Where do you study? And under what conditions?
Is it ok to watch television or to listen to songs while you study?
Learning styles vary so I’m not going to lay down the law here,
but let me share with you seven principles that most top students follow.
G’day. Welcome to Crystal Clear Mathematics where it IS easier than you think.
I’m your host, Graeme Henderson.
Principle number one: Study Without Distractions.
Try to find a time and a place where you can study
with as few distractions as possible.
Now, the location may be your bedroom, or a dedicated study room.
It could be the living area after others have gone to sleep.
It may even be outside or at a friend or relative’s place nearby.
It could be a quiet room at school before the day starts
or at the end of the school day or in a quiet part of the local library.
I’ve heard of students studying in all these places.
In terms of time, you might choose to study before school,
before your evening meal, or after your evening meal,
or even after others have gone to sleep (if they go to bed early).
Give some thought to building your daily routine around when you can find such a place and a time
free of distractions.
Your study will be that much more effective.
Principle number two: Use a comfortable table and chair.
Posture is incredibly important when studying.
Slouching in your chair or slumping over the desk while you’re studying
has been shown to restrict free breathing and to decrease your alertness.
And alertness is vital because it allows you to achieve better results
in a shorter period of time.
Make sure that your chair gives good lower back support
and that your table and your chair are at a good working height.
Ideally, you should be able to put your feet flat on the floor or on some footrest,
and the table should be just above elbow height.
Principle number three: Control your exposure to electronic media.
Most top students control their use of the computer and social media.
Some choose to have the computer in another room
so they have to change rooms to look something up.
Some turn their mobile phones off while they work.
Some even resort to having their friends or their family
change the password to their FaceBook account each term
or, in some cases, for the entire last year of school.
Hardly any top students study near the television.
When you think about it, how many people do you know
that practice their basketball or a musical instrument
or something else of importance while watching television?
The truth is that watching television hinders how well you learn.
Deep down, most students know this, but they watch television
because they’re more interested in getting their homework done and out of the way
than they are in learning or mastering it.
If you want to be a top student, you can see that you have a choice to make.
Now, not all social media is bad – and it’s certainly not bad all the time.
But, while you are studying, [sorry for the bad grammar]
I have known some students who have used FaceBook or Skype very successfully
while doing their homework and discussing their work with friends.
That may work for you as long as you’re disciplined enough
to resist the temptation to simply socialise.
If you’re determined to become a top student make sure that you have control
over your social media!
Principle number four: Study alone.
Most top students do their serious study alone for the majority of the time.
This will vary according to your learning style.
Some top students also spend time with a ‘study buddy’
or a small group of similarly minded friends on a semi-regular basis
and they find that having discussions with these friends helps a lot.
Principle number five: Study quietly.
Most top students study in silence.
A few will listen to music but almost all of them
will turn the music off when they have serious study or memorising to do.
Of those relatively few students
who listen to music while doing their ‘lighter’ work,
the majority will only listen to instrumental music.
If you listen to soundtracks for songs,
you’ll find yourself singing along to the music anyway
and that is going to lower the quality of your study.
My personal recommendation, from what I know of brain and memory function,
is that you NOT listen to songs while studying mathematics
and preferably study mathematics in silence.
From chatting with top students
and reading the results of surveys where they’ve been interviewed,
the majority of them, I’m sure, would agree.
Principle number six: Choose fresh air and natural light where possible.
Most serious students like an airy (or open) and naturally lit room.
Now, of course, at night time when most of us choose to study,
if you can, be very careful of your choice of artificial light.
Some students, particularly those with certain forms of dyslexia,
develop significant eye strain and tiredness
when working under fluorescent light in particular.
Bright lights also reduce your eye strain.
If you are able to, and can afford to, experiment with a variety of lights
to find ones that will help you.
Also, try to ensure that you don’t have high contrast shadows
over your working area.
It’s good to have a desk lamp. And make sure that the lighting
comes from your left if you are right-handed
or from your right hand side if you are left-handed.
This simple arrangement reduces the size and the intensity
of the shadows in your work area and it helps reduce eye strain and tiredness.
Finally, principle number seven: Take regular breaks.
Your body and your mind need regular change.
Take time to rest your eyes, exercise and stretch a little,
socialise a little,
or simply rest and relax before you get back into your study.
So, there they are — seven very practical and common sense things to consider
when preparing to study.
If you want to be a top student, seriously consider what I’ve shared here.
You may find some other options that suit you,
but be aware that most top students have found by experience
that following these principles works.
This is Graeme Henderson, hoping that you can find
a study environment that helps you achieve your study goals.
Please subscribe to my channel, or like or comment on this video.
Thank you.