By Ashtyn Praeter.

Studying for different classes requires various strategies that are tailored to the demands of each subject.  Learning how to study in specialized ways for each class helps students maximize their full learning potential. How can students study for different classes?

The ways that students study are just as important as the environment they study in. To maximize the effectiveness of studying, being in a quiet environment is key. Being surrounded in a room with distractions such as people and electronics takes away focus from academics. Putting your phone out of sight and on silent is a beneficial way to minimize distractions. Libraries, study rooms, and dedicated home study spaces can prove the right atmosphere! It is also very helpful to have all necessary materials present so you can remain stationary and focused, and not have to leave your studies. 

For math and science courses with procedures to learn, practice problems are key. Regularly solving exercises that relate to whatever unit students are studying reinforces concepts and improves problem solving skills. “Practice problems are the best way to study and I would recommend it to students,” Bellbrook High School math teacher Mr. Charlesworth said. Writing notes with a step-by-step process of how to work through the problems is also a very good tool to use, because if students begin to struggle it can help them visually see where error occurred, and what steps to take after.

For courses with new vocabulary, use flashcards for the terms. Science gets very wordy sometimes and knowing what each word means is very beneficial. In history, flashcards of important event names and the key details will be very beneficial. Summarizing text and creating timelines can also be very helpful. “Writing is the best way to study, because science talks about how writing what you hear helps you learn better,” BHS history teacher Mr. Carreira said.

Ways to retain information for content-heavy courses such as history and science would be watching memorable shows and videos, or meeting with peers to have a study group. Memorizing key parts through humor and catchy tunes makes it easier to remember things when there is a lot to memorize. 

English can be an easier class to study for, as long as you have been following along in class. On the internet there is an abundance of websites for vocabulary study and many websites that help write essays. Students can brainstorm, use flashcards, use comparison charts; the possibilities are endless. There are a lot of methods to breaking down literature pieces and writing essays to make things easier.