Quickie Reviews: Study Skills for Teens

The holiday season has been wicked! The blog's been sleeping for weeks. Here's a list of book reviews in brief. I have taken this from my list of recommended reads in the library. Hoping to blog more the coming days since school's out on Christmas break.

a. Your Guide to Effective Studying by Jenny King - King shares six steps to becoming a better student. She helps readers establish a focus at the start of the academic year -- setting goals and keeping track; following through and reflecting on progress, failures included. Time management, good nutrition and a stable support system are added to the list as strategies to keep in becoming a better learner.

b. Study Skills for the the International Baccalaureate by John Tomkinson - Comprehensive in scope and coverage, the readers will find the book useful in all aspect of studies under the IB umbrella. Tomkinson orients the student to imminent success and possible failure in academics. So he warns IB students: BEWARE! Surfing the web can be addictive. You may find yourself wasting valuable time following up irrelevant leads.

c. Study Skills in English by Michael Wallace - For teachers who teach university bound students and students who are SERIOUS at attending university, the book covers topics on reading varied academic texts; taking notes (yes, even with a laptop, this is an essential skill!); using library resources; taking part in discussions and managing time. Includes task assessment worksheets for teacher and student, assisting them in charting progress and otherwise.

Some websites worthy of your time on this topic --

For teachers and parents who wish to help and support their teenagers become independent learners, Kids Health discuss positive learning.

A document to download on tips and techniques on studying better.

We can teach our teens to think. We can teach them to study too!