| Study skills are simply the various skills you need | | | | · Solving problems |
| to be able to study effectively. Many students | | | | · Improving your memory |
| have surprisingly poor study skills. This study guide | | | | · Making inferences |
| is designed to help anybody who is studying for | | | | · Empathising |
| their GCSE exams and wishes to improve such | | | | · Assessing your own progress |
| study skills. This study guide is packed full of | | | | Different subjects will of course use different |
| useful advice which will help you develop all the | | | | types of skill. For example Mathematics will use |
| skills that you need to effectively prepare for | | | | more productive skills when revising such as |
| your GCSE exams. | | | | practising Maths questions, whereas History will |
| The guide starts off by showing you how to set | | | | require more receptive skills such as note taking. |
| up a suitable study environment. Then the guide | | | | Remember when doing a task that may seem |
| goes onto to show you how to design and | | | | daunting it is often best to break it up into more |
| implement your study skills, planning your revision | | | | manageable tasks, to tackle the problem one bit |
| and dealing with stressful situations. | | | | at a time. Spread the units of work over a period |
| Feeding yourself good food helps to keep your | | | | of hours, days or weeks, depending upon the |
| body in good shape. Your brain works in a similar | | | | time scale. Build these sessions into your regular |
| way so it is important to feed yourself positive | | | | study plan. This skill is useful if you have to write |
| thoughts. Changing your study environment will | | | | a long assignment for your coursework, or if you |
| also improve your ability to revise and will help | | | | need to reschedule a project over several weeks |
| with your self confidence. Negative thoughts on | | | | or months. Don't bore yourself to death with |
| the other hand will undermine your self confidence | | | | endless repetition. |
| and will destroy your-self image. Nearly | | | | There are better ways of remembering one |
| everybody has more potential than they realise. | | | | section of your studies when you proceed to the |
| Plenty of people prevent themselves from | | | | next. Build into your study plan regular |
| learning just because they don't believe in their | | | | opportunities to review your work. The aim is to |
| own abilities. Believing in yourself can be a source | | | | renew your interest and clarify your |
| of enormous strength. Essentially it is a matter of | | | | understanding. Problem solving skills are essential |
| attitude; a calm quiet approach will lead to | | | | irrespective of the subject that you are studying |
| confidence and success. Be careful not to be over | | | | and even if you are not studying at all. The most |
| confident. This is often just an excuse for doing | | | | efficient problem solvers use techniques such as |
| nothing. You fool yourself that the course is easy | | | | brainstorming and lateral thinking to tackle |
| and requires little effort. So you do nothing until a | | | | situations. These approaches give us freedom to |
| month before the exam and then suddenly | | | | take a new idea and see where it goes. There |
| become anxious and nervous about the prospect | | | | are various ways to help improve your memory |
| of doing the exam. A good way to boost your | | | | whilst revising; these include mnemonics, |
| self confidence is to keep a record of what you | | | | visualisation and narratisation. A mnemonic is a |
| have achieved and reward yourself from time to | | | | way of making information memorable by turning |
| time when you have achieved goals that you | | | | initials into a kind of story. |
| have set yourself. | | | | For example to remember the colours of the |
| Constructing a SWOT analysis is an excellent way | | | | rainbow 'Richard of York gave battle in vain' |
| to help prepare for exams. | | | | Visualisation involves placing information spatially in |
| SWOT stands for: | | | | your imagination. Let's suppose that you are |
| · Strengths | | | | studying Chemistry. You want to memorise the |
| · Weaknesses | | | | periodic table. You could take different sections of |
| · Opportunities | | | | the table and, in your imagination; 'place' each |
| · Threats | | | | section in a different room of your home. Or if |
| Your strengths could lie in knowledge of certain | | | | you are studying English, you could take the plot |
| areas of the syllabus; your weaknesses could be | | | | of the novel and think of it as a journey along the |
| your motivation and organisation. Opportunities | | | | street in which you live. Using a cassette recorder |
| could be the free time that you have or the | | | | or recording information digitally onto a computer |
| environment that you are studying within. Threats | | | | can be a great way to record your notes that |
| could be distractions in your life such as the TV, | | | | can be played back when you are ready to |
| concentration levels and events that occur in your | | | | revise. This is more useful for subjects like English |
| personal life. The environment that you are | | | | literature where a large amount of information |
| studying in can have a vital influence on your | | | | has to be retained about a particular novel relating |
| ability to revise effectively. Radio, TV, Computers | | | | to the plot, characterisation, view point etc. |
| and DVDs may be great inventions but they can | | | | Diagrams, pictures and flow charts can be good |
| invade people's privacy just as much as other | | | | ways of remembering information, especially if |
| people can. | | | | you assign colours to particular sections, i.e. |
| Finding a quiet place to study such as a library or | | | | implement a system of colour coding. As the |
| your bedroom away from disruption is vital. If | | | | exams begin to loom so the pressure will begin to |
| you study at home ensure that you notify family | | | | mount. The more you study the more there is to |
| members so that they are aware that you are | | | | remember! Sticking to your study plan may |
| revising and can keep noise levels to a minimum. | | | | involve sacrifices. |
| Remember not to study too much as this can be | | | | You may feel frustrated, angry and irritated at |
| counterproductive. Ensure that you get plenty of | | | | times. Remember that our ability to think, study |
| sleep (typically between 8-12 hours per day). | | | | and remember information depends on the |
| Working on the computer before you go to bed | | | | efficient running of our body. Exercise is a great |
| is not recommended as this can inhibit your ability | | | | way to combat stress. Having said that too much |
| to get a good night's sleep. Ensure that you have | | | | of anything is a bad thing and no matter how well |
| regular meals and have time to relax and be with | | | | we look after ourselves by eating the correct |
| your friends. Doing plenty of physical exercise is | | | | food and exercising regularly we cannot avoid |
| also a good idea and when you construct a | | | | stressful situations entirely. When we become |
| revision timetable ensures that you include some | | | | stressed and anxious are bodies release a |
| kind of physical activity within your schedule. | | | | hormone called adrenalin. Adrenalin causes the |
| There are two types of study skills that you | | | | heart to beat faster and increase the blood |
| need to be aware of they are receptive study | | | | pressure in our bodies. At the same time we may |
| skills and productive study skills. Receptive skills | | | | experience dryness in the mouth, more rapid |
| deal with acquiring and processing new | | | | breathing and heightened alertness. To combat |
| information, where as productive skills deal with | | | | this try a simple breathing exercise. This exercise |
| how you plan and present your own ideas based | | | | will lower your heart rate and will enrich the supply |
| on information that you have already worked | | | | of oxygen to the brain. To do this breathe in |
| through. Examples of receptive skills: | | | | deeply. Silently count '1', '2' as you do so. Hold |
| · Skimming | | | | your breath as you silently count from 1 to 8. |
| · Scanning | | | | Don't 'lock' the muscles of your throat or chest. |
| · Using abbreviations | | | | Hold your breath as gently as possible. Release |
| · Making notes | | | | your breath slowly as you count from 1 to 4. |
| · Summarising | | | | Count '1' while your lungs remain empty. Repeat |
| Examples of productive skills: | | | | the steps again a few more times until you feel |
| · Brainstorming | | | | more relaxed. |