Why is School so Hard?

After reading about the “six hour D”, I have been interested to see how my own studying techniques compare to that of a successful and comprehensive studier. When I study for tests, I typically read through all of my notes, each of the texts, and every one the power points before even thinking about self-testing. I realize now that going through large amounts of material without actually taking the time to see if I am truly grasping each idea included in the material may not be the greatest studying technique; since, even though I do self-test at the end of my studying sessions, I tend to wait till I believe I understand every part of the material.

Preparations for tests should ideally begin much earlier than shortly before the actual test taking period. Indeed, many students perform dismally in their tests because of their failure to understand this and many other principles of test and exam preparation. In addition to discussing how students should prepare for tests, this text will also identify the various strategies which should be embraced by students during test taking in an attempt to enhance performance.

After reading the article I want to change my study habits some. My goal is to implement the strategy previously mentioned. I think self-testing myself as I read will allow for much more long term absorption of material. In addition, to increasing the skills in how I read I want to learn to create study questions for myself. When study guides are not provided it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the idea of exams. However, we can train ourselves to recognize important information and create our own study questions to be able to answer before exam day. Self-testing and self-created study questions are going to my new approach at studying.

The amount of mental processing power needed to absorb new content has a profound impact on a person’s ability to learn.

We all learn in diverse ways, inclined by the combination of our past educational experiences, study practices and personal approach to particular tasks. This can be designated as our learning style, defined as ‘particular ways of gathering, processing and storing information and experiences’ (Cuthbert, P.F., 2005).

In classrooms all across America, students sit perched over their desks in the process of taking standardized tests. As the students take the tests, teachers pace nervously up and down the rows of their classroom, hoping and praying that their students can recall the information which they have presented. Some children sit relaxed at their desks, calmly filling in the bubbles and answering essay questions. These children are well prepared and equipped to handle their tests. Other children, however, sit hunched over their desks, pondering over questions, trying to guess an answer. They struggle to recall information that has been covered many times in class, but they can’t.

know for the tests and that, sometimes, can mean they only memorize the material instead of

To ensure the retention of information and prepare for exams, I strongly advise you to study. Many different ways to study exist, but you

Knowing how to identify internal strengths and weakness can be beneficial in helping to prepare for any examination. Time management and organizational skills are a key trait that should be mastered extensively (Shelley, 2005). The most successful students use their time wisely. An upcoming exam can create a heavy burden. Making a realistic study schedule and having the proper study space that is free from distractions and kept well organized is vital (Shelley, 2005).

Personal learning styles are highly complex and unique to specific individuals. It is often difficult to pinpoint an exact learning style. Though there are different categories, we often fine tune them to our own abilities. By examining our traits and tendencies we create a clearer understanding of how we process and learn information. With careful review, I have developed a specific analysis of my learning characteristics, including an evaluation of skill levels. Based on what I have recently learned and know from experience, I have also devised a structured plan for improvement of time management and study skills.

Though the use of note-taking and rereading is most notably known as the best study technique amongst college students, we see that other ways of retaining information can be more beneficial than that of writing notes and reading them over before exams. The article at hand tests the idea of a 3R method which is the use of reading, recalling, and reviewing information instead of traditional study methods. The usage of the 3R strategy in studying is seen as more effective than traditional note-taking, due to the 3R strategy being able to increase the chances of recalling information

    With these long school days children don’t have much time to go out and be a kid.  By the time children get home and finish all their homework, there really isn’t much time for sports or spending time with friends and family. Long hours of school put too much pressure on students.  According to the state, students are supposed to have three and a half hours of homework a night. Students are assigned about 17 hours of homework a week. There is a total of 168 hours in a week and 64 of those hours are taken from us by school and homework.  Out of the 24 hours in a day school, homework, and sleep take 18 hours, which leaves students with just 6 hours to do things.  Combine that with sports and after school activities, the average practice for most sports are 2 to 3 hours, which leaves the student with only 3 hours for themselves. If you add dinner into the equation which can take up to an hour ,then students only have two hours a day. Some students also have chores which can take up to an hour or even sometimes more.  What can a student do with only 1 hour of time a day for their personal goals.

A range of different and useful topics have been discussed since the start of Pathways to lifelong learning, some of which I found to be of particular help. The college expectations which we learned towards the beginning of the course was especially helpful to learning how to become a critical thinker, something that was not very touched upon throughout my time in high school. I now use Bloom’s Taxonomy when beginning to prepare for an important paper or presentation. In addition to the first chapter, I had also found great help in the second chapter on the skills needed to succeed in school. In the past, I used rehearsal as my main strategy to memorize for any upcoming tests or exams, however that often resulted in either retrieval failure or ineffective encoding. I now use chunking and elaboration as my main strategies to studying as I find it most effective when studying and retrieving information, especially when I am needing to memorize and learn a big amount of material.

A range of different and useful topics have been discussed since the start of Pathways to lifelong learning, some of which I found to be of particular help. The college expectations which we learned towards the beginning of the course was especially helpful to learning how to become a critical thinker, something that was not very touched upon throughout my time in high school. I now use Bloom’s Taxonomy when beginning to prepare for an important paper or presentation. In addition to the first chapter, I had also found great help in the second chapter on the skills needed to succeed in school. In the past, I used rehearsal as my main strategy to memorize for any upcoming tests or exams, however that often resulted in either retrieval failure or ineffective encoding. I now use chunking and elaboration as my main strategies to studying as I find it most effective when studying and retrieving information, especially when I am needing to memorize and learn a big amount of material.

To challenge this idea, I would like to argue that exams have caused many students to lose integrity and motivation in their learning. This is evident in the habitual procrastination in schoolwork. Rather than pursuing their work in an academically inquisitive, comprehensive style, they choose to memorise and study purely for the sake of getting good grades. This shows that students can achieve good grades even by studying for short term remembrance – thereby defeating the whole purpose of an examination. Albert Einstein also