Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Studying successfully
• Method 2 of 4: Efficient Learning
• Method 3 of 4: Getting the Best Out of Yourself
• Method 4 of 4: Get Additional Help
• Tips
• Warnings

There is no magical way to turn your sixes into nines: you really need to use your brain and willpower to do this! However, by doing your best on your homework and applying the following helpful study techniques, you will soon be able to get higher grades. To accomplish this, simply start at Step 1.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Studying successfully

1. Pay close attention during class. The best thing you can do to get better grades is to pay attention when new things are first explained. Many people are easily distracted when a teacher talks about uninteresting things, but try to stay focused. Listen carefully to what is being said and try to stay engaged by taking notes and asking questions.
2. Make notes. It may seem a bit strange, but taking notes is an ideal way to get better grades. Good notes are, as it were, a map with which you lay the foundation for a course. Moreover, by taking notes you show that you are motivated to perform better. You don't have to write down everything your teacher says: just write down the gist of what he explains. A helpful way to go about this is to think about what you say when your parents ask how your day was during dinner. After all, you don't tell them every detail, but you give a summary of the most important elements. You actually take notes in the same way. Write down the most important things and only work out things that you really need to know in detail.
   • Also write down things that you find difficult! Even if you don't understand what your teacher is talking about, taking notes can be valuable. This way you know exactly what to look up later and you can ask for additional explanation if necessary.
   • Take your notes by hand instead of on a computer. That way you will be able to remember them better.
3. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something. If you don't understand what the teacher is talking about, it is best to ask for more information right away. Nobody understands everything immediately, but in order to get good grades it is important to be curious.
   • If you find it scary to ask a question in front of the whole class, you can also wait until after class. This way you can only approach the teacher and ask for extra explanation.
   • Don't worry about your teacher getting mad if you don't understand something. Teachers appreciate that you are interested and that you show interest by asking questions.
   • If your teacher does not explain certain things properly or if you continue to find it difficult to ask questions, you can also look online for more information. There are countless YouTube videos on the most diverse topics, but also other websites that explain the topic you are having difficulty with even more.
4. Review the curriculum. Your teacher will likely give you a curriculum at the start of each block. This is a written summary of all topics that will be covered during his course. Read this curriculum carefully and ask questions if you don't understand something. Together with your notes, the curriculum makes a useful map to help you learn.
5. Eat small meals regularly. You may not be immediately aware of it, but concentration problems can be caused by being hungry! Try to eat something small regularly between classes. Take, for example, a piece of fruit, a slice of gingerbread and a few sips of water. This way you can concentrate optimally and absorb all the teaching material well.
   • Make sure your snacks have enough protein so that you have enough energy. For example, take BiFi sausages or a handful of almonds to school.
6. Try to get used to a certain way of learning. Everyone learns differently. Some people like to exercise while learning, while other people benefit from watching videos on certain topics. Some people find it helpful to make up mnemonics, while others are best able to memorize schematic overviews. Try different things to find out which way works best for you.
   • If you learn best when you hear things, ask your teacher if you can record the lessons so that you can listen to them again at home.
   • If you don't know which way of learning suits you best, try a few different ways to find out. Ask classmates or teachers how you can approach learning and then try it out at home.
   • If you learn best when you see things, make diagrams or drawings to represent the information you need. This way you know exactly how data and ideas are connected with each other.

Method 2 of 4: Efficient Learning

1. Start learning right away. Don't procrastinate! Do not wait until the end of the block with learning, especially not until the evening before your exam. Your brain needs time to absorb information and store it. The "stamping" of information only makes you remember things incorrectly or not at all. Try to learn a little bit every day. Read the discussed material carefully every week and make sure you understand everything.
   • If you continuously learn a little, you only have to repeat a few things just before an exam to refresh your memory.
   • Also try to repeat older material regularly to save the ideas and your memory.
2. Review your notes. Good notes are an ideal aid to quickly review a lesson and refresh your memory. If you did not fully understand the subject matter the first time, you may want to look things up to gain a little more insight into a topic. Sort your notes by topic and go through them theme by theme.
   • Sometimes related topics are dealt with at different times during the school year. Keep your notes in a safe place so that you can always link new information to the old data.
3. Create a curriculum. Some teachers hand out a curriculum at the beginning of each block. If not, however, it may be helpful to make your own. In a curriculum you write which topics will be discussed during the exam and which parts of these topics are important. Many people use a curriculum purely to learn before their exam, but it can also be a useful way to keep track of topics covered in class.
   • Make learning cards. Learning cards are small variants of a study plan, on which one topic or list of facts is presented on a card. You can take 2 or 3 tickets with you every day and check them every few hours.This way you repeat important information regularly, so that you will remember it better.
4. Create a study wall. Have you ever seen a mind map? Someone writes an idea on a card and hangs this card on a wall. He then writes ideas or information related to the first card on other cards. He hangs this around the first card on the wall. This can be a useful way to learn! Choose a wall in your bedroom and hang your learning cards here. This way you see them every day and you can easily go through or repeat topics in between
5. Try out different memory techniques. Much of the information you need to remember for your studies is likely to be boring or dry. Fortunately, there are all kinds of techniques to remember even the most sleep-inducing data. Different people remember things in different ways, so you will have to experiment to find out which one works best for you. You can try the following memory techniques:
   • Always learn small amounts. If you have to memorize lists (for example, word lists, place names or years), the best way to do this is to learn a maximum of five items at a time. Try to remember these five parts from the list and do not proceed with the next five parts until you know them by heart. If you try to memorize all the words or place names at once, you will probably have a hard time.
   • Use mnemonic. In mnemonic, you use acronyms or other mnemonics to memorize lists. Often teachers have mnemonics of their own to remember things or you can find easy ways online!
   • Use flashcards. Flashcards can be very useful for memorizing glossaries and dates. Buy a stack of note cards for this. Write a word in a foreign language on one side and the translation on the other. This way you can train in a fun way and check whether you know all the words.
6. Take a break at the right time. You will learn best if you take a break from time to time. It is often recommended to alternate learning periods of 50 minutes with breaks of 10 minutes. It is best to use those 10 minutes to eat something and get some exercise. This way you stay sharp and you will be able to put the newly acquired energy back into learning.
7. Make sure you choose a good place to learn. To be able to learn effectively, you need a good place to study. Make sure that you do not get distracted ... so put your mobile phone on silent! You really have to concentrate. Research shows that every time you need 25 minutes for each distraction to be able to concentrate on something again.
   • If you live in a very busy house, try learning in less predictable places. For example, sit in the basement or the bathroom. If you really can't concentrate at home, you can also sit in the library or in a study room at school.
   • Many people tell themselves that under certain circumstances they can concentrate better. For example, they turn on loud music or watch television while trying to learn. If you remember things by hearing them, you will be able to store information more easily in your memory if you say it out loud. Make sure that you can understand yourself and that there is no music on it.

Method 3 of 4: Getting the Best Out of Yourself

1. Make sure you eat healthy and get enough sleep. Unhealthy food can have a major impact on your ability to concentrate. The same goes for poor or little sleep. Scientists suspect that when people sleep, the brain secretes toxins and other materials that keep us from thinking properly. Get 8 hours of sleep a day (or at least enough for your body to recover) and eat a healthy diet.
   • Do not eat at the snack bar and avoid sugar or fatty foods. Instead, eat enough fruits, vegetables (cabbage and spinach are very good for you) and get enough protein by eating fish and nuts, for example.
2. Work tidy. Make sure to keep all your work in folders and keep track of your deadlines in an agenda. By working tidily, you avoid forgetting assignments and exams. Moreover, you can also schedule relaxation so that you are not constantly busy with your studies.
   • Also make sure that your study place remains tidy. Don't overcrowd your desk and keep distracting things away from your workplace.
3. Start with what you already know. The best way to start learning is by reviewing what you already know. You will not have to pay much attention to this information, so you will have all the more time for things you do not know yet. Make sure you start learning on time so that you can master all the material.
4. Prepare for exams. If you know that an exam is coming up, you will have to invest some extra time in your studies to make sure you know all the subject matter. If necessary, talk to your teacher for some extra tips and ask what you can expect from the exam.
   • If possible, learn in the room where the exam takes place. Especially visually oriented people will benefit from this. People who are visually oriented will, in this way, associate the classroom with the curriculum. This ensures that they will be able to retrieve data more easily when the exam actually takes place.
   • However, some studies show that it is wise to change learning environments from time to time. That way you could remember information better. However, this technique can also be distracting. If you notice that you are more easily distracted in certain places, go back to your old familiar study place.
   • Take a practice exam. Practice exams can help you get over the nerves before an exam. Moreover, taking a practice exam will give you a better understanding of what to expect from the actual exam. Practice with a group of friends or ask your teacher to help you with the practice exam!
5. Try to manage your time well. Using your time effectively is crucial to get good grades. Many people regularly feel that they spend more time distracted than actually learning something. They therefore firmly believe that studying should take as little time as possible; the less time you learn, the less time there is to get distracted. If you ban unnecessary activities from your life (think playing Candy Crush or scrolling Instagram, for example), you will be amazed at the hours you have left and can devote to your studies! Set clear priorities and in no time you will be organizing your time a lot better.

Method 4 of 4: Get Additional Help

1. Ask your teacher for advice. Are you trying to get better grades, but are you unable to do it alone? Then agree with one of your teachers about it. After class, see him or her and explain the problem: you're trying to get better grades, but none of the above works. Maybe your teacher has good ideas to improve your learning and your problem will disappear like snow in the sun!
2. Ask if you can get extra points. If you are doing your best and have shown your teacher that you are really trying to get better grades, you can ask if you can somehow earn extra points. This way you might be able to compensate for the bad grades and end the block with an eight!
   • Make sure your teacher knows what you are doing to get better grades. This way he knows that you are taking it seriously and will consider giving you an extra chance more quickly.
3. Take tutoring. If you still have trouble with certain subjects despite the above tips, consider taking tutoring for certain subjects. There is nothing strange about that and no one will think you are stupid if you need a little extra help. Everyone has a profession that he or she has difficulty with and the choice to ask for help only makes you smarter.
4. Learn with others. When you learn with other people, you can pull together and help each other when someone doesn't understand something. You can take notes from each other and discuss the lesson material to learn the best you can. In addition, you can test each other just before the exam so that you get an idea of ​​how well you actually know the material.
5. Make sure you know the context of a course or topic. Sometimes you become so obsessed with a particular subject that you hardly realize what it is actually about. Try to make the topic more concrete by, for example, watching videos about it or by seeing the teaching material in a broader context.
   • For example, go to a historical museum to visualize World War II or conduct a physics experiment instead of getting your knowledge only from books.
6. Use online resources. There are many websites that can help you learn. For example, you can search websites or forums on specific topics or test yourself online. Keep in mind that you will have to do more than simply copying things from the internet. If you really want to get better grades, you will need to find someone who can help you understand the teaching materials. Some useful websites are:
   • http://www.wiskundeonline.nl/
   • http://www.meestergijs.nl/
   • http://www.biologielessen.nl/
   • http://tipsvoorschool.nl/

Tips

• Always try to participate actively in class. This way the teacher can help you by explaining things and you are less likely to make the same mistakes.
• Hire extra help. If your parents are too busy to help you, the best thing to do is to get as much help as possible at school. For example, teachers can give you tutoring or explain things a little more extensively. Don't be afraid to ask for extra help!
• Try to absorb lesson material by reading the material and then answering practice questions. This way you immediately notice which parts of the material you have understood and which parts you need to put in a little more effort.
• Pay close attention if your teacher reviews a practice exam afterwards. You can learn from every mistake made, even if you have passed this test round.
• If you do not understand certain questions in your book, ask a classmate who is better at the trade. He may be able to help you understand the question better so that you can still answer it.
• If you are not very good at math, you can use a calculator to check if all your answers are correct after doing exercises.
• Often the answers to the questions from textbooks are listed at the back of the book. However, do not simply copy these answers, but try to find the solution yourself first. After writing down your answer, check that you are on the right track. If this is not the case, then try again or ask your teacher for additional explanation.
• Don't be afraid to ask your teacher questions. They are here to help you!
• Make a sound recording of your notes and listen to them. Then try to write down what you have memorized. This way you will soon find out what you have memorized and which parts of the material you will have to repeat again.
• Always take the time to review study materials after class and reread your notes. Then try to answer the questions from the book to see if you understood everything. Ask your teacher for study advice. Maybe he has ideas that you would never think of yourself!
• Do not delay learning, but concentrate on your work.
• If you don't understand questions, it is best to ask your teacher for some additional explanation. Even questions that seem easy can sometimes be interpreted in several ways.

Warnings

• Don't be too light on your homework and school work. Even if you score well in exams, homework grades can drag your average down. In some cases it may even happen that you fail the course as a result.
• Don't just throw away study materials. First ask your teacher if you still need certain papers or books.