Tips From a Private Los Angeles Tutor: 5 study habits that help every student
Every student, regardless of age, can benefit from improving their study habits and becoming more efficient. Today students from K-12 are spending more time on at-home assignments and less time enjoying family, friends, and outdoor activities. Although each learner may need to refine their study habits to meet their personal needs and academic goals, there are some universal study habits that tend to help every student become a better learner and eventually have more time to do the things they love – Our private Los Angeles tutors will help you develop productive study habits.
1. Detailed organization
A healthy amount of organization really is the key to success when it comes to homework. So many students can’t remember which assignments are worth a lot of points or when they need to be handed in and end up losing points or even lowering their overall GPA. Although a few kids are naturally organized, most children need a lot of help to become an organized individual and the skill is something that is best developed over a long period of time. Parents, classroom teachers, and tutors can help kids become organized but, eventually, it’ll be up to the student to determine how much organization they need in order to be successful.
2. Advanced preparation
Advanced preparation is another essential tool when it comes to having great study habits. Time management is something that most students need to work on, especially when they become overwhelmed with academic transitions such as adjusting from the 5th to 6th grade or during the college prep years, when essays and test prep demand pretty much all of a student’s free time. Younger students often need a lot of reminding and corrections in order to help them stay on top of things but it’s good to let them adjust to being prepared and responsible on their own so that they know how to function independently once in high school and college (READ: Orange County Tutoring Tips: Get Back Into the Swing of Things After Spring Break) .
3. Realistic goals
It’s also important for students to set realistic goals when it comes to study habits. It’s impossible to study for AP subjects, complete test prep activities, and finish a five page paper all in one evening, but lots of students attempt to do this. For the most part they become overwhelmed and the important activities are left unfinished. Part of setting realistic goals is to prioritize assignments based on due dates or overall importance and set aside a reasonable number of hours for study each night. Students with realistic goals also tend to feel like they’ve accomplished more than students who try to burn the candle at both ends.
4. Looking at assignments with fresh eyes
Many students need to finish assignments or study a particular subject into the later hours of the evening, especially during midterms and finals week. However, it’s important that students look at the final version of their assignment with a fresh pair of eyes in the morning before handing it in. Tired eyes don’t pick up smaller mistakes and details that might end up lowering the overall quality of a paper or project, but a re-energized student can usually proofread or edit pretty quickly.
5. Balance between work and play
Students can also benefit from having a healthy work/life balance so that they view their study time as a neutral or positive activity. Many students don’t mind studying as long as they have time to do the fun things they enjoy, such as having dinner with friends or going out to a movie. Even adults strive continuously to achieve a work/life balance so we can’t expect students to achieve this skill right away but they should work towards a good balance of work and play.
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