Lesson 1 - Get Organized

Being organized is probably the single most important study skill a student can develop. Assignments take so much longer to complete when you can't find the assignment, locate the previous days notes, or don't have a pen or pencil when you need one. Also, a big part of being organized is getting creature comforts (water, food, bathroom) out of the way before class so you are in your seat when class begins and ready to learn. It seems simple, but, for many people, it is hard to do. So, in this lesson we will learn some simple tricks that make it easier to become more organized and then put what we learn into practice.

Assignment 1: Look at the following tips:

• take care of creature comforts before class starts
• be in your seat when class begins
• be prepared -- have pencils or pens, three ring binder, notebook paper.
• have your assignments handy(in your notebook or accessible through a blog etc.)
• boot up your computer and have your current lesson(s) on screen within 5 min. of the start of class.

Completing these 5 steps each day flawlessly for 12 consecutive school days is your goal. When you complete 12 consecutive days successfully, you pass this lesson. If you miss a day, you must start over again until you complete 12 days in a row. Click here to see a chart that will help you track your progress.

Welcome

What if you were told you could learn more with less effort and get better grades. You can! And, you don't have to be any smarter. However, you do have to work smarter. Developing good study skills is the key. In this course you will learn tricks and techniques that have been proven to help you learn more in less time and result in better grades to boot!

To start, let's take a little inventory of your present study skills. Examine the list of study skills below. From the list choose one or two skills you would like to improve. Post a comment at the end of this page indicating which skills you chose and why.

1. Get to class on time -- it takes more of your time to catch up than to keep up. Vital instructions needed for the swift completion of your tasks are often given during the first minutes of class each day. Missing them means extra effort and wasted time.

2. Get organized -- have pen/pencils, paper, pacing guides and assignments handy. Can't get things done if you can't get started or delay starting because you can find your assignment or direction for what to do. Worse yet, ever complete a lesson in NovaNet you didn't have to do? Having the pacing guide and lists of assignments handy can save you a lot of time and effort. Work smart; be organized!

3. Take good Notes -- taking good notes doesn't necessarily mean taking more notes. On the contrary, writing less is usually more effective. Write down only key words. Use abbreviations for long words. Make up a shorthand or code for words (if you send text messages, you already have plenty of practice). Know that "formulas are your friends." Think about it. They are the ultimate shorthand. Also remember that " a diagram is worth a thousands words." Put a date on each page of notes to make them easy to organize. As a result, you will be able retrieve facts quicker, cut down on study time, and learn more in the process.

4. Get Started -- it's easy to put things off "until tomorrow," but it's silly to wait three days to do an assignment that could only take you only 30 miniutes to complete. That's working harder not smarter. It's called procrastination. There are a lot of reasons why we procrastinate. Work on this skill. Get into the habit of starting tasks without thinking (or worrying) about them first. The sooner you start, the sooner you finish.

5. Finish -- finish whatever you start whenever possible. It is much easier to take a few extra minutes to finish a task than it is to quit and restart. Having to reboot your computer and opening NovaNet can take longer than it would to simply finish a NovaNet lesson or test when you had the chance.

Remember to post your comment below, then move on to Lesson 1.