Are your students like mine and simply are not sure how to study for biology? Most students struggle with high school biology because there is a lot of content and new vocabulary that they need to keep up with. If they are not studying outside of the classroom, it can be really hard for students to be successful. I have started explicitly teaching students the art of studying. Now I want to help teachers do the same in their classrooms. I want to share methods and strategies that have worked in my high school science classroom so hopefully, you will find the same success!
Before we jump in, if you are looking to get students studying in your biology classroom, then I may have just the right thing for you! I have created a free guidebook that gives you 5 specific strategies that you can use to teach your students how to study. I describe in detail the 5 strategies I have used in my classroom that allowed students to be successful with biology. Teach your students to study like a rockstar today!
Do your students even study for biology outside of class?
As a student, I always studied to do my best in school. Looking back I don’t ever remember someone teaching me how to study. I kind of just did it. I tried lots of different strategies over the years until I finally found something that worked really well for me.
Fast forward to my first year of teaching, I would write on the homework board for students to study whenever I would announce an upcoming quiz or test. I would add like three exclamation points next to the word “study” so it seemed really important.
Leading up to the test, students were doing really well in class. Students successfully completed assignments and did not seem that confused with the material. Then the test came and went and as I am grading them, I see so many of my students doing really poorly on the test.
This was such a deflating feeling because from what I could tell, in class students were grasping and understanding the material. But when it came time for the test, students were clearly struggling.
I really wanted to understand why this was the case. I started to make a point to do major in-class reviews and hold after-school review sessions (with cookies as a bribe of course). But still not that much improvement on scores.
The thing about biology is that it is a course with a lot of content. There is even more vocab that students need to remember. Without a strong understanding of vocab, students can really struggle to even understand what a question is asking. I knew that for students to be super successful in biology they need to be studying outside of class.
One day after handing back one of their tests, I asked my students how everyone studied for the test. They all just stared back at me. No one offered up how they studied (or if they did at all). This is when I had a light bulb moment. My students did not know how to study.
After that first year of teaching, I now make it a point to teach students strategies for how to study. There is no more just writing “Study!!!” on the homework board to get students to study independently. I want to share with you what I have found to work in my freshman biology classes to get students to study.
Teaching students how to study for biology
Model strategies for how to study for biology exams
There are many different strategies that students can use to study. But the problem is, that they have never seen these strategies explicitly taught. As the teacher, you need to model strategies that students can use to study.
One common study strategy is to have students create or use study guides. But do your students know how to make a study guide? Most likely not. Take some class time to work together as a class to make a study guide together for one of the topics/units on an upcoming test.
A study guide should not be just some notes written on a page. A study guide should include headings, subheadings, color, images, etc. Show students how you would take the information and organize it in your own study guide. Show how color coding information can make it easier to remember content later on.
There is no one best way to study for biology
Not all students learn the same way so we cannot expect all students to study the same way. For that, we need to teach our students that there is not just one best way to study for biology. One student’s method to study may not be the same as the next and that is okay!
Individual students may not be able to study different topics in the same manner. Some topics they may grasp more easily than others so their method of studying and reviewing may need to be different as well.
This is why it is important to teach students multiple strategies for how to study. Give students options that they can pick from to find a strategy or two that works best for them.
Some strategies that I find helpful are creating one-page study guides, re-writing notes by hand, watching review videos and taking notes, and completing quiz/test corrections. These strategies are all very different and would help meet the learning needs of diverse students.
What I have found that works best is creating a slideshow that includes all the different possible options to study from. In the slideshow, I provide directions for each of the different methods. Students can read through and pick one that seems fitting for them or even try a couple out.
Have students answer the question “What is the best way to study for biology for me”?
Because there are so many different strategies out there for students to study, it may take some trial and error to get students to find their best strategy. After any assessment, it is important to have students reflect on their study habits. They should examine how they helped (or maybe didn’t help) them perform on that quiz or test.
The goal is to have students find one or two strategies that work for them. So give students a reflection survey that they can assess what they did to prepare and how they think their preparation impacted their grades. If their grade was low, then maybe that method of studying was not so successful. If their grade was high, then they should recognize that strategy as one that is helpful.
After recognizing strategies that worked or didn’t work, have students think about what strategies they will use moving forward. If the strategies they chose did not allow them to perform well on the test, then they should look at other strategies they could try in the future. That way the next time a test pops up, they have an idea already of what they need to do to study.
Make studying an assignment so students feel compelled to do it
As I said before, my method in the past to get students to study was to simply write the word “study” on the homework board with lots of exclamation points. The “good” students probably studied on their own accord but most students would take that as “yay no homework!”.
To make sure my students were studying outside of class, I started making studying an actual “graded” assignment. When I say graded, I mean graded for completion. This is so the student, their parents, and I can track their studying outside of class.
To earn the “done” grade on this assignment, students need to pass in original work for whatever study method they have chosen. If they decide to re-write notes by hand, then they will submit those notes to me. If they choose to make a study guide, they will turn in the study guide.
This helps make studying an active process rather than a passive one. Sometimes students think simply reading through their notes is enough. But this is usually not enough for students to perform well. Therefore, making studying an assignment where students have to turn work in, forces them to study.
Because I give students options for studying, I make the assignment a choice board. Choice boards have recently become popular as it is one assignment with anywhere from 4-9 options that students can pick from. There is a lot of research in the education community about providing choice for students and it increasing their intrinsic motivation and effort in a class. And what more could you want as a teacher!
More study tips to help your students
I absolutely love sharing my ideas to help students study. After reading this, if you feel you are ready to help your students become expert learners in the classroom, register for my free guidebook! Get the 5 strategies to teach your students how to study for biology so they will be more prepared than ever!
