A LOOK AT THE TEN STUDY HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS

Successful students have good study habits. They apply these habits and it definitely works for them. the following study habits are necessary for success to be achieved. Successful students: Try not to do too much studying at one time. If you try to do too much studying at one time, you would get tired and your studying will not be very effective. Space out the work you have to do over shorter periods of time. Taking short breaks will restore your mental energy. Plan specific time for studying. Study time is time spent on something related to schoolwork. It can be completing assigned reading, working on a paper or project, or studying for a test. Schedule specific time throughout the week for your study. Try to study at the same time each day. Studying at the same time each day establishes a routine that becomes a part of your life, just like sleeping and eating. When a scheduled study time comes up during the day, you will be mentally prepared to begin studying. Setting specific goals for study times. Goals will help you stay focused and monitor your progress. Simply sitting down to study has little value. You must be very clear about what you want to accomplish during your study times. Start studying when planned. You may delay starting your studying because you don't like an assignment or think it is too hard. A delay in studying is called "procrastination." If you procrastinate for any reason, you will find it difficult to get everything done when you need to. You may rush to make up the time you wasted getting started, resulting in careless work and errors. Working on assignments they find most difficult first. Your most difficult assignment will require the most effort. Start with your most difficult assignment since this is when you have the most mental energy. Review their notes before beginning an assignment. Reviewing your notes can help you make sure you are doing an assignment correctly. Also, your notes may include information that will help you complete an assignment. Tell their friends not to call them during their study time. Two study problems can occur if your friends call you during your study time. Firstly, your work is interrupted. It is not that easy to get back to what you were doing. Secondly, your friends may talk about things that will distract you from what you need to do. Here's a simple idea - turn off your cell phone during study time. Call another student when they have difficulty with an assignment. This is a case where "two heads may be better than one." Review their schoolwork over the weekend. Yes, weekends should be fun time. But there is also time to do some review. This would help you a lot because it makes you fully prepared to continue with studies for the new week. And by so doing, nothing is left behind. These ten study habits can help you throughout your education. Make sure they are your study habits. What is it you are lacking in all these? Work on it and join the group of successful students.

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING/CLIMATE CHANGE

    The goal is to bring global warming under control by curtailing the release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping “greenhouse” gases into the atmosphere.

We can contribute to this global cause with personal actions. Our individual efforts are especially significant in countries like the US and Canada, where individuals release over 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per person every year.

We can help immediately by becoming more energy efficient. Reducing our use of oil, gasoline and coal also sets an example for others to follow.

REDUCE ELECTRICITY USAGE AROUND THE HOME

The largest source of greenhouse gases is electric power generation. The average home actually contributes more to global warming than the average car. This is because much of the energy we use in our homes comes from power plants which burn fossil fuel to power our electric products.

To reduce the amount of electricity used in our homes:

• Switch to energy-efficient lighting

Replace the familiar incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. For each CFL bulb replacement, you’ll lower your energy bill and keep nearly 700 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air over the bulb’s lifetime. CFL bulbs last much longer and use only a quarter of the energy consumed by conventional bulbs. LED bulbs are also energy-saving, but have a narrower range of application. Advances in LED bulb technology, however, are leading to more applications for these bulbs in the home. LED's are more efficient than CFLs and do not have issues surrounding disposal, as do the CFLs.

• Improve the efficiency of home appliances

Home appliances vary greatly in terms of energy-efficiency and operating costs. The more energy-efficient an appliance is, the less it costs to run. You can lower your utility bill and help protect the environment.

• Buy energy-efficient appliances when shopping for a new appliance

Do this especially when shopping for a major appliance such as a refrigerator, dishwasher, or air-conditioner – select the one with the highest energy efficiency rating. By opting for a refrigerator with the Energy Star label — indicating it uses at least 15 percent less energy than the federal requirement — you can reduce carbon dioxide pollution by nearly a ton in total.

• Reduce energy needed for heating

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating and cooling systems in the U.S. emit over a half billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Much of the energy used for heating our homes is wasted, and yet the prevention is, in many cases, simple and inexpensive.

• Reduce energy needed for cooling

Air conditioners alone use up to 1/6th of the electricity in the U.S. and, on hot summer days, consume 43% of the U.S. peak power load. You can reduce much of the need for air conditioning, and enjoy a cost savings benefit, by using ‘passive’ techniques to help cool your home.

IMPROVE VEHICLE FUEL-EFFICIENCY

The second largest source of greenhouse gases is transportation. Motor vehicles are responsible for about a third of all carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. and Canada.

• Practice fuel-efficient driving

Every gallon of gasoline burned puts 26 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. You can boost the overall fuel-efficiency of your car as much as 30% by simple vehicle maintenance and attention to your style of driving.

• Buy a fuel-efficient car

Even more important is the choice of car or truck you buy. If you buy a new car that gets 10 more miles per gallon than your old car, the amount of carbon dioxide reduction realized in one year will be about 2,500 pounds. The new hybrid cars, using efficient gas-electric engines, can cut global warming pollution by 30% or more.

• Recycle air conditioner coolant

If your car has an air conditioner, make sure you recycle its coolant whenever you have it serviced. You can save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide each year by doing this.

• Drive less

You’ll save energy by taking the bus, riding a bike, or walking. Try consolidating trips to the mall or longer routine drives. Encourage car-pooling

 CONSERVE ENERGY IN THE HOME AND YARD

Yard maintenance contributes significantly to greenhouse emissions. Per hour of operation, a power lawn mower emits 10-12 times as much hydrocarbon as a typical auto. A weed eater emits 21 times more and a leaf blower 34 times more.

• Reduce lawn size

Lawn size can be reduced by adding shrubs, beds, ground covers and mulched areas. Try creating a lawn area small enough to be mowed using an efficient reel (push) mower. Lawn edging can be set low enough to mow over, reducing or eliminating the need for a weed-eater.

• Recycle whenever possible

Aluminum cans, newspapers, magazines, cardboard, glass – anything recycled reduces the energy needed to create new products.   

•   Eat locally produced food

Today, the food choices available in supermarkets come from all over the world. All of this ‘traffic’ in food requires staggering amounts of fuel – generally by refrigerated airplanes or transport trucks. Food transportation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

• Eat vegetarian meals

Vegetarian food requires much less energy to produce. Enjoying vegetarian meals once or twice a week results in significant CO2  savings.

•   Paint your home a light color if you live in a warm climate, or a dark color in a cold climate.

This can contribute saving up to 5000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

• Choose clean energy options

If you can choose your electricity supplier, pick a company that generates at least half its power from wind, solar energy and other renewable sources.

• Buy clean energy certificates and carbon offsets

Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution with “wind certificates” or “green tags,” which represent clean power you can add to the nation’s energy grid in place of electricity from fossil fuels.

A “carbon offset” is an emission reduction credit which can be purchased by individuals, businesses and governments to reduce their net greenhouse gas emissions.

While it may be difficult to adopt some of these suggestions, any amount of energy saved is significant. Even small changes are worthwhile, as they spark our awareness. As we become more aware of the importance of saving energy, we find ways of saving where possible.

Making energy conservation a part of our daily awareness is essential to the goal of reducing global warming.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION TO OUR SOCIETY

In our society today, there is a huge emphasis on education, especially higher education. Society basically says the more educated you are, the better off you are. That is pretty much true if you live by the means of society. The basic idea that education is something that people should pursue even into their adult years is not by any means a new idea. The idea of education has been a big part of each and every culture on earth. However, as we all know, there are many questions on what it means to be educated.

Every society has specialized individuals who fulfill certain positions that require extended education. In some cases, these people are known as shamans, priests, or professors or they may be doctors, mechanics, blacksmiths, or artists. In all these professions, some form of higher education is necessary. It could come from an apprentice or rigorous private study, or it could take the form of a formal higher education. Whatever the form, the meaning is the same, gain knowledge and uses it.

Education has the potential to bring significant benefits to individuals and society, which go well beyond its contribution to individuals’ employ ability or income. Skills are important channels through which the power of education is manifested in a variety of social settings. Education restructures whole populations, creating and expanding elites and redefining the rights and obligations of members.

Education and studying regularly, gives people of all age groups something substantial and challenging to do. It helps them think and use their idle hours, doing something productive and worthwhile. Education need not be purely academic and may include reading for leisure or as a passion for literature, philosophy, art, politics, economics, or even scientific research. There is no limit, to all that you can teach yourself, only if you take the interest to learn and grow as an individual.

However, those who treat knowledge as trash, eventually find themselves getting absorbed with thoughts of violence, and jealously against those who are better off than themselves. Those who have amassed enough education, steer the path of development and progress for their country. It is these individuals who go ahead and become teachers, scientists, inventors, welfare activists, soldiers, and politicians who work together to form the very backbone of the society. Without this pool of intellect, the economic and social framework would crumple and fall, paving its way for anarchy, degradation, and violence. While this intricate balance of growth is maintained, there will be a continuous rise in progress in all quarters of life, whether that is personal growth, or development of the nation as an entity. This progress has a very important role to play for the coming generations, which will reap the benefits of our hard work, as they develop it further.

HELPING YOUR CHILD DEVELOP A GOOD STUDY HABIT

One of the main things that kids struggle with during their school years is proper study habits. Developing a habit can take a couple of weeks, so be consistent, and implement these ten tips to help them study better.

1. A consistent time and place is best. If your child has a desk, have them use it to study, and they should study at a regular time each day. If no desk is available, establish a “study place” to use each time.

2. Studying should begin immediately when your child sits down. Don’t let them fall into other distractions, like answering emails from friends or doodling. They can do those things later, as a reward for themselves, when they get their studying done!

3. Help your child plan what they need to accomplish. At the beginning of the study session, help them write down exactly what they want to get done (complete two pages of an essay, finish a paper, write a short story, answer ten math questions, learn a new computer function, etc).

4. Large tasks should be broken down into smaller ones. For example, if an essay is to be written, the tasks might include coming up with a thesis, writing a solid first paragraph, planning out the points that need to be covered, researching those points, writing each section, etc.

5. Keep a “log book” or record of needs to be accomplished in each study section. Your child can look over it later and be impressed with them!

6. Keep studying supplies in a handy place, like in a shoe box. Have your child organize them so they can grab what they want quickly, without having to rummage around.

7. Be aware of when your child starts to daydream, and stop them right away. Help them concentrate for blocks of time, but be sure to allow them regular breaks to refresh their brain. Have them try studying for 45 minutes, then resting for 15 minutes.

8. Getting enough sleep is important for effective studying and remembering. Be sure your child has an established bedtime at a reasonable time each night. Avoid caffeine a few hours before bedtime so sleep is uninterrupted.

9. Eating well gives your body and brain the fuel it needs. Children should eat three good meals a day and should not skip breakfast. Try to have them eat a balanced diet of good healthy foods and not too much junk.

10. Exercise will increase memory and study stamina, as well as making you feel generally more confident. Older children should aim for three to four exercise sessions a week, doing 20 or more minutes in each workout session. Always consult your child’s physician before beginning any exercise program.

As children grow into young adults, it’s important that we as parents provide the skills and habits they will need for life. Establishing good study habits now will set them up for success in this new academic section and in the future.