25 Study Secrets for Students

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25 Study Secrets for Students

• Here are some time-saving, cool study secrets
  that you can use at home while you are studying
  for a test, quiz, or just doing homework. These
  tips will help you do your very best.

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Find ways to connect the information youre
learning to your past experiences and knowledge.
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Relate the information to your life. Take some
time to reflect on the topic.
When did you experience this? Imagine
yourselfHow does this information relate to what
you have learned in previous years?
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Complete one Assignment at a Time
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If you move randomly from one study project to
another, your retention goes to pieces. Plan to
work your way completely through one project
before starting on another.
Have materials (books, paper, etc.) out on your
study table that relate to the current
assignment. Put all other materials on the floor
until its time for the next assignment.
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Take Breaks
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French psychologist, Henri Pieron, showed that
however well your study process was going, your
overall retention improves if you
take a 5 minute break after every 30 minutes of
studying. Each break must be a complete change
from the study. Exercising to some music might
be a helpful break.
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Eat Some Brain Foods
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Some of the best snacks for the brain and body
are protein foods (peanuts, peanut butter and
crackers, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
Blood sugar rises right after a meal/snack and
then drops about an hour later leaving you
hungry. The feeling of hunger is actually your
bodys signal that blood sugar is low. If the
blood sugar is too low, your concentration
nose-dives and your memory blows a fuse. Some
people make the mistake of eating/drinking sugar
products which only raises blood sugar for a
short period of time and leaves you worse off
than when you started.
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. Review, Review, Review .
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This review system has been proven to increase
retention by 500.

• The recommended review time for new information
  is
• After every 10 minutes of study, review your work
  for 5 minutes (read it again quickly concentrated
  on important points).
• Review another 5 minutes after a day.
• Review another 3 minutes at the end of the week,
  month and 6 months.

To review what you have read, reread the first
and last paragraph in each section, table of
contents, key words and chapter summaries. Try
to recall the meanings of the keywords from
memory.
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Keep a Water Bottle Near Your Study Area
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Water gives your brain a boost of energy. Sodas
and juices act as diuretics that actually
increase your thirst. The oxygen in water feeds
your brain. Most people notice a boost in energy
after drinking water.
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Exercise
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Lack of physical exercise doesnt seem to affect
how well you remember something, but it does slow
down the time it takes you to recall information.
The best time to exercise is immediately before
an important study period or immediately before
you need to recall the information (there is more
oxygen in your brain.
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Dont study when youre tired.
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Tiredness plays havoc with your concentration,
which in turn wrecks your memory. Take a nap to
boost your memory or do some invigorating
exercises.
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Dream On
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Did you know that while youre in the dreaming
stage of sleep (REM), your brain waves are very
similar to when youre learning? During REM
sleep stage your brain is actually comenting what
has been learned that day or discarding what the
brain doesnt need to remember anymore. Get
plenty of sleep at night because this is the time
in which the learning from the day is
consolidated.
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Organize your material
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The simple act of organizing your material seems
to transfer information automatically from your
short-term to your long-term memory. In other
words, if you get the material organized, youll
end up remembering just about as much from the
organization as you would if you had tried to
learn it without organizing.
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Relax
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• Tension blocks memory. Relaxing examples
• Sitting in a peaceful setting
• Deep breaths (when you breathe, your abdomen
  should swell out rather than your chest). You
  want to draw air into the bottom of your lungs.

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Ask Yourself Questions
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Read the material and then ask yourself questions
about it. This not only helps you remember the
material, but it also pinpoints those areas where
your understanding or recall is weak.
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Keep Your Study Periods The Same Length.
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If you alternate between long and short periods
of study, you will remember less than if you
divide your study time up into equal periods.
For example, study for 20 minutes then take a
minute break. Continue with this pattern until
your assignments are completed.
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Assign Yourself a Study Buddy
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Think of a friend from your classes that you can
call with questions about assignments. Have the
phone number near by but dont allow the phone
conversation to take up valuable study time.
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Fully Concentrate on the Material
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Make sure distractions are null and void. Music
shouldnt have words and the television should
not be on. Make sure you have plenty of light.
The mind can only focus on one item at a time.
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Use Mnemonics
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If the information is hard to remember on its
own, then help create meaning by forming a
mnemonic to help you remember it. For example,
in order to help you remember the 5 Great Lakes
on a geography test, use the following mnemonic
HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie,
Superior)
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Make Sure You Have a Positive Attitude About The
Material
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Remember that you should be free from stress,
anxiety and fear. Do you have an I Can
attitude? If not, discuss or write down what is
hindering this positive attitude. Writing or
discussion helps get your mind off the burden.
Exercise can produce more endorphins, a
feel-good chemical, flowing throughout the brain.
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Visualize Words Into Pictures
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Try to picture in your mind what is going on in
the story. Maybe it is visualizing what a
particular character looks like or what the
setting looks like. This visualizing improves
the comprehension of reading and allows for more
details within your writing, In fact, filing
information into your brain visually is easier to
remember.
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Celebrate Your Success
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Plan a reward for yourself after the test. When
youre excited about something, you produce the
neurotransmitter noradrenaline which is a
memory-enhancing hormone. Play your favorite
video game or board game, visit a friend, play
with a pet, or eat your favorite snack.
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Set Goals Ahead of Time
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Make sure you know what you plan to learn and
why. Ask yourself how you might be able to use
the information in your present and future life.
Give yourself ample time to study the
information. Plan ahead of time when, where and
how you will study.
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Make a realistic schedule in the evening in order
to accomplish the tasks.
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4-5 - Soccer practice 5-6 -
Supper/relax/chores 6-7 - Homework 6-630
- research project 630-645 - finish math
645-700 - study for quiz 7-8 - free play
time 8-830 - read 2 chapters form
novel 830-845 - sleep prep 845 - in bed
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Your concentration boosts when you are actively
involved with the information
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While reading or studying, take notes, create
outlines, draw pictures, create questions, or
highlight key points., Youll stay on task
better and remember the information better if
youre actively involved somehow.
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Review for a test or quiz by having an adult (or
sibling) ask you questions.
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After studying the information, ask an adult or
sibling to create questions that might possibly
be on the test or quiz. See how well you can
answer the question.
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Use a planner and school and at home
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This planner should be a place where you write
down assignments that need to be finished at home
and supplies (books or notebooks) you need to
complete the assignments. After completion of
each assignment, place a checkmark next to it in
the planner. This helps you feel the success of
completion.
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Create a study area within your home
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This study area should be free from distractions
(no TV, loud voices, etc.). It should be full of
materials needed during studying (stapler,
pencils, pens, post-it notes, paper, dictionary,
thesaurus, etc.). Having materials readily
available will decrease the time it takes to
complete the work.