Have you ever asked yourself what exactly are the secret habits of serious students and what these students do when learning? Do you want to apply their tips and smart learning guide? If yes, read this article to the end.
It is clearly said that ‘’If education is expensive, try ignorance.’ ’ If that is the case, one may wonder why people seek knowledge. This is because knowledge is power, or education is the only optimum key to refraining from poverty. That is why everyone is in pursuit of knowledge. Erudition starts from what one knows and goes towards what one wants to know.
The Secret Habits of Serious Students: How to Learn Smarter, Not Harder
They know the good in using the right study skills and apply them
Serious students understand the importance of serious study skills. Studying involves the act of reviewing information learnt in the classroom; students neglect to consider other factors that separate outstanding academic performers from the rest. Studying means knowing when and where to make the best use of time. Many students fool themselves by half-studying and half-socialising, eating, watching TV, or listening to music. This can cause many problems for students when it comes to taking quizzes, tests, and final exams.
They are hard workers, time managers, and self-disciplined
To become successful in life, we all need to learn to become good students in every aspect of life. Becoming a good student is not an easy task. Most would agree that in order to be a good student, it takes a great deal of hard work, time, and self-discipline. A student who possesses these strong characteristics will oftentimes stand out from the rest of their classmates. In order to become a strong student, one must have motivation, positive self-esteem, positive self-talk, commitment, and good study habits. It has been said that to get the required performance out of an individual, you must first find what motivates them. There are many ways for a student to become motivated. These include setting goals, creating a dream career, and many more.
Students who commit themselves to studying will still need to manage their time wisely. Students can become distracted by loud noises in the evening. In addition, students may lose concentration if they decide to study late at night. Students should study when their body feels most alert, usually right after school in a quiet, secluded room. To avoid cramming or feeling fatigued from extended study periods, students should reward themselves with five-minute breaks every half hour. This will give them time to stretch and get their blood flowing to their brain by walking around. Students can choose to study in short intervals right before bed to promote unconscious studying while asleep. If this causes the student to fixate on studying, then he or she should discontinue this practice.
Studying hinges on the student’s ability to choose the right venue. For instance, if the student chooses a dark, noisy, cramped, and uncomfortable spot to review learnt material, then he or she will likely not retain any information during their study session. Instead, students should choose a well-lit, quiet, spacious, distraction-free, and comfortable study environment. Many times students choose a work desk located in their room because it grants them control over their environment. This also means that students can succumb to the temptations of using their cell phone, laptop, TV, computer, or bed. Other drawbacks to studying at home may include distractions from friends, noisy roommates, or siblings. Many committed students choose the library.
Serious students heavily focus on their diets
Individuals who make healthy choices with their fitness and diet will find that they feel better about themselves. To keep a strong mind, students need to consume the right foods and always make time in their busy schedules for exercise. Completing these simple tasks can boost a student’s self-esteem and make sure they are performing at an optimal level. In our society today, innumerable students are daily telling themselves that they are not worthy or not smart enough. These negative thoughts people tell themselves are the number one force that can destroy one’s self-esteem. Serious students should really attempt to use positive self-talk as much as possible.
They study with partners
Students may feel motivated to study if they bring a partner. Bringing a friend can prove advantageous if both students remain committed to studying. For instance, both friends can encourage each other to study when one feels unmotivated or distracted by external stimuli. In addition, a study partner can help test retained knowledge without the temptation of deceiving one’s self. However, students should not falter to only studying with friends. The sole purpose of studying revolves around independent dedication to learning the course material. Students who become dependent on their friends to study have a harder time adjusting to future classes without their friends. In addition, group study becomes more effective when students study at home and arrive prepared to reinforce information learnt while in private seclusion. As a result, friends who grasp the information more than others can explain certain key points. This merges unique perspectives on the core curriculum and makes it easier to understand the subject matter.
Many times, success in life comes through learning new skills, knowledge capabilities, and attitudes. In many societies, education is seen as a cost centre and not a profit center. Governments in the world spend exorbitant sums of money to educate their population. Generally, these investments are made currently with an eye on future generations of the society. All along the lifetime of mankind, education and continuous upgrading of knowledge have been contributing to the development of society.
Better grade is their major concern
As a student, studying to get better grades should be your major concern. Therefore, it is important students develop effective study plans and methods that suit them. A study plan is a laid-out schedule created by students listing their learning goals in addition to a study time to help them achieve the listed goals. Having a study plan creates in you a responsibility towards learning. It also helps you keep track of all you have been taught in school.
Choose to study alone or in groups
Another Secret Habits of Serious Students is that, they choose carefully whether to work alone or in groups.
No two students are alike, so are our learning habits. Some students prefer to study in a group, sharing with other students. Others also like to learn by themselves away from prying eyes. There are also others who can study in any location, regardless of the environment.
If you are like many students, your time is limited, so it is important to get the most educational value out of the time you have available. Speed of learning is not the only important factor. Serious students need to be able to accurately remember the information they learn, recall it at a later time, and utilise it effectively in a wide variety of situations. Serious students must also develop the right attitude towards studying. Having the right attitude towards studying is the ability to prioritise your set goals and stick to achieving them regardless of distractions or in addition to social or recreational activities.
Other issues to consider
Becoming a unique student is not something that happens overnight; unique students take steps to draw up a study schedule for themselves. The schedules are always realistic and in time with their school’s timetable as well. They factor in time to deal with house chores if they have any.
Serious students should also consider the amount of time they want to dedicate to studying. Some students can study for long hours, while others can study for only a short period. Do not beat yourself up if you cannot study for long hours. Remember to always stick to what works best for you.
Always take breaks in between topics. It is tempting to want to cover a lot of ground within a short period. Resist such temptations and take a break when it becomes necessary. Do not push yourself so hard when you feel tired. You can take a break by listening to music or eating a snack. Another way for serious students to study is to take a rest as soon as you return from school and wake up a few hours before your wake time to study.
Furthermore, always remove distractive objects from your study environment. In fact, fewer distractions help serious students study better and more efficiently. Keep in mind that little sacrifices such as these will pay off eventually.
There are a number of different things that students can do to improve their memory. Basic tips such as improving your focus, avoiding cram sessions, and structuring your study time are a good place to start. Also, another one of the best ways to learn is to focus on learning in more than one way. Instead of just listening to a podcast, which involves auditory learning, find a way to rehearse the information both verbally and visually. This might involve describing what you learnt to a friend, taking notes, or drawing a mind map. By learning in more than one way, you are further centring the knowledge in your mind.
Teachers have long noted that one of the best ways to learn something is to teach it to someone else. By teaching to the rest of the class, your teacher hoped you would gain even more from the assignment. You can apply the same principle today by sharing your newly learnt skills and knowledge with others. Start by translating the information into your own words. This process alone helps solidify new knowledge in your brain. Next, find some way to share what you have learnt.
READ: 5 Powerful Study Methods To Use For Effective Study: Which one is Right for You?
For many students, learning typically involves reading textbooks, attending lectures, or doing research in the library or online. While seeing information and then writing it down is important, actually putting new knowledge and skills into practice can be one of the best ways to improve erudition.
If you are studying to acquire a new skill or ability, focus on gaining practical experience. If it is a sport or athletic skill, perform the activity on a regular basis. If you are learning a new language, practice speaking with another person and surround yourself with language immersion experiences.
Another great strategy for improving your learning is to recognise your learning habits and styles. There are a number of different theories about learning styles, which can all help you gain a better understanding of how you learn best. The concept of learning styles has been the subject of considerable debate and criticism, but many students may find that understanding their learning preferences can still be helpful.
While it may seem that spending more time studying is one of the best ways to maximise learning, research has demonstrated that taking tests actually helps students better remember what they have learnt, even if it was not covered on the test.
For many years, it was thought that people who performed more than one activity at once had an edge over those who did not. Painstaking research suggests that multitasking can actually make learning less effective.
In the study, participants lost a significant amount of time as they switched between multiple tasks and lost even more times as the tasks became increasingly complex. By switching from one activity to another, you will learn more slowly, become less efficient, and make more errors.
READ: How to prepare to learn or study effectively for exam success
Now that you know the Secret Habits of Serious Students and How to Learn Smarter, it is time to fold your sleeves and get back to the learning area.
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