Teach yourself to study

Learning how to study is like teaching yourself how to learn; it is one of the most important skills you can acquire in life. As you read through this study skills supplement, I hope the tips and techniques will help you to substantially improve all your study skills and deliver the results you are capable of. In my years at the Institute of Education, I have met many students who use distinctive study methods to exceed their own expectations. When asked to share the secret to their success, they will often tell me that it was not how long they studied, but how they had studied that made the difference.

Let me ask you two questions. Firstly, do you believe that you have achieved the maximum benefits from your study in the past? Secondly, if you continue to do what you did in the past, will you achieve all your goals? Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” yet that is what many students do. They don’t change their methods of study and organisation, yet they wonder why their results don’t improve.

Most of the students I meet are much brighter than they believe themselves to be. They have great talents and are looking for the right reasons or motivation to fulfill them. For some students, it can also simply be a matter of not having the motivation to actually start studying. Sometimes what is missing is the right focus, either from within the class or from within themselves and getting better results through more effective study skills may well be the key to finding this motivation.

Let’s take a step back to understand where you might be now in relation to your study skills. As we go through primary and secondary school, we are given lots of information on different subjects. But we are not always taught how to handle this information efficiently. Many students carry this haphazard approach right up to Leaving Cert level.

One thing that I can say for certain is the more you practise something, the better you get. With study skills, the better your technique, the better your chance of improving your grades. By putting some thought into it, you will quickly realise that study methods and approaches are different for everyone, and the most effective way to study is to pick the ones that work best for you. A good start would be to read this study guide from cover to cover and try to apply the techniques and advice to your own studies as best as you can.

You can make excuses forever, but you only have one or two years to do as well as possible in your Junior Cert or Leaving Cert. With a bit of focus and structure, any student can adapt their study habits easily. You must be prepared to work from day one. Remember, the Junior Cert or Leaving Cert is not a sprint, but a marathon. You should start small, keeping on top of homework and revising for tests, and then gradually build up your workload. Pay attention to how you use your time. Time is the most important resource that any of us has, so drifting through the school year without a concrete plan is not an option. Our section on goal setting is a good place to start planning. The time to start is now and it’s best to avoid playing catch-up as this will result in a lot of unnecessary stress come exam time.

Before you begin, however, don’t forget that you are only human and that no one has all the perfect answers. Your exam preparation will sometimes be frustrating and difficult. School is a balancing act. Exams and projects, classes and homework, study and your social life all need to be taken care of and managed properly.

Regardless of whether you are top of the class or struggling with your studies, there will be something in this supplement for you to take and adapt for your own benefit. Following the guidelines and suggestions will help you to put your own study timetable together and give you a set of study tools to use as you begin the year. With the right attitude and the proper study technique, your academic performance will improve immensely and allow you to achieve all your potential.

Good luck!