I used to dislike the effects of technology to people (especially as it relates to study skills) – I mean the undesirable effects. People communicate a lot but they don’t do it personally. They don’t socialize even if they are in the same room and instead they are busy with their gadgets. Human interaction, which is very important, is gradually diminishing. That side of technology is one that I don’t like, However, to be perfectly honest there are quite a number of benefits offered by technology especially to students. I believe that it is actually the misuse of technology that is causing a problem. Technology has a lot to offer, it makes things easier and faster. It offers a wide variety of entertainment as well as educational tools. There are quite a number of apps nowadays that are extremely helpful to students. There are apps that are designed to help improve one’s vocabulary and grammar. I recently came across this article here that talks about the ways to use technology to improve success in college students and I found it really interesting. Through this article, students can learn making a good use of technology for their own benefits. You will learn a lot from this article, check this out:

7 Ways to Use Tech to Improve College Student Success | EDUCAUSE.edu

Educational attainment, academic achievement, student persistence, learning and development, and college completion. The success of college students is getting more attention these days with rising expectations, greater accountability (yet shrinking budgets), and dismal statistics, like this one:

Only about one of every four community college students who take a remedial course graduates within eight years.

The reality we face in higher education today invites different approaches to promote student success.

That’s what NGLC is all about. Our first challenge to the field was to find ways to bring to scale those different approaches—and even more specifically, technology-enabled innovations that promote student success in higher education. Via educause.edu

I will be posting more interesting articles here especially those that are extremely helpful to students and even those who are preparing for an exam. I’ve been doing a lot of research recently and I hope that you keep yourself updated with my post by visiting this website.

Developing good study skills is important especially to individuals who are preparing for an exam – one area is being disciplined to prepare for the exam in a certain number of days. Well, the good news is that there are actually many ways to develop good study habits and skills. However, the process doesn’t always come easy and you need to make some behavioral changes first as well as develop some discipline and will power.

I am saying all of these mainly because I’ve spent years teaching and I am very familiar with the attitudes and weaknesses of students as well as the challenges they typically face. I also know that students as well as test takers only need to change the way how they perceive studying as well as their attitude and approach in dealing with their weaknesses. I also believe that they should not focus on their weaknesses and instead figure out how their strengths can help them develop good study habits and have great grades.

One of the best things that you can do is get organized and this means writing down the things that you should do and avoid on a daily basis. For instance, you may keep a checklist that has the things that you need to do at home, such as chores. You need to plan your schedule and make sure that nothing will keep you from studying. When you schedule studying for an hour in the morning, afternoon and evening, write down the things that you need to study on. A study schedule or a planner can be very helpful to make you stay on the right track.

There are test-taking strategies that can help students or test takers reduce the impact of exam stress and anxiety. Make sure that you are familiar with these techniques as they can be helpful in improving your confidence in taking the test.

You also need to find the most suitable study area. This study area is one that will not expose you to distractions, even the most simple ones. Bear in mind that a simple distraction such as noise or the presence of others can encourage you to procrastinate. It gives you the reason to relax and allow your mind to wander, and this is something that you should avoid. Also make sure that you bring only the things that are helpful for you. Do not bring gadgets such as mobile phones, tablets or gaming consoles.  These gadgets can be very inviting, and you might end up spending hours playing online or chatting with friends via social networking websites.

One study tip that I always give to my students is that they should create a study environment that is conducive for learning. This means their own space that has limited noise, tidy and has comfortable furniture. It is imperative that their study area is quiet to reduce their risk for distractions.

I personally believe that what we eat can significantly influence our mental and physical health. There are quite a number of food items that are recommended to individuals who want to improve their brain function and health. Many of these food items are fruits, vegetables and nuts. On the other hand, consumption of junk food and processed food items are highly associated with the development of a wide variety of conditions including those that affect the brain. I recently came across this article here about a study that found sugary beverages to be associated with memory problems. I thought it would be wonderful to have it posted here since many people nowadays are consuming high amounts of sugar through sodas and other sweet beverages. I’ve always taught my students to reduce their intake of unhealthy and sugary food and drinks because they are detrimental to health. Anyway, enjoy reading this interesting article!

USC study links sugary beverages to memory problems | USC News

Studying rats as model subjects, scientists found that adolescents were at an increased risk of suffering negative health effects from sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.

Adolescent rats that freely consumed large quantities of liquid solutions containing sugar or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in concentrations comparable to popular sugar-sweetened beverages experienced memory problems and brain inflammation, and became pre-diabetic, according to a new study from USC. Neither adult rats fed the sugary drinks nor adolescent rats that did not consume sugar had the same issues.

“The brain is especially vulnerable to dietary influences during critical periods of development, like adolescence,” said Scott Kanoski, corresponding author of the study and assistant professor at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Via news.usc.edu

Drinking healthy beverages is ideal especially if you are preparing for an exam such as IELTS, in addition to attending The IELTS School. I actually have quite a number of reading materials about the food and beverage to consume and avoid especially for students or those who want to improve their brain function and health. I’ll be posting some of them here in the coming days so I hope you keep yourself updated.

Many of my former students did not only want to learn how to listen, write and read using the English language, but they also want to be fluent when they talk. Well, there are actually many strategies one can use to learn English fluency. Check out this article:

English Fluency Strategy 1: Listen Listen & Listen! | Powerful English Lessons

I mentioned before about my review for Success With Stories Course by Lisa Biskup. And I told you that there are very powerful 7 strategies for English Fluency. You can improve your English speaking very fast using with these strategies. But it is important to use them after you learn.

The first strategy is one of the most important method for English speaking. That is to immerse yourself in the English language by listening. One of the most important things you can do to begin improving your English language skills today is to completely immerse yourself in the language. How do you do that?

Okay, how did you learn your first language, your mother tongue, as they say? When you were a little baby, you probably spent at least the first year of your life just listening. You listened to your parents speak to each other, to others, and to you. You probably heard the TV or the music while in the car. Just think about it, you spent the entire first year of your life listening to the sounds of your language, spoken by many different people. Via power-english.net

Another useful article, which you can see below, talks about increasing the English vocabulary. I believe this can be truly of help to those who are reviewing for the IELTS test.

How to Increase Your English Vocabulary | English Fluency Now

One of the most common questions I get from students is, “How can I improve my vocabulary?”

Part of learning English is being able to understand a lot of words – word power. To speak fluently at a high level, you must also know how to use these words.

There are two basic theories when it comes to learning new words.

1. You can study and learn specific words, using word lists, memory techniques, flashcards, and such to learn as many words as possible.

2. You acquire new vocabulary more effectively and efficiently through self-selected reading and listening to stories read aloud.

Based on my own experience learning foreign languages, the results I have seen over the years teaching both children and adult English learners, and in reviewing the research, I believe that the latter method works the best. (This is why I also recommend you learn phrases and not individual vocabulary words in my “7 Strategies for English Fluency” course. englishfluencynow.com

I’m thrilled to know about what you think. Please do not hesitate to send me a message if you have questions.