Study Strategies

Many middle school students face the challenge of learning how to study. Unlike reading for pleasure, studying is a deliberate learning activity that requires students to acquire, process, organize, and remember new information.

Teachers can show students how to "study by doing." This means learning how to study as active learners—discussing ideas with classmates, reformulating information on graphic organizers, and predicting essay questions. Students who are actively engaged in studying are more likely to be engaged in their learning, retain information they learn, and apply their knowledge to other areas.

Many students need direct instruction from their teachers to develop active study and content reading strategies. Teachers can help students develop strategies by being explicit about what a strategy involves and offering a rationale for why and how the strategy works. In addition, teachers can model study strategies while simultaneously explaining what they are doing. Teachers should guide students to practice and apply strategies to authentic tasks. Feedback from and debriefing with peers or the teacher help students identify what is working and what needs to be strengthened.

This section describes specific classroom-tested strategies to help your students become efficient at studying.