7 Habits of Highly Effective Students
Want to set yourself up for a successful school year? Having a successful year is dependent on establishing good study habits, and sticking with them from the start. Take an afternoon and talk with your student about what they hope to achieve this year, and set up a good work area for them to get focused learning time. By setting your habits early, you can structure your learning time for higher productivity.
#1: Prioritize
Being an effective student requires efficiency and time management. Part of managing your time appropriately is giving proper prioritization to your tasks. Make sure that you schedule time for every subject, and give extra attention to more difficult tasks. You will want to account for any upcoming tests or big assignments in certain classes so that you can manage your time preparing for those instead of cramming at the end. Once you have figured out your high priority items, you will want to find a productive time of day to work on these tasks. For example, you may not want to save your most important studying for right before bed, as your child’s mind is usually winding down and not ready to do intensive work.
#2: Be Consistent
Setting up good study habits is only effective if you stick with them! Make sure to set your habits realistically and understand that you need a bit of flexibility for unforeseen events along the way. Treat your study time like you would class time - don’t miss it unless you have an emergency come up. Also, be consistent with your study space. Your child will respond better and be able to “shift gears” smoother if they have a clean, distraction-free environment where they study. By studying in the same space every day, they will know what to expect and can remain focused on their learning.
#3: Practice
It’s important to continually review material you’ve already studied to ensure that your student is retaining that information. With frequent revisits, your child will be able to recall old material faster and remember it better when it comes to test time. But, this step involves more than just reviewing or re-reading old material, you actually need to practice the material. Don’t just ask your student if they remember how to do an old skill (of course they’ll say ‘yes’!). Instead, set them up with a few questions from old chapters to ensure they can still perform the skills. Memory muscles are just like physical muscles - they need to be practiced and continually worked out to ensure their elasticity and strength.
#4: Get Organized
Good study habits start with good organization. You’ll want to make sure that you have a clear picture of your child’s subjects and all of their assignments, projects and tests so that you can create an appropriate study schedule. You’ll also want to create an organized learning space free from distractions so that you student has a focused area to learn. You can get your child involved in the organization by asking them about the supplies needed for every class. Do they have their calculator? Do they need graph paper? Where is their ruler? Asking them these questions will help them to frame their understanding of what learning time entails and teach them how to come prepared and be organized.
#5: Don’t Get Discouraged
There will likely be moments where your child starts to get discouraged or frustrated about their progress or ability to learn a subject. Encourage them to stay positive and optimistic. These are opportunities to learn about perseverance and overcoming obstacles. With a positive attitude, they can remain focused on the problem and work through their struggles. It’s important to remain calm and optimistic yourself, too. Your child will pick up on your attitude and will quickly become discouraged if they sense that you are.
#6: Step Away and Come Back Later
Getting frustrated by a difficult problem? It’s perfectly acceptable, and even preferable, to step away and come back later. Approaching the problem with fresh eyes will help your child see the problem clearer and calmer. Give it a full day, or even just a few hours, and come back with a rejuvenated energy and more patience. This will allow your child to approach the problem more relaxed and less agitated, making them more forgiving of small mistakes and more likely to remember how they solved the problem in the future.
#7: Ask for Help
Most importantly, don’t get so frustrated or discouraged that you give up. Make sure to allow yourself some grace and patience as you go, and ask for help when needed. We all have different areas of expertise, and can’t be expected to know everything, so it only makes sense that we would need to reach out for help at times. Also, by doing this yourself, it’s setting an example for your child that it’s encouraged and not shameful to ask for help if they are ever stuck or overwhelmed.
Use these study habits as a guide to help you structure your learning time this year. You will want to modify them to accommodate your lifestyle and schedule to make them compatible with your life. Get your kid involved in the process too! It’s important for them to have a hand in setting their goals, their priorities and creating their learning space. As your local math experts, we are always here to help you as well. Call us today and mention this article to see how you can come in for a free trial day to see how we could help create some good math habits with your student this year!
