6 Steps to Better Grades

We all know that self motivated students who are interested in what they are studying, do well in school and get good grades. Students who are engaged in the class, in the specific subject, and connected to teachers will do better and get better grades. However, as much as we would love for our children to love learning for the sake of learning, it is common for teenagers to disengage and not do as well as they could. Even those highly motivated students often have subjects that they are not excited about. So what can we do to help our teens become better students and improve their grades regardless of what classes they are taking?

The opposite of motivated students getting good grades - students who get good grades in class, derive motivation from excelling in class, and can learn to appreciate and enjoy the subject matter. Most subjects, when you engage with it, and understand it, become a lot more interesting. On the practical side, we need to remind our teens that the key to getting good grades is to become more efficient at learning and actually reduce the amount of time spent studying and doing homework (especially in subjects they are not excited about). These 6 tips will help them spend less time studying overall, while getting much more out of learning, and even help them enjoy subjects they may have disliked.

 

Pay better attention in class

The best way to minimize studying outside of class is to maximize learning in class. Too many students zone out in class, and spend unnecessary time learning the materials on their own to do homework or to study for exams. Yes, this is easier said than done. So what can students do to pay attention in class?

• Sit in the front of the class (if this is an option).
• Come to class prepared - do any pre-assigned reading.
• Take notes - keep your hand moving.
• Speak up and participate - for those that have difficulty with this, make it a goal to speak up at least once a class, and doing it early in the class before other answers/questions have been given is less stressful.
• Address anything you do not understand right away during class or right after class with the teacher.

 

Take effective notes

Many good students write down what the teacher says word for word, or almost word for word based on how fast they can write or type. This may be thorough, but not particularly helpful when time comes to study for tests because the information has not been processed, just merely copied. Taking effective notes means the student has processed the materials and wrote down the information in language that they understand. Instead the following methods will help students synthesize and process information.

• Outline method - simple bullet points with main ideas on top, followed by sub bullets to elaborate
• Cornell method - one of the most well known and used methods designed to cut down on processing time after class, you divide your paper into 3 sections: the cue column, note taking column, and summary column to help synthesize the materials in class. Read more about it HERE.
• Handwritten notes often trumps typed notes - since you can’t write as fast as you type, you are forced to only write what is important and leave extraneous materials out. You become deliberate in taking notes and will actually synthesize the material. On top of that, you can draw diagrams and connections easily. This is of course no brainer for math.

 

Stay organized and fight procrastination

Willpower is a limited resource, so it is important to build habits that will work on autopilot without too much prodding. Building good habits requires organization and time management. Some tricks that help includes:

• Have a weekly/monthly planner with every minute/hour accounted for with activities, homework and study time, as well as downtime scheduled in.
• Create a prioritized To Do List.
• Commit to doing one task at a time in small increments to stay focused and avoid distractions.
• Read How to Help Your Teens Manage Their Time for additional tips and tools.

 

Study efficiently

Many students do not have any plans for studying and start by just reading the text books or reading notes. Passive studying will not help students learn or retain the information. Active learning is critical with emphasis on replicating the testing environment such that the actual test becomes less stressful.

• Gather all your materials - class handouts, your notes, homework assignments, prior quizzes and tests, textbooks.
• Identify what is most important and create a study guide that includes important topics, terms and concepts.
• Turn this list into a set of questions that will force you to remember each item. 
• Drill these questions and force yourself to recall each concept. Flashcards are excellent options. Many online versions allow you to repeat questions you got wrong more frequently than the ones that you are familiar with.

 

Write papers efficiently

What makes writing papers so painful and laborious is that everyone sits down with the intention of writing a good, or even an excellent paper. Perfectionism is paralyzing. Paralysis leads to procrastination. Here are some ways to take pressure off the process and enable students to write papers more efficiently.

• Start with a brain dump. Jot down any and all ideas about the topic without worrying about making sense.
• Develop a focus and a key set of questions. The key questions and possible thesis will help narrow down where and how to research the topic.
• Write a bad first draft. Allow yourself to write a first draft without worrying about writing a good paper. Do it quickly without over thinking.
• Work on multiple drafts over time. Revise drafts over several days, allowing a fresh set of eyes to look at each draft over multiple days.
• Edit ruthlessly. Take out anything superfluous, whether it be language, content, or analysis.
• Read Definitive Guide to Writing Help for tips on helping students that need specific help with writing.

 

Establish a good relationship with teachers

If students follow the first 5 steps outlined above, they will likely have a good relationship with their teachers. Teachers enjoy teaching students that are engaged, pay attention, and share their interest in a subject that the teacher cares deeply about.

• Establish communication early - you do not want the first communication with your teacher to be about grades. Teachers are human beings. Get to know them. Participate in class and ask questions that show your interest in the subject.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions about things you don’t know - many students are afraid to ask questions out of fear that they are asking something they should know. If you don’t understand something, chances are, other students are in the same boat. 
• Take advantage of office hours - this is free tutoring, and visiting office hours does not mean that you are not smart or that you are not a good student, in fact it shows that you are a dedicated student who would like to do well in class.
• Address poor grades early on, do not wait until half of the semester is over - If you are doing poorly in assignments and tests, meet with the teacher to understand how you can do better next time. Rather than focusing on grades, ask for advice on what you can do better (what materials you should be studying, how to improve your paper, understanding what dimensions your assignments are graded on, etc.). Ask to redo the assignment if that is an option. It also doesn’t hurt to find out if there are extra credit assignments that you can work on.

 

 

These 6 Steps will help every student on the right path to better grades. That being said, what distinguishes the truly excellent students from merely good students - what will guarantee academic success? Although there are no guarantees in life,  How to Guarantee Academic Success is a good place to start.

 

For additional insights on helping students succeed academically, check out:

How to Guarantee Academic Success

Definitive Guide to Writing Help

Definitive Guide to Math Enrichment

Tips For Motivating Your Teen

Do High School Students Need a Focus?

Most Prestigious Summer Programs

 

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