Top 10 Studying Tips
Shona Cochrane, author of Bright Red's Learn to Learn, has shared with us her top 10 tips for studying and revision while you're at school.
- 1. Every little counts
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Remember, simply doing your homework is a form of revision which will help you out in the long run.
- 2. Get into a rhythm
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Get into a routine of doing your homework or some studying five times per week.
- 3. Take time to reflect
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Spend time every evening after school identifying and reflecting on the key words from each lesson to help you take in what you've learned that day.
- 4. Planning is key
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Make up a study timetable to plan out your homework and revision - and make sure to include time for social activities too!
- 5. Add some colour
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Jazz up your notes by using colour, diagrams, spacing and headings to make them more interesting to read and more appealing for your brain to take in.
- 6. Break it down
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Use mnemonics to shorten your notes and make them easier to remember.
A mnemonic is cutting something down into an acronym, rhyme, word or phrase to help you remember something, such as Roy G Biv (colours of the rainbow) and Never Eat Shredded Wheat (North, South, East, West).
- 7. Keep it fresh
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Make sure to revisit older work on a regular basis to keep it familiar, so that your brain will store it it in your long term memory.
- 8. Know what's key
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Make sure to use key words, and highlight them in your notes, so that your brain can pick it out as important information.
- 9. Keep it organised
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Write the date on all of your revision notes so that they're easy to find when you need to revisit a topic
- 10. Get going!
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Don't leave it all to the last minute! By doing your homework and studying well in advance you have plenty of time to ask your teacher questions and to get your head around the more difficult parts.