Prepare Students for Final Exams
Help Students Learn How to Study More Effectively and Efficiently
Teachers can help high school students develop better study habits for finals through modeling in the classroom. Show them how to get organized and develop study skills.
High school students are expected to know how to study. The truth is, most students who are not academically inclined, and even many of those who are do not have an effective, efficient study method. How can you help your students achieve realistic study goals to prepare for final exams? Here are some ideas.
Get Paperwork Organized
Because students can feel overwhelmed at final exam time, teachers should provide students with specific instructions on how to get their paperwork organized. Simply allotting class time for students to review the notes, essays, assignments and study guides from your class is a huge motivator for students. But you will want to give specific guidance to help them focus their attention and engage in the information they need to review. While students scan their notes, you can instruct them to
- Highlight important details
- Circle answers they missed or left blank
- Ask questions to clarify any confusing information
- Anticipate exam questions and look for answers
- Discard any useless paperwork that has collected in their binders and notebooks
Use Flashcards
The problem with flashcards is that most students spend way too much time making them and not enough time reviewing them. Flashcards can be fun and are natural companions for group and paired study. Teachers can guide students towards creating flashcards by
- discussing color-coding strategies.
- creating sample test questions and answers based on study guides and text questions.
- brainstorming for concrete types of information that are flashcard-friendly.
Flashcards are great for reviewing:
- vocabulary
- grammar rules
- historical facts and dates
- geographical statistics
- mathematical formulas
- foreign language phrases
Actively Participate in Small Group Discussion
High school teachers tend to shy away from collaborative group work. Though it’s an understandable challenge, knowing that students can quickly get unruly or refuse to be productive unless a teacher is in their immediate vicinity, the rewards are great. Collaborative group discussion promotes critical and analytical thinking skills as well as independent thinking. These are skills that can’t be developed with flashcards. But don’t merely put students into groups and expect them to know what they should do. You first need to create a positive learning environment. The key to facilitating group discussion is advanced planning. Teachers can
- Assign different roles within a group: writer, speaker, researcher and "devil’s advocate”.
- Thoughtfully pre-arrange student groups in mixed ability and interest levels.
- Assign a group goal, such as preparing a presentation or designing a review poster.
- Provide students with specific written questions requiring higher-order thinking.
- Allow students ample time over several periods to accomplish concrete goals.
- Require students to provide a written summary of their work and discussions.
- Give students a final exam review study guide.
Remember, the more control students feel over their ability to study, the more likely students will remain actively engaged. Circulate around the classroom while students are working and encourage them. Inspire them to feel like they have a vested interest in what they are doing. Ultimately, you need to help them construct a realistic path to success.
