The most important learning habit for school success is…

Firstly, think about this – does your son or daughter remember everything they’ve learnt at school?

Unlikely! And one of the reasons is that much of what is covered in class is not taken in properly. When I ask a student what they’ve covered in class, they often can’t remember. This is such a waste of time and effort!

At school, there is little or no formal guidance on how to learn and remember. I think this is incredible. 

My ‘most important success habit’ is concerned with learning and remembering as you go. It is simply this:

Write up, and understand, school notes in your own words when you get home – the same day.

Here are the steps that I suggest you encourage your child to take: 

• Buy some ring-files with proper dividers – one for each subject.
• Get a detailed list of topics, either from the subject specification from the exam board or from your textbook or revise guide. School may provide a list.
• In class, concentrate and make detailed notes as far as possible (this may involve a change in classroom habits!)
• If you don’t understand something, try to get it sorted the same day – ask teacher.
• Bring home all the notes and other materials that you’ve used that day – note-books, worksheets and so on. I realise that sometimes the teacher collects books, so maybe it can’t happen every day.
• At home, read through the notes.
• Summarise what you’ve learnt and write down the summary in your home file in the correct section. Write these notes in your own words – don’t just copy.
• If you don’t understand something, look it up in your textbook or revise guide, or use one of the web revision sites.
• If you still don’t understand something, write a note to ask teacher the next time you have a lesson

I know that this might involve a big change in routine for your teenager. After all, they have homework to do as well. But all I can say is that if they get into this habit, they will save time in the long run by having less revision to do.
It will also cut down on the stress of having to catch up just before the exams.
And, it is an essential habit to develop for A-levels. 

The object is simply to learn as you go and collect good notes that you can use for revision. In addition to this, I suggest reviewing your notes regularly to keep the memory fresh