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Second-level students, particularly those in exam years, will have a challenge on their hands to maintain focus during the coronavirus lockdown.
Some will have already established a routine of studying at home, while others may have been relying on after-school study sessions to keep them focused.
Irish Country Living shares its five tips to help students make the most of their study time at home.
1. Find a good place to study
Establish a place in the house that is yours to study in. You will need a table and chair at a minimum - do not perch yourself on the edge of the couch. Make sure the space is as free from distractions as possible.
It is a good idea to only use this space to study, as it focuses the mind when you are there. If you later use it to play video games, it can be hard to focus on studying when you return there.
You will probably need a phone and laptop for some online study, but try to avoid social media when you’re on them.
2. Keep a routine
The best advice to maintain a routine is to stick to your normal class timetable that you have at school as much as possible.
Take a break and get some fresh air when you would have your normal break times.
During English, study English, etc. Teachers will have assigned work to do and in some cases will engage with students via online learning websites.
Use these where appropriate and continue to change from subject to subject as per your timetable.
All students have non-exam classes such as PE, so use that time to go out and get a bit of exercise or use it to do some extra study so that you have free time in the evenings.
3. Follow the teacher’s instructions
Follow the advice of your teacher and the work they have set for you. In some cases, this will be revision and there are websites such as www.studyclix.ie that have organised exam papers and answers by topic.
If you’re struggling, the educate exam papers have answers in each of them and on how questions should be answered.
You can pick up revision books that are good at helping to understand new topics better if your teacher has asked you to move on to new chapters.
The Irish Ag Science Teachers Association (IASTA) has made study guides available to students on its website.
Student guidance counsellors are available and most schools will have given out these contact details to students before they went home.
4. Talk to friends
If you are studying for oral exams, it might be a good idea to arrange a time with a friend to call them and run through some practise questions.
Make sure you talk to someone who wants to get the study value out of the call and will not get distracted.
5. Stay on top of work
The important thing to remember, particularly as an exam student, is that this is your time to use or lose. Keep on top of the work and revision that has been set and remember that everyone is in the same boat so don’t panic.
Teachers, students and the State examinations commission are all trying to figure out the best way to keep everything on track, so play your part.
If there is no specific outline of what to do in a certain subject, work to your pace and set your own goals.
It is important to remember that even if you see your classmates posting things online saying that they are not studying, they probably are. You worry about your work and not about everyone else.
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