Study Helps
Timing:
-Make a schedule for your study time.
-Don’t study more than 45 minutes at a time. Break it up with ~10 min breaks.
Homework
-Do homework the day it is assigned.
-Attempt every problem. Highlight the ones you don’t understand and ask about them the next day in class.
-Work together – not to “divide and conquer” but to help each other understand.
Reviewing
-As you work homework, star the ones you have questions on. Ask the questions in class the next day. In the day or two before the test, rework your starred questions.
-Using the test outline, find 2-3 problems per section and create your own review.
-Build the review sheet as you go… As you work homework, pick 2-3 good problems per night and write them on a separate sheet of paper. The week of the exam, you have a review worksheet ready to go.
Seeking help
-Prepare before you seek help. Do NOT approach a teacher and say “I don’t get it.” Attempt the problem(s) on your own and have specific questions.
-Don’t wait to get help. Seek help as soon as you realize you need it.
-Don’t expect someone to “just show me how to do it.” This method doesn’t help you learn. When you understand more, you memorize less.
-Try to ask about concepts, not just steps in a problem.
The “I already know it” lies we tell ourselves…
-“I got the answer wrong, but it was just a little mistake. I really know what I am doing.”
-“I looked at the example and understood it. I don’t need to actually do the problem.”
-“I understood it when the teacher explained it. So I know it now.”
-“I got the right answer. It doesn’t matter if I don’t really understand it.”
-“I did most of it myself. I just needed a little help in the beginning.”
Self-assessment
-Be honest with yourself. Falsely convincing yourself you know it does more harm than good.
-Just looking at a problem is NEVER enough. Always do it yourself from start to finish.
-If you had to ask for help or look something up, do a similar problem from start to finish. Make a note of the problem, and do another one in a few days.
-If someone explains something to you, explain it back to them in your own words.
Other health issues related to brain function
-Sleep is linked to learning and retaining new information. Deep sleep is critical to allow the brain to “grow” the connections that create long-term memory.
-In adolescence, brain development is characterized by dramatic changes to the brain’s structure, neuron connectivity (i.e., “wiring”), and physiology. These changes in the brain affect everything from emerging sexuality to emotionality and judgment.Alcohol can cause alterations in the structure and function of the developing brain, which continues to mature into a person’s mid 20s, and it may have consequences reaching far beyond adolescence.
-Using alcohol doesn’t mean you’re stupid. But it does make you stupid. Short-term and long-term stupid.