Study tools 

Even when I am a licensed classroom teacher, I will also always be a student who is constantly learning and studying for the next thing. This week one of our assignments was to create a study tool for students and ourselves to use. It made me realize that there are some very useful tools out there for both students and educators to use.

I personally am a very big fan of Quizlet. It is a study tool that I have used throughout my schooling, including into college. When I first began using Quizlet, one of its only features was creating study set flashcards. As someone who typically made flashcards by hand, Quizlet helped me so much with time and increasing my ability to study anywhere. As time has gone on, Quizlet has added new features such as study guides, practice tests, different kinds of study games such as matching, fill-in-the-blank and sorting. My favorite feature I have used is the import tool. You make up a study guide, outline or notes and you can upload the document. Quizlet takes the outline you uploaded and turns it into flashcards, a study guide and provides potential test questions based on the information you provided.

As a teacher, this tool can be useful in the classroom by creating study guides based on the information you want your students to know. You are able to share the study sets to your students and use it as a tool to assess where students need more help or are succeeding.

There are so many other useful tools for students to use to study. Another favorite tool of mine, specifically for math students, is Kahn Academy. This study tool offers so many different tools, examples and explanations for all areas of math. I have used this one for help with studying Algebra and Statistics. I have also seen Kahn Academy used firsthand inside the classroom. In the special education classrooms I worked in, we often used Kahn Academy to review the basics when leading into a bigger concept. For example, when we were moving the students into solving algebraic equations, we used Kahn Academy to review basic addition, multiplication and division. When students needed extra help with concepts, we often used Kahn Academy to show more examples and have a different way of teaching it, whether through videos or just another way of explaining the concepts.

No matter what way you study or how you learn, there is a study tool out there that will help you better understand the information and concepts you need to know.

Images: Top: Quizlet's Main page: offers links to classes, study sets you and others have created, study guides, practice tests and more.

Bottom: Kahn Academy's main page. Offers courses to take for all levels of math to help build more knowledge and a better understanding of concepts.