Why Your Teen Isn't Studying Effectively & How To Help
What makes a good student good?
Hi there,
If your teen is really stuck when it comes to studying, it could well be that they have no idea how they best process and retain information. Today I want to help them get on the right track and start thinking about this very important topic.
Good studiers utilise various study techniques and methods, particularly during intense exam study.
Their desk and bedroom walls are often covered with the fruits of their study sessions — flow charts, diagrams, acrostic poems, study notes, flash cards… And then there’s everything on their computer as well.
When teens are looking to improve the efficiency and efficacy of their study sessions and exam preparation they often ask, “What do I need to do?” “What study techniques should I use?”
Of course it’s important that teens are aware of the different study techniques and methods out there, but I think the more crucial and fundamental question they need to ask themselves first is:
How do I best process and retain information?
That is the question every student needs to ask themselves.
They then need to embark on the journey of figuring out the answer to that question, because it’s knowing the answer that will guide them through the tumultuous time of high school and exams.
Regrettably, this is something a lot of us don’t know, or even think about, until high school has long since passed.
You’ve probably heard colleagues at work say things like, “I need to see a picture or do something myself before I understand it.” Or, “I hate meetings because I can’t pay attention!”
What people are really saying when they say things like this is, “This is how I best process information”. They know what techniques allow them to process and retain information most effectively.
And that is the absolute key when it comes to studying.
Your teen’s Learning Style
Knowing how you best process and retain information is similar to knowing what your predominant Learning Style is.
Knowing what their predominant Learning Style is can be a really useful guide for your teen during high school; helping them to always bear in mind that they should try to utilise study techniques that work for THEM. What works for other students may be very different.
If your teen’s predominant Learning Style is ‘Visual Learner‘ they are probably inclined to best process and retain information by — no marks for guessing here — visual study techniques. Techniques such as watching videos, drawing diagrams and sticking them up all over their study space, using lots of color, etc.
It’s important to remember that knowing what their predominant Learning Style is shouldn’t restrict the learning techniques your teen utilises when they are studying, as they may benefit from techniques associated with other Learning Styles too.
Your teen’s Study System
If you have browsed the cramlab.org website you will have seen that what I am ultimately trying to achieve here at Cram Lab is to help high school students figure out their Study System.
Tor the uninitiated, a Study System is the process students should come to follow EVERY TIME they study and prepare for exams. It’s made up of all the study techniques and methods that they have figured out through trial and error work for them.
(I have a whole section dedicated to the Study Sytem over at cramlab.org, including 8 free printouts for teens to start them off figuring out their Study Sytem: www.cramlab.org/start-here)
Your teen’s Study System should include the study techniques that take up the majority of their study time, like writing study notes, but it should also include all of the little details that make their study process unique to them — the minutae — everything from what colored pens they like using to how frequently and for how long they take study breaks.
Because a Study System encompasses ALL of the study techniques and methods that you use when you’re studying, clearly, understanding how you best process and retain information, and your Study System, are very much intertwined.
Let’s put it another way. The relationship between knowing how you best process and retain information and getting good grades is essentially this:
High school students who get the grades they’re capable of understand how they best process and retain information, which means they are able to understand what study techniques and methods are most likely to help them study efficiently and effectively, which means they have a conscious awareness of the things they need to do when they sit down to study.
And for those of you who are Visual Learners and like flow charts:
Understanding how you best process and retain information → understanding what study techniques you should use → having a tried and tested Study System → consistent results that reflect your academic potential.
Does your teen know how they best process and retain information? Do you think this might be where they’re going wrong?
Let’s talk it out in the comments.
Clare x