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The Main Idea
7 Smart Studying Tips for Academic Success
By Raymond J. Huntington
Many parents automatically assume that students who are doing poorly in school simply need to study harder or longer when in fact they really need to study smarter. This means being well organized and staying focused, despite temptations like television, the Internet and other distractions of modern life. Many students will also find the following 7 tips useful for retaining more of what they read and study in both homework and class work assignments.
1. Preview textbook lessons.
Many students find it helpful to preview textbook lessons before reading through them. Introductions will generally outline the scope of the information and give advance notice of some of the most important points. Chapter headings and subheadings will often define key principles or ideas. And summaries will often provide a concise overview of the information students are expected to retain. By reading the introductions, headings and summaries, the student can construct a mental map of the content, complete with guideposts to some of the most important points. 2. Pause to think about the material during the reading and studying process.
As students read through material, it can be helpful to pause on occasion and summarize what they've read. After reading a few paragraphs, for example, restating the main idea and key points in their own words can help students retain and organize the information. 3. Take notes effectively.
Students can also make more strategic use of their study time by learning how to focus on the most important information in a lecture or textbook lesson. Taking notes on the main points that are outlined in textbook chapter headings and subheadings (which are often in capital letters, bold face type or italics) is an effective strategy for maximizing the value of homework. Listening carefully for distinct or subtle verbal cues from an instructor (i.e. "One of the key points to remember from today's lesson" or "Now I'd like each of you to think about the passage we just read") can help students retain the most important information from classroom lessons. 
