They’ve written tests and exams.

They’ve handed in countless projects and assignments.

They studied hours upon hours.

They’ve written and passed entrance exams.

They’ve applied to schools and have been accepted.

But, just how ready is your teen for College or University?

Well, according to the US-based Alliance for Excellent Education, about one-third of college freshmen need to take a catch up course in reading, math or English. Other sources say that number of teens who are unprepared is as high as 75%.

The US is not alone; Some 55% of Ontario professors think that first-year university students are not as prepared as they should be, and are  lacking in critical thinking skills.

And many students themselves share similar sentiments, worrying about handling the increased workload and academic demands of university.

So, what can be done to ensure that teens are ready for higher education and  will be able to avoid the first year drop out crises?

If necessary, take a victory lap to review key subjects.  Or, consider taking a year off to renew school motivation.  Better yet, contact Oxford Learning to take a course that develops top-notch study skills, teaches test-taking techniques, perfects time management abilities, and improves critical thinking abilities.

Contact your local Oxford Learning centre to find out more about our College and University Prep Courses.

We know that creating hand-written study notes is a surefire way to maximize your study efforts. It turns passively reading over notes into an active endeavor that uses multiple senses and helps to improve recall.

But just how do you create study notes, and what should you look for? The main thing to remember when creating study notes is summarize, summarize, summarize! Study notes are all about the art of condensing.

Here’s how to begin:

1. Grab a pen and paper. To maximize the benefit of studying, study notes should be written out by hand. Studies show that the act of writing is more beneficial than typing study notes on the computer.
2. Write down Key Words. Start by identifying all subject headings/subheadings/bolded words. These are the main ideas of each section and unit, and identify what the section is about.
3. Summarize. Under each heading, summarize the information. Use bullet points. Be brief. The point is to jot down the main ideas, not re-write the chapter.
4. Paraphrase. Read over a sentence and then say it back using your own words. What two or three words stand out as most important? Write those down.
5. Get Messy! These are your study notes, so develop a system that works for you. Colour code. Triple Underline. Sketch. Whatever will help you remember—and understand—is what will make your study notes successful.

As you practice creating study notes, you’ll get better and better at picking out the main messages and the key words to remember. This means that your study notes themselves will condense. The first time you create your own study notes, your might have multiple pages; as time goes one, you’ll be able to summarize your study notes onto on single, easy-to-refer-to page.

Want more information about creating study notes or other study tips? Your local Oxford Learning Centre can answer all your questions, and tell you all about a program that can help make studying and learning easier. Call today!

Dylan shares lessons that he learned in his first year in high school.

The Basics
I just finished grade nine and I have to say, it wasn’t as bad as far as high school stereotypes go. But, there are still some things kids should be aware of before starting grade nine.

1. Popularity. It’s a good idea to develop social skills earlier in life rather than later. It will help you a lot in high school and in the future—whatever your career might be. However, getting too hung up with the idea of “being popular” can lead to potential problems, the worst being unsuccessful grades.

2. Confusion.
 One thing you do not want to do in high school is fall behind. Confusion is usually the first step in falling behind. If you are confused about something, always ask questions about it. You may get made fun of, but the only thing that you have to worry about in high school is yourself. In the long run, you will succeed, but only if you listen to yourself and not to others.

3. Don’t Cram.
 Probably the number one thing you don’t want to do at any point in high school is cram for tests. In most cases, cramming leaves you sleep-deprived and completely clueless. Trust me, you’re much better off studying for and hour or so a night up until the test. This way you’ll have a firm grasp of the material, and you will be well rested for the big day.

4. Examinations.
 Everyone fears examinations: it’s fine if you do. The only advice I can really give you is to review and be prepared. Even if you feel that you have a good grasp on the subject, it is always a good idea to review every night. If you wait until a week before to start studying, you end up cramming.  By reviewing every night, you have a much better chance of receiving a high mark on the final.

My Mistake: 
A mistake that I made this year was that I didn’t change my schedule before the year had started. I had Math, English, Geography and French in first semester, and my two electives, Gym and Science, in the second. I had one hard semester and one easy one. It is better to balance out your courses if yours are set up like mine. The workload becomes much easier to manage when more challenging courses are spread out evenly between each semester.

About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my new posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.

We’re an advanced species. We have so many useful gadgets to make our lives easier. But it seems to me that schools have not yet accepted this fact.

We still write tests and exams even though we have all the information that we’ll ever need right at our fingertips. With a single push of a button on our phones or iPods, we can figure out the first 20 digits of Pi, what to do if you’re trapped under a building in Haiti, and what happened in 1812. So why do we take tests and exams? Is it to make us take school seriously or is it just to show our commitment to our promising future careers?

About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. Whenever my friends call or text me to go for a walk or to meet up at the school my only response is “Nope. Movie or bust!” Needless to say I usually get my way! But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. I know, right? How often do you come across a teenage guy who uses the word beautiful when not talking about that hottie across the hall? But there’s more weirdness than that! I also like to bake and listen to old music. OMG! You’ve just entered the Twilight Zone! Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my new posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.

As the school year begins to wind down, exam pressure begins to build.

So, what’s the one thing that students need to know in order to study successfully and beat exam stress?

Well, there are more than a few study strategies that help students study smart, not hard. It’s also important that students give themselves plenty of time to study so that they don’t end up cramming, which rarely works for remembering material long-term.

But if there is one thing—one secret—to effective studying it’s this: turning on the brain before hitting the books. Active learning. No, it’s not a buzzword—it’s a proven technique that gives students an edge.

Without it, students are just moving their eyes over the page, and that’s a very ineffective way to study—it takes longer, and gets less results.

So, how do students engage their brain while studying?

In order to properly engage the brain during studying, students need to be continually asking themselves questions before, during, and after study time:

BEFORE STUDYING:

• What am I about to learn?
• What do I already know about this subject?

DURING STUDYING:

• How does this information fit into a bigger picture?
• Do I understand what I have just read?
• Can I paraphrase it?
• Are there any key words that I need to write down? Why are these words key?

AFTER STUDYING:

• What do I remember from what I studied?
• What materials do I need to go over again?
• Is there another way that I can think about the material?
• Can I see the material in a way that I didn’t see it before?

These questions help students to “turn on their brain.” By “turning on the brain” during study time, students:

1. Maximize their ability to remember material
2. Study less
3. Achieve greater exam success

Studying for a test, scenario A:

• A student slouches on the couch in front of the TV, which is on. There is a cell phone open on the coffee table. The student also has iPod ear buds nestled in her lobes, a book propped open on her knees, which are bopping to a bass beat, a vacant stare in her eye.

Studying for a test, scenario B:

• A student sits at a desk. The room is quiet and well lit. There is little distraction—no TV, no computer, no cell phone. Books are open on a desk and student B is focused on his work.

Clearly, student A’s concentration is less than focused on the task at hand, but there may be more wrong here than poor study habits. The increased decibels from the TV, the iPod, and the cell phone may be doing more to increase stress levels than the upcoming test!

A study from the World Health Organization shows that excessive noise is linked to health problems. Physiological changes occur in the body when loud noise is present in the environment that a person may not even be aware of—stress hormones increase, sleep patterns can be disrupted, and ear problems such as tinnitus can develop—all from even small increases in the background noise level.

And you thought that loud noise was just bad for concentration!

Attention all students who study like the student in scenario A: Turn down the volume. Take a deep breath. Reduce your stress. Study, and do it quietly, with little to no distractions—your health and your memory will thank you.

In the first part of this series we looked at why students might cheat on exams. There is a lot of pressure to succeed especially in the higher grades as college or university looms near.

But more than just pressure, if your child has been caught cheating on a test or exam, it can usually be traced back to inadequate study skills. And it’s little wonder since study skills are rarely taught in school.

But there are plenty of other reasons why students might cheat.

Here are some of the main reasons students cheat:

• They are unmotivated
• They have gaps in their learning skills
• They are unable to make lasting connections in the subject matter
• They have trouble developing a fundamental understanding of course material.
• They have poor exam preparation techniques.

The best way to avoid cheating is to help your child develop better study skills. Try these 6 tips:

1. Hire a tutor.
2. Enroll in a program that focuses on study skills.
3. Create a study schedule, and review steps involved.
4. Use a school agenda.
5. Talk to your child about cheating and school pressure.
6. Stay involved.

The school year is coming to a close and for high school students that means exams. The inevitable fact of exams causes some strange behavior in students: they stress out. They freak out. They stay up all night cramming. They lose sleep.

Sometimes they even cheat.

Scenario: It’s 45 minutes into a biology exam and Jimmy blanks on the role of mitochondria. If he misses this question he’ll lose 5 marks, so he sneaks a peek at his neighbors’ sheet.

Students are constantly reminded how important good grades are, so it’s no wonder that they can occasionally give into the urge cheating. They know that every grade counts, every homework, assignment, test, project and pop quiz goes towards the final grade—which in turn reflects whether or not they will be accepted to university—and even which university they will be accepted to.

It’s a lot of pressure for the average teen.

According to Today’s Parent Magazine, studies in the US report that between 62 and 70 per cent of students admit to cheating on tests.

The pressure to succeed is one reason that kids sometime cheat.

For more reasons that kids cheat, stay tuned for part two of our look at cheating.

From Today’s Parent magazine. Read the full article here: Why kids cheat and how to prevent it

If your High School is on the semester system then most likely you have just finished, or are soon to be finished your final exams.

I can remember cramming on my back porch for my Grade 10 Biology finals. (This is going back a while now; Quite a while.) I remember that I spent the better part of an entire day reading over every note, scribble, and comment that I had ever made. This particular cram-a-thon stands out in my memory, not because of what I studied, or how well I did on the exam, but because of the spectacular sunburn that I got as I sat immobilized for hours on the back porch. In fact, by the weekend after the exam, I had totally forgotten every word that I so diligently crammed.

I know this because to this day, I don’t remember a single thing about grade 10 Biology; Nothing. Only the memory of the sunburn remains.

It seems to me now, looking back, that perhaps the technique of gorging myself on Biology was not the most effective study technique. In fact, I know now that it wasn’t.

But what could I have done differently with my study habits to make how I studied more effective?

Well, for starters, I should not have tried to study everything in one afternoon session. I’m guilty of procrastination. I admit it. By the time I entered university, I learned my lesson: Cramming Doesn’t Work. It just doesn’t.

Once I finally grasped this concept, I started to develop better study habits. Habits like reading over the notes that I took during the day, and paraphrasing the teacher’s notes using my own words. When it came time for a midterm or a final, I’d look over my own notes and ask myself, “Do I know what this is about? Can I talk about this unit in my own words?” When I answered myself with “maybe,” or a “not really,” I would read the unit carefully, then cover up my notes and recite them back in my own words.

Why would you want to recite stuff back in your own words? The answer is simple. When you recite and paraphrase, it means that you understand. And, understanding is better than memorizing. When you memorize, you only remember the stuff that you just read for a short time. When you understand, it sticks.

Another great tip that I learned was giving myself plenty of time. You know when the teacher tells you that a test is coming up? That’s the day to start reviewing your notes. It seems simple enough, right? When you are told that a test is coming up, don’t wait until the last minute to start studying. It’s one of the most basic rules of effective studying: Give yourself plenty of time.

Now put these tips all together:

• Give yourself plenty of time
• Read over your notes every night
• Paraphrase the text book and the teacher’s notes
• Read something, cover it up, and recite it back until you know it.
• Don’t memorize it. Understand it.

There is also one other important tip. If you are unsure about a concept, or don’t understand something, make sure that you ask for extra help. Talk to the teacher. Get another student to help you. Just like the golden rule for studying, (give yourself plenty of time), don’t wait until the last minute to let your teacher know that you need help.

That’s it. These are the best tips to help you not only to study, but to study effectively.

If only I had figured this stuff out back in High School, I might have been able to tell you something about my Grade 10 Biology.

Breaking the Stress Cycle at Exam Time – Part One

Whether students are in elementary or high school, preparing for standardized tests or writing final exams, they need successful study skills and habits to help them focus and stay on track. Oxford Learning recommends the following effective study skills to help students get through the last few months of the school year with confidence and success:

Study Effectively for Tests

• Make a plan. Set goals for each session. Divide your material into units and assign one unit per day. Give yourself a three-day break before the test and make sure that you’ve learned all the units by then.
• Study in short bursts. 15 minutes at a time is excellent. After 15 minutes, take a five-minute breather. Do some exercise. Stick your head out the door. Get refocused.
• Use the Oxford Learning proprietary SQRCRC method to study for tests:
  • Survey the headings, introductions and summaries in order to get the main idea.
  • Question yourself. ”What do I hope to learn by reading this note?”
  • Read carefully for detail.
  • Cover the work.
  • Recite what you have just read, trying for main ideas and details.
  • Check to see how well you have done.

Be Prepared

• Every day counts. Do a little review and studying each day. Schedule time for your homework and study. Have a plan and work toward your plan.
• No homework? Work on assignments; review and correct mistakes from class or tests; plan your study schedule for next week; work on the “tough” stuff.

Support Tips for Parents

• Help your child prepare an accurate study schedule and review it together every morning.
• Create a ‘study stadium’ a very special work environment that supports and encourages best efforts and successes and makes it easier for your child to get into the “study mode”
• Get involved. Your interest shows that school is important.

Stay Sharp Throughout the Summer

• Once students complete their school year with success, carry the momentum through summer. Summer is an opportunity for children to develop new skills, make new friends and experience new challenges. If parents blend both recreation and academics, students will be prepared physically, emotionally and academically for a successful return to school in the fall.
• For maximum benefit, Oxford Learning recommends supplementing summer activities with a core program of education — 60 to 90 minute sessions three times a week. Whether it’s to brush up on areas that might need improvement or to get ahead so school is less stressful and more manageable, Oxford Learning summer programs are designed to meet each child’s needs and to provide opportunities to keep their minds active. To find out more, please click here.