Study Skills Series What are learning styles? Everyone has his/her own learning style.

Understanding your own learning style c an help you learn more effectually. Certain types of learning styles are recogni zed as best, which include the visual learning style, auditory style, verbal sty le and physical learning style. In addition, logical, solitary and social styles of learning can also be beneficial in improving the quality of learning. Though learning styles differ greatly among students in the classroom, it is the respo nsibility of the teacher to make some effective changes in the classroom that ar e advantageous to every learning style. How to prepare best for a test, if you are a visual learner: If your preferred style of learning is visual, then you can use pictures, diagra ms, charts and other visual images to learn better. You can improve your learnin g skills by incorporating your imagination and visualization, because this comes effortlessly to you. As you have strong sense for colors, you can use several c olors to highlight the key points in your lessons. You can use mind maps and pic tures instead of just reading the text. If you are not able to use the computer, you can make use of color pens and markers to remember important points with ea se. The story technique can aid you in memorizing large contents. You can use system s diagrams to visualize the links between the components of the system. You can boost your concentration skills by using layouts and charts. How to prepare well for your test, if you are an auditory learner: If you know that you are an auditory learner, you can then use music, sounds and rhymes in your learning process. You can use audio tapes to memorize contents e asily. You can use the sounds to get a background and thereby to get into visual izations. You can employ anchoring techniques to prepare well for your test. It is advisable paying more attention to auditory content in your visualization. How to prepare best for your test, if you are a physical learner: If your learning style is physical, you can apply certain simple techniques to p repare excellently for your test. You can try using hands-on work, movement, act ion and touch in your learning process. For instance, if you are learning about an aircraft, you focus your attention on physical sensations. Feel the pressure of the wind and feel the aircraft speedup. You can use physical objects whenever possible. You can touch the objects while learning. This helps to remember the content for a long time. You can use flashcards to memorize things quickly, as y ou can touch and move them. You can enhance your study skills by writing and drawing diagrams. Remember writ ing and drawings are also physical activities. You can use large sheets of paper and color pens to draw pictures. This can help engage you more in physical acti vities. How to prepare for your test effectively, if your preferred learning style is lo gical: If your preferred learning style is physical, you can focus your attention on un derstanding the logic behind the content. You can better understand the details, so try to concentrate on them first and then learn the content. This helps in m emorizing the lessons. While studying, you can prepare a list of key points in y our lessons. You can also use statistical data; whenever possible to help you wi

th concentration. How to prepare for your test finely, if you are a social style learner: If you are a social learner, you can try to prepare for your test with your frie nds. It is easy for you to understand the lessons better in a group setting. You can use role playing technique to boost your learning skills. You can work on s ome of your visualizations with your friends. You can share your reviews and get further ideas from your friends in order to prepare for your test effectively. == I Know My Learning Style! How Do I Best Prepare For A Test? Do you want to score high grades in your tests? Do you want to remember all the topics that you have learnt, during the test? It is then important to know your learning style first. If you recognize your preferred style of learning, you can then take steps on improving your study skills and prepare best for your test. --How do I know my learning style? Identifying your learning style is the first step towards effective learning. Kn owing your own learning style can help you improve the excellence of your study skills. It can even help you choose your career in future. Verbal, logical, visu ally oriented, physical and interpersonal are some of the common learning styles . If you are comfortable with acquiring information in any of these styles, you can understand your style of learning easily. You can then take steps to reinfor ce the use of your preferred style and improve the use of your secondary styles. A simple test can help you identify your specific learning style. Test for a verbal learner: Verbal learning style is the combination of writing and speaking. If your answer is "yes" to most of the following questions, your learning style can be verbal. * Do you like playing on the sound of words like tongue twisters or on the m eaning of words? * Do you always try to find out meaning for new words? * Do you remember names, places and dates well? * Do you wish to discuss about the topics that you have learnt recently with our friends? * Do you write well? * Do you get irritated when someone makes grammatical errors? Test for a logistical learner: You can find out whether your learning style is logical, by answering these ques tions. If you fit in to most of these situations, you are probably a logical lea rner. * * * * Do Do Do Do you you you you enjoy logic puzzles and strategic games? like to memorize formulas? always look for rational explanations? feel comfortable in analyzing, measuring and quantifying?

Test for a visual learner: If you are a visual learner, then you * Like to read charts and diagrams rather than reading text.

* * * * *

Like to daydream a lot. Like to draw pictures. Have a great sense for colors. Imagine how objects would appear in various angles. Enjoy doing puzzles and other visual activities.

Physical learner test: You can improve your learning skills, if you confirm whether you belong to physi cal style of learning. * * * * * * Do you enjoy outdoor activities? Are you an expert in one or more sports activities? Do you like hand-on working? Do you find it difficult to sit for long periods? Do you like to touch things, when learning about them? Do you like to practice everything, rather than simple reading topics?

If your answer is yes to most of these questions, you are probably a physical le arner. Interpersonal learner test: Your learning style may be interpersonal, if you * * * * * * * Like to learn in group. Enjoy group activities and games. Prefer discussing about topics with your friends. Try to improve the skills of your friends voluntarily. Listen well and understand other's views. Like to spend quality time with your instructor. Have leadership skills.

Intrapersonal/solitary learning style test: You can confirm whether your style of learning is intrapersonal, if * * * * * * You You You You You You prefer working or studying alone. are private and independent. are aware of your own thinking. have strong opinions about various things. prefer working in a quiet atmosphere. like to plan and set objectives.

It is advisable to take a little effort in recognizing your own learning style. You can then try to incorporate certain techniques to improve your learning skil ls. If you identify more than one style of learning, you can use your knowledge to constitute your learning situations that fit your style. This helps you to a great extent in improving your intelligence. --How Can Parents Help Their Children Improve Their Study Skills There are lots of methods by which the parents can help their children improve t heir study skills. The most important of them is, being supportive, happy and sa tisfied with their children. Each child is a gift of god and every child has a s pecial talent. Though all of them may not always be on the same pedestal when it comes to studies yet every child can be adept at something else such as sports or music. The real challenge to parenting lies in discovering what is best for o ne's child and understanding the child's needs and desires as far as their lives

are concerned. Parents need to know which learning style suits their children a nd help them to master the learning skills and the study skills and make studyin g more innovative and interesting for them. Studies are very important in everyone's life. Studies provide the basic foundat ion on which a child's life depends. Every sphere that a child ventures into wil l need some amount of education .Education is like water. It moulds into utensil s of every shape and adapts itself to the shape of the container. Whichever fiel d the child ventures into, education will always be important to the child and w ill also make him more self sufficient and literate enough to understand what th e world has in store for him. There are various learning styles that parents can help their children with through which studying can turn to be more interesting . Deviating from the standard methods of learning can also help a child fine tun e their learning skills and their study skills. Enrolling the child in any of th e educational institutions that adopt innovative methods of study is excellent f or the child as these will make the child develop interest in his studies. The next step is creating a suitable study environment in the home for enabling the child to enjoy active concentration while studying. Although this may not se em to be so important yet it has its own significance when it comes to studying. These involve basic learning styles and others skills such as learning skills a nd study skills which make sure that the method of studying is complemented and aided by the atmosphere in the house. This may mean that certain adjustments may have to be made in the home as far as the paint color, the dcor and the lighting of the residence of the child is concerned. For most teenagers music is an integral part of life. Although this is never rec ommended in the list of learning styles and study skills, music makes studying s eem to be a lesser burden. This is mainly due to the fact that music has a calmi ng effect on the mind and the body. Calm and soothing music will make sure that the student is relaxed as he studies. Parents need to understand all theses intr icacies and go along with their children's preferences in these matters. This wi ll make the child understand his parents better and also ensure that parental pr essure comes down drastically. This also aids with improving the parent-child re lationship helping the child concentrate better on his studies. There are various methods, techniques and learning styles that are being invente d today which will make studying more interesting and easier for students. There are various methods of acquiring learning skills and study skills which are inc orporated into certain existing study models. These include the SQ3R process of learning which is based on students need to study better and to improve their me mory. Parents need to understand all these techniques before making their childr en follow them to ensure better implementation and execution and enhance perform ance and results. === How to Create a Study Schedule: Do you want to be a successful student? Then you need to utilize your time effec tively and carefully. Many students complain that they do not have sufficient ti me to complete learning all their lessons. It is therefore worth knowing how to create a study schedule and make use of the limited time effectually. If you pay attention to the lifestyle of people who have succeeded in their life, you can understand that they follow a well designed schedule. You should remember that c reating and following the study schedule is to improve your study skills and to free you from the scholastic inefficiency. Tips to create a study schedule:

It is advisable to find out your learning styles before creating a study schedul e. You can create the schedule for a week first, so that you can follow it witho ut any stress. As far as possible, allot certain hours daily to study, as this c an help you study in a habitual and systematic manner. If you have free hours du ring the school day, you can effectively utilize them to review the lessons and edit the notes of the previous classes. It is worth creating a study schedule im mediately preceding the class, so that you can study the lessons effortlessly. Y ou can specify the name of the subject to be studied on the schedule, instead of simply marking "study" on your schedule. You can allot half an hour to one hour for each subject. Take ten or fifteen min utes break, while studying. It is effective to learn hard for a specified time a nd then take rest for a few minutes. Be sure to spend time for personal essentia ls that are flexible, such as bathing, eating and sleeping. You can learn well, only if you are healthy. Hence, do not compromise the time required to spend for taking rest and exercising. Basic principles to create a study schedule: You can find out whether your learning style is logical, by answering these ques tions. If you fit in to most of these situations, you are probably a logical lea rner. * You need to be realistic in creating the time schedule. You cannot get any benefits, if you feel discouraged. * Sometimes, you may need to change your study schedule. Hence, create your schedule that allows you to make changes, whenever necessary. You can achieve th is by leaving some unscheduled time. * Spend at least an hour every week to review your schedule. * You can allot one or two hours for recreational activities. Creating a study schedule for an exam: If you want to get high grades without over-stressing yourself, you need to crea te a study schedule and follow it strictly. Some simple tips can help to make a schedule properly. * It is wise to change your normal schedule at least two weeks before the ex am. You need to avoid going to parties or at least minimize them. Allot plenty o f time for studying. * Creating a written schedule is often beneficial in providing the desirable results. You can use computer or simply a piece of paper to prepare the study s chedule. Written schedule can help you to keep track of routines. * It is valuable to give priority to some subjects that you need to prepare well. Every student feels comfortable in one subject and uncomfortable in anothe r. Allotting more time for studying the difficult subject can help you to get go od marks. * You can allocate time for group studying and individual studying in the sc hedule. However, the members in your group should have interest in learning and they should not waste your time. Nevertheless, studying in group can help to get your doubts cleared easily * You can adjust the study schedule at the end of the week. However, do not spend more time on shopping or socializing, because this can affect your concent ration skills. ---How to Improve Your Memory for Better Learning Memory - well that sounds so familiar! Every child must be given enough advice o n ways to improve memory. Why don't you improve your memory? What makes you thin

k that you have a bad memory? What are you doing to improve your memory to help you study better? Are you changing your learning skills and study skills and ado pting new learning styles to improve your studying? Well these are some of the c ommon questions that students across the globe have to answer in their constant efforts and trials with various modes of studying. There are various means by which it is possible to enhance the memory and help w ith better studies. No, I am not talking about memory aid pills here. I am just talking about inculcating some basic learning styles in our everyday lives, chan ge of study skills and conventional learning skills and bringing about a revolut ion in the field of simple and effective studying. This can be mainly done by ad opting certain basic rules that one has to follow for clear and visible results and a stress free life. Some of the tips for improving one's memory to aid in be tter learning include: 1) Believe in yourself firmly and keep saying that you can do it. Don't be a los er simply because someone said you are. Do not let anyone criticize you in a neg ative way. All that is needed to be done here is to take criticisms in a positiv e manner. Negative thoughts lead to more negativity and that will not help you a nytime anywhere. It rather complicates the situation. All that is required to be followed is some consistent learning styles, study and learning skills which wi ll make studying more interesting. 2) Exercise Daily: metal and physical exercises are very important. The brain al so needs to relax and break away from all the mental strains and anguish that we subject it to. This is easier said than done. Yoga is one of the great options which can help the brain relax. This is an ideal way of relaxing mentally as wel l as physically. After the rejuvenation you will be ready for some studying now with a refreshed mind. Puzzles and chess are certain indoor games that help exer cise the mind with all its inherent complexities. This will keep the brain runni ng effectively. Aerobics and gymnastics help in exercising the muscles of the bo dy which can again be a great stress buster and will set right memory loss or an ineffective concentration. This will definitely help with studying better and r etaining what one as studied, much effectively than before. 3) Eating well and in a proper manner is very essential for developing an active body and mind and for incorporating new modes of learning styles, study skills, learning skills for active and long hours of studying. These are very important as they provide the essential nutrients that are necessary for energy to be uti lized in the study process. There are various pills and other drugs in the marke t that claim to solve memory problems and other issues associated with it. Howev er there have not been any proven results. Hence it is better to be on the right track even though it might not be a shortcut to a healthy lifestyle. Maintainin g a proper diet and a balanced nutrition will surely ensure that memory improves greatly. 4) There are various modes of studying such as the SQ3R procedure that help in i mproving the memory better by adopting certain easy techniques that one could fo llow to study better. This method is an amalgamation of newer learning styles, n ewer learning skills and study skills that have benefited many students across t he world and have tremendously helped them with their studies. All these are highly essential which when incorporated with developing newer mod es of studying along with some change in the conventional learning skills, study skills and learning styles. ---How to Improve Your Study Atmosphere The study atmosphere is very essential for a child in order to concentrate and s

tudy well. Certain factors like the location of the house, proximity to certain prime locations and landmarks and the environment of the house are all very impo rtant for the child to feel relaxed and improve the study capacity with concentr ation and focus. Similarly various learning styles that are followed by the stud ents and also the various learning skills and the study skills that are adopted by them are important for enhancing the student's capacity to study better. There are various modes and measures to provide a conducive study atmosphere for the students at home so that their studies can carry on undisturbed for hours t ogether. These include: Colors and Lighting: There are various colors and wall paints that are soothing to the eyes. Some of them are a great discomfort for those who study in the room . Certain colors like red are very aggressive and do soothe the senses at all. I n fact studies have shown that a person sitting in a red colored room tends to g et more angry than normal. Recommended soothing colors include light blue, light green and pastels that will aid in enhanced concentration. Again the lighting t hat is provided in the room has to be checked for adequacy. The placement of the furniture can be tried out in three or four places to check which position work s out best for studying. Study table and Equipment in place: Proper checking has to be done to see if all the study tools and books are there in place before a study session begins. Thi s generally is a standard deviation from the connectional modes of studying whic h is more often than not, haphazard and lacks proper planning before the session . These modern learning styles and newer techniques will greatly boost the stude nts learning skills and study skills and help them accomplish better as far as a cademic excellence is concerned. The checking of essential study tools like a ge ometry box or pencils, pens and books will ensure that the child does not simply have to waste precious time and energy on acquiring things needed before sittin g down to study. Parents should advise children on the fact that regular study patterns are very essential for them to perform effectively and with full concentration. There should ideally be set time tables and to do lists which will help children learn all the skills required for boosting their study and also for making sure that nothing on their agenda is missed out. Also specific time slots should be given to specific subjects so that the topics can be covered effectively which w ill immensely help with study skills too. Parents should take care to see that t heir child is not disturbed by unwanted visitors during their study time as this hampers their concentration. Notes should be taken especially for important topics so that it can be easily g one through when there is paucity of time. Break times are very important as they keep a student fresh and allow time for t hem to get recharged for studies. This break time can be for a period of 20 minu tes which can be utilized to enjoy some snacks to recharge. Again sleep deprivat ion is detrimental to studying and acquiring newer levels of learning and study skills. Hence care should be taken to see that the student sleeps for at least e ight hours a day so that the study atmosphere is just right for them. Certain methods implement newer techniques and learning styles and help children boost their learning and study skills. This pattern of studying is encompassed in the SQ3R way of learning that promises to educate each one of them more effec tively than before. These can also be resorted to in order to help create a cond ucive study atmosphere. ----

How to Study Better Using SQ3R SQ3R is a new medium of studying which is slowly gaining in popularity especiall y in countries like the United States due to the various advantages it offers. S Q3R is a reading strategy that is designed in five phases or steps and incorpora tes the principles of studying. This is similar to the PQRST table. The five pha ses that are incorporated into the SQ3R method by way of a different learning sk ill, study skill and other learning styles include: Survey: This is mainly carried out before memorizing or understanding the concep ts. This process takes about a couple of minutes. This mainly involves looking a t the title, seeing the entire chapter, the headings and sub chapters. These pri nciples of learning skill, study skill and learning styles are principally incor porated into this system as there is a great need to understand and briefly form a basic idea of what one is getting into. This is thought to be better than bli ndly memorizing as the conventional rules of studying dictate. Surveying helps s tudents identify certain important ideas from the chapter and the lessons. Question: This learning style and skill is about asking questions related to the chapter. This process should generally take about forty seconds and helps the c hild understand that asking questions and seeking answers immediately will help retain ideas that the chapters contain. The questions can be varied such includi ng the basic idea behind the chapter? What is the chapter attempting to teach? H ow can I learn these better? This procedure can be adopted with all chapters and sub chapters so that an overall mental picture can be formed and studying becom es easy. Read: This is a very important step of studying and helps develop study skills, learning skills and learning styles. This is necessary as reading automatically makes a child understand the chapter better and in an effective manner enabling them to retain it for a long time to come. It is very necessary that the chapter s and sub chapters are properly understood by the youngster. This needs immense concentration. Hence it is a good idea setting aside a location in the home wher e the child can concentrate on reading the chapters in peace. Recite: Another important phase in this module of varied learning styles, learni ng skills, study skills which go on to make studying a lot simpler is the recita tion of what one has read. This is important for the child to understand what he is studying. This should take no longer than five minutes depending on the leng th of the chapter. It is also important that the recitation is in their own word s and not word to word repetition from the book. Understanding and repeating in own words make the concepts clearer than simply memorizing the pattern of the bo ok chapters or the language that is used in the respective books. Review: This is the last step in these wonderful and effective new learning styl es, learning skills, study skills that make studying easy. This is about reviewi ng the chapters learnt using the above mentioned steps. This is necessary to con clude what one has learnt using the SQ3R model of learning. After reviewing one can try to recall or remember what one has learnt through the above mentioned pr ocedure of studying. The more the student remembers the greater and effective th e study rate .Flash cards can also be used in this process. This method was mainly designed for college students. However recent seen this method being incorporated at elementary and primary levels g too. Teachers need to be very familiar with this model of teaching can effectively help their students. This can be applied to various texts and various forms of studies too. ---Top 10 tips when studying for Tests times have of schoolin before they lengths of

Studying for tests can be a pleasant experience, if you plan it perfectly. Time management is the key for effective studying. Plan well and decide on how much t ime you can allot for studying every day. Also figure out the length of each sub ject and the approximate time taken. If you feel comfortable with one subject, t hen you can allot a minimum time to that subject and give priority to complicate d subjects. A simple, yet effective technique to improve your learning skills is to break the large topics into chunks. Generally, most of the students can conc entrate for about forty five minutes and after that they may need a break. You c an take this into account, while studying for tests. Tips to study well for tests: * If you want to prepare for your Math test, you need to start learning from homework assignments. You can do some practice problems, especially those recom mended by your teacher. As Math is full of problems, you can increase your study skills by looking for the patterns in the different types of homework problems. * You can use your learning styles to develop some study strategies. You can use oral recitation, audio tapes, diagrams or mnemonics that target your learni ng style. * While preparing for tests involving multiple choice questions, focus your attention on studying facts and details. You can study old exam question papers to determine the level of thinking required of you. * You can learn in group and focus more attention on the differences among t he facts and ideas. While learning concepts, consider how two similar concepts d iffer. * It is always beneficial to learn the material. If you know the right answe r for the multiple choice questions, you need not even look at the other choices . * A useful tip that can be followed when studying for essay test is to revie w the titles of each chapter and to think of chain of ideas and related terms th at fit into that theme. You can practice essay questions and ensure whether you include vocabulary terms in your notes. * Studying in groups can help to discuss the important concepts. Some of you r friends in the group may understand some concepts and they can help others to understand those concepts. Quizzing each other can help to learn the subjects cl early. * If you prefer studying alone, select a place where there is minimum distra ction. It is not advisable to listen to music or watch TV, while studying your l essons. It is virtually impossible to concentrate on two different things at a s ame time. * It is important to read the lessons in an active manner. If you continue t hinking, your mind eventually wanders off and you may even fall asleep. It is se nsible to read the lessons slowly, so that you can understand each concept bette r. After reading each concept, ask yourself why? * Many students find the night before the test to be their final chance to l earn. The last resort method cannot bring the expected results. It is in fact im portant to sleep well before the test, because this can keep your energy and ale rtness on a high. In addition to following these top ten tips, you need to know how to manage time , while studying for tests. You need to spend some definite hours daily for prep aring for the tests. If you have any free time during tests, do not be tempted. Try to utilize the time effectively. Take breaks after studying for two or three hours. If time permits, you can make up some plausible questions and answer the m. ---What Are Some Basic Test Taking Strategies I Can Use?

Using certain basic test taking strategies is very important. If you believe tha t you can ace your test taking just by studying hard, you may be wrong. You cann ot get high grades, if you do not know how to go about taking a test, no matter how hard you study. Hence, utilizing test taking strategies can really help enha nce your learning skills. There are different types of tests, which require diff erent types of test strategies to follow. Test taking strategies: 1. Preparing for the tests: It is important to find out your preferred learning styles, before preparing for the tests. In addition, you need to follow some str ategies. * * * * * * Maintain good study habits. Ensure that you understand all the homework assignments. Plan a study schedule and follow it strictly. Don't hesitate to ask help to your teacher. Use past homework assignments and other materials. Try to boost your study skills by turning in homework on time.

2. Test taking strategies during the test: * Read the directions thoroughly. * Attempt to read every possible answer to a same question. * Don't think about the entire test. Instead pay attention to one test at a time. * Reread whenever necessary, so that you can select the correct answer. * Avoid guess works. This is particularly important for multiple choice ques tions. Try to find out the answers by reasoning. * Analyze what the question exactly calls for. * If you find any question too difficult to answer, you can skip it and answ er all the remaining questions. Then try to attend the difficult questions. * If you want to change an answer, erase it completely and pick the right on e. * If time permits, check your answers. Test taking strategies for objective questions: Multiple choice or objective questions are highly beneficial in assessing your l earning skills. While studying for the tests, you need to gain thorough knowledg e on each topic. Some basic test taking strategies can help you to achieve high grades in these exams. * Pay attention to keywords like always, except, none and except. * Try to find out the central idea of the question. * Try to find out the answer for the question, before looking at the options . * first * * * d the Do not change the answer, unless you are sure that it is wrong. Erase the answer thoroughly. Confirm whether you would be penalized for guessing. Read all the questions and answer the simple questions first. If time permits, review both questions and answers. Sometimes, you may rea questions wrong if you are in a hurry.

Test taking strategies for solving problems: While attending a test that involve s solving problems, try to understand the main point of the question. It is not advisable to give fast answers based on previous knowledge. Instead, try to solv e by carefully analyzing the questions. It is a good idea breaking the problem i nto parts and solve it systematically. Be sure to start from the simple step. Yo u can solve the problems by creating pictures in your mind. Read the problem sev

eral times and try to understand the basic concept clearly. Avoid guessing and r eview your work. Test taking strategies for essay questions: While answering essay questions, you can use some basic test taking strategies to get great success. Read the questi ons first and then start writing. Start with a direct response to the questions. You can highlight the keywords. It is advisable writing down the ideas on a scr ap paper. This helps avoid forgetting any important ideas. It is important to pr ovide specific information on the essay. Spend a few minutes to correct grammar and spelling errors.