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The Nightmare Before Report Cards

'As your island of knowledge grows, so does your shoreline of wonder.' Anon

We have all read the "Night Before Christmas" story to our children but for many students who are on a semester system, Christmas signals the "Month Before Exams" and that inevitable report card home.

YIKES! With all the festive activities, we often forget that those children in our house who are in the older grades should probably be thinking about their exam schedules. As teachers scramble to get those last minute study outlines into their student's hands, there are things that both parents, teachers and students can do to assist in this time of high stress to assist.

What is it about Exams That Strikes Fear Into the Hearts of Many?

Going into an exam feeling unprepared is the most reported fear of students. Sometimes it is a simple case of not knowing how to study properly. Make sure your students have a solid understanding of, "How to Study".

Rereading the Textbook Puts Monsters in the Closet

The simple process of rereading the textbook or rereading notes will not usually prepare a student for an exam unless they have been doing it every night since the semester began. The human brain simply cannot process the information and place it into long term stores with the efficiency a student will need for an exam. They often will go into an exam and suffer from the old, "My Head Just Went Blank" syndrome.

Why?

The amount of information a student learns in a semester is increasing at an incredible amount. It is a lot of information to keep up with and if reading is a struggle, the ability to hold onto that information only dwindles as time goes by. In order to be able to retrieve information easily, one must have successfully moved that information from short term to long term memory stores.

Learning to Study Effectively Ends the Nightmares

There has been much scientific research into effective ways to study and to give you a complete, "How to Study Effectively Guide" would take up more space than I have in this ezine. I can, however, give you a small portion of a system we have found quite effective to get you started.

Before you study do the following:

Sit down and arrange a study schedule (Remember: Science says that you retain more if you study when you are alert and during daylight hours.)

Approach your studies with a positive attitude. (It may not be the most fun you've ever had but it may very well be the most important in the long run.)

Educate yourself again:

Use sizeable chunks of material to study at any one time. (Studying the entire history of WWII is likely not a very realistic chunk.) However, studying the cause of and/or the key players is.
Take a look at your class notes and textbook readings. Note the headings, graphics, pre and post questions to get an idea of what your exam questions may include.

Assess what you know:

Take a blank sheet of paper and start listing what you have studied and summarize what you know. You can do this on your own or with a friend but attempt to do it without referring to your notes or texts.

Compile a list of what you don't know:

Pull out your text and notes and compare it to your list of things you have studied and know. Take careful note of what you do not understand. Investigate alternate sources of information, including texts, internet, experts, teachers and yes - even parents.

Overview:

It is difficult to study effectively if you do not have application for it.

Reflect on the material:

How can you apply this material to what I am interested in? (I know sometimes it is a Video Games Relay understanding by figuring out how to make the information interesting and understandable to others. (See, now you can teach your parents a few things.)

Navigate:

Time to look over and look where you are and where you want to be. Examine your process and progress and focus on improving it if need be. Explore study and test taking options with your teacher.

Three Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW For Your Child:

1. Make sure your child has a day-timer or calendar where they can record due dates and exam schedules. Place it somewhere that is visible on a daily basis. Yes, even for you.

2. Encourage your child to sit down with you and plot out their goals for the academic term. Ask them how you can best assist them.

3. Here is a website that allows you to download a ton of calendar formats. It is not very expensive and worth it's weight in gold. www.calendarsthatwork.com

Feeling overwhelmed by it all? Not to worry, you are certainly not alone. The time to develop good study habits is when school begins. It is not too early to begin getting the habit in place even in elementary school.

Lani Donaldson, The Literacy Expert, owns an innovative company that improves a client's literacy rate by one grade level in only 20 hours of instruction. http://www.literacycanada.com Lani is determined to improve the literacy rates not only in Canada but also around the world! Sign up for her witty and hugely informative FREE e-zine and receive her FREE Bonus Report - Nine Indicators of a Possible Reading Difficulty". http://www.literacyexperts.com

posted by biibj @ 6:00 AM