What is the best place to study for a test? The library, the bedroom, the kitchen, outside? Each individual has their own preference and discovering which environment works the best can take time and patience.
Many students feel when they study that complete silence does not help them remember the information to pass a test. Some people believe the opposite that complete silence is the only way to study; so what is the correct way?
This all depends on the individual student. There are students who cannot concentrate if there are even certain objects in the room like a television or radio which can distract them from their studies. Not that these objects are even turned on, just the fact they are in the room distracts them.
Other students can study with the television or radio on and retain all the information to pass their tests. Again, this all depends on the individual student.
If you are unsure of the type of studier your child is, check out an interesting website, http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/checklis.html; this comes from Virginia Tech. It is a study skills check list to help determine what type of environment works best when a student needs to study.
Music is not all that bad; it can actually help keep many minds focused on the task at hand; studying. The New Horizon website, http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/front_strategies.html gives many great links to other organizations as well as publications to read detailed articles about the purpose of music and studying. Of course we are not talking about heavy death metal for your child to listen to while studying; but any genre which seems to help keep their focus.
The library, Barnes and Noble, or the ever popular coffeehouses can even be good environments. There are no telephones, televisions, or radios to distract a young mind from wandering. Changing the study environment every few days is a suggestion to see if your child’s grades begin to rise and if their focusing skills seem to improve.
Sometimes all it takes is a slight change of environment and a student finds their studying easier in certain environments than others. Distractions can be everywhere, but the type of distraction is the key to what causes the loss of focus.