Finals time is approaching! Even if it will look a little different this year than years past and future.
My current work as a learning specialist at a top tier university has allowed me to work on creating easy and quick resources for students to use to help improve their study habits and approaches. I wanted to share a few quick and easy bites of information that you could pass along to your students as they get ready for final exams!
1. Come up with a plan and start organizing at least two weeks before the exam
I know, this seems unrealistic, and not something that our students will want to do, or do they even think that far in advance. BUT I like to make this part of the finals prep a part of class. I usually spend a chunk of one class session having students get out all of their handouts, notes, and resources. We then make a list as a class of all the possible resources they have to study from. As always, there are some students who do not have the needed materials, or these things went missing in the abyss of lockers and backpacks. I allow time for students to reach out to a friend in the class to get a picture of the missing resource so that they have it to reference later. Again, I start this about two weeks before the exam date, to get kiddos thinking about the fact that there WILL be a final exam, and to show them how much information will be covered on it.2. Choose a good study space
This is key. I always suggest NOT studying in your room, but especially not studying in your bed. Your body feels your bed and just wants to go to sleepy sleep! I suggest a desk, a kitchen table, or ( in the future) a favorite coffee shop or library. This change of location lets your brain know that you are ready for studying and studying only!
3. Minimize Distractions
PUT THE PHONE DOWN. This is SO hard. Even for adults. I suggest setting a timer for a certain amount of time you want to study, and then placing your phone in another room. I also always think back to my college days, in the height of Facebook. My friends and I would dutifully go to the library to study for finals and inevitably end up wasting so much time on social media. The solution we came up with? We would assign a friend ( THAT WE TRUSTED) to change our passwords so that we couldn't log into our accounts even if we wanted to. And we would give them a task we needed to complete before they gave us the new password to change back. You don't even realize how much you reach for social media until you try and can't do it. Easy way to limit distractions!
4. Chunk Your Time
Activity study for about 20-30 mins and then take a 5-minute break. During this break, make sure to stretch and move around. The more movement the better to wake your brain up and ger oxygen to your brain. Sitting down for a 2-hour study session is a daunting process. But a 20-minute chunk? Easily doable. Plus, your motivation will not run out as fast, and you can keep studying for longer! Make sure to take a snack and water break too!
5. Utilize the Study Cycle!
Studying is not a one-time thing. It is a constant cycle that should be repeated over and over!
These are just a few of the tips myself and my fellow learning specialist have come up with for our college students! You can find these and more Here on our TPT store!
What are some of the tips you give your own students for finals? Post them in the comments below!
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