One of the most important skills students need to develop is management of their time so as to
be as efficient at learning as possible. Here is a list of DOs and DON’Ts for every student to
follow:
- Take an interest in your work; understand why it is important.
- Be engaged in class; don’t allow your mind to drift; focus.
- Make sure you are organized: know what is expected from each class; make sure you are using the correct notebook for each class; ask questions of the teacher; there should be no doubt in your mind what you have to do.
- Make it a habit to see teachers during their office hours – at least once per week.
- Do your homework to learn; not to “get it finished.”
- Break up big projects into smaller composite units.
- Carry around a small notebook (small enough to take wherever you go). Write things in it: assignments; due dates; ideas; anything you want to remember.
- List work that needs to be done each week, as well as each day.
- Be precise with scheduling your work: Don’t write “Do homework” for a time slot; rather, write “Read pages 100-125 in the course textbook and answer questions 1 – 10.”
- Prioritize: put work that has an earlier due date higher on list .
- Once list is prioritized, write next to task the estimated amount of time it should take.
- Set your stopwatch for that amount of time; if you haven’t finished it, quickly wrap up and move on.
- Take advantage of small time increments throughout the day (of at least 5 min.); do what you can during that time towards completing assignments.
- Don’t get distracted by your phone. Turn off the volume when not in use so that the sound of incoming messages does not undermine your attention. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted; if you think your mind is wandering, then set a stopwatch for 10 min. intervals to wake you up and bring you back to your work.
- Use the same room each evening for studying. Only go there to STUDY, nothing else.
- BREAK HOMEWORK UP INTO 25 MIN. SEGMENTS. Psychologists have shown this to be the maximum time most students can remain focused on one particular topic. Set your stopwatch. When it sounds at 25 min., STOP WORK. Take a 5 min. break, and then SWITCH to another topic, even if you haven’t finished. Come back to it later and again apply the 25 min. rule.
- Be an ACTIVE STUDIER, not a passive studier.
- Focus on CONCEPTS, not facts.
- Ask yourself: Can I explain this concept in my own words?
- Relate new concepts to things you ALREADY know.
- When you have completed your homework, you will KNOW it much better if you can take a few minutes and EXPLAIN it to someone else (this means finding a family member who will listen to you).
- 80% of study time should be spent UNDERSTANDING (reciting what you have learned) and only 20% READING
- Use textbooks properly. You should proceed in this order: SURVEY the text; identify principal QUESTIONS; then READ it; RECITE it; REVIEW it.
- Researchers have found that the most common study strategies — like underlining, highlighting and rereading — create illusions of mastery but are largely wasted effort, because they do not involve practice in accessing or applying what the students know.
- Finish homework 15 min. before going to bed so that you can reward yourself by checking your phone for any ongoing chat sessions.
- Go to bed the same time every night; get up the same time each morning.
- Try to sleep at least 8 hours. Better would be 9 or 9.5 hours each night. By implementing these methods, you will succeed like never before in your schoolwork.