Effective Study Skills for New High School Students

张渤锴

Being a successful student requires desire， dedication and a lot of work. This paper aims to provide students study skill guidance in order to learn more effectively.

High school is a time of big transition. Its important for students to realize how different high school is going to be. Not only is student transitioning and going through tough physical and emotional changes， but high school brings on all new challenges that can be a bit difficult for freshmen high school students to get used to. Now that student is in high school， their grades and performance are more important than ever. All colleges will look as far back as the freshman year at grades to see how the student has performed.

In order to succeed in high school， new high school students need to have great study skills. Here are some important study skills to help high school students to have an easier transition into high school.

Effective Time Management

One of the most important skills new high school student needs to learn is effective time management. Teens need to learn that they are responsible for managing their time. Many students end up spending hours in class， they get involved with extracurricular activities， and also have to keep up with homework. Most teens want to spend their time socializing with others， going out， getting on the computer， or talking on the phone. However， its easy for student to forget about their responsibilities for school work. Now is the time for them to learn how to manage their time. Having teens keep a daily planner can be helpful and can teach them important skills in managing their time.

Basic Study Habits

Just some of the basic study habits are going to be important for students as they go into high school as well. Some kids already may have developed these habits during middle school， but for others， they come a bit harder. Here are a few basic study habits that are very important for your teen to have：

Be prepared for your classes and make sure you attend. Be on time！

Make sure you do all assignments and turn them in on time.

Avoid cramming for tests， but review on a regular basis.

Study each day， even if there are no tests.

Taking Good Notes

Taking good notes is very important for new high school students. While teens may have taken a few notes in middle school， more than likely they arent used to taking as many notes as they will in high school. Make sure that they are well prepared with plenty of paper and great pencils or pens so they can take notes. Although teens cant write down every single thing a teacher says， they do need to learn to write down the most important things.endprint

Setting Goals and Meeting Them

The art of setting goals and meeting them is an important skill for new high school students as well. As a parent， you can help your child to become better at setting and meeting goals. Many kids dont do well in school because they dont set any goals for themselves. Have teens set goals in their classes of how they want to perform. Just make sure to set goals that are reasonable. If they start out by setting goals that are too high， it will only lead to disappointment and a lot of frustration.

Reviewing Notes on a Regular Basis

A big problem that many new students in high school have is taking notes and then forgetting about them until it is test time. This can be a big problem and can lead to bad test grades. Cramming for tests is not a good practice. Teach your teen to review their notes on a regular basis. Its a good idea for them to take a look at their class notes each day. This way they keep the material fresh in their mind. It also keeps them from dealing with an overload of information， which can occur when trying to cram too much information in at once.

Discover Your Learning Style

Each person has different learning preferences and styles that benefit them. Some may find they even have a dominant learning style. Others that they prefer different learning styles in different circumstances. There is no right or wrong answer to which learning style is best – or mix of learning styles. However， by discovering and better understanding your own learning styles， you can employ techniques that will improve the rate and quality of learning.

There are seven key learning styles. These include：

Visual （spacial） – learning through imagery and spacial understanding

Aural （auditory） – learning through listening， sound， and music

Verbal （linguistic） – learning through speech and writing

Physical （kinesthetic） – learning through hands-on， tactile interaction

Logical （mathematical） – learning through logic， reasoning and systems

Social （interpersonal） – preference for learning in groups or working with other people

Solitary （intrapersonal） – preference for learning alone via self-study

Staying Organized

Organizational skills are important for high school students， but this is an area where many teens seem to struggle. Just take a look at your teens room and you probably have doubts at whether they are able to organize anything. Work on teaching teens to stay organized， not only at home， but with their school work as well. Teach them to have a place for all their study materials， such as notebooks， planners， pens， books， and other materials so they dont lose them. Organization is a skill that will help students improve grades， since they wont have the problem of losing homework or forgetting about important tests and quizzes.

Commitment to Learning

Last of all， a commitment to learning is also a skill that new high school student needs to have. Impress upon teens that high school and a good education is very important. High school is very relevant to the rest of your life these days. Employers and colleges both look at high school records. Motivation and a commitment to learning will help your teen to perform their best in school.

High school is definitely a whole new ball game for most students. Its a lot harder， on an academic level and often on a social level. While there are challenges in high school， with the right study skills to help them out， students can perform well.endprint