College, University, School & Life Study Tips and How-To

In order to truly be successful in college and throughout life, it is critical you understand your brain and learn how to use it to your advantage in studying.

This 100% Free Guide will show you everything you need to know to "Evolve Your Brain" in order to be more effective at studying. Navigate through it using the menu on the side. Enjoy!

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Daily Homework & Study Tips

About Homework / Study Tips

03/19/2010 05:15 AM

Social Studies Fairs

Just about everyone participates in a science fair at some point, but some students around the globe will be entering projects in fairs this spring to show off work in the social sciences. Topics include history, sociology, political science, psychology, economics, and geography. If you love these topics, you should approach a teacher about having a social studies fair in your school next year!

Would you like to explore more? Check out these upcoming state fairs. Regional winners will be competing at the following fairs in the next few weeks.

Georgia State Fair: Saturday, March 20 at Dutchtown High School in Hampton, GA

West Virginia State Fair: April 23, 2010 at the Charleston Civic Center

Louisiana State Fair: April 26, 2010 at the Lake Charles Civic Center

I plan to attend! If you are participating, please contact me! I'd love to hear about your experience.
Social Studies Fairs originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 10:15:12.
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03/17/2010 03:10 AM

Math Anxiety and Right Brain Dominance

Anxiety stems from fear sometimes, and I believe that math anxiety is sometimes based on fear. This is often the case for students who are right-brain dominant.

Right-brain dominant students are deep, global thinkers, which means (for one thing) that they are most comfortable with questions that have many possible solutions. Right-brain dominant students are terrific at interpreting poetry, for example, because there can be many correct answers. But when it comes to mathematics, there is only one possible answer for each question. For right-brain students, that can be pretty intimidating!

Now for the good news. The thing about fear is: things are less scary when we understand them. If you think you're a right brain and you suffer from math anxiety, it may help to know where your fear is coming from. "Single answer" questions are just outside your comfort zone. But you can do it.

Give yourself a break and go over your practice questions many times before each exam. For you, quantitative problems (as in math) get easier with more practice.
Math Anxiety and Right Brain Dominance originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 08:10:08.
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03/15/2010 02:21 AM

Seventeenth-Century Diaries Online

Starting in middle school, students are expected to know the difference between primary and secondary sources--and to use a mix of sources when writing papers in the social sciences. Some primary sources are interviews, letters, and personal journals.

More and more primary sources are becoming available online, and diaries are some of the most intriguing sources you will find. There are two famous diaries from the seventeenth century that provide a fascinating glimpse into daily life as it was more than three hundred years ago.

Samuel Pepys lived in England during much of the seventeenth century and was a witness to many famous events there, including the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire. His diary entries range from 1660-1669.

Samuel Sewall was an Englishman who emigrated to the Massachusetts colony in 1661. His diary covers the years from 1674-1729, including years when he was involved in the legal proceedings during the Salem witchcraft trials.
Seventeenth-Century Diaries Online originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 07:21:59.
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03/12/2010 01:50 PM

Should You Talk Before a Test?

The last minutes before the test can be excruciating for some students. Students who tend to get extra nervous can freeze up when faced with test questions. Even easy answers will escape some students if they get too worked up. That is why some students should avoid too much pre-test conversation as they gather in the school hallway.

Why should you be anti-social before a test? Think about it: students gather before a test and speculate about the test's contents and talk about the topics they've studied. This speculation can cause already-jittery testers to doubt themselves. Anxiety-ridden students will experience heightened levels of stress if they hear about topics or terms they didn't consider in their own preparations.

Why put yourself through the added worry? Don't listen to pre-test talk and advice in the last moments before a big exam if you suffer from test anxiety. You'll only invite negative thoughts into your head.

Should You Talk Before a Test? originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 19:50:58.
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03/10/2010 03:35 AM

Dissect the Task

When you dissect something in biology class, you take it apart and examine it, piece by piece. You could use this same process to be more successful in any assignment--especially if it seems overwhelming.

We tend to avoid tasks that seem big and overwhelming. But when we put things off too long, we can end up doing a rushed and shoddy job. If you have a big assignment hanging over your head, like a research paper or a project, your first step should be to dissect the task by writing down the various steps. Divide it into parts, and it will suddenly become more manageable.

Dissect the Task originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 09:35:29.
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03/08/2010 02:24 PM

Maintain Your Brain

Do you take care of your brain? After all, you wouldn't be very interesting without it. But few of us ever give our brain health a second thought.

Remember that your brain is a complex and still-mysterious living computer that controls everything from your moods to your heat rate. The brain is comprised of separate parts, and each part carries out a special function, but each segment also works in cooperation with every other. There are behaviors that have an impact on your brain health.

Maintain Your Brain originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 20:24:10.
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03/06/2010 03:13 AM

What Is Your Motivation?

There are many things that motivate us to do well. Motivation is a little hard to put a finger on, but it is that little force inside us that makes us want to achieve goals. It's the drive that makes us excited about trying hard. What is the biggest factor that keeps you working hard to do well in school?

What Is Your Motivation? originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 09:13:29.
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03/03/2010 03:44 PM

Teachers' Pet Peeves

Have you ever wondered what kind of behavior really gets on teachers' nerves? You should! I've listed a few really annoying things that make teachers furrow their brows.

Not taking notes. Imagine you're a teacher and you're lecturing about something you're really passionate about, and it's something that will certainly show up on exams--yet students sit there with eyes glazed when you talk. You'd just want to yell: "Hello, people! This is important!"

Talking, texting, yawning or causing distractions in class. I know from experience that teachers spend a lot of time planning lectures, and they lecture about things that matter most to them. Nothing is more frustrating than students yawning and looking bored.

Coming in late. Teachers want to be understanding, but when teachers are too lenient, students sometimes take advantage and push the boundaries of acceptable behavior. This includes making a habit of coming in late. You may think you're not doing any harm by walking in late, but you are making a bad impression. It's important to learn how to be on time!

Forgetting to bring homework to school. While teachers would like to make exceptions and be flexible when students forget or run into problems, too much leniency only leads to record-keeping nightmares for them, so they can't really give in too much. That's why teachers adhere to strict deadlines when it comes to turning in assignments. It's a shame to get a failing grade when you've done the work. So make every effort to remember your homework every day.

Making careless mistakes. Now imagine that you're a teacher grading a paper with really great points and ideas. You find yourself reading a paper written by a student who really "gets it" and demonstrates deep thinking and great insight--but the paper has typos, like punctuation problems and mixed-up words. It is painful for a teacher to subtract points for careless mistakes! But they will.

Teachers' Pet Peeves originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 21:44:02.
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03/01/2010 02:21 AM

Spelling Tips

Are you becoming spell checker dependent? It's easy to rely on spell checkers to keep us from making embarrassing spelling mistakes on typed papers and emails, but what happens when we don't have spell checkers on hand? It's important to be a good speller, because you will have to write hand-written notes and essays at some point. Like on midterms and finals!

I've put together 10 Spelling Tips to help you improve your skills. For example, you should read with a pencil handy, so you can jot down any new words or words that you always spell wrong. You should also learn to make lists of words that follow similar spelling patterns, and study them in groups.

Spelling Tips originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 08:21:22.
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02/27/2010 03:03 AM

Free Typing Tutor Downloads

You will find that typing papers is so much easier when you develop good typing skills! But you don't have to spend money to learn to type. You can find many free typing tutors at CNET's Download site. Here are a few examples:

Rapid Typing Tutor: This colorful program is for the young and novice typers. Users are able to choose from lessons and practice with letters, syllables, digits and more.

Bruce's Unusual Typing Tutor: This program is designed for everyone. Beginners can learn to type the right way and experienced typists can correct common typing mistakes. This includes lessons and game.

10 Finger Breakout Game: This game requires a lot of concentration! It's a paddle and ball game that requires you to move the paddle and shoot balls by typing letters. It's tricky but fun!

Free Typing Tutor Downloads originally appeared on About.com Homework / Study Tips on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 09:03:42.
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