THE SMART STUDENT

THE SMART STUDENT

By Ida Swenson

 

   The first good sign of a smart student is occurring right now- you are looking for help.  Being a smart student has little to do with a person’s IQ.  Being a smart student has everything to do with making your effort more efficient, following directions, and seeking help when you need it.  The tips you will get from this short article may be applied at any level from grade school through college and beyond.   They are only as good as the time and effort you put into them.  There isn’t an ‘easy’ way to get very good grades at every level, but there are some tricks for making your effort pay more dividends.  Don’t let someone else tell you this is the ‘lazy’ way to grade success- this is the SMART way to success.

STUDY SMART!!

 

   Are you and your friends all the same?  Of course not!  You are each unique individuals with unique abilities.  What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another person.  Some people study better with another person while some need to be alone to absorb the material.  Some people study better with loud music or people talking, while others need quiet.  Maybe you learn best curled in a comfy chair with your cat in your lap, but someone else needs an upright, feet on the floor position at a desk or table.  Tracing the important things with a finger helps some, but others need to hear the information to remember it while others may only have to read it a couple times to remember.  If you can figure out the ways you learn best and use those methods, you will be miles ahead in getting the most learning from your study time.  Ask your school guidance counselor or librarian if they have a learning styles tutorial or quiz you can take.  This will be a series of questions which will help you identify your individual learning styles.  Are these questions for a grade or to compare with your friends?  No, so answer them as honestly as you can or the results won’t help you.  (Yes, styles plural because everyone learns best in several different ways.)  For the fifteen minutes you spend taking the learning styles quiz, you can increase your study efficiency immensely.   Hopefully, with your scores, you will get a list of suggestions of study methods/./.

   If you can, do your own scientific study of these variables or methods.  A good way to do this is to study for quizzes in different ways and compare your results as honestly as you can.  DO NOT experiment when a big test is at stake.  Go with your known best method for studying for any big grade.  Of course, if you want to be very scientific, you’ll only change one variable or method at a time.  For example, study at your desk with soft music using split page notes one time, then at your desk with loud music using split page notes the next time.  Only one variable, the volume of the music, has been changed.  My suggestion – study an SAT vocabulary list for fifteen minutes, then have someone quiz you.  Study a new SAT list (same number of words) for fifteen minutes with one variable changed, then have someone quiz you.  Only do two lists at a time, because the longer you study, fatigue becomes a factor.   Which brings us to the types of variables.

  TIMING is everything.  Are you a morning, afternoon or evening person?  If your only thought after 9 PM is that bed, use it!  Get up at 5 AM and study then for peak performance.  If you can study very well at school, but not at home, use your study halls for study, find a teacher who will let you use their room after school or at lunch, or hang out at the library.  If your friends don’t understand, what kind of friends are they?  Perhaps it’s time to find friends that have the same desire for good grades that you have.  Learn how long you can study efficiently, then take a break.  Promise yourself a break that’s at least 10% of the time you have been studying.  Do jumping jacks, run up and down the stairs, or chase your dog to get the blood flowing back out of your seat and into your brain.  Stretch, get a drink or snack, and get back to the books. 

   Set goals for what you need to accomplish in your study time and write them down.  Prioritize what needs to be done.  Finish the assignments due tomorrow first, then start on more future projects and studying.  Start with the things which can be done quickly for the inspiration of crossing them off your list.  One of the most common variables among highly successful people is their ability to set achievable goals for themselves. 

   Another other important aspect of timing is being disciplined to study as you go through a course, not at the last minute.  Start the reading the day you get the book, using the tips further on.  Do you have a busy schedule?  Use whatever time you can get to study.  Many athletes find they get better grades while they are playing a sport because they know they have to use every minute.  They do their assignments and studying ahead of time knowing there may not be enough time later.  They do their socializing and playing on the field or the bus.

  Last but not least, be aware of when you are no longer studying with efficiency.  It may be your brain is full of that subject and you need to switch to something different.  If you have been working math problems, do some reading instead.  If you have been writing an essay, answer science questions, read your next book report novel or do math problems. You can come back later to what you had been working on.  Take that break or, if you’re really tired, go to bed.  Be sure to set your alarm to wake up early for more study.

   LOCATION makes a difference in your studying.  You should be as far away from distractions as possible.  Television, computer games, noisy friends or other unfinished tasks may lure your mind from the material at hand.  For some, soft music helps their concentration.  As you learn your styles, you will know whether a soft or hard chair is best.  Perhaps a table you can spread out on is better, or a carrel where you are in a small corner will work for you.  Take the games off your computer, shut down the IM, and focus on those tasks you need to be doing on the computer. 

   COMFORT AND GOOD HEALTH are important.  If your seat is asleep, your brain will be focused there.  If you are stuck to the chair or scrunched because you wore short shorts, you won’t be thinking about the subject.  If you are hungry or thirsty, you will have less energy. 

If you never get any exercise, your heart won’t pump the blood to your brain as well.  If you stay up all night watching old movies, you won’t be able to keep your eyelids propped open to listen in class or study.  Eat healthy.  Lots of sugar and grease will affect your body, and guess what?  Your brain is a very important part of that body.  Class time is as important as study time for making sure your body – and your brain- are in peak working condition.

   READ the book only once.  Maybe you have been taught the SQ3R method.  Modify it as follows:   Skim the reading you need to do for the headings and illustrations. Questions should start forming in your mind. Decide on what portion of the reading you will do now, or time limit you have so you have an end in sight.  Take notes on the reading in your own words, NEVER word for word from the book.  You can use your own symbols, minimal words, and drawings.  If you are like me, you may read a couple pages and realize you don’t remember a thing you just read.  Taking the notes prevents that fogginess.  If you copy word for word, you limit the number of times it goes through your brain to just two- in and out.  If you read, think to put it in your own brief method, and write it you have to run the item through your brain five times.  Every time a fact goes through your brain, it deepens the groove that holds it there!   You also ensure that you understand what you are writing down.  This method is also helpful in reading material for writing a paper.  By changing everything into your own words immediately, you prevent accidental plagiarism.  I use a split page method with a word or two on one side, and definitions or explanations in my own words on the other side.  I think of these notes as being cheap flashcards.  These notes will become your study notes for tests. For example, here are some split page notes from a Harry Potter book:

 

Quiddich                     wizard and witch game played on brooms using magical equipment

Snitch                          small gold ball with wings, very elusive

Keeper                         goalie who tries to prevent goals through the hoops  1/team

Bludger                       duty is to try to knock other team off their brooms   2/team

Chaser                         try to get bloggers through hoops to score  2/team

Seeker                         tries to find the snitch.  If successful, it’s an automatic win 1/team

Blogger                       magical balls which must be sent through quiddich hoops for points

 

 REVIEW your notes to study for a test by covering the left side of the page and asking yourself what is written there.  If you get it right, make a check.  When you are finished, cover the right side of the page and do the same thing again.  The night before the test, review them again.  If you study better with another person, ask someone to give you the questions.  If you have a friend studying for the same test, this may help both of you.  When you have done this several times, make new notes of the items you did not know at least a couple times.  This you will review right before the test while the teacher is getting ready to hand out the papers and then tuck it deeply in your bag or book.  (No use getting accused of cheating after you have put in your study time.)    Some people find they remember better if they outline the reading.   Some need to read it aloud to themselves as they write the notes.  The key is, when you use this method, you increase the number of times the information goes through your brain by five just when you take the first notes, as well as increasing the importance of it to your brain.  You decrease the amount of studying you have to do before the test.

  ASK FOR HELP when you need it.  Perhaps as you were reading (and taking notes), you came to something you did not understand.  Put a question mark in the margin next to it and leave space for an answer.  The next time the teacher asks in class if there are any questions, get your hand in the air and ask about that part of the reading.  There is no such thing as a stupid question (unless the teacher just answered it and you weren’t paying attention).  If you don’t understand something, chances are at least half the class didn’t either.  If no chance comes in class to ask, make an appointment to see the teacher, or ask that friend who seems to understand everything.  Now THAT would be good use of IMing. 

  

TEST SMART!!

 

   PREPARE for every test by being sure your body (and your brain) are in tip top shape.  For your brain cells to work properly, they need food, oxygen and rest.  The one food they do NOT need is a lot of sugar.  When you eat a lot of sugar (such as sugar coated cereal, syrup, soda or candy), you raise the insulin levels in your body.  An hour or so later, your blood runs out of sugar for the insulin to work on, and your chemical balance crashes.  The day of a test, start your day with a combination of starch and protein.  This will stick with you much longer than sugar.  Choose an egg and toast, a peanut butter (no jam) or ham sandwich or even a piece of pizza or a hot dog instead of sugary cereal or pancakes and syrup.  French toast would be okay except for any sugary topping.  Don’t skip breakfast ever.  (You may find these tips help you concentrate better in class.  I’ll bet your fourth period grades go up!)  If your teacher or school allows, take a cheese stick, yogurt or sandwich to munch midway through the morning if you have a late lunch. 

  For your brain cells to get enough oxygen, they need a strong blood flow, which comes from a strong heart and good deep breaths.  Sit up straight, get plenty of exercise and take breaks to move around.  If you are in the middle of a test, fidget your legs as quietly as possible. 

   Rest means a good night’s sleep before the test.  Good sleep usually helps more than last minute cramming.  If you can’t sleep well in your own bed due to noise or whatever, find another place to go.  If you have the luxury of a quick power nap mid day, it may put your miles ahead.

  WEAR comfortable clothes that won’t distract you or your classmates from the job at hand.  Cute is fine, as long as it doesn’t leave you cold, stuck to the chair, or make distracting noises.  Be considerate of those around you.

  TAKE what you need to the test.  Extra pens, pencils with good erasers, calculator, extra batteries, tissues, a watch, hard candy (one or two during the test shouldn’t hurt) and a water bottle if allowed should be on your desk where the teacher (proctor) can check them and you can access them quickly.  Be sure your cell phone is off, and that anything resembling a cheat sheet is put far away.  If you are short on space for the test papers, ask if you may put those items on the floor in good view. 

  REVIEW that last list of tricky terms or formulas you identified in your test review (see STUDY SMART) one more time.  If you just crammed formulas or sequential lists into your head, write them on the back of the test paper as soon as you can while they are still ‘in the front of your brain’.  This puts them where you can find them when you need them and is not cheating. 

  READ THE DIRECTIONS before you begin the test.  Check to see if you are allowed to use scratch paper and make sure you have it.  Also, check to see if you may write on the test booklet or use blue pen on the machine answer part of the test.

   LISTEN carefully to the directions from the teacher.  Check page numbers on the question booklet to be sure you have all of them.                          

  SKIM the test, making an outline of it on scratch paper if needed.  Identify which parts will be easiest for you and plan to do them first. 

   READ THE DIRECTIONS of each section again before you begin.  If you do not understand the directions in any way, ask the teacher.  Remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question.

   START the easiest sections of the test first.  Read and answer a page of questions, before transferring the answers to the answer sheet, being careful not to skip any questions.  When you come to a question you cannot answer quickly, mark it with a question mark to come back later.  Give it one more try when you are transferring answers to the answer sheet.

    INCREASE YOUR ODDS on any multiple-choice question by the process of elimination. First read the question and make a guess in your mind of the right answer. If you are allowed to mark the test paper, cross off the choices you KNOW are wrong.  You may choose what you think is the best answer, but mark it as lightly as possible on your answer sheet or mark the question as one you are not sure of.  This way, you can find it quickly to double check it at the end of the test. 

   WATCH FOR TRAPS where there may be a choice similar to the correct one before the correct choice.  Read ALL the choices carefully before you make your decision.   Sometimes there are good choices available as well as the BEST choice.  

   WATCH THE TIME so you don’t spend too much time on any one section.  If you are spinning your wheels on one question, go on to the next one.  Come back later if you have time. 

   USE THE INFORMATION IN THE TEST to help you.  You may be able to get ideas and spelling of historical events from questions and answer choices in the multiple-choice part of the test to use in the essay and short answer parts of the test.  This is not cheating, but smart test taking.  If you marked the questions you weren’t sure of, you will find it easier to locate the question you want to recheck using the information you may have found.

  CHOOSE wisely which essays you will answer.  On your scrap paper, list the parts you know for each question and figure the amount of points you would get for each question, then choose the questions which will gain you the most points. 

  OUTLINE your answers to the essay questions before you write them.  This allows you to organize your thoughts and makes it less likely you will leave something out as you write. 

  CHECK for full completion of all of the parts of the test before you hand it in.  Then, double check to be sure you have something in each and every blank.  A few tests have a penalty for guessing a question wrong, but an empty blank is 100% wrong every time.   If you did a good job of eliminating the obviously wrong choices, you should have a good chance of getting 50 % of your guesses correct.       

 

   Being a smart student means proper preparation, wise choices, and following directions.  If you follow the directions in this article, you should find your grades improved and your sense of accomplishment complete.