What are study skills?

Study skills can be described as ‘learning how to become an effective learner and how to manage your own learning’. There is no minimum age to start learning these skills - in fact, just like learning a language, the earlier the learners are introduced to these skills and strategies, and apply and practise them, the more independent and confident they will become in any learning situation, both within and outside the classroom. Many of the skills are best developed over a period of time, so the materials are deliberately written for different age groups, from 5 through to 18. Good study habits laid down early will provide a strong foundation for the learning that comes later.

The learning material

The activities in this learning series are grouped around the four main stages for effective studying and the successful processing of information. The four headings - Get, Understand, Remember and Do - follow the logical steps which people take when they are finding out about something, making sense of it, then telling someone else about it or doing something with it.

The activities are designed for different levels: first/second level, second/third level and fourth level/senior phase. Each has a set of relevant skills to learn, practise and apply. The age bands are very wide, so some of the activities will be more appropriate for the youngest and some for the oldest in the group. For example, in the first/second level group, 'Kim’s game' and 'Trogs', with their emphasis on graphics and animations to help learning, might be more appropriate for the beginning of first level, whereas 'Reading for information' would be a suitable activity for the older or more confident learners in this group.

There are separate sets of notes for teachers, parents/carers and students. They explain the objective of the activity and how to make the most of it.