How to Develop Good Study Habits

Study time is essential for all students, whether in grade school, junior high school, high school, or at college. It is through studying the coursework well, doing homework assignments, and taking good notes in class that will help any student to excel when it comes to grades. Probably the most important thing in developing good study skills is learning how to manage your time. If a student has a number of after school activities such as sports practice or music lessons, or a part time job, study time can arranged around these activities, either before or after supper.

The study area can be the student’s bedroom, living room, dining room, or anywhere where a desk, chair, and lamp is available. Good lighting is important where reading and writing take place. Other necessary study tools that are handy to have on hand are: a couple of ballpoint ink pens, a highlighter in yellow, pink, or blue, a notebook or loose leaf notebook paper. A small clock or wristwatch is also helpful in keeping track of how much time is spent during the study session. Ideally, the study area is away from television sets, stereos, cell phones, iPods, video games, and any other electronic disruptions. It is important for the student to be able to concentrate on the school material to be read.

Consider spending at least one hour a day doing the required reading for the next day’s class. For example, if the student has a science class on Thursday, then Wednesday is the best day to do the assigned reading. While the material is being read, highlight or underline the main points in the reading. The student can also make marginal notes next to each highlighted area. This especially comes in handy for courses like English Literature and American Literature, where interpretations of passages are sometimes required. The student can also write down notes on the reading in a binder or notebook and be better prepared to discuss them in class the next day.

Studying notes taken in class is best done on the evening after the class when the bulk of the lecture is still fresh in the student’s mind. Taking notes in class is a skill in itself but most good teachers make an outline of the subject and subtopics and points on the chalkboard right before the class starts. By writing down this outline in a notebook and then leaving five to seven blank lines between each point, the lecture information pertaining to a particular point can be written down in the blank area following the point being discussed. For example, if my teacher’s lecture is about the role of the British Army during World War 2, and the first point is Royal Artillery, I would write down Royal Artillery in my notebook then leave at least five lines following that phrase blank, so I could write in the information my teacher gives me about this important division. As with reading assigned texts in your book, stick to writing down the main points of the lecture in your notes. When taking notes in class, do not forget to write the date at the top of each new page in the notebook so you can easily refer back to when you took notes for a particular day. The purpose of note taking in class is to integrate lecture information given by your teacher, into the material you read in your textbook. It makes little sense for a teacher to only use the textbook as a lecture source, and very few do. Most teachers will use the text and add additional information for easier comprehension, especially in difficult classes like advanced science or humanities courses. If there is something in the lecture or text you do not understand, raise your hand and ask the teacher in class. Chances are the question you ask the teacher, is the same question at least one other student has.

Lastly, before leaving home in the morning for class, glance over the highlighted text in your book and notes made from the text in your notebook. This can be done during your breakfast time so that you will be ready to participate in class discussion. Good study habits will also help you do better on exams in the long run, too.