Q: How Can We Hack Study Guides for a Student Who Bores Easily?
“I explain to my students that the more active they make studying, the more likely they will learn the material and keep their brains engaged in the process. Here is one idea that has worked for them.”
This Dear ADHD Family Coach® column was originally written for ADDitude Magazine.
Q: “My 14-year-old daughter bores easily, especially when she studies. I would like her to use other studying methods, but she really only likes and uses study guides. Do you have any tips for making study guides more fun so she doesn’t burn out?” – StudyMom
Hi StudyMom:
It’s wonderful that your daughter found a study tool that works for her and she likes using. Most students don’t effectively use study tools — or even know they exist. According to research on effective study techniques, more than 83% of students choose to re-read their notes or textbooks. However, the survey finds, re-reading is the least effective study method. I find this is especially true for students with ADHD.
As an academic and life coach for students with ADHD and learning disorders, I spend a lot of my time teaching study skills. I explain to my students that the more active they make studying, the more likely they will learn the material and keep their brains engaged in the process. Here is one idea that has worked for them.
[READ: Q: What Essential Study Habits Does My College Freshman Need to Adopt?]
The Study Guide Shuffle
So, how can we put energy, fun, and action into the study guide process? By doing what I call “The Study Guide Shuffle.” Have your daughter follow my step-by-step process for taking her teachers’ study guides to the next level.
When handed a study guide in class, either grab extra copies or make copies on your own. If neither is an option, retype the study guide from scratch.
Completely fill out the first copy using your notes, textbooks, and old tests and quizzes. Then review it and put it aside.
Fill out the second copy from memory. Leave blank what you do not know.
Practice what you don’t know and finish the second guide. Repeat until it is completed.
Cut up the third guide into strips of individual questions. Put questions into a box or basket.
Shuffle the box, pick a question, and test yourself again. Continue this step while making three piles: questions you know, questions you don’t know, and questions you are unsure of.
My students like this method because they find it game-like. I like it because it exposes what they know and what they don’t know. I recommend cutting up the questions so students do not rely on a false sense of security when studying the material in order.
[READ: Q: When I Check Homework and Schedules, My Teen Calls Me a Nag!]
Let me explain. Let’s say your daughter is studying the periodic table by reviewing the elements in the order they are shown on the chart. She might know all the properties of oxygen and neon but not fluorine. In other words, she knows number one and number three, but she is unsure of number two. When that scenario presents itself, a student will often move on because in their mind knowing one and three means they probably know two.
So, to truly know what you do or don’t understand, we need to mix it up. Start in the middle. Jump around. Break up the order.
[READ: Q: What’s the Best Way for My Child to Study for Final Exams?]
Another bonus to The Study Guide Shuffle method is that it gives students permission to put aside the things they know. My students tell me that the sheer volume of what they need to study can push them into paralysis. Eliminating what they already know lightens their load so they only need to focus on the areas giving them trouble. I just ask them to review everything the night before an exam.
I invite you to check out our Study Skills Videos, where we cover everything from effective note-taking and developing killer study tools to planning for exams.
Good Luck!
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