Information Pages

Study Skills are the skills you need to get the most out of your studying and learning. These skills are an important set of transferable life skills that can help you in everyday life too.

Follow our tips to get the best from your course and be successful.
Attendance. Attendance is directly linked to your success. Make sure you attend every session. If for any reason you can’t attend, make sure you let your tutor know and discuss how you can keep on track.

Be on time. Turn up to lessons on time and ready to start your class. Even being a few minutes late back from a break can mean you have missed the main information about the lesson. Always let your tutor know if you are not going to be on time. This shows respect for your tutor and fellow learners.

Remember equipment. Make sure you bring all other relevant equipment to your classroom or online session so that you can take notes. You can use your own laptop/tablet and record or type notes as you go along. If a session is being recorded, your tutor will tell you and will follow the recording policy.

Active Listening. Active listening is a skill which needs to be developed. This involves listening to key areas from presentations and discussions to build your skills and knowledge which you may be questioned on to ensure points are absorbed. Try and take it in without chatting to your colleagues or getting distracted.

Take notes. Find the best way to make notes for you. Sometimes it can be hard to get down everything your tutor says but try to pick out the most important and relevant points. If you are not sure, ask. Use colours or highlighters to make things stand out. If you are using your tablet or laptop, you may find using voice notes helpful too. This skill will develop throughout your course.

Organise your work. File your work after each session in a folder (digital or paper). If you need to use a particular format, your tutor will give you guidance on this. Use dividers and highlighters to arrange your work in an order that makes sense to you and is easy to find when you need it.

Top Tip! Add the date to any notes you make.

Ask questions. If you don’t understand something, make sure you ask your tutor about it. Not everyone feels comfortable asking questions in front of others in the class. If this is the case, wait until the tutor finishes speaking then ask.

Top Tip! There’s no such thing a stupid question.

How you present yourself and how to work with others. An effective learner will be respectful to colleagues, remembering respect is a two-way process. You should always use appropriate language and engage in group activities even if you find this challenging to begin with.

Find an area or place you can study in. Try to keep this area organised, quiet and happy to study in.

Identify your regular study slots – maybe you prefer doing a little bit of studying every day, or a lot a couple of times a week. Whichever it is, make sure you stick to it.

Top Tip! Set a reminder in your phone for your study times. Or use an app such as Focus Keeper

Create your schedule – this will help you keep track of what you should be doing and when. Remember to keep your key dates for deadlines and assignments to hand.

 Don’t leave everything to the last minute - be realistic about how long things will take.

 Be mindful of your personal well-being - Make sure you get enough sleep and relaxation to be able to focus on your studies. Eat healthily and drink plenty of water. Take time out from studying - we all need time to relax and unwind. Make sure you also plan time for yourself to go out with your friends, exercise or watch TV.

 Being a Reflective Learner 

Reflection is an integral feature of all learning as this provides the link between your previous experience, knowledge and understanding with new learning. Ways to develop this skill will be supported by a range of activities throughout your course such as evaluations with key questions and prompts. You will be encouraged to record your progress each week within your own personal log, which provides a useful reference tool if you need to refresh or recap on previous learning. Your tutor will show you how to access and complete this.

Make sure your tutor knows about any concerns you might have. Use the prompts below to help you:

Is there anything I need to let my tutor know about? Think about anything that might be affecting your work or additional support you might need. Or what you need to do if you miss a lesson.

 What am I enjoying about my learning? Think about topics in your course that you like and how this is helping you.

  What am I doing well? Think about things you know you are getting on well with. How can these help you with other areas of the course?

 What am I finding the most difficult at the moment? Think about topics within your course that you are not getting on with and why you might be finding something more challenging.

  Is there a reason I am not enjoying it? Think about whether it is because you find it too hard or too easy. Remember it can often be difficult when learning something new.

 Is there anything I am finding difficult at the moment? Think about if you need more help with anything and what you can do too.

 Is there anything I need to work on? Think about what you might need to give a little bit of extra time to within your work.

 What targets can I set for myself? Think about where you want to be on your course in the next few weeks and in the future.

 What can I do to help myself? Think about the independent learning you can do.