In elementary school, much of the information that is taught or contained in textbooks is straightforward with each grade providing opportunities for the student to transition from a ‘concrete’ approach to analytical or being able to understand concepts and think on their own. When students reach high school the concept of “critical thinking skills” becomes essential for continued development.
The best online homeschool program for high school students understands this need especially if it is a college preparatory school, so the curriculum is designed to help students with the process both of factual understanding and the ability to synthesis various forms of information into a systematic whole concept.
Information is laid out in an orderly and progressive manner so students can take notes and prepare for upcoming quizzes and exams. It is a well-known fact that study notes are a valuable resource which condenses information down into a digestible format to be absorbed quickly in a focused manner. Students that rely on the textbook or choose to review the entire bulk of information can quickly get overwhelmed and do poorly because of the volume of information that must be condensed into understanding parts of a whole.
In addition to taking notes, students should have a set amount of time each day to study and it should be when they are at their most alert periods of the day or even into the evening. Very few individuals can spend hours at a time reading and memorizing notes but if you take 20-30 minutes each day or in the morning and then again in the evening, the brain does not get ‘burned out’ and can absorb the information the student is reviewing. This leads into a habit to avoid which is cramming at the last minute which is a beginner’s mistake many students make. High school is full of challenging courses and a good deal of information to learn especially if the student is taking Honors or AP classes so they need to pace themselves and create a study schedule based on when they want to take the tests to stay current with the schedule.
This is the advantage of using an online homeschool high school program because the student can decide when they are ready to access the exam on their own schedule rather than when someone else is ready. Parents need to monitor to ensure that their teenager is not falling behind due to difficulty with the curriculum or not using good study habits. A final tip is to get creative with the study notes using images/drawings, highlighters, different colored pens and other ideas. The goal is to stimulate the brain so that it remembers the information when it sees it later on the test so colors and unique designs next to important points are a great way to keep studying fun and effective.
The study habits a student develops in high school will stay with them whether they move to the next level of education in college or university life, or they chose to immediately begin their career out of high school. Every good habit takes time to develop, so be sure that your high school student has started this process, so they can be successful and create a positive path for themselves in the future.