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12 Organization and Time Managements Tips:
Your success in high school can greatly be improved by being organized and using your time wisely. Staying organized can help ease the burden of a busy schedule. While you probably do not have a lot of control over when your classes are scheduled, you do have control of the rest of your time. Here are some important tips to remember: 1. Use your planner to stay organized. Fill in things you must do (classes, work, practice, etc. that you can't change). Write down appointments and class assignments. Make a daily checklist. Set priorities. Do the most important tasks first. 2. Set achievable goals! When you set goal that are unrealistic it sets you up for failure. You want to aim to set goals that are difficult, yet are achievable. 3. Organize some key areas in your life, for example your bedroom, study area, and car. Organizing these key areas will improve your ability to stay on schedule and stay focused during your hectic day. You will avoid the most frustrating situations (like looking for an assignment that is due and you have no idea if its in your backpack, the car that hasn’t been cleaned for a who knows how long, or your bedroom that looks like an atomic bomb hit it!) Being unorganized will cause problems in nearly every area of your life just as developing the skill of organization will immensely improve your ability to become successful at whatever you pursue. 4. Schedule the most difficult tasks for times when you are alert. Math, for example may be hard enough when you're fresh. When you're tired, it will be impossible! 5. Establish a regular time and place for study. Utilize this space to study during the day if possible. 6. Focus on your assignments and to do list in your planner. 7. Use daylight hours to study whenever possible. For most students for every hour of study done in daylight hours, it will take them one and a half hours to do the same task at night. 8. Create flash cards, summary sheets, or just keep your notes close so you can use short periods of spare time to study; such as, while you're waiting for class to start or while you're waiting to be picked up. 9. Take study breaks. Do not schedule a night before test cram session. Several short 50 minutes sessions are more effective than one long session. 10. Review Your Notes Every Day. You'll reinforce what you've learned, so you need less time to study. You'll also be ready if your teacher calls on you or gives a pop quiz. 11. Prepare and organize whatever possible the night before. A few examples would be to pack your book bag and lay out what you intend to wear the next day. 12. Get a good night's sleep. Running on empty makes your days seem longer and your tasks seem more difficult. |
Effective Note Taking:
I know a lot of our high school students are taking concurrent enrollment classes so I thought that some note taking/study skills posts would be helpful.
You don't need to write everything down! Some cues to know what is important enough to write down include:
Some things you can pretty much guarantee are important are:
Do's and Don'ts of Note Taking -
Cal Poly has a wonderful break down of note taking systems, such as the outline method or the Cornell method, that can be found here. Also check out the resources section for more tools!
I know a lot of our high school students are taking concurrent enrollment classes so I thought that some note taking/study skills posts would be helpful.
- If you happen to know what material your teacher will be covering in class, read over it beforehand. Scan sections in the textbook, review power points, and make a list of any questions you can think of. The more exposure you get to the material the better off you are!
- Get a spiral notebook for each class and make sure you bring it every day.
- Choose a pen or pencil that you love since you'll be writing a lot.
- Leave your phone in your backpack - you know why!
- Review your notes within 24 after the class - write down any new information you think is relevant.
You don't need to write everything down! Some cues to know what is important enough to write down include:
- Teacher writes it on the board.
- Teacher repeats it several times.
- Teacher emphasizes it with the tone of their voice or amount of time spent on it.
- Teacher uses word clues; "reason", "point of view", "in contrast", etc.
- Teacher actually says this will be on the exam - definitely write it down!
Some things you can pretty much guarantee are important are:
- Definitions
- Dates
- Names
- Visuals/diagrams
Do's and Don'ts of Note Taking -
- Do always date and title your notes - when you student them later you'll want to know which section correspond with what chapter.
- Don't copy word for word if you can avoid it - you'll remember it better if it's in your own words.
- Do underline vocabulary and main ideas.
- Do listen to other people's questions - if you're struggling with a concept the odds are good someone else is as well.
- Don't try to put too much on one page - you'll want room to add new ideas or concepts later when you're reviewing.
Cal Poly has a wonderful break down of note taking systems, such as the outline method or the Cornell method, that can be found here. Also check out the resources section for more tools!