Need help with studying? Make a rulebook!

When students need help memorizing rules for your subject, one of the best study tips is to make a ‘rulebook’ for the topic you are teaching.

Use two-column pages and split the rules for clarity. Label one column “If” and the other column “Then.” For example, in the If column, we might say, “I before E”, while the Then column would say, “Except after C”. You can do this for most subject areas.

Applying rules is a fairly simple strategy, as long as the rule is clear. For example, some of us learned the months of the year with a rhyme and some of us learned a physical rule using our knuckles. These are memory strategies focused on rules that we have used all our lives, and still use.

Using a rulebook helps students remember key facts the same way that a rhyme or other method does,but may help students that do not find other methods helpful.