The Power of Study Groups

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/50432.html

Part 1

Working Together Helps Everyone

You may have noticed that when you’re explaining something you've learned to a friend, you begin to understand it better yourself. This happens because, when you explain an idea, you need to think more deeply about it.

The same principle makes study groups useful. Studying with others in a small group is helpful because you:

·      Think out loud.

·      Share ideas.

·      Learn from one another.

In an effective study group, you and other students hash out lessons materials together- explaining concepts, arguing about them, figuring out why one person’s answer differs from another’s- and in the process you most likely learn more than you would have studying by yourself.

How to Take on College Studying

Part 2

Choose Where to Study

Where you should study depends on two factors: the environment in which you are best able to concentrate and the type of work you are planning to do.

·      The best places to study have good light, a comfortable temperature and enough desks space-usually your dorm room, your apartment or the library.

·      For completing problem sets or brainstorming possible test questions, you may want to study with a group or at least in a setting where fellow students are available for discussion.

·      When you are reading book chapters or working on a research paper, you are probably better off in a less social environment.

Improve Your Study Habits

Here are simple steps you can take to help you get a handle on studying:

·      Have a routine for where and when to study.

·      Choose reasonable and specific goals that you can accomplish for each study session.

·      Do things that are harder or require more intense thought at your most productive time of the day.

·      Take breaks if you need them so you don’t waste time looking at material but not absorbing it.

·      Get to know students whom you respect and can study with or contact to ask questions.

·      Keep up with the workload and seek help when you need it.
http://www.learningstarts.org/?gclid=CN7PieKB2rUCFch7QgodoG8A2Q

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 1

How I study multiple exams, deal with multiple projects: Really it is my time management that I explained above. If I see I have multiple things due or to study for all at the same time I spread out my time beforehand. For example, if I have a test on Monday, and 2 tests Tuesday, then I will study for my Monday test on Thursday and part of Friday. Start studying for my next test on the second half of Friday and part of Saturday, then my second Tuesday test on Saturday as well and part of Sunday. Then Sunday night I can review for my Monday test because I already studied for it. When that test is over I can begin reviewing for the other tests. My overall study method: I try to break it up over several days or at least two. I get bogged down if I try to pull an all nighter. How I’ve overcome an initial bad grade: if I received a low grade I probably knew it was coming because I didn’t prepare properly or I didn’t use the right study habit for that class. I usually try to go over what I did wrong and sometime discuss with the teacher what I can do differently on the next exam or what they suggest I do for studying for the next exam.