Is Home Learning Hard? 5 Simple Tips to Make it Easier
How do I make home learning easier?
This seems to be the top question for anyone new to home learning. While the answer isn’t the same for everyone, there are certain things that are relatively universally helpful. Just as not every study technique works for everybody, not everybody needs the same thing to create their ideal home learning environment.
The more you come at this new setting with an open mind, though, the easier home learning will be. It’s not the same as classroom education; it’s more personalized and it can be better targeted to your strengths and weaknesses.
Here are 5 simple tips to make home learning easier
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Create a Clear Workspace
Set up a clear area where you will work. This could mean a formal desk in a quiet corner of your apartment, or it could mean a nook on the floor where all of your learning materials live. Establishing a clear workspace will train your brain that time spent there is official study time.
Once your learning nook has been created, don’t banishing yourself to that space during every minute of learning time. It is often useful to pick up your materials and move to other spaces throughout the day.
All you need to do is establish a formal enough home base that your brain knows you mean business whenever you’re in your work zone. This way, you can kick start your “pay attention because this is challenging” brain whenever necessary.
Make a Schedule
A schedule is dictated by some home learning courses, but others may be completely unstructured. Some people thrive on no structure, and accountability isn’t an issue. BUT the majority of humans struggle to find the motivation to open materials on their own accord, especially if a subject is hard.
If you fall into this category, give yourself a schedule. Write out daily time blocks with start and finish times for each subject, and try to vary your course schedule throughout the week. Schedule your most challenging lessons at times where you seem to have the most brain power (some people prefer first thing in the morning, and others find their optimal brainpower is right after lunch. You do you).
If you’re on a roll with a certain concept, don’t be afraid of going rogue and spending the whole day on the same subject. The structure should be there to help you, not hinder you. Lessons can always get re-scheduled as long as you still achieve weekly goalposts.
Practice
Sometimes home learning programs have a limited amount of practice worked into the course. They show you the material, you read it, understand it, and VOILA, you know it now, right?
Wrong. (Well, maybe, but that’s not expected)
If your course falls into this trap, realize it’s up to you to practice the material. Take notes as you read, re-write those notes, and go over them on a regular basis. You can even condense those notes into flashcards.
If you find you’re having trouble remembering things, it may just mean you need to USE them more. So re-write, talk it out, go over it, and over it, and over it. Repetition works wonders for your brain.
Ask for Help
There’s nothing wrong with struggling. Ever. Sometimes you just need something put in a different way, and re-reading the same textbook explanation over and over again won’t get you anywhere.
If you don’t understand something, put it down and take a break. Maybe don’t even come back to it until tomorrow. If it still doesn’t make sense on day two, THAT’S when to ask for help.
Your teachers are there for a reason, so use them. They may even be able to recommend a tutor for some personalized instruction if it’s more than a simple re-phrasing of the material.
If you’re homeschooled and you don’t have a professional teacher, ask your parent or guardian for help. If it still goes beyond their knowledge or understanding, a tutor may be useful in this case as well.
Go off Script
Learning doesn’t always need to be about ticking boxes and passing tests. Let it be fun when it IS fun. Education is supposed to broaden your horizons and outlook on life…not prove that you can be a reciting monkey.
If something is interesting to you, this is the BEST time for you to follow that lead. Let yourself go off script. Rabbit hole for the pure purpose of learning something you find interesting. When you find the joy in learning, you will be better at finding the motivation for the more challenging things because your brain will be conditioned to crave the pay-off.
Bonus Tip
If you want even more home learning tips, check out my book below. It’s jam packed full of simple tips and ideas to help you start on your home learning journey. I was once a successful home learning student myself, so I KNOW you can be, too!