Are you a student who is able to retain mounds of information but unable to apply it? Or are you able to think through tricky situations quickly but can’t focus long enough to learn something? This is a common problem for many students.
In school, teachers and parents don’t make the process of studying any easier because they focus on a singular study method of memorizing and reproducing that information. They do not acknowledge the various facets of education.
Even though each student has varying potential, it is potential nonetheless. Finding the right method to encourage the use of both book smarts and street smarts is the key to harnessing the ultimate potential of all students.
Book Smart vs. Street Smart
People who are book smart are able to remember facts and figures. Retaining information and understanding it isn’t much of an issue. But they are unable to excel in real life situations when pulled out of the classroom. Knowledge means very little if you’re unable to apply it to everyday situations and progress in your life and career.
Truly successful people possess analytical and situational thinking. They are able to observe their surroundings, taking into consideration everything around them, and coming to comprehensive conclusions and solve problems effectively. These people are street smart. In the adult world, street smarts are more useful, but without a good educational background, it is hard to land the right job.
This is why students need to learn how to apply their knowledge early when it comes to assignments and projects. This way they can harness their potential an perfect their skills while they are still learning. High school and college years are the best time to do this. Every day assignments are a great way to start and move forward.
Using Both Smarts in Assignments
- Planning
- Students with street smarts tend to be scattered and all over the place.
- They are unable to formulate a plan and stick to it in order to get a job done.
- Planning is a very important part of getting any task done.
- Start as early as possible and keep the plans simple and uncomplicated.
- The minute an assignment is handed to you, try to think of all the activities that are lined up for the day and how you can shift them around in order to make time to go over the assignment briefly.
- Plan out how you can begin the process of completing the homework.
- Once you’re backing home, create a comprehensive schedule for the next week till the deadline.
- Plan how and when you’re going to do your research, gather all your material, which sections are going to be attempted first, the tentative date and time of completion of the project, etc.
- Do not forget to include time for revising the assignment.
- This is crucial to the process because many careless mistakes can be corrected. It is also an opportunity to remove unnecessary information or add important points.
- Allow your plans to be flexible in case of any unforeseen circumstance that may crop up.
- This way plans may not be entirely disrupted but can be changed around to accommodate other necessities.
- Studying
- Different students will have different methods of studying, but there are some points that remain the same for all.
- To tap into your full capabilities, it is important that you focus fully on the tasks at hand.
- This means that students should have a quiet and cool study area.
- Study during the day when there is natural lighting; refrain from late nights since this will only exhaust you.
- While it may seem like a lot of work is being done, late nights are extremely unproductive and waste time.
- Ensure that there is minimum disturbance from friends and family while studying. Ask them not to bother you unless it is absolutely essential.
- Turn off all unnecessary electronic devices. Refrain from texting and checking social media till you take a break or are done with the assignment for the day.
- The switch of the television and video games.
- Many students enjoy studying with music, but this can be very distracting and cuts down your maximum capacity for productivity.
- Take breaks as and when necessary to avoid burnouts.
- Eat well, stay hydrated and get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep every night.
- A healthy mind is as important as a healthy body.
- Problem Solving
- Using the facts you know to solve problems in different situations is what teachers are trying to test.
- They are trying to determine how far you’re able to apply the theories you’ve been taught through a variety of tests and assignments.
- Read questions properly and understand every part of it before proceeding to answer.
- Try and think of the different ways in which a question can be answered; which theories and ideas are most applicable and how they can be used to solve that problem.
- Research and Resources
- If you’re unable to get the hang of it in the beginning, use all the available sources.
- The internet is the most readily available resource with the most amount of information.
- Read up on how assignments can be handled, what are the best methods to use and how questions can be answered efficiently?
- Try and formulate your own way of studying, something that you’re comfortable with.
- Do not try to copy someone else because they may have a different way of retaining and understanding things.
- Ask for help wherever necessary. Everyone needs a push in the right direction before they’re able to figure things out for themselves.
- Observe your surroundings and pick out the best ways to solve issues, deal with situations and complete assignments.
As a student, try to figure out where your faults lie and then come up with innovative ways to solve them. Do not analyse problems in a two-dimensional way. Think out of the box and build on ideas you wouldn’t normally use.
For all you know, this could help you cut down on time and figure out new abilities lie in terms of completing assignments efficiently.