Study Skills - Where do I start?

Where do I start?

Developing a study habit can be really hard, especially if its not something you felt you needed before. Unfortunately relying solely on your memory or coming up with something the night before is not sustainable or healthy, even if its worked in the past. There is no exact guideline of hours of study you have to do, because everyones learning style, time schedule and capacity is different. Start with the areas you struggle with, start with 30 mins - 1 hour a day and work up from there building study habits and techniques as you go.

Study includes:

Summarising your class notes
Practicing past HSC papers or example tests
Homework
Assignments
Using study tools (creating flashcards, reciting notes out loud, practicing a performance)
Attending homework club
Group study session

Tutoring is only relevant study if you are revising and learning concepts you are currently studying in your class.

Set healthy boundaries

It can be easy to just read one more chapter or write one more page. It's important that you give yourself some time to recharge and relax. This is especially the case if you're studying at night, as your brain might need time to unwind before falling asleep. Set an alarm each day to let yourself know it's time to finish for the day and make sure to schedule breaks between study sessions.

Top Tips:

Learning to work smarter, not harder, is the main aim when it comes to achieving study–life balance.
Have a designated, comfortable space to study. Avoid using your bed, as you want to be able to differentiate between your 'study' space and your 'sleep/relaxation' space.
Mute distractions such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. You can use apps that block social media or the built-in feature on iPhones that lets you set how many minutes a day you can spend on particular apps – and turn off notifications!
Write a to-do list for each session and tick off items as you go. Know what you want to achieve and try not to get distracted or sidetracked by other topics or tasks.
If perfect silence or studying alone doesn't work for you, find a white noise or background music track that helps you focus, and trial studying in a library or as a family member to hang out in a shared space and do something quiet in the background to help keep you on task.

Source: ReachOut Australia

Use schedules and planners

Staying organised is crucial for maintaining consistent and manageable study habits. See the Planner/Diary Organisation & Templates section to get started. The biggest stumbling block to nailing the study–life balance is failing to plan. If you don't set up a schedule or system, then before long, you'll be doing too much of one thing and not enough of the other. Schedule blocks of time for different things in your life: school, study, paid work, hanging with friends and family, sport and exercise, and personal time (including eating and sleeping!)

Take breaks

Research shows that taking purposeful breaks (anywhere from 5–60 minutes) from studying at least every hour to refresh your brain and body increases your energy, productivity, and ability to focus. Keep in mind: social media work well as a “purposeful break” . Instead, find activities that give your mind a break and allow you to breathe deeply, laugh, move your body, be creative, or “zone out” on purpose. These kinds of activities will help you re-energise and re-focus.

Source: https://health.cornell.edu/

Improving your memory - the science!

How does memory work? There's still lots to discover and understand, but we do know that there are basically three stages or steps to memory processing: encoding, storage, and recall. Research suggests we remember things better and retain them longer when we associate meaning to them using semantic encoding. The first step to creating a memory is called encoding: It's when you notice an event or come across a piece of information and your brain consciously perceives the sounds, images, physical feeling, or other sensory details involved. If you attach meaning or factual knowledge to any of this sensory input, that's called semantic encoding.

All of these little bits and pieces of information are then stored in different areas of your brain. Your neurons (the nerve cells in your brain) pass signals to each other about what you perceived, effectively "talking" with each other and building either temporary or long-lasting connections. It's that neural activity and the strength of those connections that make a memory, neuroscientists believe.

There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. Short-term or working memory is like your brain's scratchpad. It's when your brain temporarily stores information before either dismissing it or transferring it to long-term memory—for example, remembering what you want to order for lunch before calling the takeout place. Once your food is delivered and eaten, your brain can let go of that info. Long-term memories are those memories you hold on to for a few days or many years--things like how to ride a bike. Both kinds of memories can weaken with age because the brain loses cells critical to those connections between neurons over time--but that's not inevitable. As with muscle strength, you can exercise your brain; with memory, it's "use it or lose it."

And finally, to retrieve a memory, your brain "replays" or revisits the nerve pathways created when the memory was formed. Repeatedly recalling information helps strengthen those connections and your memories, which is why techniques like reviewing your notes or using flashcards help you retain information. Read the link below to read through a range of different techniques for improving memory to help you with study.

Source: https://zapier.com/blog/better-memory/

Browse these links for more general study tips and resources:

The Study Skills Handbook website is an online resource with units students can work through to develop their study skills.Then just scroll down this page and click on a unit to get started.

https://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au/ Login: U: forfortstreetonly P: 21results

FSHS Homework Club

FSHS homework club runs Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 3.15 - 4.30 in the library. Its a great way to put aside structured study time and get support from others.

Need more support?

Check out the Headspace Digital Work and Study Service: Free and confidential support from work and study specialists for 15-25 year olds. Phone and online chat contact options, as well as online resources: https://headspace.org.au/young-people/digital-work-and-study-program/

Feeling really overwhelmed and exhausted from study?

Head to https://au.reachout.com/articles/quiz-are-you-burning-out and take this quiz to reflect on how you’re going and identify whether you could be burning out or if your mental health is at risk.