It’s been an exciting start to the New Year. What a better reason to offer much-needed studying tips, from elementary, high school to college prep, to prepare for the rest of a successful school year in Puerto Rico.
At El Tutor Coach, we always look for opportunities to share tutoring help from great educational resources such as the Top 12 Study Tips for Back To School offered by The Princeton Review that applies to all students at any grade level
Check out the top twelve study skills below:
1. You don’t need ONE study space.
A well-stocked desk in a quiet place at home is vital, but sometimes you need variety. In this new world that we live in, we suggest finding comfortable spots around your home for a change of scenery, which can prompt your brain to retain information better.
2. Track more than HW in your school planner.
Keeping a calendar helps you plan ahead—but you’ve got more going on than just homework assignments! Make sure you’re marking your extracurricular, work, and social commitments, too. (Tests, after-school virtual activities, mini staycations are just a few examples of reminders for your planner.)
We have great tutors that can help you get organized! One of our popular tutors, Sasha Lee, suggests that her students always divide their time between studying and rewarding themselves. It’s as simple as blocking 20-30 minutes to concentrate on your workload, then stopping and doing something just for you!
3. Start small.
If you’ve got a big assignment looming, like a big test, stay motivated by completing a piece of the project every few days.
4. School supplies (alone) don’t make you organized.
Come up with a system and keep to it. Do you keep one big binder for all your classes with color-coded tabs? Or do you prefer to keep separate notebooks and a folder for handouts? Keep the system simple—if it’s too fancy or complicated, you are less likely to keep it up every day.
5. Get into a routine. When will you make the time to do your homework every day? Find the time of day that works best for you (this can change day-to-day, depending on your schedule!), and make a plan to hit the books.
6. Learn how to create a distraction-free zone.
Try turning off your phone notifications or blocking Twitter or Tik Tok (temporarily) on your computer so you can concentrate on the homework tasks at hand.
7. Get real.
When you’re looking at the homework you have to get done tonight, be realistic about how long things take. Gauging that reading a chapter will take an hour and writing a response will take another 30 minutes will help you plan how you spend your time.
8. Use class time wisely.
Is your teacher finished lecturing, but you still have 10 minutes of class left? Get a jump on your homework while it’s still fresh in your mind. Or use the time to ask your teacher about concepts that were fuzzy the first time.
9. Look over your notes each night to make sure you’ve got it.
Fill in details, edit the parts that don’t make sense, and star or highlight the bits of information that you know are most important. Interacting with your notes will help you remember them.
10.Study a little every day.
Cramming for a quiz might work in the short-term, but when it comes time to study for exams, you’ll be back at square 1. You might remember the information long enough to ace the quiz, but reviewing the terms later will help you store them for the long haul.
11. Don’t let a bad grade keep you down.
A rough start to the semester doesn’t have to sink your grades. Take proactive steps by checking your grades regularly online and getting a tutor if you need one.
12. Make a friend in every class.
Find a few people you can contact from each of your classes if you have a homework question or had to miss class (and do the same for them!). Then when it comes time to study, you’ll already have a study group.
Contact us for a free consultation to see how El Tutor Coach can support your tutoring needs!
