For over sixty years, the Hargrave How to Study Program has instilled the behaviors and actions necessary for academic success. The How to Study Program is woven into the fabric of your academic experience at Hargrave. You’ll participate in How to Study every day. Developed and continually revised by the Hargrave faculty, the How to Study Program can mean the difference between academic success and continued academic frustration. The program covers ten topics that Hargrave has deemed vital to your academic success.
Getting Organized
You’ll be taught proper room and desk arrangement, clearing away clutter, time management, and eliminating procrastination.
Your Role and Responsibilities
No one can make you successful if you’re unwilling to put effort into the program. A positive attitude is the most important ingredient in the success formula. Correct attitudes are the foundation on which all the other study tips must be built. You’ll be encouraged to set personal goals to raise your self-esteem and build your confidence.
Your Student Planner
You’ll receive a daily planning book and are required to write all assignments, test schedules, and other pertinent academic information in the planner. You’ll be instructed in its use as an organizational and planning tool and are expected to utilize it daily. Constant checks are made by classroom faculty and by evening study hall supervisors to ensure compliance.
Note-Taking Skills
Most young men know little about how to take notes, organize and expand their notes, or how to review daily class notes. Hargrave teaches you specific ways to improve your note-taking and review of classroom notes for quizzes, tests, and exams.
Time Management — A Study Budget
Creating a study budget helps make studying a “habit.” You’ll become accustomed to studying a certain subject at a certain time. This aids in concentration so you’re not easily distracted, leading to personal satisfaction and pride from a job well done.
SQ3R
SQ3R is a method of study that helps you improve your school work. The system teaches you to approach the overall learning process using S-survey, Q-question, 3R-Read, Recite, and Review. Using the SQ3R technique, you’ll be shown the best method of attacking various reading assignments for each subject. The SQ3R method has been used successfully for over 20 years at Hargrave and should result in higher achievement in all your academic areas.
Listening Skills
You’ll learn the importance of proper listening skills. You’ll learn to recognize teacher cues and begin to improve your note-taking and test preparation through increased awareness.
Test Taking Skills
You’ll learn to understand preparation for the various kinds of tests: matching, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and essay.
Memory Skills
Techniques for remembering lists, key facts, names, and places are taught. Utilizing mnemonics, sentencing, and other memorization techniques improves your performance on major tests.
Reinforcement in The Classroom
Teachers reinforce the strategies taught through the How to Study Program in their classes during the year. Below are just some ways teachers apply the program in their classrooms.
- Signing planners each class period
- Notebook checks
- Reading textbooks using the SQ3R method
- Prior notice for tests/exams
- Note-taking or note-checks
- Binder Checks
- Using signal words and phrases (“this is important,” “you need to remember this,” etc.)
- Changing seating to minimize distractions
- Interactive notes to promote note-taking strategies
- Training in selective note-taking
- Study guides/review for quizzes and tests
