5 tactics outside of studying that will improve your grades

30th January 2023 by Anita Naik

We all know that revision, past papers and putting in the time will help improve your grades, but here are five tactics outside of studying that will help make you a better student.

Have conversations with people who disagree with you

There's real value in conversing with people you disagree with. Not only does it fine-tune your debating skills and arguments, it also evolves your perspective on a topic. This is a good thing for critical thinking but also your essays.

Researchers have found that debating is an activity that stimulates and supports core academic skills such as writing speed, reading comprehension level, listening, note-taking, research, data analysis, and evidence-based reasoning.

Debating with someone also helps you put the PEACE principle into action. This is knowing what point you want to make and explaining this using examples to analyse this. It is also about adding criticism and showing the ability to evaluate what you are saying.

Give yourself time to think and reflect

Reflection time is a vital part of learning, though it can be hard to factor in when you have back-to-back revision and homework. Yet, taking time to reflect and think helps students develop critical thinking skills and review their thoughts and processes rather than continue doing things as they have always done.

Reflection also increases student learning as it helps students to improve and learn from their mistakes, set goals and give their minds time to decompress. A new study also suggests that daily reflection calms the mind and body and increases students' ability to stay engaged, helping them stay on track academically.

Ask more questions

Whether you're talking to someone, reading a book, watching a show or listening to a podcast, get used to asking more questions. Not only does asking questions challenge you to find more answers, but it takes you out of being a passive viewer into an active one. Asking questions also helps you direct your learning and make sense of the ideas you are being taught. It's a winner in writing essays and displaying critical thought.

Research also suggests that people who are curious and ask questions about a topic tend to learn faster. This is because curiosity primes the brain for learning. It makes you motivated to learn, but also helps you to remember and recall learnt information better.

Listen and participate in class

Not everyone is an extrovert who likes to say their opinion aloud in class, yet, a study shows participation increases not only what is remembered but also how well it is assimilated into your own opinions. Active class participation also improves critical and higher-level thinking skills as it forces you to think on your feet and express your ideas in a way that others can understand.

Work on a healthy sleeping routine

According to the National Sleep Foundation, secondary students (ages 14-17) need about eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. Yet, three-quarters of students aged between 14 - 17 get only seven hours of sleep a night and then attempt to catch up on sleep by sleeping late at the weekends. This not only disrupts the body clock during the week but it makes it hard to find the energy to sustain themselves through the day.

Having a good night's sleep every night not only enables students to feel better but helps them create new memory associations more effectively. When rested, the brain is more agile and can make new neural connections to store what you're learning quickly.