|
The
Secret to Success
One
of the outstanding features of Hargrave Military Academy
is the unique How to Study Program required
of all Cadets, which includes fall and winter semesters
and summer school. Developed and continually revised
by the Hargrave faculty, the How to Study
Program can make a difference between academic success
or continued academic frustration.
Each semester ten to twelve one-hour
seminars cover eight basic topics, which Hargrave
has designated as vital to academic success. These
topics include:
1. Getting Organized
Cadets are taught proper room and desk arrangement,
clearing away the clutter, time management and eliminating
procrastination.
2. Attitudes Make the Difference
Success or failure, the power of positive thinking,
teacher relationships, getting along with others,
seeking and accepting help are areas addressed concerning
a Cadet's attitude.
3. The Student Planner
Every Hargrave Cadet receives a daily planning book
and is required to write all assignments, test schedules
and other pertinent academic information in the planner.
Cadets are instructed in its use as an organizational
and planning aid and expected to utilize it daily.
Periodic checks are made by classroom faculty and
by evening study hall supervisors to ensure compliance.
4. Memory Skills
Techniques for remembering lists, key facts, names
and places, are taught. The utilization of mnemonics,
sentencing and other memorization techniques result
in improved performance on major tests.
5. Note-Taking Skills
Most entering students know little about how to take
notes, organize and expand their notes or how to review
daily class notes. Hargrave teaches specific ways
to improve note taking and review of classroom notes
for quizzes, tests and exams.
6. Textbook Reading Skills
Through the use of the SQ3R technique Cadets are shown
the best method of attacking various reading assignments
for each subject. The SQ3R method has been used successfully
for over 20 years at Hargrave and should result in
higher achievement in all academic areas.
7. Test Taking Skills
Students learn to understand preparation for the various
kinds of test: matching, true/false, fill-in-the-blank
and essay.
8. Listening Skills
Cadets are made to realize the importance of proper
listening skills. They learn to recognize teacher
cues and begin to improve note-taking and test preparation
through increased awareness.
Sometimes,
completion of How to Study brings immediate
and dramatic results. Normally, however, with continued
emphasis by the academic staff, bad study habits are
broken and new ones formed in the length of one semester.
Those Cadets who do not successfully complete the
How to Study Program are required to retake
the course until satisfactory progress is achieved.
No school can guarantee success.
However, we know from feedback that those who apply
the lessons learned from the Hargrave How to Study
Program are proud or their academic improvement. |
