An Ideal Study Plan

An Ideal Study Plan

            Not infrequently, students tend to believe that those who perform well at school are the ones intellectually gifted and nurtured. The reason for this appears to be quite self-evident. In most cases, students who bye for top spots and academic awards are the ones known for their advanced mental aptitude, if not for an exceptional gab for classroom lessons. This view, however, is restrictive. For it does not take into account the fact that good study habits, not the least diligence and patience, are just as helpful in enabling students achieve desirable results. Crafting a viable study plan is therefore necessary to this end. And I would suggest that such a plan must be constitutive of three aspects: (1) affirmation of basic motivation, (2) delaying gratification during classroom instruction, and (3) having a sense of anticipation and follow up.

            First, there is a need to firstly clarify one’s motive for studying, in that the first steps to crafting a successful study habit is to affirm the basic premise of learning – i.e., students must renew a desire to learn once in a while. And where there is a desire to learn, a positive involvement towards the learning process becomes palpable. This, in principle is what Borris Blai contends by saying, that “there is a direct positive correlation between learning and the individual’s involvement in the process” (n.p.). Without this positive attitude towards education, it is highly unlikely that students would achieve better than what is expected of them.

            Second, students need to understand that an ideal study plan consists in a personal effort to delay their gratification during classroom instruction. Under normal circumstances, students tend to engage in activities which deflect their attention away from the instruction process itself. Among others, students must be vigilant against talking to seatmates, daydreaming, cutting classes, doodling, sleeping, or text messaging whenever classroom instructions are on-going. These activities, while clearly enjoyable, impede students from maximally taking advantage of the learning period. But when a student delays his or her desire to be gratified with these activities, they can in turn promote the three pillars of effective learning: attentive listening, active participation, and taking down notes (Nuzum 11-14).

            Third, a good sense of anticipation and a generous attitude for follow ups comprise the last part of an ideal study habit. Under this aspect, students have to resist the temptation of procrastinating and/or cramming to complete the demands of learning. Volumes of scholarships have already stated the unfortunate outcomes resulting from cramming. As Blai contends, “the pressure and tension in this last minute “preparation” can too easily get (students) into an emotional state that can block their memories” (Blai, n.p.). What is needed is anticipation and follow-up. Anticipation entails getting a sound grasp of the direction of one’s learning journey. It entails spending some time to stay at home to study, right after school hours, whether or not there is a coursework to complete or an examination to prepare for. Keeping oneself abreast of the insights gained during the day, even for an hour during the evening, is already a giant leap that can help students perform better the following day.

            To briefly sum, what I believe is an ideal study plan lies in patiently observing the three steps to maximal learning. When students are made to affirm positive reinforcements, delay the call to immediate gratification, and have a sense of anticipation, they can in turn accrue desirable results, not simply on account of honor that is attendant to being deemed an achiever in the school, but for the sake of giving justice to humanity’s basic responsibility to excel in all fields.

References

Blai, Borris. “Study Guide for Students”. Clearing House, Volume 67, Issue 2, November-       December 1993.

Nuzum, Margaret. Study Skills That Stick: Surefire Strategies, Reproducible Checklists, and        Planning Sheets That Help Every Student Get Organized, Stay Focused, and Become      More Effective Learners and Test-Takers. New York: Scholastic Incorporated, 2001.