Articles for Teachers
Any old place will do when it is time to study, right? Wrong, there are some places that are much better to try and study than others. So what makes them good or bad? How does a student know if they are in the correct place or with the right people? That is the entire focus of this article, to address the do's and don'ts of study places and groups. Read on to see if your study place is the best one possible! If your grades are less than what you would like you may want to change your studying arrangements.
Best Place To Study
There is not one right or one wrong answer when it comes to different students. Everyone has different comfort zones and one place may not work for someone else. This is not a one size fits all situation. Though the place and particulars of the study place will change from person to person there are some commonalities of a good study place. It is very difficult to study, do homework or concentrate where there is a lot of noise or distractions. Now for some music is invigorating and for others it must be complete silence. In most cases a light music in the background may actually get the creative juices flowing. This depends on the individual and must be experimented with to get the right combination.
If possible the most comfortable place to study is often in the home of the student. Sometimes this is not conducive to a productive study session because of others in the house, noise as well as other distractions. If the home study environment is desired it may be a good idea to find a time when others are not home or at night when everyone is in bed and quite! An at home study session also allows the student to have a healthy snack on hand. It is recommended that a snack be close because it actually helps the studying process. Feeding the brain a health snack is never a bad choice.
Issues such as lighting, temperature, and comfortable should always be addressed to make the most of a study session. Any one of the mentioned issues can cause a student to be distracted and even take away from the information that they are working on. When a student is too hot, they may become aggravated and lose interest in studying. On the other hand if the house or study area is too cold the student may lose concentration because they are cold. Keep the temperature at a comfortable level to increase performance and ability. Lighting is also very important. Improper lighting can cause the student to strain to see the words or read. This in turn can cause a headache or neck strain leading to a poor study session. Light is also associated with mood, so make sure that the study area is well light! Comfort is equally important and students should try and find a desk/chair combination that is comfortable. It is hard to remain in a seat when a back, neck or legs are aching because the seating is uncomfortable.
Worst Place To Study
Any place that causes a distraction is the worst place to study. Some of the worst cited are restaurants, laundry mats, offices or anywhere that there are lots of people or transactions taking place. Restaurants are noisy have frequent outbursts of laughter or a children crying, leaving the student unable to concentrate. The office setting is not a good one because the student is often interrupted with an incoming customer, request for service or other duties of the job. Even if the student is not directly involved their attention still focuses on what ever is going on around them. Even the background noise of another conversation or phone ringing can cause information to be taken in or processed incorrectly. It is simply not worth the risk and students should strive for a place that is quite and free of distractions to study.
Unfortunately, sometimes study groups are not the best idea when studying either. The more people that are in the group the more distractions, stories and other details unrelated to the topic at hand. While study groups can be extremely effective they can also cause a hindrance to an individual needing to study. It should be made clear to the entire study group that the test is the topic and all socializing can transpire before or after the study session. If the group is not working out for you then simply excuse yourself and find another place to study. After all your grade is riding on studying and it is important that you take every precaution to ensure a good grade and graduation.
Gene Grzywacz is author of the Brute Force Study Guide. The website http://bruteforcestudyguide.com offers study skills http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/page4.html and college tips. Gene Is also the author of several lenses on squidoo including: College Essays http://www.squidoo.com/TroubleWithCollegeEssays