09 - Advice

Posted on March 7th, 2007 by Dr. Humberto Hernandez.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Welcome to the Advice section! I hope this advice can really help you, if you ever need it. Feel free to write advice for your friends by posting comments in this page. 

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HOW TO PLAN A HOMEWORK SCHEDULE

If you have an overwhelming amount of homework to do and you feel you can’t get it done because you can’t keep track of it, here’s how to develop a plan that will break it down. With a little organization and discipline, you can get all of your homework done on time, every time.
Steps
  1. Write down your assignments accurately and promptly when they are given. You can’t plan your homework time effectively if you don’t know exactly what needs to get done. Record the following information:
    • the subject or course in which the work is assigned (e.g. history, algebra)
    • what you’re expected to hand in or do (e.g. turn in a one-page paper, make a spoken presentation in front of class, take an in-class quiz)
    • the details of your assignments (e.g. double spaced? a 15 minute presentation?)
    • page numbers (i.e. which pages you need to read, study, or refer to in order to complete your assignment)
    • due date of the assignment
  2. Estimate how much time will be needed to complete each assignment. Be realistic. It’s better to devote more time to a project than less. Remember that if you have extra time left over, you can reward yourself by doing something other than homework.
  3. Determine how much time you have available for homework after school for every day of the week. (E.g. Monday - 1 hour, Tuesday - 1 1/2 hours, Wednesday - 1/2 hour, etc.) Obviously, on days where you have other planned activities, whether it’s an extracurricular activity or chores or quality time with your family, you will have less time for homework.
  4. Break down your homework time. Look at your assignments and consider how much time you need to devote to each. Then find time in your homework schedule to get it done, preferably a day early. If you have a 5-page English paper due on Friday, for example, and you know it’s going to take you at most 3 hours to complete it, then spend one hour on that particular assignment on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
  5. Write in break times. This will stop you from getting too overwhelmed and frustrated during long stretches of homework time and will also help keep your mind focused if done correctly. A 10 minute break for every 1 hour of homework done is a good guideline. Use this time to stretch, get something to drink, or do anything that won’t tempt you to delay your return to homework. Do not extend the time you take to refuel (such as getting your juice) or start with things that relate to goofing off.
  6. Stick with it. If you have a schedule, follow it, or else all the planning in the world is useless.

Tips

  • If you find that you don’t have enough time to get all your homework done even when you stick to your schedule, look for more time that you can devote to homework by replacing other regular activities. Instead of spending an hour chatting on the computer with your friends, for instance, you can just spend 20 minutes. But if even after you’ve devoted every available minute to homework and you’re still struggling, talk to your parents or your teacher about it.
  • Do the homework that requires little critical thinking (like math or science) first, then progress to the assignments with massive amounts of thinking (like English) with the moderates in between. Think of the first group as homework that has a very definite estimated time of completion, while the last group can vary in length greatly.
  • Avoid distracting activities such as TV, video games, phone conversation, surfing the Web, etc. You must fully devote your schedule to doing this. That means turning off every electronic device except your phone, lamp, clock, and room light (and if needed, the computer).

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HOW TO FIND MOTIVATION TO DO HOMEWORK

Few students like to do homework and everyone seems to put it off. It is easy to say that you will do it ‘later’, and yet, when ‘later’ comes, you still do not want to do it. But, it has to be done!
Steps
  1. Plan ahead. If you have a study hall, do as much of it there as possible. The more you do when you are in class, the less you will have to do at home.
  2. Get motivated. Promise yourself a reward for finishing the dreadful homework, such as an activity you enjoy or anything that you would find enjoyable and doable after you finish. Don’t use food as a reward, however! Save a special magazine to read when homework is done or make plans to talk with a friend on the phone as soon as both of you have completed your assignments.
  3. Think of the consequences. What will happen if you don’t do your homework? You’ll get a bad grade? You’re teacher will be disappointed in you? If none of these things seem to apply to you, remember that homework is to help you learn, which everyone ultimately wants to do.
  4. Find a place with less distraction. Set up your special study place. No friends, television, or other potential distractions. Your homework place should also have a hard surface, like a table, to write on. If you need to do most or all of your homework on a computer (as many high school students do) make sure to avoid chat programs, unrelated websites, etc.
  5. Get the work done, savor your reward. Don’t cut it short or change the plan. Take as much enjoyment from your reward as possible.

Tips

  • Use your spare time at school, and while riding the bus to begin your homework. Do the rest of your homework right after arriving at home. You are still in the school learning mode, and it will be easier to remember all you have learned. Then, you will have the rest of the day and evening free, without having to even think of school, until the next day.
  • If you really don’t want to do your homework, then just get everything ready to do your homework: paper, pencil, textbook, and cup of tea. Then sit down and open the book to the page you need to read. Then read the first paragraph. Usually by then you will feel that you can write the first sentence. Break it down into little bites.
  • Studies show that during sleep, the brain tends to hold the memories you have right before you go to sleep. Therefore, if you have to memorize something, try to learn it just before you go to sleep. That does not mean you can cram 100 vocabulary words right before you go to sleep; memorize some during the day so that right before sleep you can review most or all of them.
  • If the homework is going to take a long time (2+ hours) take a 15 minute break every hour. Don’t start your reward on the break or anything else, for that matter, that you might use as an excuse to not go back to your homework.
  • Do the easiest work first. You will feel great after you accomplish some thing and you’ll have more time to concentrate on the more difficult things. Also, it will motivate you for your next assignment.
  • Do your homework on a table or desk, but never try to work on the couch or in your bed. You will get bored, and the bed is so soft, and you’ll fall asleep…
  • Music may often help you concentrate, though try to avoid music with lyrics or very complex melodic progressions, as they may cause you to think more about the music than your homework. Certain classical music and some jazz are good for listening to while doing homework.
  • If there is something you don’t understand, write down what the specific question, or mark the page in your book. Then you can ask your teacher for help. If you just go to your teacher and say, “I didn’t understand the homework so I couldn’t finish it,” it will be difficult for her/him to help you if you can’t be specific about what was actually hindering you.
  • It’s easier to recall something if you remembered it under a similiar environment (known as state-dependent learning). That’s why it is important to study at a table and with proper lighting instead of reading on your bed, for example.
  • If you are an extreme procrastinator (you leave everything for tomorrow, or any other day), you might try some “structured procrastination”. As the suggestion above says, do the easy homework before doing the hard homework, however not just to give yourself a sense of accomplishment, but also to avoid doing the big stuff. When it comes to the big stuff, find another larger task (like annoying chores) to put off in order to do the big homework. While in the long run this method is not productive (eventually you will have some really big things that you keep putting off for smaller ones), it can be more satisfying/effective for a hardened procrastinator.

Warnings

  • Don’t get distracted! It’s easy, but try to stay focused.
  • Don’t do homework with a friend. It’s easy to get off subject and not do work in time.
  • Don’t eat while you work! You’ll go through a whole bag of chips, and then get up to get more.
  • Don’t get frustrated. If you are having trouble getting through a certain assignment and it takes a long time, temporarily switch to another assignment.
  • If you can help it, don’t go to bed. What will happen is that you’ll say,”Oh I’ll get up early the next morning to finish it.” Then, you either don’t get up early enough, or you do, and you’re totally worn out for the rest of the day.
  • If you choose to listen to music, be aware that studies show you perform best on a test when the conditions (light, noise, etc.) are the closest to the conditions you studied with (known as state-dependent learning). So if you can’t listen to music during a test, it may actually be better to study in quiet.

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HOW TO GET BORING HOMEWORK DONE

Ever have trouble finishing homework? Do you feel you’d rather watch TV, hear music or play videogames? Or do you take a while to get your brain ready for this ritualistic mental task? Help is here!

Steps

  1. Get your equipment for your homework OUT first, such as calculator, ruler, pen, pencil, etc. DO NOT start anything yet.
  2. Leave your desk.
  3. Warm up your brain. Read a magazine, a chapter of a novel, listento your favorite song, or knit a few rows.
  4. Slowly read through your homework.
  5. Begin.
  6. While you are doing your work, you may listen to music. Preferably not something extremely distracting, like rock and rap. Listening to music you LIKE while doing homework will make you concentrate even better.

Tips

  • Do you want to know why watching TV ten minutes before homework actually works? While you are sat at the box, your brain is actually working, taking in the audio and visual data.
  • If your History teacher gives you a time for when a documentary on Hitler or whatever is coming on, watch it. Videos are a much cooler, and easier, way to learn.
  • If you are writing an essay or a creative writing assignment, you actually get these done faster if you type it out on the computer. But focus on your work, not MySpace.
  • You will never be able to work faster than the night before something is due, but it’s still not a good idea.

Warnings

  • Do not become distracted by the TV. If you must, watch the rest of the episode. But do only homework after that.
  • Check you are satisfied with your work first. Make sure that it’s an essay on WWI you’ve written, and not Friends.

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HOW TO BE AN ALL AROUND GOOD STUDENT
If your purpose in school is to excel and get great grades, then following these tips might just make it easier for you to achieve your goal.

Steps

  1. Always pay attention and be prepared in class. Make sure you have done your homework, and take notes. Show that you are a willing participant and that you are eager to learn.
  2. Do not procrastinate. If a report is due by a certain date, make sure you have finished it in time.
  3. Participate in class discussions. When you have something to share, raise your hand. Do not be discouraged if the teacher doesn’t call on you. Perhaps the teacher just feels that you contribute too much, and is trying to give someone else a chance to contribute.
  4. Work ahead of the class. Read further than the chapter in school! If you want to take the lead in your class you need to work hard!. However, do not work too far ahead so that it becomes detrimental to your grades now.
  5. Make sure when you do homework, that you proofread and double check your spelling and facts. If possible ask your parents to check it for you. Many times when writing a report, we tend to miss noticing an error. Better to be safe than hand in work with mistakes.
  6. Prepare for upcoming tests and quizzes and everything else in between. Fill out the study guides if they are supplied, or make your own. Make up some essential questions that will test the area of interest to the test.
  7. Get yourself in a good habit of waking up a little early so you can have time to shower and have a good breakfast. Feeling refreshed and awake, are perfect studying conditions.
  8. Study in a quiet, non-distracting environment and repeat newly registered information quietly out loud, so that you will remember it easier. Take advantage of lunch periods and extra studying opportunities, when available.
  9. Always remain calm when the test is being handed out.
  10. Use the process of elimination when necessary. For example, If you are truly struggling with a particular question, skip it and continue with the next ones that you can easily answer. Make sure you mark the one you skip or make note of it so you can go back to it later. After you have finished all the questions you are sure of, then return to finish the difficult ones. Use the process of elimination on it again.

Tips

  • Consider working with a study buddy so you can ask each other questions you expect to be on the upcoming test and quiz each other. Make practice quizzes and take them by yourself, make practice crossword puzzles and games to help you study, and then eat well and have a good night’s rest. This will help you be able to concentrate the next day.
  • Be sure to write legibly and with the correct writing tool during tests. Using pink pens or colored pencils can cause you to lose points.
  • Use mnemonics (devices for memorization) when you can.
  • Proper planning prevents poor performance. Use http://calendar.google.com to keep track of what you want to do in the coming days in your academic and private life. The Email Alerts feature in Yahoo Calendar is a boon for students.
  • To take good notes, you have to keep them neat and complete. Write down anything that you think is important. Keep separate notebooks for each subject and think about having a table of contents in the front so you can go back and review your work easily. You may even consider keeping two notebooks, one at school and one at home, so if you lose one notebook, you still have another.
    Be civil to teachers and other students as well.
  • Study for upcoming tests that you know eventually will come. By the time the teacher tells you that you have a test, you will be fully prepared and out of stress.
  • Ask questions!
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Good luck!
-Dr. Humberto Hernández, teacher.

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