Learning and Study
Skills Program
Allegheny One Elementary School
Guidance and Instructional Support
Rationale for Study Skills Instruction
By Gretchen Foust and Jean Dolinger
April 2004
PA School Counselors Association Conference
State College, PA
Research has shown that study skills can be taught to students of all ages and abilities
and, when practiced and monitored by the student, make a substantial difference in
student achievement (Hattie, Briggs & Purdie, 1996). Individually meeting with students
to review their grades and attendance, helping students develop learning goals, and
teaching study skills in the regular classroom resulted in a three-grade equivalent
improvement in standardized test scores in one year in one study (Carns & Carns,
1991).
In order to be effective, study skills instruction should include skills to self-organize, to
self-evaluate, and to use specific strategies (Gettinger & Nicaise, 1997; Hoover, 1990).
In addition, in order for effects to be maintained over time and generalized to real-life
situations, it must be integrated into the regular classroom and coordinated with the
family, where it is practiced and monitored (Slate, Jones & Dawson, 1993).
Study skills instruction content should be taught in a systematic way, in order to build
upon previously learned skills and encompass all important aspects of learning
(metacognition, cooperative learning, understanding of individual learning styles,
listening skills, creative problem solving, adaptability and personal management such as
goal-setting, time management, and academic self-concept) (hm Learning and Study
Skills Program, Harvard University and Milton Academy, 2004).
Research in the past decade has taught us a great deal about the cognitive processes
involved in learning. Students are not passive recipients of teachers’ instruction; they
are active participants. The teacher provides the instructional conditions that facilitate
learning, but the actual learning occurs in the students’ heads. Teaching students about
their own cognitive processes and how to use them to learn (metacognition) is a central
goal of a learning and study skills program.
Many schools do not offer study skills instruction as part of the regular curriculum.
There is often an assumption on the part of the teacher and even parents that students
have been taught these skills in previous grades or developed them on their own.
Academic development is one of three main goals of a comprehensive developmental
school counseling program. School counselors are in a good position to facilitate the
integration of explicit teaching of learning and study skills into the classroom.
References
Carns, A.W., & Carns, M.R. (1991). Teaching study skills, cognitive strategies, and
metacognitive skills through self-diagnosed learning styles. School Counselor, 38, 341346.
Gettinger, M., & Nicaise, M. (1997). Study skills. In G. G. Bear K.M. Minke, and A.
Thomas (Eds.), Children’s Needs II: Development, Problems, and Alternatives. (pp.
407-418). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
Hattie, J., Briggs, J. & Purdie, N. (1996). Effects of learning skills interventions on
student learning: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 66, 9-136.
hm Learning and Study Skills Program (1989). The Study Skills Group, National
Association of Elementary School Principals, Alexandria, VA.
LEARNING AND STUDY SKILLS PROGRAM
ALLEGHENY ONE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
HOLLIDAYSBURG AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
HOLLIDAYSBURG, PA
Developed by Jean Dolinger, Instructional Support Teacher,
and Gretchen Foust, School Counselor
GRADE 1
1. Organizing Space and Materials at Home
2. Listening Skills/Understanding Directions
3. Pictures in Your Mind
4. Creative Thinking
GRADE 2
1. Listening Skills/Following Directions
2. Organizing My Time
3. Observing
4. Creative Problem Solving
GRADE 3
1. Organizing Assignments and Home/School Communications
2. School and Me!
3. Preparation for Standardized Tests
4. Creative Problem Solving: Thinking Outside the Box
GRADE 4
1. Reading to Learn
2. Test Taking Strategies
3. Communication Skills for Cooperative Group Work
4. Six Thinking Hats
GRADE 5
1. Learning Styles
2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Students
3. Memory Techniques
4. Spontaneous Group Problem Solving
GRADE 6
1. Self Concept as a Learner
2. Goal Setting and Educational Planning
3. Research Skills for Career Development
4. Oral Communication on a Career of Interest
Hollidaysburg Area School District
Allegheny One Elementary School Learning and Study Skills Program
Crosswalk with American School Counselors Association’s
Academic Development Standards
A:A1.1
A:A1.2
A:A1.3
A:A1.4
A:A1.5
A:A2.1
A:A2.2
A:A2.3
A:A2.4
A:A3.1
A:A3.2
A:A3.3
A:A3.4
A:A3.5
A:B1.1
A:B1.2
A:B1.3
A:B1.4
A:B1.5
A:B1.6
A:B1.7
STANDARD A: Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and
skills that contribute to effective learning
in school and across the life span.
COMPETENCY A1: IMPROVE ACADEMIC SELF-CONCEPT
Articulate feelings of competence and confidence as learners
Display a positive interest in learning
Take pride in work and achievement
Accept mistakes as essential to the learning process
Identify attitudes and behaviors leading to successful learning
COMPETENCY A2: ACQUIRE SKILLS FOR IMPROVING
LEARNING
Apply time-management and task-management skills
Demonstrate how effort and persistence positively affect learning
Use communication skills to know when and how to ask for help when
needed
Apply knowledge and learning styles to positively affect school
performance
COMPETENCY A3: ACHIEVE SCHOOL SUCCESS
Take responsibility for their actions
Demonstrate the ability to work independently, as well as the ability to
work cooperatively with other students
Develop a broad range of interests and abilities
Demonstrate dependability, productivity and initiative
Share knowledge
1 2 3 4 5 6
STANDARD B: Students will complete school with the academic
preparation essential to choose from a wide range of substantial
post-secondary options, including college.
COMPETENCY B1: IMPROVE LEARNING
Demonstrate the motivation to achieve individual potential
Learn and apply critical-thinking skills
Apply the study skills necessary for academic success at each level
Seek information and support from faculty, staff, family and peers
Organize and apply academic information from a variety of sources
Use knowledge of learning styles to positively influence school
performance
Become a self-directed and independent learner
1 2 3 4 5 6
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
A:B2.1
A:B2.2
A:B2.3
A:B2.4
A:B2.5
A:B2.6
A:B2.7
A:C1.1
A:C1.2
A:C1.3
A:C1.4
A:C1.5
A:C1.6
COMPETENCY B2: PLAN TO ACHIEVE GOALS
Establish challenging academic goals in elementary, middle/junior and
high school
Use assessment results in educational planning
Develop and implement annual plan of study to maximize academic
ability and achievement
Apply knowledge of aptitudes and interests to goal setting
Use problem-solving and decision-making skills to assess progress
toward educational goals
Understand the relationship between classroom performance and
success in school
Identify post-secondary options consistent with interests, achievement,
aptitude and abilities
STANDARD C: Students will understand the relationship of
academics to the world of work and to life at home and in the
community.
COMPETENCY C1: RELATE SCHOOL TO LIFE EXPERIENCE
Demonstrate the ability to balance school, studies, extracurricular
activities, leisure time and family life
Seek co-curricular and community experiences to enhance the school
experience
Understand the relationship between learning and work
Demonstrate an understanding of the value lifelong learning as
essential to seeking, obtaining, and maintaining life goals.
Understand that school success is the preparation to make the
transition from student to community member
Understand how school success and academic achievement enhance
future career and vocational opportunities
X
X
X
X
X
X
1 2 3 4 5 6
X
X
X
X
X
X
Organizing Homework Space and Materials
Grade 1, Lesson 1
Standards:
ASCA - A:A1.5
ASCA - A:B1.3
ASCA - C:A2.1
ASCA - C:A2.9
PA - 13.3
Identify attitudes and behaviors which lead to successful learning
Improve learning: Apply the study skills necessary for academic success at each level
Acquire employability skills such as …organizational skills
Utilize time- and task-management skills
Career Retention (work habits)
Learning Objectives:
The student will identify the elements of a good homework environment.
The student will compare and contrast good and poor homework environments.
The student will create an organizational system for homework supplies.
Materials:
Plastic organizing baskets
Pencils
Erasers
Pencil sharpeners
Crayons
Index cards
Felt tip pens
Scissors
Poster: A Good Homework Space
Poem about keeping supplies in their special place (on card stock cut into strips
to fit the baskets):
I have a very special place
To get my homework done,
It keeps my things together
And makes my working fun.
Skit props:
2 desks with chairs
desk lamp
books
take-home folder with spelling list, field trip permission slip
clock
organizing basket with school supplies
TV with cartoon character
2 backpacks
broken pencils with chewed ends, no erasers
various small toys and collector cards in poor shape
Messy Missy and Neat Nellie name tags
Anticipatory Set: Messy Missy and Neat Nellie Skit
Teachers demonstrate good and poor homework environments through a skit. One teacher wears a
large crumpled, smeared name tag labeled “Messy Missy” and the other teacher wears a large name tag
neatly labeled “Neat Nellie”. The skit takes place when the two “girls” arrive home from school with their
backpacks. Neat Nellie has written down her homework instructions and has all the necessary books and
materials from school. She sits down at an organized desk with all of her supplies organized in a basket,
hard flat surface, good lighting, chair, and no distractions. She begins her work. Messy Missy throws her
backpack on the floor and forgets where she dropped it, flops down on the living room carpet, turns on
the TV to a popular cartoon (this year we are using Sponge-Bob Square-Pants). She has to search for
supplies (they are “lost” in a sea of other items in a disorganized mess), realizes she forgot some
materials at school, tries to write with a dull pencil with hardly any eraser and pokes through the paper.
When she tries to erase, the paper rips from the metal on the eraser tip. The cartoon distracts her
periodically. The focus switches back and forth from Neat Nellie to Messy Missy.
Comprehension and Analysis:
Ask the students to identify any differences they saw in the two girls’ homework sessions. Generate two
lists, one labeled “Neat Nellie” and one labeled “Messy Missy”, on the chalkboard or flipchart. In this way,
students compare and contrast the elements of a good and poor homework space.
Knowledge:
Review poster outlining a good homework space.
Analysis:
Ask students what things they noticed about Neat Nellie, who was organized, and Messy Missie, who was
disorganized. Ask them to make predictions about who will do better in school.
Synthesis:
Ask the students questions to promote putting the ideas together:
1. Do you have any new ideas to suggest to Neat Nellie to help her create a better homework
space?
2. What will be different if Messy Missy listens to your ideas?
3. How would you create a good homework space at your house?
Evaluation:
Lead a discussion to promote transfer of the skills to decision making with homework space:
Can each of you think of the top two or three things you can do to improve your homework space
What do YOU think is the most important to change, if anything?
Application:
Students create organizational systems for keeping their homework supplies together and organized.
Students decorate their poems as desired and attach them to the basket using a hole punch and pipe
cleaners. (If there is time, the poems may be laminated after the students decorate them). They fill their
baskets with new supplies given by the counselor/teacher.
LEARNING STYLES
Grade 5, Lesson 1
Standards:
ASCA - A:A2.4 Apply knowledge of learning styles to positively influence school performance
ASCA - A:B1.6 Apply knowledge of learning styles to positively influence school performance
Objectives:
The student will identify his or her learning style by completing a learning styles assessment.
The student will compare and contrast attributes of visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners.
The student will read about skills used for his or her assessed learning style.
Materials:
Learning style assessments: “What Kind of Learner Are You?”
Handouts: Study Cues handouts for visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners
Visuals:
Visual learners: posters
Auditory learners: audio-tape of multiplication facts
Kinesthetic learners: basketball, jump-rope
Anticipatory Set:
Discussion: Individual Differences in Learning and Other Traits:
Ask the class the following discussion questions:
“What color is your hair?”
“Does your best friend have the same color of hair that you do?”
“What is your favorite sport or hobby?”
“Does everyone in your class at school have exactly the same hobbies that you do?”
Discuss:
Just as we all have different looks and talents, we all have different ways in which we learn best. You are
a unique learner! How do you study your words for a spelling test? Do you look at them and then picture
them in your mind? Do you have someone say the word and then you spell it? Every student studies
these words in a different way. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to do it.
The trick is to figure out which way helps YOU remember best.
To develop good study skills, it is important to first think about how YOU learn and remember things best.
Then you can study in ways that help YOU the most.
(From Skill: How You Learn, 1996, Kelley Wingate Publications, p. 6)
What Kind of Learner Are You? Self- Assessment:
Hand out assessments. Read the directions aloud to the class, then read each question as student follow
along visually, and mark their answers.
Comprehension and Analysis:
Direct the students to score their own assessments by adding up the total number of V’s, K’s, and A’s.
Discuss the meaning of the scores as they relate to the three learning styles described at the bottom of
the assessment.
Direct students to physically move into like learning-style groups.
1. Ask all of those who have more V’s than other letters (primarily visual learners) to move to the front
right of the room.
2. Ask all of those who have more A’s than other letters (primarily auditory learners) to move to the front
left side of the room.
3. Ask all of those who have more K’s than other letters (primarily kinesthetic learners) to move to the
back center of the room.
4. Ask all of those who have ties between two letters to move in between the two groups that are tied.
Discuss the three learning styles:
There are three ways we learn and remember things: by seeing, by hearing, and by doing.
You can learn and remember by using any of these ways. You see a movie and remember it. You hear
a secret and remember it. You ride a bike and remember how to do it. Most people learn that one of
these three ways works best for them. It is easier for some people to remember a story if they read the
words themselves (seeing). Other people remember best if they listen to the story as it is read aloud to
them (hearing). Some people remember the story best if they act the story out (doing). By taking this
learning styles assessment you were able to determine how you learn best. Now we’re going to discuss
each learning style. You may have a bit of each of these in your preferred learning style, so listen and
think about how you like to learn best.
Knowledge:
Lead a discussion on the characteristics of each learning style:
Visual Learners (Seeing)
(Use posters for visual learners during this discussion.)
How They Learn:
 learn best by using their eyes
 learn by seeing how things look
 can understand a book better if they see the words and read it themselves
 many like to learn by writing and drawing
 many are organized and neat
Things They Do:
 writing a word to see if it “looks right” for its spelling
 remembering names by using name tags or seeing the name in print
 reading books
 looking at pictures
 keeping spaces (desk, notebook, room) neat and clean, so they are visually organized
 making sure things (like clothes) match
 writing down homework assignments
 using flash-cards
 seeing examples before starting a project (such as in art class)
 using written lists (for chores, etc.)
 easily picturing things in their mind when learning and remembering
(From Learning to See, 1996, Kelley Wingate Publications, p. 3)
Auditory Learners (Hearing)
(Use audio-tape of multiplication facts during this discussion)
How They Learn:
 learn best by using their ears
 find it easier to remember things they hear than things they see or do
 are often good speakers and listeners
 enjoy class discussions and remember easily what the teacher says
 remember a book better by listening to it being read on tape or by a reader
 remember better by repeating information aloud to themselves while reading or studying
 distracted by noises in the room when they are reading or studying
What They Do:
 remember people’s names best by hearing them (being introduced)
 prefer listening to books on tape than reading them
 pay attention to teachers as the teachers read aloud
 Use rhymes and songs to memorize things
(Example: In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…)
 Talk on the phone a lot
 Remember songs well after hearing them only a few times
 Say words aloud to themselves as they read
 Get distracted or annoyed by noises while learning (pencil tapping, etc.)
 Study for tests by having someone quiz them out loud
 Like to talk and listen
 Solve math word problems better when they are read aloud
(From Learning by Hearing, 1996, Kelley Wingate Publications, p. 4)
Kinesthetic Learners (Doing)
(Use basketball and jump-rope during this discussion to demonstrate learning of spelling and math facts)
How They Learn:
 like movement and learn best when they are active
 find it difficult to sit for a long time
 do best when they can practice what they are learning
 like to work with their hands
 many like sports or movement activities and can learn new sports or movements easily
 like to DO something instead of just reading, writing, and listening
 like to make projects or do experiments in class
 often have active hobbies at home
What They Do:
 find it hard to pay attention when they have to sit still (fidgeting may help them focus)
 enjoy sports or other physical activity
 count on fingers to do math problems
 favorite classes are those where they move around a lot
 do not like books on tape or reading
 like to play outside
 have difficulty staying organized and neat
 better at active games like jump rope or hopscotch than games requiring reading and sitting quietly,
such as board games
 prefer to act out stories than to talk about them
 have good balance and rhythm
 can learn new dance steps or sports movements after trying them only a few times
(From Learning by Doing, 1996, Kelley Wingate Publications, p. 6)
Evaluation:
Ask if students have questions on the learning styles and discuss.
Ask students to discuss whether they believe their assessed learning style fits how they see themselves.
Application:
Hand out Study Cues handouts for various learning styles. Ask students to identify one study skill they
would like to try during the next week, based on what they learned about their preferred style. Students
implement one new study idea during the following week.
Study Cues for Visual Learners
 Highlight or underline the main ideas in books when possible.
 Make an outline or map to help you remember important ideas.
 To study for a test, do something you can see: draw pictures,
make lists, copy spelling words or math facts.
 Use index cards to make flashcards. You can color-code or
categorize them, separate them into “know” and “don’t know yet”
piles, or play a memory game with them.
 Use a computer or draw on a chalk board as you study.
 Always write down your assignments in an assignment book.
 Seeing learners sometimes watch too much television because
they like to look at things. Be careful that you don’t (and never
while you are studying)!
Study Cues for AUDITORY
Learners
 Read aloud instead of silently.
 Tape record your spelling words, vocabulary words, math
facts or whatever you must learn. Play the tape at home
and when you are riding in the car. When you think you
know the information, recite it along with your tape.
 Use music to help you learn. Put the information to a
tune you already know, or make up your own song. If
you prefer, you can create rhymes or poems to help you.
 Have your parents quiz you or study with a friend and go
over the information aloud.
 Study in a quiet place with no distractions.
Study Cues for KINESTHETIC
Learners
 Use objects to help you understand math.
 With spelling and vocabulary, use some type of tactic object to
spell out words
 Use maps, globes and puzzles to study history and geography.
 “Teach” the information you must learn to your family using a
chalkboard to write or draw the information
 Have someone talk through the information with you while you
do something active: shoot baskets, jump rope or just walk
around.
 When you sit to study, get up often and take breaks
 Have a parent or teacher help you develop a system to stay
organized.
SPONTANEOUS GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING
Grade 5, Lesson 4
Standards:
ASCA - A:B1.2 Learn and apply critical-thinking skills
ASCA - C:A2.1 Acquire employability skills such as working on a team, problem-solving…
ASCA - C:C2.3 Learn to work cooperatively with others as a team member
ASCA -PS:A1.9 Demonstrate cooperative behavior in groups
ASCA -PS.B1.3 Identify alternative solutions to a problem
PA - 1.6
Speaking and Listening: listening skills, speaking skills, small group discussions,
presentations
PA - 13.3
Career Retention (Keeping a Job): teamwork
Objectives:
The student will work as a cooperative member of a team to find a solution to a spontaneous
problem.
Materials:
200 toothpicks
4 - 1” pieces of Plast-I-Clay
tape for boundary line
long table
yardstick
Anticipatory Set:
Counselor and teacher do a quick (under 5 minutes) demonstration of a problem that can be creatively
solved in multiple ways, so that students can see both obvious and creative solutions and how they differ.
Knowledge:
Tell the students that there are different ways of thinking, and that they need to use different thinking skills
to solve different kinds of problems. Some problems have only one right answer. Other problems could
have many possible answers, and many right ways of solving the problem. Today we will be practicing
using a type of thinking that helps us find solutions to a problem that can have many possible solutions.
This type of thinking is called creative thinking. You can remember that when you use creative thinking,
you create your own answers, or solutions by thinking differently than others might think.
Comprehension:
Ask the students to give a few examples of problems that have only one right answer. Then ask for
examples of problems that could have many good ways to solve them.
Application: Odyssey of the Mind Cantilever Structure problem
Tell the students that they will be working in teams and using creative thinking to find solutions to a fun
problem that has many possible solutions. Divide the class into four teams of students per class.
Read the following rules to the teams:
1. You will have 10 minutes to complete the problem.
2. You are to build a structure of toothpicks and clay that will sit on a desk behind a boundary line. The
structure will cantilever, or stick out, as far as possible beyond the boundary line without touching the
table.
3. You may talk.
4. You may break the toothpicks into smaller pieces if you wish.
5. If your structure touches the table, you must break it off until it is cantilevered.
6. The structure will be measured after the 10 minute construction period. The distance cantilevered will
determine your score.
7. You will be given 50 toothpicks and a 1 inch piece of clay. The clay will be used to make the joints for
your structure.
8. The team must rest the structure on the desk behind the boundary line. You may not press down so
that the clay adheres to the desk.
9. Scoring will be as follows: You will score one point for each ¼ inch the structure extends beyond the
boundary line without touching the desk. The end of the cantilever must be above the yardstick
during the final measurement.
Have students go to four different areas of the room to work on their structures privately. Materials
should be laid out at each station. Signal when to begin, and call time at the end of 10 minutes. You may
wish to give a 5-minute and 1-minute warning. When time is called, have the teams carefully transport
their structures to the table to be displayed and measured.
Analysis:
Ask the students to compare and contrast the structures and look for similar features as well as creative,
different ways teams approached the problem.
Synthesis:
Discuss with the students what might happen if ideas from different teams were combined, or if different
materials could be used.
Evaluation:
After the judges have measured and determined the winning team, ask the students in what other ways
the structures could have been judged. (visual appeal, sturdiness, height, creativity of design, etc.)
Learning Center:
Odyssey of the Mind spontaneous problem samples and accompanying materials (available on the
Odyssey of the Mind website)
Resources
hm, Learning and Study Skills Program, Frank Burkle, author, NASSP
Dimensions of Self-Concept(DOSC) William B. Michael, Robert
A. Smith, University of California, 1996. 1997. 2000
Best Value Books, Study Skills, Grades 2-4, Grades 5-8,
Susan Drumm, 1996. Kelley Wingate Publications
Six Thinking Hats for Schools, Edward Debono, author,
Perfection Learning Co. 1991.
Teacher Magazine/Books
Frank Schaffer Publications
The Learning Works, Inc.
Good Apple Books
Websites
www.how-to-study
http://students.ed.uius.edu/tlgrant/final.html
http://www.demon.co.uk/mindtool/memintro.html
http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/
http://www.brainstore.com
www.ldonline.com