Something we sometimes miss in education is HOW to study SMARTER rather than harder. I know for me, I’ve heard tips here and there through my life, but I never had a cohesive method of learning how to study. Nor did I have a plan for teaching this to my kids. Along came the review for the Victus Study Skills System! They sent me both the Teacher Edition and Student Workbook. First of all, let me mention that victus is a Latin word meaning “a way of life”. The premise behind Victus Study Skills System is that this is a skill set to not only learn, but to incorporate into everyday life (both in school and beyond).
Victus Study Skills System course is taught in five one hour sessions (or 10 one-half hour lessons) with more time being given for the actual implementation process. The program is geared for all ages, especially fifth through twelfth graders, with the teacher adjusting the material as needed for younger students. I think with younger kids, I’d probably spend time introducing the concepts and terminology more than actually putting things into practice. For middle grade students, I’d spend time helping them not only learn the material, but also take time to help them implement each thing, help it become a habit, and then move on to the next thing. For high schoolers, you could work with them, or turn them loose. I’ll share later in this review what this looked like for us, since I had my high schooler work through this program for the review.
Let’s start with the Teacher Edition. This book is designed to help the teacher figure out how to lead the course, gives effective techniques, a sample course plan and foundational cornerstones (and more), and then it dives into the lessons, and gives the answers to the student pages.
The Student Workbook is what you would expect. As you teach the material (or an older student learns it on their own), they fill out the corresponding work pages, and begin applying what they learn to their current situation.
As for what your student will learn? Well, I have to say, there is a lot packed into this little course! There are three foundational cornerstones: Where Am I Now?, Where Do I Want To Be?, and How Do I Get There?
Where Am I Now? introduces the student to the course, gives them a Study Skills Checklist to assess their current study habits, and helps them discover their learning strengths (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic). There is also a Suggested Aids for Learning Strengths page which Chrystiana and I both fell in love with.
Where Do I Want To Be? delves into mission statements and goal setting. They learn how to make SMART goals which most of us are familiar with as well as an action plan to reach those goals.
How Do I Get There? is where the course dives in, and teaches a strong set of skills/tools to help your student study smarter not harder. It’s quite the power house, and will definitely help your students now, in college if they are heading there, and in life. This section covers time management, organization, study environment, PQRST which stands for Preview, Question, Read (action reading), State, and Test, listening techniques, note taking tips and tricks including developing a shorthand method, test taking which covers specific types of tests, and ends with a review.
Is that all? Nope. There is an appendix with still more useful tools and exercises for your student. I told you there was a lot packed into this little gem of a course.
I took time in the beginning to read through the Teacher Edition, and glance through the lessons before we started. Then, my daughter and I began working through the lessons together. By the end, my daughter would read the information in the Teacher Edition and then fill out her Student Workbook. For an older teenager, you can either work through the lessons together, or turn them loose. Both ways worked just fine for my daughter. As I said above, with a younger teen, I’d probably be a little more involved. Middle grades, I’d be much more hands on. Younger children, I’d spend time introducing things rather than implementing them.
I asked my daughter to tell me what she found useful, and she gave me a whole list. She loved the Suggested Aids for Learning Strengths, and since she tested pretty evenly, she found things in each column that she’d like to use in her own studies. She also gave me a wonderful explanation of PQRST, tips on listening effectively, encouragement to take part in discussions, note taking tips, how to prepare for tests as well as test taking strategies, and how to properly form answers to questions. She also found the goal setting and scheduling sections helpful. These are the things that stood out the most for her, but what I found really neat was the enthusiasm on her face while sharing these things with me.
She mentioned that this course would be something she would refer back to from time to time to help her remember everything she learned.
Both of us feel the course is really good, and easy to apply to her current studies. To be honest, I think there is a lot I can benefit from as well. My oldest daughter is in college, and I’m considering sending her a workbook. Plus, my other kids will be working through this course, too. There is a lot of valuable information throughout these pages, and I believe all students (kids and adults) would find it super helpful whether public, private or home schooled, in college, or simply wanting to learn how to study and learn better.
Victus Study Skills System:
Teacher Edition = $40.00
Student Workbook = $20.00
There are other products available, too, which I’ve been browsing with interest. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
