Students enrolled in online high school courses typically need to navigate quite a few challenges on their path to academic success. From creating a routine and juggling multiple subjects to staying motivated and maintaining productivity, there’s a lot to handle. However, there’s nothing to worry about.
With a few study hacks, students can stay organized and motivated, retain information, and excel in their courses.
Here are five study hacks that The Ogburn Online School’s high school students find useful. Other online high school students too can benefit from them.
5 Study Hacks to Focus On
Set Up a Productive Learning Environment
Taking online high school courses doesn’t mean students can study lying on the bed or the couch while streaming their favorite series on Netflix. Even studying in the living room where anyone can stroll by or in a busy kitchen with people coming in and leaving can cause distractions. To get into the right mindset, students should find an area in their homes that’s free from common distractions.
If possible, students can let their family members know their study schedule and request not to be disturbed while they are busy handling their courses and assignments. Putting the phone on silent mode and getting the supplies (pen, marker, printed study materials, other study resources, etc.) at arm’s reach before sitting down to study can ensure the students enjoy deep focus sans interruptions.
Create a Study Schedule
Working on multiple courses simultaneously can trigger a high level of stress in online high school students unless they have a study schedule to manage it all. Working randomly could make students procrastinate endlessly or get excessively stressed and not move away from their computer screens.
The solution is to create a study schedule. With it, students can assign specific time blocks to each subject, prioritize what to study and when, and ensure every material is covered and every assignment is finished by the deadline. It’s important to make the study schedule personalized based on what suits an individual’s needs and preferences.
For instance, a high school science major may prefer to study science in the morning and handle mathematics in the afternoon when a feeling of sluggishness creeps in after having lunch. The study schedule of this student should reflect these choices and preferences because what works for others may not work for this individual.
Make Bite-Sized Chunks of the Study Material
Staring at the entire curriculum and feeling overwhelmed thinking if there’s enough time to finish it is a common fear among high school students. However, they can overcome it by breaking down the study material into smaller, manageable chunks. This will make it easier to understand and remember.
Instead of trying to memorize large blocks of information at one go, dividing their study materials into bite-sized chunks will ensure students study every part of that chunk thoroughly before moving on to the next one.
This method will help keep procrastination away and support better comprehension and retention. It will also facilitate the development of healthy study habits where students learn consistently over time instead of cramming huge chunks of information at once and can retrieve the materials learned faster when required. For long-term learning, chunking has been found to be more effective than cramming.
Practice Active Learning
Passive listening to lectures by the course instructors online or reading the course material is unlikely to lead to effective learning. Unless students use active learning techniques to engage with the study material, they won’t reap the maximum benefits.
Be it taking notes, writing down the material learned in their own words, making flashcards, or creating mind maps, students can use various ways to practice active learning. Since the way an individual retains information differs from others, it’s recommended to mold active learning practices to suit the type of learner a person is.
For instance, a visual learner is likely to prefer using colors to arrange information, together with charts, images, diagrams, and graphs. However, an auditory learner will learn better by listening to spoken words (say, an instructor’s words or reading out a chapter aloud and recording it to replay it later).
Since a kinesthetic learner learns better with a hands-on approach, learning chemistry could involve making a 3D molecular model.
Seek Help and Prioritize Self-Care
Getting enrolled in an online high school course doesn’t mean learning in isolation and feeling stressed when students can’t understand a specific concept or lesson and need help. The Ogburn School’s learning management system provides students with a Message Center integrated into their online profiles, which they can use to reach an advisor, teacher, or the Help Center easily.
Sticking to a self-paced study schedule is fine but it’s important to know when help must be sought. When teachers and advisors are accessible, it’s fruitless to spend hours on end struggling with a math problem or trying to make sense of a specific event in world history.
Prioritizing self-care is equally vital because the academic success of students depends on their mental and physical well-being. From the intake of nutritious meals to getting adequate sleep and exercising (or engaging in any other physical activity, say sports) regularly, staying fit physically and mentally is important to study well and retain what’s learned.
The Ogburn School’s flexible curriculum allows students to balance their coursework with quality time set aside time for family, friends, and leisure activities. Helping students strike this balance lets them stay interested, focused, and engaged in the course while keeping stress and boredom at bay.
Final Words
Personalized study hacks are crucial for high school success. Setting up a productive learning environment, creating a study schedule, making bite-sized, easily manageable chunks of the study material, practicing active learning, and seeking help along with prioritizing self-care should feature high on the priority list of online high school students.
Students can tailor these study hacks, if needed, to suit their specific learning needs to enjoy improved academic performance and reach their full potential.
