“Column: 7 strategies for effective studying for students to try”

Column: 7 strategies for effective studying for students to try

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 04:05 AM PDT

Published: Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 7:00 AM

Last week I wrote about the research on effective study habits. This week I want to expand on that subject by writing about some mom-tested strategies when it comes to homework and studying.

1. Give the child some ownership of their homework schedule and their study tactics. Make it clear that if homework gets done without nagging, they'll have the freedom to choose where, when and how they do the work.

One of my daughters regularly did her homework while watching television — an absolute no-no, according to the experts. On the other hand, my kid was an all-A student and I never heard complaints from her teachers about homework that wasn't turned in on time or done well. If it worked for her — and it clearly did — why make a fuss?

2. As I wrote last week, researchers say that tests actually offer one of the most effective ways to cement information in the brain. I hadn't read the research on this when my kids were young, but I did realize that one of the best ways to help a kid prepare for a test is to use their textbook or worksheets to give them a verbal quiz.

This was especially effective with material that had to be memorized, such as vocabulary or spelling words, geography or history lessons, or science terms. My typical drill would be to ask the kid questions on all the material that needed to be memorized, then do a second drill on all the questions that the kid got wrong, and then do a third round on the material he or she still hadn't mastered, and so on. The drills wouldn't stop until he or she offered a correct answer to every question.

I have a college-age daughter who still views this as one of her most-effective study techniques. When a big test is coming up, she likes to have someone quiz her on the test material.

3. I've found that one of the best ways to teach children how to write in a clear fashion with correct grammar is to have them read their work aloud. I'd usually have them read a paper to me while I was driving in the car.

Even if a child is unclear or uncertain about the rules of grammar, he or she can usually flag a problematic sentence when they read it aloud because it doesn't sound right. It also is a way for them to identify and fix clumsy writing.

4. Have the child act as the teacher. One of the best ways to learn something is to teach it to somebody else. Ask the kid to pretend that you're the student and that they need to teach you about a math or science concept or a chapter of American history.

As a variation on this strategy, enlist the help of siblings when it comes to explaining a lesson — the older child who helps a younger one is likely to have his or own skills reinforced, and the younger child may be more willing to listen to a sibling than a parent.

5. Another effective study technique in our household: Write key information on index cards. Just the act of it writing down helps with retention, and reviewing the information a day or two or a week later helps cement the learning process.

My youngest jokes that in our house, "when Mom gives us 'the talk,' it's not about condoms. It's about index cards.'" That tells you the focus of my concerns!

6. Form study groups. This strategy works best for older teenagers and college students, but studying as a group can be an excellent way of getting teens to channel their social energies into a constructive purpose.

7. When you study the night before a big test, it's more effective to get a good night's sleep than to pull an all-nighter.

A recent study by the University of Pennsylvania shows that it's during sleep that the brain's "machinery of memory starts to engage."

"If you ever argued with your mother when she told you to get some sleep after studying for an exam instead of pulling an all-nighter, you owe her an apology, because it turns out she's right," said a news release accompanying the study's publication.

Sometimes moms really do know best!

Julie Mack's column on students and school success appears Tuesdays in the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact her at 269-388-8578 or jmack@kalamazoogazette.com.

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Study Techniques

Tuesday, September 21, 2010