Teaching Study Habits

When I first began teaching English here in Mozambique, it didn't even cross my mind that I would have to teach good study habits.  I don't know what it was like for you growing up, but in my household, education was a priority.  Perhaps having education as priority is a privilege in itself.

Many of my students, especially the females, have to wake up and fetch water from the town's river and wash dishes and clothes.   Other days, they are up gardening before the sun floats over the horizon.  Others have to watch over young brothers and sisters while their parents sell peanuts, tomatoes, cabbage, or onions at the local market.  After they go to school, they have to complete more domestic duties such as cooking dinner for the family.

Unfortunately, many of my students don't have the time to study for their English, biology, chemistry, and Portuguese classes because of the domestic work they have.  Ironically, being at school seems like one of the few times they get a mental and physical break from the responsibility.  It's no wonder why about half of my students receive no higher than a D in my English class.  It riles me that many of the parents don't encourage their students to do their homework or study for tests.  But then again, I have to remind myself that many of the parents here do not have the privilege of driving their kids to soccer practice or hiring private tutors.  Their goal is on the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs—to make sure their kids have food and water in their stomachs—while education is on the top.

The vast majority of my students admitted to not reviewing and studying the notes they take during class time. When a teacher is absent, the high school students just text their friends or chase each other around outside of the classrooms until the next class begins an hour later.  There's no system here where there are adults on duty to make sure the students are quiet and are studying.  Also, there are no substitute teachers to continue the lessons that the permanent teachers had planned.

Now I'm encouraging the 8th graders to study for their classes when a teacher is absent.  Recently, I started having my students read their English notes for about 15 minutes (during our two hour block period) before we start the lesson, so that they could review the material.  So far, I think it's helping the students get in the habit of reading over their notes because I've been having more people waving their hands in the air to give me the correct responses to exercise problems.

For any Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) or future PCVs out there, I hope this simple idea of teaching good study habits can help your students excel in their future academic endeavors.