<p>I want to get a parent's perspective on good study habits, based on what they observed from their kids. I'm in high school, and I want to develop good study habits. What do you reccomend? Some examples would be nice, as how they split up time, and how they keep themselves focused.</p>
<p>You will find that there are a lot of diverse opinions on this topic. I will start by offering a few comments, without any attempt to provide a comprehensive response. I am also not going to clearly distinguish between "learning" and "studying."</p>
<p>Good study habits and success in school begin with motivation. A desire to get good grades can be helpful, but a desire to learn is the best motivation and is more valuable. There are subjects which are dry and teachers who are disorganized and boring. A good student needs the motivation to learn in spite of these obstacles. All of us have preferences and strengths. Some like math; some like the humanities. You need to be able to succeed in those areas where you are weakest and have the least interest. You are likely to benefit most by learning that material. I can tell you that motivation is important, but I can't help you find it. You need to dig deep inside for that. You may also find that when you look at yourself real hard, you realize you are not highly academically motivated. There is nothing wrong with that. You may end up being a success in business and making bushels of money.</p>
<p>Success in school begins with listening and learning while in the classroom. Certainly almost no one can focus and pay attention hour after hour, day after day. Those few who can do this often have a tough time with boredom. I think it is important to believe that the classroom time should be used to learn the material. Be careful about taking too many notes. It is all but impossible to be a stenographer and learn at the same time. If the teacher is following a textbook, spend time before class reading ahead. You may find you can learn while taking minimal notes. </p>
<p>Studying outside of class begins with reading ahead whenever possible. This should not take a lot of time but it is important to develop this habit. In addition, most teachers will assign papers, research and other projects. Some of these will be valuable learning experiences. Some will be mindless garbage. In any case, it is important to manage your time to get these done. If your motivation is grades, remember doing a little extra can make a difference.</p>
<p>You will also need to "study" to learn what you did not understand in class, to learn material that was not covered, and to refresh and reinforce what you learned. Be lazy. Think quality, not quantity. A few minutes of uninterrupted concentration is better than hours of being in your room studying without concentration and focus. There are all sorts of techniques you can try to improve the efficiency of your study time. These can include outlining, underlining, listing vocabulary, etc, etc. A motivated student will find those techniques which work best and will also find that different techniques are better for different types of courses. I advise that you look at your notetaking habits. Try to avoid taking lots of notes and also spending mindless hours rewriting them. This is a very common mistake.</p>
<p>I am sorry if you were looking for some quick tips and got philosophy instead. I don't think there are any magic tips and shortcuts. The important factors are motivation, time management, and concentration. Consider how you apply these and you will be able to develop good study habits.</p>
<p>When you get to university DO NOT fall into the trap of believing class attendance is optional....go to class, every time and your grades will show it.</p>
<p>The overall process my kids use is to not wait till the last minute. They do homework every day and do it with an eye to preparing ultimately for tests. So, for example, if there's a math question they got wrong on homework, they make sure to find out the answer since it will be on the test. They then specifically focus on the questions they got wrong when studying for the test. My son makes up a study guide for his classes that includes info culled from the reading as well as in class notes. The process of writing up the guide usually is sufficient to get the info into his head, but when he was younger he'd hand me the guide and have me say the first word (Kublai Khan, for ex.) and then he'd tell me everything he knew about him (and I'd check that he was including what was on the notes). Now that he's older, he exchanges his guide with classmates and they quiz each other. He types up formulas or scientific concepts that have to be memorized. Again, typing it up helps him remember, then he has me or someone else quiz him and as he's being quizzed he makes up devices to help him remember. But he also said that in math, it's best to understand the reasoning behind the rule because if your memory fails, you can just implement the reasoning. The bottom line is nothing is taken for granted and you have to do the work. The key is to not waste your time. To study effectively know what you're going to be tested on (what did the teacher or the book stress) and UNDERSTAND it (don't just memorize, but twist the concepts around, play with them back and forth till you get the why). My son doesn't know any dates in history, but he learns why things happened like a story and it's much easier to remember a story than random dates and names.<br>
Now, for my son, he studies with music blasting. But, when my daughter does that, it distracts here. You'll figure out whether you need a quiet or noisy room. You should have a study space that is uncluttered and a place where when you sit down, it's time to study. And you should find a way to care about what you're learning, not just learn it for the test but find how it's interesting. My daughter loved learning about various religions when it was taught to her as stories and, to help her study it, I had her tell me the stories. Finally, have fun when you're studying. We goof around a have fun -- my daugher quizzes me (and loves that I still don't get Geometry) or we make bets on what she'll remember. Don't make it a chore, try to find the fun in it (whether with your family or with your friends).</p>
<p>Two things I would suggest from watching my college-aged D (learn from her bad example:</p>
<p>Learn to start an assignment early. You never know if you will run into a problem that will gobble up time.</p>
<p>When you run into something you don't understand, get help immediately. . .start with your classmates, your teacher, tutors, etc.</p>