Here are some thoughts about study groups, thanks to my esteemed brother in APUSH, Tom Richey.
- ACTUALLY STUDY. Something is better than nothing. No matter what you do, you are not going to hurt yourself by studying.
- SET A SCHEDULE for when you will study (e.g., from 7-8 Monday evening), what you will study (e.g., The Absolutists), and how you will study (e.g., watch Tom Richey’s awesome videos on Louis XIV, Peter the Great, and the Fredericks of Prussia). Your goals should be serious and realistic.
- PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY DURING THIS TIME. Let me repeat that. PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY DURING THIS TIME.
(You may check your phone during breaks [see below])
- ACTIVELY ENGAGE YOURSELF. If watching a video, take notes as you would if you were in class (this is not Harry Potter - you are not watching this for fun - you actually will have to recall and organize detailed information as a result of watching videos or reading chapters. If you are reading a textbook chapter, take notes (just highlighting has been proven ineffective by several studies).
- DO PRACTICE QUESTIONS. Learnerator.com has a lot of practice multiple choice questions - some of which are free and others which can be purchased at a very reasonable rate (use the coupon code Richey_15_833 for a 15% discount.
- QUIZ YOURSELF. There are several sites that have quizzes and flash cards so that you can . This provides you with a good “break” that is not really even a break.
- TAKE AN OCCASIONAL BREAK. Never study for more than 20-30 minutes without taking a 5-10 minute break (study 45-50 minutes for each hour of study) and never study for more than two hours at a time without taking a substantial break. During your breaks, give your brain a rest and do something you like - something that relaxes you. On the shorter breaks, you could do something somewhat relevant like listen to one of my raps or one of MrBettsClass’ parody videos.
- GET SOMEONE TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE. This should be a parent, responsible adult, or a trusted friend who can hold you to your commitment. Share your goals with this person and ask them to check with you daily (especially when you should be studying) and make sure you are following through with your commitment.
- BE CAREFUL ABOUT STUDY GROUPS - if everyone in the group is not motivated, then this could become distracting and an innocent trip to Panera Bread to study can turn into an evening of socializing, revelry, and distraction. STUDY GROUPS ARE A PROBLEM FOR SOME PEOPLE. SOME PEOPLE JUST CAN’T HANDLE THEM.
KNOW THYSELF If you cannot handle study groups, then DON’T JOIN ONE
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