutes adds up to one hour! Take advantage of short periods of time when you can study.
10. Put it into your own words to enhance learning.
11. If you can teach it to someone else, you probably know the information pretty well.
12. Plan tomorrow today.
13. Do things in order of most important to least important.
14. If two things are due at the same time, do the thing you like least first, ath the thing you like bet last. You will be fresh when you are doing the least liked thing.
15. Create your own form of shorthand in order to take speedy notes. Listen to learn. Only record important ideas, names, dates, concepts, etc. Don't record every word the teacher says. Your notes should help you to remember what you learned.
16. When you get a test / examination / assignment back, read it over along with all the comments made by the teacher. Comments are made to teach you, not because the teacher has nothing better to do.

1. First impressions really do count. make all assignments look as good as possible. Use crisp, clean sheets of white paper, and prepare a proper title page.
2. Type all assignments so that the teacher will not struggle with handwriting. For tests, make sure your handwriting is very neat. If the teacher struggles to read it, he will struggle to give you marks too!
3. Fix any spelling or grammar errors on assignments and tests. If the teacher struggles to read it, he will struggle to give you marks too!
4. Assignments should be written in a plain font like Times New roman to make it easy to read. If the teacher struggles to read it, he will struggle to give you marks too!
5. Staple all pages together before you hand it in.

Only Do What You Must Do Now

You may be swamped with work, so know what you must do and also when it is alright to say, "It's good enough".

• If it's an optional assignment or if it is not due within the next few days, you may be best to put it off until you find time to do it later.
• If an assignment or part of it is worth very few marks, it may not be worth your time spending several hours on it. Know when the assignment is "good enough" to be submitted.
• Know whether or not you must read something carefully in order to fully understand concepts and ideas, or quickly in order to get an overview or to look for facts, figures, etc.

Prepare For Tests And Assignments

• When you get an assignment test, etc. back, be sure to read it over along with all the comments made by the teacher. A marked paper is supposed to be a learning tool.
• Ask the teacher to explain any comments that you aren't sure about.
• Study for tests and exams by re-reading all your old tests, quizzes, and assignments.

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• Always do your reading assignments (homework) so that you can better understand the lesson taught
• A good note does not record every word that the teacher says
• Only record words, ideas, definitions, concepts, etc. that are important and need to be remembered and that will trigger your recollection of all the details not written.
• Too many words or notes may actually camouflage or hide the really important things
• Listen and watch for clues in the teachers presentation that signal when important material is about to be given (words like "three things happened" or a hand gesture that signals importance or tone of voice).
• Don't just listen. Think as you write, put ideas together, hypothesize.
• Do not write notes in complete sentences. Use point form.
• Use symbols, abbreviations, or your own version of shorthand to write more quickly (diagrams too).
• Review your notes as soon as possible after class so that you can reinforce concepts / remember.
• Notes do not have to be neat. Make them effective.
• Ideas are important, not the words you use.

You will be able to not only tell me what happened, but also why it happened, and what you think will happen next. You will be able to remember names of characters, dates, times, and specific details. AND, I bet you will not have taken down even one word on a sheet of paper. You can do this because you were watching and listening attentively, using your brain to understand and make connections.

There are two key requirements in order to take good notes:

• Listen to what is being said
• Write down only the important things.

S.T.M. Library can help you

• Quiet reading room with leather chairs
• Study carrels
• Tables for group study
• Computers for research or word processing, databases, encyclopædia, internet access
• Laptops, projectors, CD players, DVD players for you to use when doing a presentation
• Sheets that explain how to do a work cited page
• Overhead transparency sheets
• Colour and black & white printing
• Knowledgeable library staff

• Read the entire test first to determine what is required of you
• Spend more time on questions worth more.
• Highlight all important instructions for each question and for the test or exam as a whole.
• Use the entire test time even if others have left
• Check your answers over when you are done
• Leave questions you aren't sure of until the end.
• Decide whether you will do hardest questions first or easiest questions first.
• Leave no blanks. Write something.
• If you are stuck, move on to the next question.
• If answering questions on a reading passage (poem, story, article etc.), be sure to read all the questions first so that you can look for answers and highlight as you read.
• If it is a true / false or multiple choice test, guess at all answers you don't know (unless you will be penalized for doing so.)
• Often, for T / F test, the shorter answers are the correct ones.
• Often, for multiple choice tests, the longer answers are the correct ones.

Material for this newsletter came from the following text:
Fry, Ron. How to Study. 3rd edition. Hawthorn, New Jersey: Career Press. 1994.

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