How your child can develop study skills

Study skills are learned, just like anything else (e.g., playing an instrument or sport, speaking a foreign language, etc.), but before you can even begin, you must set the stage for effective studying. Studying longer does not necessarily mean studying better. Study skills are discussed in the context of critical thinking and diversity throughout the book. Students learn skills to help them master the content in their college courses, as well as develop lifelong learning skills to emerge from college with a broadened awareness of the world around them. Study skills are important to be a success in college and they can be learned. Not only will they help you improve your grades, but they can also boost your self-esteem, and help you enjoy your college experience.

When constructing lesson plans for studying, the more interesting the material is to the students, the greater their success will be. The key is to find something that they like, and that is a little bit above their comfort level, but not so hard that they won’t be able to figure out. The teacher then uses the text to test and improve their ability to understand and assimilate what they read. So, for example, the teacher can read a page and quiz the student on what it means, then have the student read a page and try to think of questions to ask the teacher.