Knowing how to study hard material is different from knowing how to review information you’re already familiar with. When the content we’re learning is new and complex, we have to use techniques that work with this type of information. Below, I list the 3 …
How to study in a group: Tips for group study sessions
Even the most independent students can benefit from a group study session. I am the absolute definition of a lone-learner, but even I — a classic solo-student — can recognize the benefits of group studying for certain occasions. And if you’ve tried group studying before …
How to study with flashcards: The 3-pile method
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. Flashcards are probably one of the most commonly used study tools. Whether you use paper index cards or a digital version like Quizlet, flashcards are an excellent way to not only study new material but to learn it. But knowing how …
What do to with old papers from school, Part 1: Toss or keep?
This is Part 1 of a 2-Part series about organizing school papers. When you’re done reading this post, check out Part 2, which is all about the Limbo Folder. Students accumulate a ton of papers over the year, from worksheets to quizzes, from essays to …
How to keep track of homework assignments
The first step to getting a good grade on an assignment is to … wait for it … do the assignment! Simple, right? Maybe, but only if you remember to do the assignment. For some students, knowing how to keep track of assignments and their …
How to pull an all-nighter the right way
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. If you have super perfect school habits and super perfect teachers and a super perfect schedule, then you won’t ever have to pull an all-nighter. Yeah, so that’s not gonna happen every day. I get it: Sometimes work just piles up …
What homework should I do first? The easy stuff or hard stuff?
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. What homework should I do first? This is the first question I often hear when a student feels overwhelmed with assignments. It’s also the first thought that pops into my own head when my to-do list runs onto page 17 of …
Productivity hack: “Set the table” to nail your to-do list
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. There are so many time-management and productivity hacks that people swear by, and it’s my goal to help you find a few that work well for you. We all learn and work differently — so it’s best to try a bunch, …
How to stop procrastinating
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. We all procrastinate. And we all want to stop procrastinating. So why is it so hard? Before we learn how to stop procrastinating, we have to understand why we procrastinate. There are scientific (psychological) reasons that we keep putting our projects off. There are …
3 tricks for learning vocabulary words
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. Vocabulary quizzes pop up in almost all school subjects. English teachers and foreign language teachers probably use vocabulary quizzes the most, but you’ll likely have vocabulary quizzes in history, biology, etc. In other words, there’s no escaping the dreaded vocab test. …