Just the other day, I arrived at my student's home to find him sitting at his dining room table with six major subject books open, notebooks on the floor, his computer screen open to not one but three different essays that he is working on for three different subjects. And, to make matters even worse, his AP test prep book was opened and sitting there. Mom, of course, was in the kitchen baking cookies.
So, how do you get out from under the pile? Where do you start? What do you do? Now, this situation sounds a bit extreme. This post is designed to give students some pointers on how to keep up with current assignments.
(1) If you don't have one already, keep an assignment pad. If you have a cell phone, you might even be able to keep your assignments on your phone. Some students use google calendar or yahoo calendar to keep track of their assignments. Whatever you decide, you must have a system for keeping track of when your assignments are due.
(2) When you get an assignment, FLAG the assignment as one of the following:
(a) Long Term Assignment; (b) Study for Test; (c) Daily Assignment -- Math Practice, Reading a Chapter)
(3) Directly link your assignments to current coursework or classwork. Much of your homework can be directly related to a specific class theme, activity or discussion. Good notes in class usually translate to easier homework assignments.
(4) Study with a buddy. Two heads or three heads are better than one. Be serious about getting work done. Do some serious studying, get the work done, then do some serious partying. You know -- study hard! party harder!
(5) Work on assignments that have the highest point value. For example, study for your final exam before completing a routine math assignment.
(6) If you are working on a research paper or some type of project, budget a certain amount of time to work on it. Some teachers have projects with built-in milestones. Others expect a finished project. You must keep up with your long term assignments. If you need help with researching, your teacher, school or public library library have people who are ready and willing to help you with finding the right information. Sometimes a parent, relative, friend or older sibling (possibly one who had the same teacher or had completed a similar assignment) can guide you.
(7) Help is nearby. Your school, your family and your friends should be able to provide you with academic support. Teachers are usually willing to give extra time to students who show progress and who are usually attentive to their studies. When in need of professional academic support, you can call me, Robert B. an expert tutor who will reduce your workload and set you on the path to excellent grades.
For more information, please contact me through Wyzant.
Robert B.