STUDY SKILLS – DOS AND DON’TS.

September 2014.

TAKE IN IDEAS.SORT OUT THESE IDEAS IN YOUR HEAD.EXPRESS THESE IDEAS.

KEEPING WELLCut out rubbish.Drink plenty of water.Eat regularly.Exercise regularly.Sleep well.

CREATE A STUDY-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTStudy in the same place and at the same time

every day.Get rid of distractions.Have all the necessary supplies at hand.

FORM GOOD STUDY HABITSStart early.Take responsibility.Put together study timetables and subject

plans.Reward yourself.Use memory tricks.

Review your work regularly – going over what you learned in class that day each night and again at the weekend.

Switch subjects after breaks.Listen to teachers.Leave ‘the best’ for last.Study in 40 minute blocks with 5 minute

breaks.

HOW TO ABSORB INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY

READING SKILLS

ReadA. To learnB. To answer questions

A. To read to learn use S.Q.3.RSurvey.Question. Jot them down.Read the passage closely – identify the topic

sentence/subject line of each paragraph. Use your highlighter.

Recite.Review.

B. To answer questions:Skim.Read closely.Read the questions accurately.Scan the passage for the answer.Answer the questions – stick to the questions

that are asked.

LEARNING TO LISTENBuild a ‘listening bubble’.

Be on time.Take up position.Be strong.

ACTIVE LISTENINGPrepare to listen – review class notes from

the previous class and have some questions prepared.

Listen for ‘buzz words’ e.g ‘to sum up’, ‘keep in mind’, ‘the two main reasons are’.

Take notes.Don’t give up.

THE ART OF NOTE TAKING.Use A4 paper.Have one A4 ring binder per subject.Use dividers to break subjects into topics.

METHODS OF NOTE TAKING1. LINEAR METHOD (headings and list of

bullet points)2. SPIDER DIAGRAM (especially for visual

learners)

TAKING NOTES IN CLASSPrep the page the night before (title and

date, margin)Don’t try to take everything down.Leave plenty of space.

TAKING NOTES FROM A TEXTBOOKReduce chapters down to the most important

ideas you need to learn.

1. Skim chapter2. Prepare notes page3. Turn each section heading into a question and

write it in the margin.4. Try to reduce the answer to the absolute

minimum.5. Use your own words.6. Use numbered/bullet points.

MEMORY TRICKSRepetition.Review notes quickly and regularly.

For languages – podcasts, French/German/Spanish radio, set aside ‘language time’.

FOR OTHER SUBJECTSAcronymsAcrostics

RhymePicturesFlash cards

How to learn a text off by heart:- Use subject lines- Learn first line- Use pictures

WRITING SKILLSSpelling.Use a dictionary.Learn from other writers.

Grammar & Punctuation. Know when to use:Full stopsCommasInverted commasApostrophesColons & Semi-Colons

Proper English VS Texting English

IMPROVING WRITING STRUCTUREA paragraph always contains ONE main idea

or point.In order to help writing to flow from one

paragraph to the next and make your chain of thought seem natural use LINKING PHRASES.

E.g but, however, on the other hand.A good opening paragraph will sum up the

main points you will make in your answer.A good concluding paragraph will sum up the

main points again and round off your answer.

Keep paragraphs clear and easy to read.Mix short sentences with long ones.

BUILD YOUR VOCABULARYIf it’s good, you can easily express your thoughts

in interesting ways and furthermore you will avoid repetition.

YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR VOCAB. BY USING A DICTIONARY, A THESAURUS AND AIMING TO LEARN ONE NEW WORD PER DAY.