Any old place will do when it is time to study, right? Wrong, there are some places that are much better to try and study than others. So what makes them good or bad? How does a student know if they are in the correct place or with the right people? That is the entire focus of this article, to address the do's and don'ts of study places and groups. Read on to see if your study place is the best one possible! If your grades are less than what you would like you may want to change your studying arrangements.
Best Place To Study
There is not one right or one wrong answer when it comes to different students. Everyone has different comfort zones and one place may not work for someone else. This is not a one size fits all situation. Though the place and particulars of the study place will change from person to person there are some commonalities of a good study place. It is very difficult to study, do homework or concentrate where there is a lot of noise or distractions. Now for some music is invigorating and for others it must be complete silence. In most cases a light music in the background may actually get the creative juices flowing. This depends on the individual and must be experimented with to get the right combination.
If possible the most comfortable place to study is often in the home of the student. Sometimes this is not conducive to a productive study session because of others in the house, noise as well as other distractions. If the home study environment is desired it may be a good idea to find a time when others are not home or at night when everyone is in bed and quite! An at home study session also allows the student to have a healthy snack on hand. It is recommended that a snack be close because it actually helps the studying process. Feeding the brain a health snack is never a bad choice.
Issues such as lighting, temperature, and comfortable should always be addressed to make the most of a study session. Any one of the mentioned issues can cause a student to be distracted and even take away from the information that they are working on. When a student is too hot, they may become aggravated and lose interest in studying. On the other hand if the house or study area is too cold the student may lose concentration because they are cold. Keep the temperature at a comfortable level to increase performance and ability. Lighting is also very important. Improper lighting can cause the student to strain to see the words or read. This in turn can cause a headache or neck strain leading to a poor study session. Light is also associated with mood, so make sure that the study area is well light! Comfort is equally important and students should try and find a desk/chair combination that is comfortable. It is hard to remain in a seat when a back, neck or legs are aching because the seating is uncomfortable.
Worst Place To Study
Any place that causes a distraction is the worst place to study. Some of the worst cited are restaurants, laundry mats, offices or anywhere that there are lots of people or transactions taking place. Restaurants are noisy have frequent outbursts of laughter or a children crying, leaving the student unable to concentrate. The office setting is not a good one because the student is often interrupted with an incoming customer, request for service or other duties of the job. Even if the student is not directly involved their attention still focuses on what ever is going on around them. Even the background noise of another conversation or phone ringing can cause information to be taken in or processed incorrectly. It is simply not worth the risk and students should strive for a place that is quite and free of distractions to study.
Unfortunately, sometimes study groups are not the best idea when studying either. The more people that are in the group the more distractions, stories and other details unrelated to the topic at hand. While study groups can be extremely effective they can also cause a hindrance to an individual needing to study. It should be made clear to the entire study group that the test is the topic and all socializing can transpire before or after the study session. If the group is not working out for you then simply excuse yourself and find another place to study. After all your grade is riding on studying and it is important that you take every precaution to ensure a good grade and graduation.
During my time in college, the one memory that stands out more than any other is the time I spent overseas as part of a study abroad South Korea program. It was an amazing experience that opened my eyes to how big the world actually is. I recommend every student who has the opportunity to do so to sign up for a study abroad Korea or other Asian destination if they can.
A few of my friends can attest that a semester or year study abroad Singapore or Thailand program or other places outside the United States are easily available and affordable for undergraduate students enrolled in an US university. There are no other opportunities to earn college credit toward degree requirements as exciting as study abroad Bangkok. It combines your education with immersion in a distant land. It's easy to see why study abroad Thailand is so appealing.
Don't believe me? Ask a student who has completed a semester in a study abroad Korea program. They are the best evidence around to prove the value of it. They are also the best people to seek out as peer counselors during your advising process.
Study abroad South Korea is all about finding the program that fits you best. The semester should be carefully planned because of the wonderful opportunities available this study abroad Korea. As a student you need to define your goals so you can look for the features best meeting your goals and needs. The last thing you want to do is think of a study abroad as just a vacation or travel opportunity.
The features of a study abroad Thailand should suit your degree of personal comfort and independence. Every program is built around a particular location. This displays the importance of in-depth research when it is time to choose an interesting city to study in.
I prefer larger cities since they can offer more opportunities in the intellectual and social arenas, but smaller, more rural towns can offer a more intimate relationship with the culture and language. You are less likely to encounter English speakers in a smaller, more rural location and thus will be forced to expand your knowledge of the language and to become more attuned to the local culture. You'll quickly discover that every destination offers a variety of positive attributes.
One of the main benefits related to a study abroad Singapore, Thailand, or Korea program is how quickly and better you will learn that foreign language. I don't know any other way a student can become more fluent in a particular language. Your skills develop quicker and stronger thanks to the fact that he has no choice but to immerse yourself in the culture of a study abroad South Korea, Singapore, or Thailand program. You gain the ability to converse and read in the language. It's a highly beneficial aspect to serve you the rest of your life.
Take every opportunity you have to spending a semester in a study abroad Korea program. You become a participant in the culture rather than an ordinary visitor or tourist.
If you are looking to get the most out of your studying area, you'll find that one thing that you can tap into is what the art of Feng Shui has to offer you. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of balance and harmony, and you'll find that by integrating these principles into the design of the room that you or your child has chosen to study in, you'll be able to make a great deal of improvements in your studies.
When you are looking to make sure that a room is conductive to the art of studying and for the assimilation of information, you'll find that there are several things to keep in mind. This is especially so if you want to apply Feng Shui for study room.
Feng Shui Study Room Tip#1
Start by making sure that the study room is tidy. Studying in an untidy room can be quite distracting, so make sure that the room itself is clean and calm. Don't leave things that are not necessary for studying strewn on the desk.
Take some time to make sure that everything has a proper place to sit, and look for broad expanses of clear space. This will give you plenty of room to work on the finer points of Feng Shui for better studying. Look for ways to keep the study desk itself as bare as you can, because that will help with focus.
Feng Shui Study Room Tip#2
Another thing that you will need to examine is how the study station is situated. This can help you determine how you want to set up the room, so make sure that you pay attention to it. First, remember that the desk of the person who is studying should be placed so that the window is to the left of the desk, if at all possible.
If there is no window there, hang a mirror instead, which can act in much the same way. Make sure that for the best results that the desk does not have the person who is sitting at it with their back to the door, as this can affect their concentration.
Feng Shui Study Room Tip#3
To give the room an open and inviting look, take a look at adding a wind chime or a plant near the window. You'll find that in Feng Shui lore that this can prevent bad luck and bad influences from coming in through the window. Using bamboo or cactus in this place can add some extra protection there and it can help keep you or whoever is studying there sharply focused. You also might find that a wind chime can be a great tool to brighten up the room and to invite in positive influences.
There are plenty of reasons to think about making sure that your study area is compliant when it comes to Feng Shui. Applying Feng Shui for study room can have a surprising effect on your studying experience. You'll find that there are plenty of things that you can do to make it a welcoming place that you enjoy studying in, so take some time to think about what you can do. Remember that Feng Shui can help you liven up the entire room
Who likes to study? I certainly never did. I love to learn, but the act of sitting down in front of a book was never easy for me. At some point I decided I wanted to get better at it and I decided to collect all the information and tips I could to improve my studying and get better grades. In this article I would like to share 5 habits that I developed to study better with you.
1. Maintain a good relationship with your teachers
I'm not talking about being a teacher's pet (though there's no harm in it), I'm talking about being able to talk with your teacher like two adults and discussing the material and upcoming tests. I've often gotten great tips from my teachers on what to study and what not to study just because I got along with them well. And even though teachers aren't supposed to favour students that they like, they sometimes do which means they might cut you some slack when your answer on a test isn't completely the right one.
2. Study small chunks in short sessions
Your brain can't handle that much information at a time and it needs time to form long term memories. That's why I always make a point of breaking the material up in to small chunks and studying them in short sessions. The duration of your studying makes less of a difference then the frequency of it. Small chunks make it easier to repeat learning the same information too. When you're not studying, make sure you really take a break. Go and exercise a little for example. This helps you keep active which will help you study better.
3. Study with others, too
Don't do this all the time but it can really make a difference to get together with classmates every now and then to discuss the material. They might understand something that you don't and vice versa. Also, explaining a subject to somebody really improves your understanding of that subject. Be careful not to get confused when a classmate has a different view on some of the material, go with what the book and your gut says.
4. Schedule your studying
As soon as you know a test is coming up, make a schedule of when you're going to study for it. Don't start too late with studying, you'll just end up cramming the information in your head and you probably won't remember much of it after the test. Making schedules is also important because often you'll have multiple exams coming up which means you'll have to plan well to study well for all of them.
5. Eat well
Studying takes up a lot of energy so you'll need the right fuel to keep going. Don't eat the kind of snacks that give you a sudden energy rush, eat foods that contain slow release carbohydrates. These are for instance fruits, vegetables and wholegrain products. Some vegetables can make great snacks, consider cherry tomatoes for instance. Make sure to stay hydrated as well. Water is the best, since soft drinks usually contain fast release carbohydrates so you may want to avoid those.
Summary
If you're having trouble studying, it is possible to improve. Like I said, I use to be very bad at it but changed a lot. Incorporate these five habits and you'll do a lot better already. Still need help? There are also courses out there that will teach you step by step how to study better. Check out this review of Get Better Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort for instance. Good luck!
If you find settling down to study a problem; if you spend more time planning to study than actually studying, then you probably need a few procrastination- avoiding tips. The five tips outlined in this article, will help you get to a point where you are able to settle into a study routine which becomes a habit that will stand you in good stead for the years of schooling and beyond.
Firstly, you must identify where you will study. A low traffic area in the home, with adequate lighting and a large enough surface upon which to spread out your books would be a good start. Keep this space as organized as you would any work space in an office, for example. Paper, stationery, staples and the like should be within easy reach. The idea is not to have to get up to look for items once you have settled at your workspace.
If you are an organized person, you could apply this trait to your study tools and area. Many people find that color coding works to keep resources identifiable at a glance. You would, for example, have all your History resources covered in orange, while your math books would be covered in green paper. This color coding could be carried over to your timetable, homework diary and study program planner.
If you are a disorganized person, use your new approach to studying to help you become more organized, at least in this area of your life. Practice using your homework diary as a daily to-do list. The keeping of a to-do list will be a valuable tool for the college and adult years in the workplace which lie ahead. Use your list to identify urgent or high priority tasks, for example, work that is due the following day. Assignments for which you have been given a longer time to complete, should be carried over to the following day for further attention. When you have completed a task, tick it off or cross it out, so you can see at a glance what you have left to do.
Secondly, you must learn to focus in the classroom or lecture hall. One learns through doing; and note-taking in classes when the teacher or lecturer is talking; enhances your concentration. Learners whose learning style is auditory (based on what they hear) will even find themselves able to recall exactly what the teacher said in class. The notes taken in class will be untidy and employ a shorthand which only you will understand. When you get home, you need to rewrite these notes neatly onto a study or revision sheet.
Rewriting the notes will enable you to review and revise what was covered in class and will be a help to you for future tests and examinations on this section of work. Auditory learners can talk out loud to themselves while writing out the notes. Visual learners are stimulated by shapes, color and so on and they would do well to organize the notes into mind maps, using color to identify and separate headings and sub-headings from content. If you have not used mind maps as a learning tool before, now would be a very good time to start.
A study technique similar to using a mind map would be to use the Cornell method. This technique entails your drawing a margin down the left-hand side of your sheet of paper. Key words and headings are placed on the left and content and explanations on the right hand side of the page.
Regardless of your major learning style, it is probably best to use visual, auditory and tactile (hands-on learning, for example, writing) in combination. When re - writing your notes or studying, talk to yourself, create visual cues and write as much and as often as possible.
Thirdly, to become a successful student, you must find a way to memorize and retain the work covered. The most common of the techniques employed is the SQ3R method. This stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review. If you are settling down to learn a chapter for a geography test the following day; this is how you would use this method. First you would scan or skim read the chapter, or part thereof. Then you would formulate questions that need answering, then you would read the work more carefully, underlining key words and key concepts and write these down (on your mind map or Cornell page). You would then, out loud, go over the main points to memorize them.
You could at this point take a break, go for a brisk walk around the garden and then come back to review your work. The review stage requires that you recap what you have memorized and then test yourself. If you are using the Cornell sheet, you could cover the content on the right hand side of the page and make sure you can, for example, provide definitions or sub points under each key word which appears in the left hand side margin.
In the fourth study habit improvement strategy you need to draw up and stick to a study routine. Once you have learned how to study, you must now look at the when. As daunting as it may seem, most study skills experts agree that high school students and college students should spend an average of 40 hours a week on their studies, over and above classroom and lecture times. Again, you need to organize yourself. Look carefully at your weekly program and block out the time spent on extra mural activities such as sport. At a glance then you can see how many hours you have available to study each day.
When drawing up your study times, do not discount weekend days; it will not harm you to work on a Saturday or Sunday; these "free" days can afford great uninterrupted chunks of time during which you can study, especially during examination and high workload periods of the year.
In the fifth instance, you need to remember to take care of yourself and feed your brain to optimize your ability to study. Here the basics hold true. Eat well - include vegetables and fresh fruit in your diet. Sleep well; your brain will not retain anything if your are physically tired. Exercise is vital as it provides the brain with oxygen, thus maximizing your ability to study.
Study for fairly short periods of up to twenty minutes. Take a break, walk around the house or outdoors, do a few sit-ups or push-ups or any quick and easy aerobic exercise and then go back to your books, refreshed and ready to learn a little more. During exam times, you could use your easier subjects, for example, English poetry, and study a poem in between your allocated times for a heavier learning subject such as Physical Science, to use as a mental break.
In summary, a good student has a place and a time to study, is organized, has a method to employ to memorize the work; and determination to stick to a daily routine. As the Nike slogan so aptly says - "Just do it!"
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Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education. .. We are born weak, we need strength; we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgment. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education.
(Jean Jacques Rousseau, Emile, On Philosophy of Education)