Study for yourself and ditch the marathon cramming? Our very own Co-Director Flavia Allajbeu was this week’s webinar host and we’re loving the sound of her intuitive approach to online schooling mastery!
We’ve weathered out an entire year of cricket noise-filled Zoom silences, bleary-eyed screen syndrome and the toddleresque behavior of our internet connections.
While every student has bravely grown, adapted and learned new lessons over this time, Flavia covers tips enough for all to internalize and employ! Her main focus points include workspace organization, motivation tips, studying game plans/techniques and the importance of self-reliance.
Continue on for a rundown of each point. All webinars are uploaded to the IntegraYouth website and will soon appear on our prospective YouTube channel.
Workspace Organization
Abide by the 3 C’s that I just made up, they summarize Flavia’s approach to workplace set-up. Create Cleanliness, Comfort and inner Calm.
.Studying takes concentrated focus and is best carried out when your brain and body are happily situated in their environment. To ease any negative feelings towards the act of studying over a more seemingly enjoyable pass-time, free your space of clutter, distractions and ergonomic annoyances. This practice is similar to the “smiling for improving your mood” technique.
Apply the physical changes associated with your desired state of mind, and this state of mind, awakened by your induced stimulus, should soon follow!
Productivity Motivators
When it’s the time and place to be productive and get work done, give yourself a momentum booster, the smidge of serotonin that comes with accomplishing a task. Start off by completing easier or quicker items that you’ve outlined in your extensive/specific written plan. This specific plan helps you clearly visualize what work lays ahead. It keeps your session from being subject to the whims and shortcuts your study-brain will inevitably try to sneak you into acting on.
You are unfortunately in a flesh vessel and imperfect, so reward your hard work once you’ve accomplished something and take frequent breaks!
In the act, extra tips
Your workspace is clean, your to-do list is awesome and now you’re studying!
Flavia reminds us that passive studying (glossing over notes and copying them down) is a poor method for retaining information. Go instead for active studying where you apply, communicate and exercise the bounds of your knowledge through quizzes, q-card-wielding study partners and homework problems.
To help you bite off pieces of work you can chew, use sticky notes as location markers for your next break. And if you can’t keep away from the loving blue-light emanating off your phone screen, film a time-lapse of yourself! You’ll look so cool, and you wouldn’t dare interrupt the recording to check your new notifications.
Being recorded can even mimic being watched and gently reminded to stay on track with your tasks.
A last factor to keep in mind is how different music makes you feel. Align your study playlist to your peak level of productivity. Beware that classical music is a lot more hype than one might think.
Methods to the madness, choose a studying technique
Have no idea how to study? There’s plenty of different scientifically observed techniques for you to choose from. For time dispersal and preventing burnout, Flavia explains the Pomodoro technique. For knowledge retention, she includes the practice of rephrasing concepts using your own words, (a great example of an active studying session activity).
Be the master of your destiny
Our situation is unprecedented. Have you heard that we live in unprecedented times? While we've got additional excuses to settle into relaxed school routines, this ultimately means that we are more responsible for our learning than ever! You have the tips, it's now up to you to use them. Remember to treat school as normally as you can. Enforce waking up before first period attendance and participating in discussions with your mic or camera on. Keep on top of school work and regulate your distractions during instructional class time.
It's easier said than done, but we're all capable of positive change and we hope you're walking away with more confidence towards online school!
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