Why Learners Should Use Study Guides
Preparing for an exam can be stressful for learners. They may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information that they have to take in and understand before the test. This is especially true if it is a comprehensive exam over a few topics. Providing learners with study guides, will help them to identify the most important information that is likely to appear on a test and ensure that everyone has the same information.
One type of study guide is one in which just the most important topics are listed for learners to study. You might also list questions about the material that learners can answer. Another type of study guide is an outline of the most important information, and it could have blanks in it where learners have to actively fill in the information themselves. learners could also work together in groups to create their own study guides during class time to identify for themselves what the most important material is.
In any case, providing learners with a study guide or giving them the opportunity to create their own or participate in filling one out engages them in the material that they have to study. Furthermore, it helps them to zero in on just the material that is likely to appear on the test. Learners hate being blindsided by material that they thought was not that vital to know on a test, and a study guide can help them to avoid that anxiety.
Nervousness about not correctly identifying information that may be on the test can contribute to overall test anxiety. This creates a situation where learners are unsure of whether they will succeed on the exam, and then, this leads to their not being likely to do well on the test as a result. It is like a self-fulfilling prophecy: they don’t know what is going to be on the test, so they don’t think they will do well. In the end, they don’t do as well as they would like.
As teachers, we also do not have much time to do revision since our curriculum is packed. Assigning different chapters from a study guide every week, especially when it contains mock exam papers, are a great way of getting learners to revise in a structured manner without having them cram everything in the night before a test or assessment.
Take some of the guess work out of your learners’ studying, and help them review the material they need to know for an exam with study guides.
Ace it! Study Guides
Shuter and Shooter understands how exam stress can impact our lives.  We want to remind all learners from Grade 8 to 12 of the Ace it! Study Guide series. The Ace it! Study Guides are a one-stop resource, giving learners all they need to ‘Ace’ their exams. It helps learners to revise and understand the subject content, and in this way, alleviates much of the examination anxiety felt by parents and learners alike.
The Ace it! Study Guides:
- are easy to use
- are easy to understand
- take into account the different learning styles and skills levels of learners
- will help learners to excel.
The Ace it! Study Guide series includes the following examinable subjects: Economic and Management Sciences, Business Studies, Accounting, Â Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Natural Sciences, Technology, Life Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Geography, History, Tourism, isiZulu FAL, Â isiXhosa FAL, Setswana Home Language and FAL, English FAL and Afrikaans FAL.
Shuter and Shooter Publishers has a long and proud history of publishing quality educational resources. Â Parents and learners can rest assured the Ace it! Study Guides are of high quality, and have been written by subject and teaching experts.
‘We’ve had some really positive feedback from a variety of learners on how Ace it! Study Guides have helped them in areas in which they struggled, and have been a key factor in their academic success,’ said Warren Kliphuis, Shuter and Shooter’s Marketing Director.
Ace it! is available in most good book stores, or order online from www.aceitstudyguides.co.za.
