Improving Study Skills
Do these phrases sound familiar?
“I forgot my book at school.”
“I did my homework, but I can’t find it.”
“I didn’t know we had a quiz/test today.”
“It takes forever for me to do my homework.”
Study Skills seems to be quite the buzz phrase lately. Is there too much hype surrounding “study skills”? Absolutely not! Study skills can make or break a student’s success in the classroom and at home. We have repeatedly seen students increase knowledge, which improves grades, when applying sound study skills strategies. The best news is that using proven study skills is easily done.
At the Learning Lab, we use the S.O.A.R Program to help students improve their study skills and study habits. The program consists of specific core strategies that have been broken down into four guiding principles: Set goals, Organize, Ask questions, Record your progress. These are fundamental skills for school success. According to Susan Kruger, M.Ed., “In a classroom setting of any kind, students will achieve the greatest rate of success if they can apply each method directly to their school work.”
Some key strategies we like to reinforce throughout the S.O.A.R. Program include:
1. Use an organized Binder System – This will help streamline all papers and notebooks to help minimize “stuff” that a child has to organize.
2. Keep binder and planner easily accessible through the day.
3. Stay healthy and active.
4. When reading notes, read them out loud AND walk around…stay active while learning.
5. Break homework up into small chunks of learning.
6. Think with a pen in hand – draw graphs, pictures, or symbols that illustrate important concepts while listening in class or reading at home.
Kruger, Susan M.Ed., SOAR Study Skills, Grand Lighthouse, Publishing, Grand Blanc, MI 2013
Study Skills at Learning Lab!
From elementary school through graduate school and beyond, developing outstanding study skills positively impacts each student’s academic success by adding tools enabling them to be better organized, more structured in their studies, and more time-efficient overall. If your student needs additional help, our expert tutors at Learning Lab can help! For more information about our study skills tutoring, please contact one of our two locations, or fill out the form below!
Learning Lab Brentwood:
5500 Maryland Way, Suite 110
Brentwood, TN 37027
615-377-2929
Learning Lab Nashville:
2416 21st Avenue South, Suite 100
Nashville, TN 37212
615-321-7272