study success

Can someone give me some help to improve?

There is actually a good explanation for the reputation that study skills have developed over the years because many boring things are labelled as study skills.  Study skills are more to do with awareness, strategies, confidence and practice leading to an overall development in your learning.

As a student at university you are expected to be responsible for your own learning.  It is different from school.

Most universities offer interactive materials to:

• Show you how you can develop good study skills.
• Share with you some ideas and experiences in study skills.
• Help you manage your own success as a student.

Sessions are offered to help new under-graduate students learn how develop good study skills and habits.  If you develop your study skills, you can be more efficient at studying so you can attend more college parties!

There are courses available to purchase to help with developing your study skills, but your first port of call should always be your own university.

THE LIBRARY

The university library is one of the most loathed places to go on campus, especially by the end of the semester or term. Don’t hate the library, because it can actually give you more time to have fun. Instead of trying to study in a dorm or student housing where there are constant distractions, college students should study in the library where possible.  This will allow students to study more in less time, leaving more time to do the fun stuff.  Don’t become one of those university students who never step foot inside the library!

Study skills are skills acquired for the purpose of personal self development or for a good career, the focus of teaching these skills centres around the individual’ academic or personal growth.

Study skills are an on-going concern and are sometimes referred to as “Soft Skills” which are so much a part of being in a senior position in a corporate organisation – or any other hierarchical organisation.

These are a few examples which can be taught as modules, combining the appropriate modules over a period of several days.

• Appraisal skills (for appraiser and appraisee)
• Coaching skills
• Counselling skills
• Facilitation skills
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Handling interpersonal conflict
• Managing change
• Negotiation skills
• Recruitment and interviewing skills (for Interviewer and interviewee)
• Report writing
• Selling skills
• Presentation skills
• Time management
• Train the trainer
• Influential communication
• Leadership skills
• Team working

From the point of view of the Organisation, staff attending these short soft skills courses on site are then able to take their new knowledge straight back into the workplace.

For businesses wanting to find out which skills are needed by staff, a 360° assessment is an excellent way to proceed.

Understanding which skills are needed for a particular task is important in every career. If you find there is a specific skill that you need to develop, such as understanding graphs or making notes as you read, then make a decision to improve that skill and set aside the time to do so.

Study skills for ersonal develoment courses are designed to introduce the basics of human communication (principles of social interaction, perception, listening, self, culture, verbal and nonverbal messages, interpersonal skills, and conflict resolution) and the use of effective communication skills in corporate life, in both academic and nonacademic contexts.

Of course young children are not going to understand the importance of good study skills.  Time is precious, however, and not to be squandered.

Often children don’t know the best place to start. Even your child’s period of quiet study at school or independent reading will be useless if he/she has never been shown how to utilise that time. Teachers seldom train children to read with a purpose, organize their thoughts and notes, infer what comes next, or connect what they read to their own lives. These are critical thinking skills we assume children have, but do not formally teach.

Honing reading and study skills takes practice, and synthesizing facts from a textbook, even a non-traditional one, is never easy. Here are key strategies to get your school-age child started:

• First, have your child study the book jacket.  What information is presented on the front and back flaps?

• After examining the table of contents and the index,  ask him or her to predict what the book is about.

• Next, flip through the first chapter, eg. “Birth of the Universe”.  What does this title imply?  Is the chapter about the big bang or how mankind began?  Ask the child what they think and what may happen next.

• Don’t forget to discuss the illustrations, particularly in non-fiction books.  It is easy to dismiss them as just pretty pictures but there is so much to discover in them – when they are well done.

It’s not surprising that blossoming readers fail to remember the title of a book they’ve been reading for weeks.   They may not even look at the cover unless prompted to do so.   Children must learn to navigate between the covers and identify text features, particularly elements of a non-fiction textbook.

Teaching children to reflect on what it takes to master academic material may not only help them to succeed in the classroom, but also to become lifelong learners who apply goal oriented strategies to a variety of situations.

Study skills are ways to study itelligently and to acquire techniques that are essential in reaching your child’s academic goals and to reach their potential.

It’s your life, your time, and your future. Study skills are tools that can serve you well in college, work, and other work situations.

Study skills are important, because the perception that they might be unprepared affects student performance negatively.  Studies have demonstrated the need to develop study skills for a successful outcome. Students’ eagerness to acquire study skills may dissipate quickly, demanding a strong commitment from schools, administrators, teachers, parents, and students to make instruction in study skills as  effective as possible.

Study skills are demonstrated by

•    Learning to listen

•    exam preparation

•    how to take lecture and text notes

•    time utilization

•    concentration and remembering

•    analysis of information

•    overall approaches to study

•    study techniques and specific subjects and

•    the writing of themes and course papers.

This is even more clear when successful business people need to study in order to advance in their chosen career.  They may find it difficult to ask for help and their studying may be somewhat ineffective.  Study skills are an essential component of all education and training programmes.  They can be used with a wide range of learners, and will develop their skills and confidence in both traditional and online learning.

Study skills are learned,  just like anything else (eg. playing an instrument or sport, speaking a foreign language, etc.) but before you can even begin, you must set the stage for effective studying.  Studying longer does not necessarily mean studying better.  The conditions in which you study matter more than you might think. If a piano has several broken keys, will playing it in that condition make you a better pianist? The condition of the piano has much to do with your ability to learn and improve.  Likewise, the conditions in which you study have much to do with your academic success.

Students who possess the ability to regulate their study process often experience increased interest in their learning, increased feelings of competency, and increased optimism about their ability to be successful.

You have come to the right place!

Our blog will soon be up and ready to exchange information on the best way to study your way to success – from school children through to ambitious business people.

See you soon!