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College Bound! College Ready?
Helping Your Child Develop Strong Study Habits and Writing Skills By Melissa Granberry
Take all the things that would be obstacles to your studying (such as going out with friends or watching your favorite TV show) and list them as rewards to give yourself when you are finished.
For college-bound teenagers, Gina Petrone, a student at Tennessee Tech University, says, "Go to class!" Making attendance a priority and taking good notes has helped her be successful at her studies. "I have learned to outline as I take notes, and I review my classroom notes as soon as possible," says Petrone.
"Students often come out of high school not knowing how to write a formal essay," says Leon Johnston, a teacher at Briercrest College in Saskatchewan, Canada. "When I suggest to them, in Professor Gaidosch's terms, that 'an essay is the answer to a question,' it seems to help them understand the process. If I can simplify the essay and break it down into steps, it shows the students that they can do it."
The steps Johnston refers to are the basic parts of the essay: introduction, body and conclusion. However, Gaidosch says it helps to reverse the order. "Start with the conclusion and work backwards," he says. After researching your topic, write the conclusion as the starting point of the essay. Then, provide information to support the conclusion (the body) and announce to the reader the direction your essay is going to take (the introduction). Once all of the parts are completed, it is easy to rearrange them into the appropriate essay format.
When writing essays, Johnston also advises students to think through the topic carefully and formulate their own thoughts. "Students usually think that the more quotes the better, but that's not necessarily true," he says. "The professor wants to read what the student has to say, not a string of quotes on a topic. Students should form their own thoughts after carefully considering those of the experts."
When planning for your child's educational future, it's important to invest in strong study habits, as well as financial savings. Give your child the best graduation gift: the ability to succeed.
