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Category: Studying Tips

Efficiently Finishing Homework

Friday, July 13th, 2012

Doing homework always seems like a tedious task to students. But it is important that homework is done efficiently as it:

  • Helps students to revise concepts studied in class.
  • Helps students to get an insight into topics that will be covered in the class subsequently.
  • Is a form of practice of the lesson taught.

However, homework loses its purpose when done half-heartedly, or in a hurry, or when just copied from a friend in the home room. But, there are some simple tips, which will help students do homework efficiently and on time and in the process actually learn something from it while retaining what they have learnt for future reference. These pointers are as listed below:

  • Find a quiet place to do your homework—a place where you are comfortable.
  • Make sure all your books and supplies are with you before you commence homework; the fewer distractions the easier it is for students to concentrate.
  • Tackle the tougher assignments first, and leave the simpler ones for later. That way if you’re short on time later, you’ll only have easy assignments to worry about, not difficult ones.
  • If you have deadlines, make sure you first finish off assignments which are due sooner, so that you don’t panic at the last minute.
  • Healthy snacking helps keep students alert. So, it won’t hurt to have a snack bar or a fruit at the side of your table for you to munch on when you get hungry. This will also preserve the momentum with which you are working, as you won’t have to get up to take a snack break.
  • Sometimes, timing yourself makes things a little more interesting. This is good especially for math homework. For example, time yourself for ten questions and try to beat that time for the next ten. Challenging yourself and succeeding will leave you content and if you are unable to succeed, then at least you will become aware of what your weak points are.
  • If there is a heavy amount of homework, then make it a point to take breaks. Give yourself ten to twenty minutes break after every couple of hours, to take a walk, or listen to some music. This will revitalize your senses and help you get back to being alert for your work.
    Simple steps make homework easy and make students more efficient.

How to Prepare for the SAT- Some Simple Tips to Keep in Mind

Friday, July 13th, 2012

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a compulsory exam to be taken by any student who wishes to go to the United States for graduation. Preparing for SAT, just like any other test, requires intense study of therequired material. Some useful tips listed below will help students to prepare and succeedin the SAT.

  • First and foremost, get accustomed to the format of the test. The SAT has sections titled critical reading, writing, vocabulary and mathematics.
  • In your practice for the test, time yourself according to the time limit provided in the format of the practice test. A SAT test is four hours long. The time allotted to each section should be appropriately divided.
  • To prepare for the SAT thoroughly, it is extremely important to have a ‘Study Plan’ in place. Students, make sure you know what you need to study, and exactly how you plan on studying it.
  • For the writing section, students will have to practice essay writing, else they will not be able to performwell in the test.
  • For the critical reading section, it is necessary that the student reads as much material as possible. Make it a habit (out of regular practice) to spot the nuances of the passage and also work very hard to pick up your vocabulary skills.
  • The math section is no different from any other mathtest. The only key to good preparation is practice. Practice, practice, practice! Also, make sure you have learnt your formulae well, and are in no confusion about the fundamental concepts of various math chapters.
  • Take as many practice SATs as possible. It will incorporate not only testing your actual knowledge but also how successfully you attempt various sections when there is the added pressure of time limit on your head.
  • Most important of all do not be nervous during the exam. Read the SAT test calmly and go about attempting questions in a methodical way.
    These simple tips will helpyouto prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Be sincere and work hard– that will help you the most.

How to Use Online Tutoring to Score Better Grades

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Online tutoring is a concept which has essentially been devised to accommodate the learning skills of students of all calibers. It incorporates in its learning regimen various techniques of teaching students. As an added benefit, it is also a cheaper mode of tutoring and is proving to be far more useful than private tutoring.

To score better grades, it is important that students understand the concepts clearly, and have sound fundamentals. Online tutoring caters to exactly that need of the students. Moreover, it is important to keep students interested in their studies and online tutoring makes the learning more interactive.

Online tutoring is fast becoming popular as a mode of studies and of understanding concepts. It is a step in the right direction completely in keeping with the technologically advanced generation. It is important, however, to know exactly what tools are available for the students to use and what distinctive features of online tutoring allow students to score better grades.

Online tutoring allows a concept to be explained in more ways than one. The students are explained a topic in number of ways in case they are unable to comprehend by one approach. Also, online tutoring does not follow the concept of ‘one size fits all’ and recognizes the fact that different students have different learning styles, be it visual, audible, or textual and also the time taken to comprehend for each student is not the same. Some students may learn a concept faster compared to the others.

Another major benefit of online tutoring is the vastness of the topics it can cover. Due to the presence of this mode of tutoring on the internet, it is very easy for the students to go in detail and do that extra bit of study. This not only re-emphasizes existing knowledge, but also gives students a chance to explore the practical use of what they have learnt in theory. This helps the students to retain easily what they have learnt.

Online tutoring helps students score better grades, essentially because each student gets individual attention unlike in coaching classes or in school. It is important that students take full advantage of the time spent on tutorials and online tutoring ensures just that.

Another huge benefit of online tutoring is that it is not bound by geography. Students can communicate and interact with students and teachers from different cities, regions or even countries. For a student population that has million questions and wants to know more and more with every passing minute, online tutoring is a boon. Right from establishing a strong foundation to going in depth and clearing the minutest detail, online tutoring has it all covered.

 

Ways to Get Free Homework Help

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

A major feature of online tutoring is free Homework Help. As the name suggests, this feature allows students to seek help with their homework, online. The basic idea is to help out students, by offering them the advice of experts and by clarifying whatever doubts they may have.

Since this help is provided online, it is available at any given point of time and students can expect quick responses to their queries. Websites like schooltrainer.com provide online homework help to students all over the world and in over thirty subjects. The idea is to help via explaining the concepts well for school level and college level students, both.

The easiest way to get homework help is to log on to an education portal and post a question for fellow viewers to answer. This is an interactive method of getting help with homework. It makes it easy to get the view points and interpretations of others into your work. The downside to education portals, however, is that there is no professional guidance per say. Since one is only interacting with people of the same age group, and with queries of their own, portals prove to be of little help.

The more helpful way these days is to simply log onto an online tutorial and send in whatever queries one may have. Usually it is required that students register on the websites of online tutorials but it is a simple procedure. After registration, it is extremely easy for students to simply log in and post questions they need answered. The biggest benefit of such websites is that these sites have hired professionals and experts in various subjects to answer questions of the students. The Homework-Help websites also display similar questions asked by other students, hence providing the students with examples of the same problems. This enhances the quality of the answers that the students receive. These answers are more comprehensive and are easy to understand.

Apart from posting questions and waiting for replies there are also provisions which support a chat format of asking questions. Students can join chat threads that display the people who are currently online and by way of asking questions in the chat threads they can get answers immediately and do not need to wait for the answers.

In a time where everything is driven by technology it has been made sure that homework is no longer a problem for students. It is extremely easy for students to log on to the internet and have all their questions answered and problems solved. Online tutoring and online Homework Help ensures that homework is no longer a task but is instead a true learning experience.

 

 

 

Study Tips: Optimal environment for studying?

Monday, January 25th, 2010

What kind of environment is optimal for studying (light, noise, desk, chair, temperature, etc.)

optimal environment for studyingStudying is serious business. Therefore, it requires an environment conducive to extracting maximum success out of the effort. This includes the general environment in the place of study as well as among the students and teachers involved.

Students should study in a place which is well-lit. This eases the strain of the eyes and general disposition to become lethargic due to the lack of lighting. At the same time, the lighting should not be so acute that it hurts the eyes or results in general discomfiture.

The venue of studies should have enough flow of air, that is, it should be well-ventilated. This too, eases pressure on the student as adequate oxygen flow is important for the human body to function well.

Ideally, the temperature of the place where the student is studing should be ambient. However, it must be accepted that this is easier said than done as temperatures could vary between room to room and building to building. As an alternative, where control of room temperature is not easily possible, the student should wear appropriate clothing to maintain body comfort.

Seating comfort is also a vital part of being able to study well. The student should sit on a table and chair, which is comfortable, yet not too comfortable so as to induce lethargy or sleep. Typically, the student’s legs should touch the floor while sitting on the chair for the body to be able to maintain balance. The chair should be straight-backed so that long hours of studies do not result in bent back, pain in the back or neck and strained muscles.

Where teachers are also involved, care should be taken to keep the environment stress-free. An air of enquiry should be maintained so that students are motivated to ask questions as well as encouraged to give answers. This will enhance the quality of education. The end result will be high-quality studies.

Is it better to study with a friend or on your own

Monday, January 11th, 2010

is it better to study with friendsEach of us would have done this – study with a friend, family or on ones own – at some point during the course of our education. Each of these options has its own positives and negatives. However, there are more positives associated with studying alone than with studying with friend or family member.

For students inclined towards education or who are naturally endowed with high intelligence, self-study is the best option. It gives them the opportunity to chalk out their own strategy for attaining success. Nothing could be better than that, as it prepares them to get used to working to achieve success in their field of work. It also gives them the opportunity to understand their shortcomings and work towards correcting them. On the contrary, if they were to study along with friends or family members who may not be as systematic, intelligent or knowledgable as they are, the possibilities of their getting slowed down by the others would be very high. That would be sad.

For students who are not inclined towards education or have problems in comprehending or learning things on their own, self-study would hardly give the good results desired by their parents. This would give rise to a lot of heartburn. In order to set right this situation, they would then have to look for help – preferably professional – such as tutors. Another option could be to look for assistance from parents, elder siblings or friends. Though this mode of assistance would not cost anything, the student may not be able to receive consistent inputs from these sources since the arrangement would be informal and without any commitment for sustained time allocation. It may not yield the desired results.

However, during exam/test periods, it is a good idea for students to study in a group as it helps them clarify issues, recap concepts and make preparing for the test more fun.

How can you improve your reading comprehension?

Monday, January 11th, 2010

improve reading comprehensionReading comprehension is about understanding, grasping and retaining what has been read. It’s not just about glossing through or running your eyes over the pages. After all, what counts at the end of the exercise is the amount of material you have been able to understand and retain for future reference.

Typically, you would have some idea of the story, article or book that you have taken on to read. Therefore, keep your mind on how that idea is being expanded upon. See the manner in which the paragraphs have been developed, how the different ideas have been differentiated under various headings, how the story progresses to it logical conclusion.

As you continue reading, either take notes or highlight the vital portions. Avoid underlining portions of pages as it clutters up the pages and lends them a dirty look. Highlighting will also help you revisit the necessary portions. You could highlight with different colors to mark out different ideas.

Look at the new words that have been used in the story. Make a note of these words and their meanings. Try using these words in sentences of your own. This will help you understand these words better. And then add them to your personal vocabulary.

After completing reading the story or a large portion of the book, sit back and review it all. This will help bring into focus all the vital aspects of the story. It will also help look forward to the things that need to be looked for in the ensuing pages.

Look for things you have not been able to understand in the story. Jot down these points and look elsewhere, such as reference books or on the Internet, to clarify these issues. Thus, you will eliminate the gaps in the story. A good reader is one who would have understood and grasped all that has been read. That’s a tall order, but nevertheless worth striving for.

How can you use study time most efficiently?

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Using the time available for study is vital for getting best results. The right use of this time also helps set aside some time for other pursuits, such as hobbies, sports or exercise.

The first step in the efficient use of time is to schedule the things that need to be studied. Without a schedule you wouldn’t know where to start and where to end. A schedule should also contain all the subjects or topics need to be studied. In fact, care should be taken to see that nothing is left out.

Now, allocate the time needed for each topic. There are no specific formulas for this exercise. As a rule of thumb, you just need to allocate maximum time to the most difficult subjects or topics and the least time to the easiest subjects or topics.

This should be followed by determining the part of day or night when the study has to be done. It would be a good idea to study the difficult subjects or topics when you are most fresh since it allows for greater concentration and more understanding.

Once the study is in process, it is essential to gauge how well it is proceeding. For that, you would need to sit back from time to time and survey all that has been studied. A good student will work up the courage to ask himself or herself difficult questions, and see how well the subject or topic has been absorbed. Naturally, there would be some doubts, too. At such points it would be best to repeat the same thing to oneself several times and memorize it. Get back to the topic once again after a few hours or a day and see whether you remember it all. If yes, the hours spent in studying has been worth it. Otherwise, you would need to spend a few more hours at it. Online Tutors at SchoolTrainer help you develop healthy studying habbits so that you can make most of your study time.

How to balance academics and other activities

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Balancing academics with other daily activities is no mean task – both for students and their parents. Typically, every student would have a special liking for some other activity/activities besides studies. These could be rewarding activities such as fine arts, sports, adventure, reading or traveling, among others; or wasteful activities such as excessive watching of movies, chatting and daydreaming. While the latter needs to be curtailed, the former should be nurtured in healthy combination with education.

Let us take the example of a student who is a tennis player. In this case, the student along with the parents should gauge his or her fundamental strengths in the sport and evaluate the time that should ideally be set aside for it. Suppose the student wishes to pursue the sport only for maintaining good health and social acceptance, there is no need to spend too much time or money on the sport. However, if the student genuinely possesses the potential to grow into a tennis player, then more time and money could be allocated for pursuing the sport.

This course of action can be followed in the case of all rewarding activities.

However, wasteful activities too, form part of the student’s life. Most such activities are aimed at relaxing or gaining social acceptance. Sure, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Therefore, relaxation is necessary for the body to regain its bearings. However, it should be within limits. For an ideal student, there should be no need for anyone to remind him or her of the need to get back to his or her studies.

Eating, socializing, pursuing religious beliefs, traveling and attending to the needs of the elderly and sick in the family or even outside are all part of a typical student’s usual life. The trick is to pursue all these, but yet remain focused on studies in order to enjoy a bright future.

Study Tips – Good Study Habits

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

There are no short-cuts to attaining excellence in education. Yet, doing well in education need not turn into a daunting task for students. All it requires is following a structured regime, which will make the tasks involved simple and exciting.

Set aside a time and place for studies. This will provide continuity and context to studies.

Studies for the year should be started at the very beginning of the academic year. All that is done is class should be learned and revised on a daily basis. This will build up a sound foundation for each subject as the year progresses.

Where students face difficulties, they should at once seek help. It should not be left for a future date as that could shake the foundation of knowledge in the subject.

Not all subjects would be easy for everyone. Thus, for students who find Science daunting, they should spend more ‘quality time’ with the subject. This means, that students should take help from parents, elder siblings or take tuition in the subject.

Judge your own strengths and performance – and fairly. Do not underestimate or overestimate your capabilities in any subject.

Concentrate hard during studies. Cut out all distractions. Look for the main thoughts or the theme of the chapter. After studying a chapter, do the questions at the end of it. Form your own questions, and then answer them. Get it checked by the teacher or your elders.

Eat healthy during the years of education and especially during exam times. Yet, do not overeat. It creates lethargy and induces unnecessary sleep.

Sleep for at least 7 to 8 hours a day. Take regular baths, play regularly and stay away from memory enhancing drugs. Take holidays too, at regular intervals.

Avoid studying late nights during exam time. If possible, wake up early and study since at that time one’s mind is fresh and grasping power strong.

Above all, remain focused. Aim high, plan well to reach the goal and study consistently. All goals are achievable.