Too often, schools don’t teach their students the study skills necessary to succeed in academia. In these cases, helping the student develop study skills falls on the parents. Unfortunately, parents may be unable to teach their students the most effective studying methods either.
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably one of these parents. You’ve tried many methods such as offering rewards and blocking distractions. Yet, you’ve found that none of these attempts have improved your child’s grades.
Luckily for you, there is one method you may not know about: Active Studying. Read on to learn more about it. It may just be what helps your student succeed.
Passive vs Active Studying
What do most students do when they study for an exam? They read over their class notes, textbooks, and other information again and again in an attempt to memorize it. This is referred to by experts as passive learning or passive studying.
Active studying is more, well, active. Instead of just re-reading the material, the active studier will perform a variety of activities that allow them to engage more with the material. With these, they not only memorize the material but also understand it from many angles.
How to Study Actively?
The main purpose of active studying is to test that a student knows the material. Asking your student questions about what he or she has studied is a good example. However, there are many other activities you can do with your student and many of them can be fun.
Draw Something
Is your child the artist type? If so, he or she may enjoy drawing a chart, diagram, etc. that demonstrates the main ideas of the lesson.
For example, say that your child needs to memorize the names and locations of all 50 of the United States. You can ask them to draw a map and all the states to the best of their memory. Then, you can focus future studying efforts on the parts that your student forgot.
Describe the Information
With this method, a student needs to talk about the subject he or she is studying for a certain amount of time. If he or she says something wrong or runs out of information too quickly, he or she should go back to studying.
This is perfect for the student who likes to talk or write.
Flashcards
Of course, you can always just go to the classic method of flashcards. Just take a stack of index cards and write terms or questions on one side. On the other side, write definitions or question answers.
Your student should be able to define terms or answer questions by merely looking at the non-answer/non-definition side of the card.
We Give Your Students the Study Skills They Need to Succeed
The active studying methods above are just the tip of the iceberg. With research, you’ll likely find a lot more. You can also create many of your own.
However, if you still think your student needs more help with their studying, consider our services. We’re an executive function and study skills center that offers in-person and remote programs that teach students how to study better. Contact us to learn more about our programs.