Prep Talk
5 Good Study Habits to Develop
Posted April 18th, 2016
Always be prepared for class: Getting ready for classes the night before (instead of watching that last program on TV) can be a life-saver at school the next day. Teens who organize their assignments, lay out the clothes they’ll wear and generally make sure they have all their tools together (including note-taking material) before they go to bed have less last-minute running around to do before school, and less stress.
Complete assignments thoroughly and on time: This one falls under the category of staying organized as well. With all the things a teenager has to squeeze into his week, completing assignments on time can be challenging. Breaking up large assignments over a number of days, and keeping tasks organized in a calendar or planner will help him stay on track and manage time effectively. Some students use time blocks to plan out a multitude of assignments. This is a good habit to develop; it will serve them in college and in the business world as well.
Review notes daily (instead of cramming) for tests: Many studies have shown that repetition (rather than force-feeding lots of information at once) is the best way to retain information for recall at a later time. Taking a few minutes each day to review notes, rather than procrastinating until the night before an exam will pay big dividends on test scores.
Set aside quiet time each day for study: Just because you don’t have homework or a test the next day doesn’t mean you can slack off on studying. Teens should make time for study every day—no excuses! It helps to make sure they have adequate space a quiet, distraction-free area, devoid of television noise and foot traffic. Like scheduling exercise for a certain time each day, study time should be sacrosanct. The brain is like muscle tissue—the more you use it, the better it performs when you need it.
Don’t sacrifice on sleep: A 14-day study published in Child Development examined how nightly variations in the study and sleep times of teens are associated with academic problems on the following day. Teens who sacrificed sleep time in order to cram in an hour or two of extra study time actually had a harder time with assignments the next day. Unfortunately, many teens today are sleep deprived, which can lead to physical problems as well as difficulties in concentration and memory. Making a habit of getting plenty of rest goes hand in hand with developing good study habits.
What good study habits has your teen developed that could be added to this list? Feel free to leave a comment to share.