Student Success Guiding Principles:

Commitment * Courage * Compassion * Competence * Character * Community * Communication

Keys to Learning

  • Each evening, review what you’ve learned during the day so that your brain recognizes the importance of the material.
  • Eat a fruits and vegetables to promote healthy blood flow into the brain and to prevent fatigue and illness.
  • Drink plenty of water; water is essential to brain function. If you feel tired or have a headache, drink water rather than a caffeinated beverage.
  • Use a straight edge and a different colour to underline important headings and parts of your notes when studying.
  • Use highlighters, key words and mind maps to categorize information.
  • Before reading, skim over the text looking for headings, words in bold, and illustrations that will help you understand why you’re reading.
  • When reading, ask yourself what it is the author really wants you to understand about the topic. If you can answer this question, you know that what you read “stuck”.
  • Make sure you have a large, clear space for studying. Only keep what you’re working on your desk. Keep other materials on a shelf near by.
  • Spend an hour each night on school work, whether you have homework or not.
  • Start studying for major tests at least a few days in advance.
  • Spend the first session organizing your material and making sure you have everything you need.
  • Spend the second session reviewing your notes and creating and answering your own mock test questions. Write down anything you don’t understand to ask your teacher about.
  • Recognize teacher hints about what might be on a test (“This is important…” “Please, write this down…” “This will be on the test…”) and put a star next to these points in your notes.
  • Anytime a teacher or text book provides a number of features (i.e. three elements of a physical change, four features of an ecozone), this material is likely to be on a test. Use a graphic organizer and images to help you remember each point.
  • When studying, take short breaks every 30 min. to move and stretch.
  • If you’re tired or having trouble focusing, stretch in a position where your head is parallel to or below your heart and breathe deeply. This will provide your brain with extra oxygen.
  • To jump start your brain, try doing automatic tasks (i.e. writing your name, brushing your teeth) with your opposite hand. This promotes connections between both halves of your brain.
  • After a hard day at school, exercise will help your brain organize what has been learned while you re-energise for your evening.
  • The more active your studying, the more you’ll be able to recall. Reading over notes is passive; highlighting key points or writing summary chapters in your own words is more active. Writing down key questions and answers on flash cards and using these to study with a friend is even more active. You get the idea.
  • To get the most out of milk’s ability to help you relax before bed, have it with a bit of carbs. A bowl of cereal with milk a half an hour before bed will promote sleep.
  • Set goals for yourself (i.e. to study for an hour, to complete your essay outline) and then reward yourself for reaching them.
  • Repetition and practice are key elements of learning, particularly for subjects that don’t come naturally. Do all homework questions.
  • When an assignment or test is returned, make the necessary corrections right away so that you learn from your mistakes.
  • To reduce the impact of stress, focus on breathing from your lower belly. Long, slow exhalations and deep inhalations will shut down your body’s stress mechanisms.
  • Practice what you’ll be asked to do on a test. If you are going to have to solve math problems, practice all of the steps involved. If you are going to have to write a paragraph, think of what the topic may be and write a practice paragraph.
  • Light exercise after studying helps what you’ve learned “set.”
  • Use positive imagery and self-talk to set yourself up for success. Never think “I am going to fail” before a test. Look over the whole test and answer the questions you’re sure you know first to set a positive tone for the test.
  • Use mnemonics (i.e. P.A.C.T.S.), rhyme and song (i.e. the ABC song), and associations to remember key points.
  • Exercise your brain (read upside down, stand on one foot with your eyes closed and touch your toe, do Sudoku puzzles, learn a new language) to keep your brain firing on all cylinders.
  • Eat dark chocolate, nuts, eggs with omega 3, and fish to keep arteries clear, support brain development and improve mood.
  • Get involved in classes by making relevant comments, answering questions, listening to learn, and thinking about what you are learning.
  • The brain uses 25% of the oxygen you take in. Keep a plant or two nearby when studying to improve air quality. Study outside.
  • See tests and assignments as useful learning opportunities rather than stressful evaluations of self-worth.
  • Use an agenda to keep track of important due dates and, more importantly, to schedule in your most important priorities so that lesser priorities don’t suck all your time and energy.
  • Make sure you have three supporting arguments for each point you wish to make. For instance, sleep is essential for learning because…
  • It promotes concentration during the day;
  • It allows the brain to make additional connections;
  • During sleep the brain sends thousands of signals along pathways created during the day to reinforce them.
  • For multiple choice questions, think of the correct response before reading the options. Then, cross out obvious incorrect answers. Finally, choose the best of the remaining responses.
  • Ask for help when you need it. If you don’t understand something, ask your teacher to clarify. Chances are others have the same questions and will appreciate that you spoke up. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but of confidence and courage.
  • When done a test, rest for a couple of minutes; then check over your answers when you’re refreshed. This can raise your mark by up to 10%.