How to Teach Study Skills

Study skills are some of the most important subjects to teach students. Without effective study skills, students become overwhelmed and discouraged. Teaching students effective study skills helps them organize their time, comprehend more and study more often.

Instructions

1. Set aside a specific time every day to teach study skills. Ten minutes a day is plenty of time to discuss each skill. Study hall is a great time to schedule these lessons.

2. Teach the students organizational skills. Help the students organize their notes and assignments. The students should learn to use calendars, how to make to-do lists and how to organize their work. Binders and spiral notebooks help with organization. There are many different ways to organize. Teach the students the basics and let them choose what works best for them.

3. Review time management skills. To have good study skills a student must use time wisely. Time management skills include scheduling a time and place to study, planning their weeks to make time for extracurricular and school commitments, setting goals and tracking their personal progress.

4. Explain the importance of getting enough sleep. Rest allows the body to rejuvenate and helps the mind focus. Students should get at least eight hours of sleep each night. Less than six hours of sleep causes the mind to wander and students may have a hard time remembering what they are studying.

Tips & Warnings

• More study skills to teach the students are: creating a homework list for each class, making a study organizer, highlighting class notes effectively, reading notes aloud to help with memorization, using flashcards, quizzing themselves and drawing pictures of something to help remember the subject.

• Cramming for tests is one of the worst ways to study. Teach the students how to study as they go. Also teach them how to review for a test as a better alternative to cramming.