High School Study Skills

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Motivation
Get Motivated
Stay Motivated

Monitoring Input
Listening
Note Taking
Reading
Class Participation
Managing Process
Self Management
Time Management
Concentration
Managing Your Learning
Managing Your Memory
Class Participation
Test Preparation
Mastering Output
Test Taking
Dealing with Test Anxiety
Learning from Tests
Preparing Written Reports
Preparing Oral Reports
Class Participation

 

Time Management

Time management is the way you regulate or schedule your time.  You can make more efficient use of your study time and complete your work in less time by using good time management skills.  Successful time management allows you enough time to complete your work while still finding time to take advantage of other growth and development opportunities.  Clubs, sports, planning committees, and volunteer work are as important to your high school experience as your studies.  However, these activities will be enjoyed more fully when you know that you have your class work done.  

The Fixed Commitment Calendar

Identifying how much time you have available for study is the first step in setting up a good time plan.  To establish how much of your time is committed to other activities, complete a fixed commitment calendar.

  1. Print a copy of the fixed commitment calendar.

  2. Mark off times that are fixed (regularly scheduled) activities such as classes, meals, sleep, work, sports, must see T.V., social commitments, church, youth groups, etc.

  3. Trace around all uncommitted blocks of time with a highlighter.  Think of these times as available study time--not free time.

  4. As a final step in preparing your fixed commitment calendar, count the number of hours available for study.  

Calculate Your Needed Study Time

Knowing how much time you have available for study is useless until you identify how much time you need for study.  To do this, you need to consider the level of coursework in which you are enrolled (basic, standard, honors, or AP), the goals you have set, and how quickly or slowly you work.  

  1. There is no set formula for determining the number of hours you will need to study for any given class.  A good rule of thumb is 1 hour per day for every core academic credit course.  This will vary based on your individual abilities and your teacher's penchant for homework.

  2. You will also need to consider whether you are enrolled in a class with long term assignments or projects.  Some students expect the regular assignment load of other classes to disappear when project deadlines roll around.  If you don't adjust your study schedule for these long-range assignments, you may find that you are "stealing" time from your regular work in order to get them done.

  3. Estimate how long it takes you to do individual assignments.  Time yourself the next time you read one of your textbooks.  Finding out how long it takes to read ten pages of your textbook will help you plan more accurately.  You can also time yourself as you complete math assignments or writing assignments.  

Once you have added up your estimated time needed for study, you can compare it with your time available for study.

Create a  Calendar

Once you have set up a time plan that allows you enough time to complete all your work, you need to learn how to organize your time so that it can be used efficiently.  One of the best ways to do this is to create (or purchase) a monthly assignment calendar.  Microsoft word has a calendar wizard that you can access by choosing "File," "New," then select the "other documents" tab.  

  1. Many of your teachers will create monthly calendars for their classes; record this information on your own calendar and file your teacher's in your notebook.  For others, you will have to record the assignments as you learn of them.

  2. Use a different color pen for each class to record homework and due dates.

  3. Make exams stand out on your calendar.  Use large capital letters and draw a box around each test you note.

  4. If you have a class with little or no homework, you might find it useful to record a brief annotation of the work you did in class.  This way if your parents ask why you have no homework, you can at least update them on what is happening in class.


Identify your obstacles to successful time management at George Washington University


Time saving tips from CalPoly's Academic Skills Center


Find out where your time goes with this interactive quiz


 Use the University of Minnesota's  assignment calculator