Tag: <span>Tips</span>

12 Mar

Time Management For Students – 8 Tips To Control Your Time Better
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on March 12, 2023 @ 6:57 am

In the case of students, manging time is a very crucial aspect of this phase in their lives. This would give them proper ideas and steps on how to utilise their time properly. Apart from this, effective management of time can also help in estimating the amount of time it would take to perform an activity. This could help in preparing themselves for the later stages of their lives when schedules become more hectic.

By large, a student must have a very precise evaluation of his time. On doing this, the individual will be able to keep an eye on his activities. Enough time for preparation for all his activities is very crucial indeed.

Not having sufficient time to get things done in the day has become a major problem of students. Apart from this, many students are being late for their classes.

Following are a few tips for students to take control of time and also to organize things.

1. It is very much necessary for an individual to prepare a “to do” list every single day. Putting goals, responsibilities and tasks in written format is really important. The activities should be ranked from those of highest priority to the lowest priority. Hence, the activity that needs to be performed properly is given top priority.

2. Spare time of the individual should be used wisely. Every second is very vital. A minute once lost, is lost forever. A single minute should never be wasted by doing unproductive activities. Like for example, some reading can be done while one is travelling in the bus. One can also try to revise notes while he is on a recess or a break. Free time should be used always, like for example, if a project is not due yet, one can utilise the free time and complete it well in advance.

3. Do not fear to say the word no. Saying no sometimes is very important. For example, if a friend asks you to watch a programme on a schooling night. This could be one’ s study time. The programme could get extended to the early hours of the morning, one will feel sleepy and unfit for the next working day. Making right decisions is very important. Keeping the priorities is crucial. Things should be done at the right place and at the right time.

4. One must find apt timings for both studies and work.Students will be able to perform well in their studies excellently if the allotment of work time is well planned. Like for instance, if one loves to do science early in the morning rather than the afternoon, he should do it then.

5. Taking a good sleep in the night is very important. This deficiency may make the day seem longer than it is. Taking short rest periods could also lead to extra and unnecessary stress making tasks more difficult. On the other hand, with sufficient sleep, one can carry out the day to day activities with a fresh mind and also at a fast rate.

6. One should be a good “task holder master”. Figuring out the amount of free time a week has is very important. Good planning and management can help in settling activities that tend to consume a lot of time.

7. One should not waste time by worrying about things that did not work out well. Peace of mind and relaxation is necessary. Time is spent in worrying and as a result nothing is done. Instead of this, finding a solution is wiser. Procrastination is the thief of time.

8. Outlook maintenance in a positive perspective is needed. The goal must be sensible. Having unrealistic view of goals is going to lead to failures.

The above tips could help one organize his schedule. This could lead to stress free work and less worries.



Source by Abhishek Agarwal

16 Feb

New Teacher Tips on Dealing With Discipline Problems
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on February 16, 2023 @ 6:39 am

Discipline problems is a fact of every new teacher’s life. The most important thing to remember is to avoid entering a panic mode and attempt to regain class control. Make the most of your time in the classroom by finding ways to deal with problems instead of becoming stressed by them. Discipline problems usually come as a threat to their ability to manage the classroom. But you as the new teacher there are a number of important ways to deal with discipline problems.

The first thing is to look at your lesson plan and incorporate the following tips:

1) Have a motivating lesson plan. Students usually act up when they are frustrated or bored. Keep the momentum in the classroom lively and energizing by providing engaging activities that the students will be motivated to do. The level of the activities should be challenging but no too difficult. If you are motivated to teach, your students will be too.

2) Have a back-up plan when activities do not go as planned. Some activities fall through for many reasons, and you’ll need some S.O.S. kits for those unpredictable moments.

3) Be flexible. Success with managing a classroom is dependent on how well you are adapt to new classroom situations as they pop up. Inevitably, new teachers need to think fast and change an activity or regroup students or deal with a problematic student after the lesson.

4) Keep updated on new methodologies and learning approaches and experiment with new activities. Some methodologies and approaches may not appeal to each and every class, and as a result, discipline problems may occur.

Practice these tips for preventing discipline problems and soon you’ll be making the most of your lesson planning and classroom management time, too.



Source by Dorit Sasson

13 Feb

Simple Time Management and Life Coaching Tips To Improve Your Life
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on February 13, 2023 @ 6:38 am

The world in which we live in moves very quickly and most of us are burdened with tons of responsibilities. Unfortunately, that can lead to frustration and stress. Most of the time, it’s due to the fact that we don’t know exactly how to put everything into perspective. Here, we’ll provide some simple time management tips to improve life and help get things done.

The number one thing that is absolutely necessary is to invest in either a planner or some kind of software if you use a computer regularly throughout the day. That’s important because if you aren’t using digital devices that will keep you reminded of your tasks and responsibilities, they will only be forgotten.

From there, one must learn how to use the planner or software to its fullest capacity. This will ensure that a list all your tasks is made by order of priority. So, set some deadlines for when they must be completed. But, make sure that you set realistic deadlines and goals, otherwise you will be overwhelmed and could possibly leave things uncompleted.

Make sure that you write things down and work from a list. If you don’t finish your main tasks in one day, you can always work on it the next day.

If you plan and work using a schedule, you’ll find that you get so much more done. Nothing will be left dangling to add on to other important tasks and responsibilities. Far too many people are guilty of that and they get to the point where they are completely overwhelmed and they are back in the place that they were to begin with.

Make sure to have your agenda with you at all times. This will help you to make plans and complete your tasks. Like this, double booking an afternoon will never happen, nor will you forget to take your child to dance class.

Also, try to take a good look at the way you run your life and see where you waste time. We all have different ways to waste time. If you find yours and resolve it, you are certain to be more organized and better off.



Source by Rodger Constandse

17 Jan

Ten Important Classroom Management Tips and Strategies
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on January 17, 2023 @ 6:24 am

By now, you have probably already learned that a good classroom management system is responsible for building a positive classroom climate. As a classroom manager, A good classroom manager knows that the benefit of using classroom management strategies can both stimulate and encourage learning.

Using Classroom Strategies for Improving Motivation

When consistently implemented, these strategies can enhance the quality of your own teaching. This can be done in a variety of ways:

– Always aim to model the desire behavior. – Modeling is important for setting the expectations of both behavior and learning procedures.

– Creating opportunities for personal contact with students. – This includes providing tutorials and positive reinforcement whenever needed.

– Taking the student seriously. Students sense when they are taken seriously by the little things a teacher does in the classroom. Teachers can communicate this in a variety of ways using positive reinforcement, communicating expectations, and motivating pep talks.

– Being supportive, encouraging, helpful and available.

– Sharing information and ideas with the students.

– Accepting students’ feelings especially regarding assignments and tests.

Classroom Management Procedures

Effective classroom managers can also use the following classroom management procedures for reinforcing their rules and procedures. Some classroom managers believe that sharing responsibility with students leads to cooperation and a positive classroom environment.

– Allow students to participate in rule setting. This strategy helps with developing their own responsibility as learners and managing their own classroom behavior.

– Allow students input into the daily schedule. This strategy helps them with organizing, prioritizing and planning content of the daily lesson as well as managing their work efforts and contributions to the lessons.

– Allow students to give input about assignments. This strategy helps them to become more aware of how they manipulate their learning.

– Allow students to select their own books to read. – This strategy has important implications for enhancing motivation.

– Allow students to plan and set goals for learning. Students can set two to three goals that they feel will help improve their learning such as handing in homework on time and improving their spelling.

– Allow the student to use self-evaluation procedures. Teachers can provide checklists and rubrics to encourage independent learning.

Building a positive classroom climate includes involving students in on classroom procedures and rules and treating them with respect. If you do these classroom procedures and strategies consistently, you’ll find that the quality of your teaching will shine. So what are you waiting for? Try it!



Source by Dorit Sasson

15 Dec

Time Management Tips – How to Establish Boundaries That Safeguard Your Time and Energy
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on December 15, 2022 @ 6:06 am

Time management tips can teach you how to regenerate your vitality immediately by setting boundaries, utilizing these 3 powerful strategies:

  1. Comprehend how your time choices shape your quality of life. Genuinely appreciating the full power of your time choices requires and builds grit. Why? You genuinely realize what an enormous responsibility you carry in your own two hands. Yet assuming that level of ownership actually creates courage, because life becomes infinitely more exciting! No more wasting energy in blaming others. Your moment-to-moment choices grow more meaningful. This brings your essential focus to here, now. “Here” is where you live. “Now” is where all your power resides.

  2. Assertively prioritize activities that energize you. Consciously shaping your life through making your best possible time choices certainly helps you prioritize your activities. One of the most powerful techniques for energizing your time choices is to clearly identify your motivation. For example, if you resent going to work, you are draining your incentive and casting yourself in the role of the hapless victim, dragged through life by circumstances. You owe it to yourself to stop and consider the dignified reasons you go to work, like putting food on the table. Protect your energy by refusing to blame life for time choices you can make and remake at will. Then again, if your livelihood is demoralizing even when you invest your best efforts, you owe it to yourself to explore new avenues. Even in the most uncertain times, you benefit by examining and weighing the cost of each option. You will go through life more alert, more curious, and with enhanced vitality. And new doors will open.

  3. Successfully establish boundaries to promote your priorities. To say “Yes” to one fresh opportunity, you must say “No” to others. This essential discipline is worth all the assertiveness and social skills it requires. Your zest for life is rallied in the following ways:
    • Establishing a hierarchy of priorities strengthens your core. Who you are is determined largely by what you consciously choose, and what you are willing to relinquish in return. This is where the rubber hits the road, and where you gain essential traction to move through your day.
    • Establishing boundaries shapes your life. If you feel obliged to say, “Yes,” to all demands, your life becomes no more than a receptacle for others’ agendas. Own your life. The more you simplify your commitments to support what truly matters to you, the more easily you can fulfill them without feeling depleted.
    • Setting boundaries clarifies significant relationships. By presenting a defined self with clear priorities, you invite others to follow your example. Although submerged conflicts may surface in ways you first find uncomfortable, addressing those conflicts frees up enormous energy to be authentic and straightforward.

As you see, establishing and maintaining time boundaries is key to a healthy, fulfilling and productive life! Experience for yourself how following through, patiently and persistently, accepting setbacks, yields remarkable dividends of vitality and optimism.

Let time management address the whole of your life. If you are clear you want to live your best life, make time choices that will deepen and enlarge your moments, no matter what comes your way. This “heart-based” time management honors and enhances the significance of your life, each and every moment.

So, ask yourself: How can you seize the opportunity right now to make more meaningful time choices?



Source by Paula Eder

12 Dec

Psychological Tips for Effective Studying
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on December 12, 2022 @ 6:04 am

STUDY STRATEGIES

* Revise regularly- Revision should be continuous if you are to gain a deep understanding of the subject. It should not be superficial and rushed. Cramming might help you remember a few facts but it will not give you the overall understanding of a subject, which you should be studying for in your University Education.

* Be systematic- You should begin organizing a study schedule as soon as possible in the start of the semester

* Use varied techniques- besides making summaries of your lecture notes, use varying strategies for your revision. Draw up schemes showing the relationship between the concepts you have studied in your subjects or form study groups with your fellow students to discuss the different topics and the relationships between them to reinforce both understanding and recall.

* Use relationship to memorize- Understanding the relationships between pieces of information, such as their similarities and differences, and using their relationship to information already known is a definite advantage during stress of an examination.

* Practice previous exam papers- You should obtain copies of previous exam papers as early as possible in the revision process. Doing these exams in the required time limit will give you practice in applying what you have learnt to specific topics and practice in examination techniques. This will also give you a good idea of the format, time limit and the number of questions in the examination.

* Attend lectures- Pay attention in lectures and tutorials and so on for information relevant to exams. For example what topic might be expected in a test etc?

Stress the following areas in your revision:

o Points emphasized in class or in the text

o Areas the Professor has advised for study

o Questions in study guides, past questions and reviews at the end of textbook chapters.

STUDY HABITS

* Decide what to study (choose a reasonable task) and how long or how many chapters, pages, problems, etc. Set and stick to deadline.

* Do difficult tasks first. For procrastination, start with an easy interesting aspect of the project.

* Have special places to study. Take into consideration, lighting, temperature, and availability of materials.

* Study 50 minutes and then take a 10 minutes break. Stretch, relax, have energy snack.

* If you get tired or bored, switch task/activity. Stop studying when you are no longer being productive.

* Do rough memory tasks and review, especially detail, just before you fall asleep.

* Study with a friend. Quiz each other compare notes and predicted test questions.

STUDY SKILLS

o Physical environment- Choose situations, which make you feel comfortable, for example a particular space in the library, in your own home or study room in halls of residence.

o Plan a time table- Use a time schedule to prioritise study times and try to stick to your schedule.

o Mental activity- Remember that your concentration span is limited. So do not sit for 3-4 hours at a time starting at one page of notes. Wait for an hour or so reading and making extra notes. Draft out or use real exam questions from past papers and consider how little you know and understand

o Stop to take a break- Have a coffee or short walk and mentally review what you have achieved. Return to your studies.

o You will find that the process of activity and review will be useful and will help you to set a pattern of study.

o Quality of study- Remember that it is not time itself spent on studying which matters, it is the quality of the exercise of studying. Develop an understanding of the material you are working on. Information simply committed to memory will rarely see you safely through your exams.

o Choice of material- Don’t shy away from material which you find most difficult to understand because if you do it will be precisely this material which will be problematic for you in the exam. Take this material first.

o Problems- If there are sections of the syllabus, which you cannot understand, try to find the appropriate lecturer to help you. But try not to leave this until the day before the exam. Ask someone on the same course as you. If these strategies don’t work for you try using a variety of different textbooks, some authors explain difficult concepts better than others.

CONCENTRATION

Concentration is the ability to direct one’s thinking in whatever direction one would
intend. We all have the ability to concentrate sometimes.

Think of the time when you were engrossed in super novel or in a cinema -Total
concentration. But at other times your thoughts are scattered and you mind races from
one thing to another. Learn and practice concentration strategies.

Poor concentration- External causes

-Internal causes

REVISION

Revision is a process of looking over past work as preparation for examination. It is an activity which can produce good results and reduce ‘exam nerves’ if it is carefully planned and carried out in a systematic way. Black coffee and sleepless nights just before your exams rarely allow you to do justice to your talents.

Towards end of a course, a review of your completed written work and of past examination papers will often indicate the existence of close links between exam questions and essays, assignments and project work. On this basis, you select your own best work and use it for revision. Work, which has been less successful, should contain advice from a tutor and this can be followed up.

What revisions can do for you:

* Extends your ability to assess your own knowledge and understanding.

* Provides an opportunity to analyze this in relation to the requirements of the examination.

* Enable you to pass examination and gain recognition for your talents.

GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESSFUL REVISION

* Make sure you know well in advance the topics to be covered in the particular exam.

* Keep copies of all course documents, projects, essay questions, title of assignments and reading list on file.

* Make this the basis of your revision. Resist the temptation to try to start your course all over again from the beginning.

* Review your own the assessed work, making a selection of that with the best grade.

* Compare your own work with the question asked as past question papers.

* At this stage it is vital that you will have enough material to answer all the likely questions.

* If you decide on to expand what you have already got, look at less successful papers and see if you can improve them by careful editing, filling in gaps, correcting errors of fact or understanding.

* Reduce each piece of work to note form.

TIME MANAGEMENT

Avoid overload.
Organize your hours to include ample time for rest, relaxation, sleep, eating, exercising and socializing.
Break the study time into manageable amounts of time to avoid boredom and loss of concentration. Sessions lasting 20-30 minutes are the best Studying for six half hour sessions is much more effective than studying for 3 straight hours.

Don’t put everything off until the last minute.

PRACTICE EFFECTIVE STUDY TECHNIQUES

Have appropriate study environments.

Split large task into more manageable tasks.

Read for comprehension rather than get to the end of the chapter.

Be prepared to ask questions as they come up during study, rather than waiting until just before and exam.

Don’t wait until the last minute to complete your projects.

Read the syllabus as soon as you get it and note all due dates( and milestone times) on your calendar.

Be a model student.

Be attentive and participative in the class and punctual, prepared and eager to learn.

BE ABLE TO BE FLEXIBILE

The unexpected happenings, e.g. Sickness, need to be able to fit into our schedule.

Know how to rearrange your schedule when necessary (so that it doesn’t manage you, but you manage it).

HAVE A VISION

Don’t forget the big picture.

Why are you doing the task? Is it important for your long-term goals?
Have and follow a personal mission statement (personal and career) Are your activities ultimately helping you to achieve your goals.

Know what is important to you.

(What do you value most)

Have a positive attitude.



Source by Dr. Hari S. Chandran

19 Oct

USC Pharmacy School Application Requirements and Tips From an Accepted Student
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on October 19, 2022 @ 3:57 am

I will begin with the statistics of the accepted students into the University of Southern California Doctor of Pharmacy program for 2009. 460 students were offered interviews from a pool of over 2000 applicants. 240 students are accepted (11 students from out-of-state schools), and the expected class size for 2009 is 190. One must note that USC offers their undergraduates the opportunity of guaranteed admission as long as they complete their requirements in the TAP program (these students take up a large chunk of seats available for other applicants).

Obtaining a Bachelor’s degree is now a requirement for admission at USC. The minimum GPA requirement is a 3.0 (the average GPA of accepted students is a 3.60). Since USC does not require taking the PCAT, other admission criteria is weighed more heavily (GPA, interview performance, extracurricular activities, personal statements, etc.).

For the application process, it is very important for you to note that the University of Southern California sends out interview invitations on a rolling basis, so it is important that you turn in your PharmCAS application and supplemental application as soon as possible. The deadlines for both are early November, but I highly recommend that you turn both in no latter than early August (I turned in my applications by mid-July, just 1.5 months after the application was made available).

At your interview, you will be asked questions by a current pharmacy school student as well as a faculty member. Think of it more of a conversation where you also ask questions back to both of them. When you first arrive at the interview session, you will be greeted by several current pharmacy students, who do a great job of calming you down prior to your interview. Take this opportunity to ask questions and warm up your oral communication skills. Do not worry to much about the “essay” portion as it is just a test of how well you take notes off of a random article that you read. BE SURE to follow all directions provided to you as it is also a test on how well you pay attention to details.

Here are the pre-requisites for USC’s pharmacy program:

Calculus (for science majors)
Statistics (non-business)
Physics w/lab (science/life science majors- thermodynamics & Electromagnetism recommended)
General Biology w/lab (excludes human anatomy & physiology, botany, and microbiology)
Mammalian Physiology w/lab (human preferred-excludes plant, cell and marine physiology)
Microbiology w/lab (fundamentals of microbiology for science majors)
Molecular or Cell Biology(for science majors-one upper division course)
General Chemistry w/lab (for science majors-include inorganic & qualitative analysis)
Organic Chemistry w/lab (for science majors)
Biochemistry (for science majors one upper division course)
Human Behavior (General Psychology or Introductory Sociology)
Microeconomics

For Internationals (holders of foreign US bachelor’s equivalent):
English (expository writing)
Interpersonal Communications or Public Speaking

For specific course equivalencies from your college, please check the forms available from USC’s website.

The Pharm.D. program at USC is a 4 year program. USC is a private school, and our estimated tuition and cost of living for 2009 is approximately $60,000.

The University of Southern California provides students the opportunity to pursue dual degrees in addition to their Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. These include the following:

Pharm.D./Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
Pharm.D./Juris Doctor(J.D.)
Pharm.D./Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
Pharm.D./Master of Science in Regulatory Science (M.S. Regulatory Science)
Pharm.D./ Master of Science in Gerontology (M.S.G.)
Pharm.D./Graduate Certificate in Gerontology (Gerontology Certificate)
Pharm.D./Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)



Source by David E. Thompson

16 Oct

Practical and Detailed Time Management Tips for a Fulfilling Life
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on October 16, 2022 @ 3:46 am

Time is what we need most, but what we use worst – William Penn

One of the biggest reasons for stress, frustration and irritation is poor time management. We often feel that we never have enough time to do anything. This is a flawed assumption to begin with. Each and every one of us has twenty-fours in a day, no more and no less.

Why is it then that some people are able to accomplish many activities while others struggle on? Time management does not mean squeezing in many jobs in a short time-frame! Time management means managing your hours in a way that maximizes productivity while allowing free time for leisure, relaxation and fun.

Effective time management strategies can help you in several important ways and minimize stress. Are you managing your time effectively?

Signs of Poor and Ineffective Time Management

‘Short as time is, we make it shorter by wasting time’ Victor Hugo

Rushing around with a full diary of appointments, tasks and meetings does not imply good time management. If you notice any of the following signs in your life, you’re probably wasting precious time:

· Poor punctuality: You are always late for appointments

· Negative feelings dominate: You are always feeling stressed, anxious and impatient

· Poor work productivity: Are you always asking for extra time to complete projects and submit reports?

· Lack of leisure and relaxation: You find yourself always working with no time for family and friends

· Chronic Procrastination: Do you constantly find yourself postponing tasks?

If you constantly find yourself chasing your tail, unable to make decisions and falling through the cracks, you may need to understand why you are unable to manage your time.

10 Reasons why Time Management is Important

1. You can improve productivity and quality of output without burning out

2. Time management leads to more leisure and relaxation time and better work-life balance

3. We are able to accomplish much more while doing less instead of running around in circles

4. You no longer feel overwhelmed, rushed and stressed.

5. Managing our time effectively helps us make better decisions and make empowering choices as we no longer jump to erroneous conclusions in a rush

6. Effective time management is the key to professional and academic success

7. You will feel relaxed and will experience improved levels of mental and physical wellbeing

8. Time management is one of the most effective techniques to beat procrastination

9. You begin to value your time as a precious asset and learn to use it wisely instead of squandering it frivolously

10. Time management helps create a positive flow of energy in your life and is a key factor in goal achievement

Effective Time Management Techniques and Strategies

‘The bad news is that time flies; the good news is that you are the pilot’ Michael Altshuler

You can read through the following list of carefully chosen time-management tips and select the ones that resonate with you.

20 Effective Time Management Tips and Strategies

1. Stop wasting your energy complaining lack of time; start planning your day instead.

2. Slot your tasks and activities into defined time frames. Give 10 minutes to X activity, 30 minutes to Y activity and so on.

3. Show respect and value for your time and others will also follow suit.

4. Use effective time management tools like a calendar and an organizer. There are free online organizers include tools such as Google Calendar and Backpack. A good old diary is just as effective!

5. Create your priority list and time allotments according to your preferences. Don’t pressurize yourself because your friend wants to borrow your car during evening rush hour.

6. Set a definite time after which you won’t work; otherwise work will creep into your evening.

7. Do regular time audits for the week and examine how your time was spent. You may want to redistribute your time for better utilization.

8. Highlight deadlines clearly and legibly in your calendar so that you can plan before project end dates.

9. Pinpoint activities and people who waste your time and drain your energy.

10. Schedule time for relaxation with family, children, friends and pets. A good work-life balance is very important for a stress-free life.

11. Place your clock where you can see it clearly at all times. Many times, we tend to have to look for our mobile phones in order to see the time!

12. Open a minimum number of online tabs. This wastes time as the eyes are continually darting towards other tabs. Close down everything except what you need.

13. Delegate tasks for improved time management. Most people feel obliged to do everything on their own.

14. Whenever you make a time estimate, always add on extra time to be on the safe side. We have a tendency to underestimate time required for tasks.

15. Plan your time but don’t force an unnatural pace. See if the time management plan is aligned with your preferences and expectations. Each person is different and there is no single plan that fits all.

16. Batch similar tasks together for improved efficacy and minimization of time wastage.

17. Avoid fussing about unimportant and trivial details. Keep the larger picture in mind.

18. Don’t stick up tasks one after another; keep a 10-minute buffer zone to take a breath between tasks.

19. Schedule time to reflect on thoughts, conversations and ideas that may help improve your life.

20. Close your eyes for two minutes and breathe gently. Focus on your breathing. This will help clear the mind before any important meeting and reduce stress instantly.

You can start implementing the above listed tips at any time. As you use them consistently, you will be pleasantly surprised to discover that you are able to do much more in less time without salving yourself into the ground.

Summary

Time is a more valuable resource than money: Lost money can be recovered but lost time is lost forever! We are likely to experience improved levels of motivation and satisfaction. Time management strategies will help you lead a meaningful and purposeful life with an ideal work-life balance.



Source by Nirupama N Raghavan

13 Oct

Study Tips – How to Study for High School Finals
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on October 13, 2022 @ 3:35 am

Some of the most common questions involving studying concern finals, and rightfully so. For many high school students, their finals determine their success or failure in a class. That one test can be 50% of a student’s grade for an entire semester of work. Here are four steps that will help you make sure that you are getting the most out of your study sessions for high school finals.

1. Make sure you have all of your materials.

Few things are more annoying than having to continually re-gather your school materials. Make sure you have all the books and other materials you need for that class. Frankly, though, your books should simply be a reference by this time. You have been taking good notes and studying all along, so your most important materials aren’t in your books. It’s in your own words on your own paper.

You also want to make sure you have enough materials to stay put for at least 50 minutes. A writing utensil, paper on which to make new review materials, and a focused mind should be enough. If you would rather make a digital resource than a hand-written one, that will work. But before committing to a computer, consider these three benefits of hand-writing your review materials.

First, you have the added memory aid of kinesthetic learning. This is a primary way people take in information, and, believe it or not, simply writing something down can be tremendously helpful for memorization. Second, there are visual helps that come from hand-writing a new review sheet that are missed on a computer screen. For example, many people have had the experience of remembering where an answer was on a particular page. If you’ve ever thought, “I remember that It was under the picture of the alligator on the top right hand corner of the page… ,” you know what I’m talking about. That benefit is mostly lost on a scrolling computer screen. Third, successful students know the benefits of arrows, diagrams, scribbles, doodles, and every other weird hand-written elements for studying. You miss that on Microsoft Word. There is no way around it with the current state of technology.

If you have all of your materials, you are now ready for step 2, setting the environment for a successful final exam study session.

2. Set up a great environment for studying.

Many college students miss this element entirely. Consider this: how many students have you seen at Starbucks with a laptop open, Facebook in the background, gmail chat in the foreground, twitter feeds buzzing their phones, text messages coming in every three minutes, and a chemistry book in their lap? That type of studying – if it can even be called “studying” – is not particularly helpful for studying for finals. High school students need to understand this element of studying for finals before graduating. Your environment matters. It can make or break your study session.

The problem with a bad environment is that time moves at the same speed whether you are learning or not. Many a disappointed student has spent hours at the coffee shop cramming for exams but failed a test because of a poor environment. Great environments enhance studying exponentially.

Great environments, while being different for each individual, will have certain things in common. Social media will be held at bay. As difficult as that sounds, it must be done. Tell Facebook, “Goodbye,” for an hour. Twitter, texting, Voxer, and HeyTell have no place in a finals study session. More traditional media like television also needs to be shut down for a while. Set an environment where you can concentrate without the constant pull of media all around you. Music can help some students stay focused, but try to make sure it is instrumental and playing quietly in the background if at all. The quieter and more focused your environment is, the more productive your study session will be.

3. Focus your studies on the most important ideas and details.

When studying for finals, you should not be re-reading the chapters. Reading is an important part of the learning process, but it is too comprehensive to be helpful on a final exam. You want just the biggest, most important details. Birthdays, maiden names, pets names, favorite colors, and state flowers are usually not on the final exams. Essays about major thought-movements and the key thinkers involved are on final exams.

Acing your finals is dependent on whether or not you can focus your learning on the most important ideas. If you can, you are sure to score higher in less time studying. If you cannot, you are sure to know a lot of information, have spent a lot of hours in the library, and not understand why so much of what you studied wasn’t on the exam. Learning what to learn is as important as learning how to learn.

4. Study.

Get to work on what you know. Go over the notes you’ve made, make a study guide for yourself, and do the work. I recommend 50 minutes of studying at a time. Break those sections up with a ten-minute break to get the most out of your session.

5. Stop studying, sleep and dominate the final test.

There comes a point in every study session where every student has to sleep. Sometimes students forget about this. They stay up late, drinking a lot of coffee, feeling miserable, and working for a long time. Then when the test comes, they are groggy and end up writing weird things.

Don’t write weird essays. Just go to sleep. It is one of the most important things you can do during the studying process.

One high school friend of mine drew a sailboat on an essay exam because he couldn’t gather his thoughts enough to write a great essay. In case you are curious, sailboats don’t score well on essay tests. And yes, that is a true story. You can’t make that up.

If you’ve done your work, you should be set up for a great performance on your final exams. Relax, know that you’ve done your best, and dominate the test.



Source by Skylar Anderson

19 Sep

Tips to Pay Off Your Student Loans Sooner
Posted in Education by anshbookstore on September 19, 2022 @ 2:05 am

After graduating, many people make paying off their loans one of their top priorities. Unfortunately, what people discover is that, as it often does, life will throw them curveballs, such as job loss, medical emergencies and divorce, which will force them to change their priorities. In such cases, paying off college debt can often end up at the bottom of people’s to-do lists. However, when people do this, what they often find out is that ignoring these debts is one of the worst things you can do. Depending on their loan’s interest rate, what was once a seemingly affordable expense has enough time to develop into an unaffordable debt.

How Can I Pay Off My Student Loans Quicker?

Whether you are hoping to find a way to vault paying off your loans back to the top of your to-do list or you are a new graduate hoping to knock out your school debt right out of the gate, here are a few tips to help you pay off your student loans sooner rather than later:

  • Avoid skipping payments – If you cannot afford your payments, do not just skip them. You should get in touch with your lender and speak with them about options, such as lowering your monthly payment amount or forbearance.

  • Make sure to read the fine print – You need to read your loan agreement, because knowing certain details before a problem arises could allow you enough time to contact your lender and fix the issue without incident. For example, if the interest rate on your loan rises, it can make your monthly payment more expensive. If you know ahead of time that your payment is about to increase to an amount you will not be able to afford, you may be able to get in touch with your lender and renegotiate the terms of your loan so that your payment remains affordable.

  • Treat student loan forgiveness like a myth – Aside from situations where a person was scammed by a private lender, generally, people must pay off their loans in full. If people think that they will not have to pay off their student loans, then they could allow their student loan debt to grow out of control. People can allow this to happen, because they believe it does not matter since they expect their loan to be forgiven eventually. However, once they figure out they are wrong, it can be too late.

Student Loan Debt Is an Issue That Is Not Going Away Anytime Soon

President Obama considered the student loan debt crisis such a pressing issue that as his time in the Oval Office was winding down, he continued to work to solve it. Before his administration left the White House, President Obama implemented protections that prevented debt collection companies from charging high fees on student loans in default.

Unfortunately, after taking office, President Trump undid many of President Obama’s student loan protections. As a result, many people are racing to not only pay off their student loans in full, but also to do so as quickly as possible.



Source by Wesley Bingham