All of us urge students to work hard and succeed in their exams. We frequently remind them that this is their opportunity to succeed in their lives since education empowers people to be useful members of the community. The ability for students to understand what they are studying is of quite importance.
It is important for us to know the obstacles to academic success. The following list highlights some of the obstacles:
- Lack of a study schedule
- Lack of clear priorities in terms of what to study
- When sitting down to study, usually too tired or restless to study
- Daydreaming
- When one cannot resume to study after a break
- Spending too much time socializing and playing games
- Inability to say 'no' to invitations and requests
- Making unrealistic time estimates and attempting to do too much at once
- Studying on a cluttered desk and in areas facing a window, TV and other forms of distractions
- Frequent disruptions from outside and perennial procrastination
For effective learning to take place, there is need of learners to acquire good study skills which will enable them to approach learning in a more pragmatic and independent way.
In a bid to learning to learn, learners are expected to adjust to their unique learning skills depending on the task at hand. Learners are equally expected to be responsible for what they are learning by spending sufficient time on the task at hand. They ought to approach each task with the most appropriate approach and select the relevant materials for specific tasks.
The following 8 tips will give learners a brace in their study skills:
1. Get to know who you are
Learners ought to evaluate themselves by figuring out their strengths and weaknesses. In so doing, learners have to consider skills for instance; writing, reading, listening and numeric. They have to leverage on the strengths they have in these skills and bridge their weaknesses or the skills they have problems in by giving them the necessary attention.
In this regard, learners need to work on habits such as organization, time management, concentration, listening and note taking. The skills the learner frequently uses are inevitable, or rather, the learners' preference should inevitably be considered; this includes the preferred learning styles. Learners should also consider whether they learn effectively by reading, watching or listening. Other factors to be considered when evaluating one's self is whether you prefer waking up in the morning or working late in the night; that is, the time you think your concentration is at its maximum.
2. Be a boss for your time and life
For learners to effectively manage their lives they've got to have a goal driven life; it is therefore the first step not only in managing one's time but also one's life!
After a learner has identified his/her goals, they are in a better position to figure out whether they are using enough time to work towards their goals. This evaluation of the time spent provides the learner with sufficient information to enable them to allocate more time for their goal focused subjects and less time for subjects subordinate to their goals.
3. Figure out the essentials of studying: What entails studying? How do we go about it?
The learner is tasked to be aware that studying is more than going to class and doing home work. Some students are known to do homework just to please their teachers or rather, to avoid conflict with their teachers.
Study entails; preview of the session or content to be learnt, attending the session in the class, classroom review and activities and individual studying.
4. Concentration is key in studying
A good student does not necessarily study more than a poor student. The difference comes in on how the former uses his/her time more efficiently. In this regard, it is paramount for student to learn to focus on the task at hand, i.e. concentrate; this should be both in class and when one is doing individual study. It is important to note that, it is easier for a student to remember a concept well understood and very easy for a student to forget a concept vaguely understood.
5. Active readers enjoy their studying
Most students fall asleep when they are doing their studying; this is can be confirmed by the number of students found asleep during prep time- they are quite a number! Has any one seen some one dosing on the football pitch? Certainly not! The reason is that people on the football pitch are active. For students to remain interested in what they are studying, they must remain active participants in the content they are interacting with. It is therefore important for the students to preview the readings they do and have clear-cut objectives for the tasks at hand. This can be done by consistently providing themselves with prompt queries or tests about what they have learnt.
6. Unlock the vocabularies
English language is nutritious in its vocabulary. When reading, it is common to come across words you have never met. It is important as a learner to develop skills that will enable you to get the meaning of the words without interfering with the flow of information. The learner's ability to understand language gives them a leverage to learn more efficiently.
7. Develop a practice of writing
Developing and practice of writing skills enable learners to express their ideas. Writing while studying enables the learner to pay attention, develop critical thinking and be active. Writing should have a controlled idea, have a purpose and be logical.
8. Developing of listening and note-taking skills
Active listening to instructors coupled with smart choice of what to take down as important notes and what to leave out as illustrations of the main content is a skill that ought to be mastered. Note taking demands that the learner be an active listener, be able to distinguish main and minor points, and participate in class.