How to get your child to develop good study habits?
Most students don’t know how to study.
I attribute this greatly to the fact that, good study habits are usually not taught in schools and as a result the learner rarely discovers the best methods that actually work.
When I ask students how they study, the number one answer I get is, “I look over my notes”.
What does that even mean? Just look at them? Reread them? Revise? Rewrite?
And if they took notes in class, how good are those notes?
As for me, I’m a terrible notetaker so I definitely can’t rely on my notes to study. Are they the teacher’s notes or slides? That might be a little better.
When students “look at their notes” are they just remembering that they’ve seen it before or learned it in class? Mistaking RECOGNITION for RECALL is one of the biggest dangers in study habits.
Good studying requires ACTIVE RECALL.
This means to dig the information out of your brain in ways that mimic the exam. This forces you to give an answer without looking it up or having other supports that help you to trigger the memory of the concept you are learning. Because remember that on test day you won’t have that luxury.
Examples of active recall include using flashcards, answering sample problems, or teaching the concept to someone else or yourself aloud.
Purposeful studying requires extra time. Students need to take this into consideration when managing a busy schedule and regular homework given in other classes.
My general rule of thumb is to start studying 7 days before a test, if possible.
The first day will usually be the longest amount of time spent studying because it usually involves gathering materials, identifying what they will be tested on and making the plan for the rest of the week.
The rest of the days can be review days with reviews of the material done on days 2, 4, and 7 which in turn spreads out the material being learned into longer increments.
Although some educational philosophies seem to shun rote memorization as an important skill, there is no denying that it is an essential part of studying.
When students start out the school year, one thing they can be doing is organizing information with the midterm and final in mind from the start of the school year. Our youngsters with ADHD have a hard time seeing into the future and dealing with the passage of time, so it’s vital that they take preparations and have a calendar to reference with important dates they know about in the future as well as their daily and weekly items.
One suggestion is to save old tests, quizzes, and homework in “home folders” and review periodically throughout the semester.
Another option is to create 2-3 flashcards nightly and review them throughout the semester for 5-10 minutes periodically.
I always recommend experimenting with study methods to see what works for you. For our outside the box learners, the techniques that usually work the best often involve mnemonics, acronyms, memory palaces, songs and rhymes, grouping information into categories (mind maps), or creating analogies that simplify complex topics into subjects and ideas they can relate to.
I often hear my students complaining that they don’t like the teacher, or that they just suck at math as a reason to explain away poor grades in a class. Every teacher, no matter their personality, has a unique set of rules to follow in their class. The quicker you learn their rules, the quicker you can use your strengths to approach the class in your own unique way.
If you’re the competitive type, you can think of school as a game.
Would you leave free and easy points on the table? Would you let others beat you out due to careless mistakes?
For students with ADHD, study skills are a bit harder to build and maintain, but establishing routines and writing out your plan is key. 20 minutes of study spread out 5 times before the test is better than a couple of hours cramming the night before.
Here’s how to help your child develop better study habits so they’re not panicking before the test:
You CANNOT wait until the last day to start studying:
Identify exactly what you’ll need to know for the test and start making flashcards, recopying notes, reciting things out loud, and mapping out your plan.
Study for 20 - 30 minutes 3 - 5 times in the days leading up to the test.
Learn to play the game of school: what are the rules that your teacher plays by?
Use the materials provided: Look at past tests and quizzes, notice patterns, and experiment to find out what works best for you!
