TEN WAYS OF STUDY THAT WORK

Efficient ways of study are not a matter of chance. Psychologists have been working for years on how to study. Research on the best methods of study has been conducted at top universities -including Stanford, Ohio State and Chicago. Careful experiments with groups of students have thrown light on ways of study that are best. By using these ways, you should learn more easily, remember longer, and save hours of study time./

The suggestions that follow are based on the results of these experiments:

1. MAKE AND KEEP A STUDY SCHEDULE -

Set aside certain hours each day for homework. Keep the same schedule faithfully from day to day. The amount of time needed for study will vary with the individual student and the courses in his/her schedule.

2. STUDY IN A SUITABLE PLACE - THE SAME PLACE - EACH DAY -

Is concentration one of your study problems? Experts tell us that the right surroundings will help you greatly in concentration. Your study desk or table should be in a quiet place - as free from distractions as possible. You will concentrate better if you study in the same place every day.

3. COLLECT ALL THE MATERIALS YOU'LL NEED BEFORE YOU BEGIN -

Your study desk or table should have certain standard equipment - paper, pen, an eraser and a dictionary. For certain assignments you'll need a ruler, paste, a compass or a pair of scissors. With all your materials at hand, you can study without interruption.

4. DON'T WAIT FOR INSPIRATION TO STRIKE - IT PROBABLY WON'T!

We can learn a lesson about studying from observing an athlete. Can you imagine seeing an athlete who is training for a mile run sitting on the field waiting for inspiration to strike before he starts to practice? He trains strenuously day after day whether he wants to or not. Like the athlete, we get in training for our tests and examinations by doing the things we're expected to do over a long period of time. (Read this as "DO NOT CRAM!")

5. A WELL-KEPT NOTEBOOK CAN HELP RAISE YOUR GRADES -

Guidance counselors tell us that there's a definite relationship between the orderliness of a student's notebook and the grades s/he makes. Set aside a special section for each of the subjects on your schedule. When your teachers announce important dates for tests and examinations, you'll find how priceless orderly notes can be.

6. MAKE A CAREFUL RECORD OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS -

Why lose time phoning all over the country to find someone who knows the assignment? Put it down in black and white - in detail - in a second place in your notebook, knowing just what you are expected to do and when you are expected to do it is the first long step toward completing important assignments successfully.

7. USE "TRADE SECRETS" FOR SUCCESSFUL STUDY -

Flash cards are "magic helpers." On the front of a small card you write an important term in history, biology, English, etc., and on the back, a definition or am important fact about that term. Carry your flash cards with you. At odd times take them out and ask yourself the meaning of the term. If you don't know, turn to the other side and review the answer.

8. GOOD NOTES ARE YOUR INSURANCE ABAINST FORGETTING -

Learn to take notes efficiently as your teachers stress important points in class and as you study your assignments. Good notes are a "must" for just-before test reviewing. Without notes, you will often need to reread the whole assignment before a test. With them, you can call the main points to mind in just a fraction of that time. The time you spend in taking notes is not time lost but time saved.

9. PERHAPS YOU'VE ASKED, "HOW CAN I REMEMBER WHAT I'VE STUDIED?" - ONE SECRET OF LEARNING IS OVER-LEARNING -

Psychologists tell us that the secret of learning for the future is over-learning. Over-learning is continuing your study after you have learned the material well enough just barely to recall it. Experts suggest that after you can say, "I have learned the material', you should spend an extra one-fourth of the original study time in extra study. In an experimental study, students who over-learned the material remembered four times as much after 28 days had passed.

10. FREQUENT REVIEWS WILL PAY YOU WELL - IN KNOWLEDGE, GRADES AND CREDITS -

Without review the average student can forget 80% of what s/he has read - in just two weeks! Your first review should come shortly after you study material for the first time. The early review acts as a check on forgetting and helps you remember far longer. Frequent reviews throughout the course can pay you well - in pre-test peace of mind.

LAST - ADD WILL-POWER TO FOLLOW THROUGH -

Suggestions about how to study help us no further than we help ourselves. As with most everything in our lives, the slogan is, "It's up to you!"