For the last twenty years, I have taught science in public schools. Every year I have poor students, good students, and a few great students. Over the years I have observed what great students do and how they achieve great grades. This book is about teaching you those habits great students apply to their studies innately, without even having to think about it.
The 5 Pillars of School Success
*Organization
*Workspace (both stationary and mobile aka backpack)
*Time management
*Study Aids (Including specific tips and memorization techniques)
*Test-taking Strategies & Project strategies
Summary of Introduction and Chapters 1,2,3
The phrase “work smarter not harder” is used often these days, but how do you accomplish this? SAT is an acronym to help you remember how to work smarter not harder.
Getting organized for School Success
The good news is that organization is a skill that can be learned. Just like learning to ride a bike, hit a golf ball, or play the cello, investing time and energy into learning the skill is required.
S - Study
A - Adjust
T - Test
Study
The first step in working smarter is to study what your current actions are and ask yourself two questions:
Can I improve what I’m doing?
Can I complete the current task more quickly without decreasing the quality of the product?
Adjust
Once you have identified a weak area, adjust what you are doing. This step requires some research into the best practices that other people are using.
Test
After you have studied and adjusted, test your new idea. It has been said that you don’t learn from mistakes, but rather from reflecting on mistakes.
* Here are more reasons to be organized:
* Saves time
* Saves money (Don’t lose as much stuff)
* Lowers stress
* Increases productivity
* Moves you away from living in panic mode
We are going to focus on four areas that need to be organized in order to maximize your success in school.
*These four areas are:
*Workspace
*Time
*School Supplies (notebooks/backpack)
*Homework
Effective Workspace:
Every successful person needs a workspace, an area where they can get away and concentrate on getting work done. This space should be relaxing and calm, yet also highly productive.
Here are some pointers for setting up your workspace.
Start with a clean slate. This is the same process I use when I clean out my garage. I take everything outside of it so I can then evaluate each item and figure out how I’m going to store it.
Now start putting items back. As you place them back, ask yourself, “Do I use this item often?”. If you answer YES, then place the item near, in, or on the desk. If the answer is NO, then it does not need to be within reach. Place books or notebooks neatly on a shelf.
Summary Notes
*Anyone can learn to be organized. Organization is a learned skill.
*Successful students are organized students
*Setting up an effective workspace is key.
*In order to save time and stress, stock your workspace with supplies and designate a place for all of your supplies.
