The NOVA Experience
Study skills and work habits
It might seem counter-intuitive, but highly capable students do not necessarily
enter middle school with strong study skills or good work habits. Many
have never had to work to learn, never needed to study, and breezed through
elementary school without learning these skills that become much more
necessary in secondary school.
We begin with organizational skills of keeping track of belongings as they move from class to class, keeping an assignment calendar, organizing a binder, learning the value of turning every assignment in, making up after an absence, and learning to study for a quiz.
As the student progresses through the program we place additional emphasis on increasingly difficult skills: learning to study for a comprehensive test, taking notes from written material or a lecture, recognizing the differing expectations of teachers, communicating effectively with teachers about problems, and learning to advocate for themselves in an academic situation.
For some, these are the hardest lessons to learn and also the most important aspect of the NOVA experience when it comes to future success in school.