As we approach the second semester now is a good time for you to do a bit of a check-up to see if you can improve your approach to school. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:
- Have you set yourself goals to strive for over this year? YES / NO
- Do you know what motivates you to do work? YES / NO
- Do you try to take a positive approach to your studies? YES / NO
- Do you make an effort to make the thoughts in your head positive ones? YES / NO
- Are you making the most of class time, listening and focusing and completing all work? YES / NO
- Have you been asking for help if you don’t understand something? YES / NO
- Have you been writing all your homework into your diary or online planner and getting it done? YES / NO
- Have you been breaking down bigger tasks and scheduling the work in your diary/planner? YES / NO
- Have you been keeping track of what you complete and rescheduling unfinished work? YES / NO
- Have you organised your folders for papers and digital resources for school? YES / NO
- Do you have folders or somewhere at home to file away all your work for your topics? YES / NO
- Have you decided what you will keep or do your study notes in? YES / NO
- Have you been working on study notes each time you finish a topic for a subject? YES / NO
- Do you have a term planner above your desk where you can easily see the heavy weeks? YES / NO
- Have you set up a good study environment at home, a place where you can focus and work? YES / NO
- Are you doing around an hour and a half of schoolwork most nights (2-3 hrs for seniors)? YES / NO
- Have you thought realistically about whether you have too many outside school activities? YES / NO
- Have you allocated set periods of time for school work (eg at least 3 x half hour blocks)? YES / NO
- Do you remove all distractions etc. when you are focusing on your schoolwork at home? YES / NO
- Do you prioritise each afternoon what you will work on that night? YES / NO
- When you make study notes, are you making them visual with mind maps, highlighting etc? YES / NO
- When you study for a test, do you both ‘learn’ the content and ‘practise’ the skills? YES / NO
- Do you try to do lots of the practise under examination conditions? YES / NO
- Have you reviewed the different study techniques that you should use for your learning style? YES / NO
- Are you doing more than ‘just reading’ when you study for an assessment? YES / NO
- Have you thought about how you will overcome the obstacles you face in achieving your best? YES / NO
- Have you set up some routines to try and create habits that will help you this year? YES / NO
If your school subscribes to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au you can learn more about how students can achieve their personal best at school by working through the units on the site. Check if your school subscribes here. This tip is also emailed to the main contact teachers for the subscribing schools to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au to use in their school newsletters.
NOTE: The CONTENT on this blog and the email newsletters is NOT TO BE COPIED, reproduced or shared in any form.
The only exception to this are the SUBSCRIBING SCHOOLS to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au who have permission to use these tips in their school newsletters, forward to students and parents or post on school noticeboards.
Dr Prue Salter
Enhanced Learning Educational Services
The study skills specialist!
Study Skills Resources: www.enhanced-learning.net
