Lower School Study Skills Program

The goal of the Study Skills class is to develop a repertoire of skills necessary to complete work independently and efficiently in a traditional classroom setting. Time management, study strategies, note taking, outlining, textbook and library usage, research techniques and public speaking form the basis of this structured curriculum. Once students have moved from a twice a day tutorial to a once a day tutorial they are placed in a Study Skills class. This class meets daily for forty minutes and aims to teach skills first in isolation and then guide students to apply these skills to contextual situations.

Study Skill instruction utilizes a tiered approach. In the first year of the program students learn “the basics” (study environment, time management, note taking, etc.). In subsequent years, study skills focuses on introducing students to additional learning strategies. Students spend time exploring their learning styles and this information, coupled with analyzing the learning tasks, helps them decide which strategy they will use in various situations (e.g., using a graphic organizer versus column notes while taking notes). Students are also encouraged to apply instructed concepts to their content area classes, history or science.