Golden tips to improve spoken English

In today's scenario where globalisation is on
the rampage, the stage is set such that English
has become inevitable and important for
anything and everything like studies, jobs,
business and for many more aspects.

Possessing fair English knowledge would give
you the confidence and good understanding on
various global perspectives. It is never wrong
to learn any new language. English language
has become an essential tool to communicate
with most of the persons in the society.
Particularly, today's youth, although they have
good knowledge they don't possess English
skills, as a result they fail in interviews.

With the confidence that you can learn any
language, right away start following the given
tips … soon you all will find a radical change
in your language.


• Read English newspaper, short story or even
novel for 20 minutes everyday to get
comfortable with the language.
• Develop your written language. It would help
you to form right sentences within a
considerable span of time and later this
practice would help to form sentences in
much shorter span of time.
• Start Speaking. Try out your spoken English on
anyone who will be able to respond to you.
Dont be afraid of making mistakes.
Keep your ears open for the accent.
• Watch English news channels on Television. Watch
BBC for the British Accent, CNN for the
American Accent and NDTV 24/7 for the urban
Indian Accent.
• Record your speech. Listen to your voice and
catch your pronunciation mistakes. Make an
earnest effort to avoid them.
• Grammar is important. The parts of speech,
tenses, form of verb, articles and modals all
contribute to fluency. Focus more on
understanding between noun and verb, which
runs throughout English at all levels. Make an
sincere effort to learn them.
• Make the Dictionary your best friend.
Everyone, including the scholars use it when
confronted with a new word. So it is not bad
or do not have the feeling that you don't
know. Familiarize yourself with its meaning
and use it in a sentence that very day.
• Have someone proficient read aloud to you. A
storybook or a newspaper article will do.
Watch the way they move their lips and mouth
while pronouncing certain words.
• Learn one new word a day. To increase your
active vocabulary start memorizing the
meaning of a word you had heard but not sure
of. Use it regularly to absorb it into your
vocabulary bank.
• Start writing a Diary. It will allow you to
practice the language in a totally non-
threatening environment. Everyday write one
concrete paragraph of at least 100 words.

Definitely, your spoken English will improve,
but cannot, if you lack commitment.

Always remember, the skills involved in
developing any language are Listening,
Speaking, Reading and Writing. It would not
possible to develop any single skill in
isolation.

Useful Google Tips and Tricks Every Student Should Know

Ok before i start i heard one amebo that there was gobe in obj hall nuesa dinner, heard some hungry people were fighting over food and then ended up breaking the window..eheh  instead of the cadet to do his job, he grabs viju & rice and takes off. lol that must have been some funny shit.

so down to business, strong tips you should know and use often.

How to Quickly Find The Exact Information You Need on Google

before you proceed check this guide to make your near exam here

Use web friendly and less words

A search engine works by matching the words you enter to pages on the web. So using words that are most likely to appear on pages will yield the best results. For example, instead of saying my head hurts, say headache, because that’s the term a medical website would use. Simple, one or two word search terms will usually give you the broadest results. Start with short search terms, then refine your results by adding more words.

Be Specific

Be specific with your search terms. If you want to search for an exact phrase in an exact order, then put quotation marks around the words e.g. ‘just naira’. Note: searching with quotes might exclude relevant results. For instance, a search for “Alexander Bell” will miss pages that refer to Alexander G. Bell.

Search by File Type

Search for specific types of files, such as JPGs, PDFs, PPTs, or XLS, by adding filetype: and the 3-letter file abbreviation.

Find Related Pages

Use the related: operator to find pages that have similar content by typing related: followed by the website address. For instance, if you find a website you like, try using related:[insert URL] to locate similar websites.

Get definitions directly

Put define: in front of any word to get its definition.

Wake up from sleep and succeed academically

This one was compiled by myself, I am going to be drafting out my points please ignore my errors. I’m not a linguistic.

Usually, people do not realize what they are in higher institution for, my case is a critical example.  My first year in the higher institution was really fun, It was fun to me because I was in school and my mates weren’t I thought I had it all and forget what am supposed to do. It pays off not to  goto school at all than  to waste time doing what’s not right like in the case of me and my friends, they were far better compared to  me( at least they weren’t wasting school fees).  After my first year, I saw my gp standing on a rock and I asked myself what is the essence of going to school and not getting a reasonable result? Let’s think of the money spent, the time and the worse of all is the stress, sometimes higher institution can be so stressful you feel like going back home.  You start to calculate your losses the moment you do not realize your mission into a higher institution, but it’s never too late to make an A, yes they said make A’s while the sun shine but there wasn’t anywhere where it said you can’t make it at night. A Chinese proverb says “the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, the second best time is now”.

I notice the major problem of students is procrastination, they can postpone for Africa*smiles*. I was once in this group. Look here, there is only one way to get out of that problem and it doesn’t take you more than a minute to do so, but you’re going to be having problems with deciding. Another proverb says ‘the greatest step in becoming successful is having to decide to start being successful’ and until you fathom your mission in higher institution you cannot decide.  I’ll give you just two steps to claim back all your lost points that would make your gp worth being in school.

1.       SET GOALS:  it is not enough to say this semester I want to make good result, this semester I don’t want any carry over and blah blah blah. Many people and even I have used this trick am about to give you and trust me it works without doubt. You musta seen it in a friends room and you wonder why they’s getting better result than you yes it because they set goals. Here’s what to do: write down all your courses in a sheet of paper and put the score you want in front of it, don’t go lower than 70. Make like 3 copies and paste them everywhere in your room. You can put one just beside your bed so you see it every time you want to sleep, put one just in front of your reading table. The reason you’re doing this is you need a reminder that you want to make good result first. Do not wait till exam before you do any of these,  use all your time to read your books, do not ever be less busy, I don’t have to be telling you to do assignments y’all know what’s involved.

2.       BE WILLING TO GIVE UP ANYTING FOR WHAT YOU WANT:  if you’re an Eric Thomas fan you’d prolly know what I’m about to say here. There’s this story most of you prolly already heard of this young man who went to a guru and told him he wanted to be successful. The guru told him to meet him at the beach 4am the next morning, the guy says the beach? I said I wanna make money I didn’t say I wanted to swim, guru says meet me tomorrow at the beach 4am. The guy came to the beach all dressed in suit and the guru told him to walk a little into the water, the guy walked in, the guru said walk a little more the guy walked further and the water level came to the neck area, the guy ran back saying this guru is crazy, he making money but he crazy. The guru came, grabbed the guys head, dipped it into the water, the guy was struggling in the water, the guru dipped his head further, the guy keep struggling, eventually the guru raised him out in the water. Now the guru asked him “when you were under water what was the one thing you needed to do?” the guy replied “I wanted to breathe”, Guru said if you want success as bad as you want to breathe then you’ll be successful, I say if you want a good Gp as bad as you want to breathe then you’ll have one. You don’t care about who’s pinging you,you dont care if there's a birthday party,dont care whats up at the football field, you don’t care about what’s going on on TV, you don’t care if some girl is coming to give you sex, you just wanna read, yes you want it as bad as you wanna breathe.  ‘Who’s on phone? Yes you’ve reached the right person but at the wrong time, call me January 1^st next year am busy studying’ that’s how bad you want to be successful academically. It’s never too late to achieve success in school, better late than never and don’t be disappointed if you don’t reach your aim at once. Michael  Jordan said ‘ I’ve lost over 800 games in my career, I’ve been trusted to take the winning shot over 120 times and failed, I’ve failed over again, again and again in my life and that’s why am successful’ 
pls dont forget to drop your comments

Here are 7 tips on how to improve your I.Q

Most people are a lot smarter

than they realize. Your brain may

feel sluggish but that is often just

down to bad habits. You can

learn to use your brain more

quickly. Your brain, like a muscle,

responds to training.

You can improve your IQ by:

1. Playing strategy type games

and computer games. By having

to think and plan ahead you

exercise your brain. Games like

chess are recognized for their

stimulating effects on the brain.

And studies have shown that

kids who play strategy-based

computer games have higher

IQs.

2. Using a Nintendo DS game

like Dr Kawashima's Brain

Training , Big Brain Academy,

Sight Training, or others. These

are designed to give your brain a

workout, speed up mental

processing and improve your IQ.

This is such a fun way to improve

your IQ.

3. Practicing IQ test puzzles.

You can buy books of IQ test

puzzles. If you practice these

everyday, you will become more

familliar with these types of

challenges. Your brain will cope

with them better. You will

improve your IQ scores.

4. Taking brain supplements.

There are many brain nutrition

supplements that you could take

to support mental functioning.

Get a book on the subject from

the library and then hit the health

stores! At the very least, take

good quality fish oil capsules for

all important Omega 3 oils. You

wanted to know how to improve

your IQ... and this is one of the

easiest things you can do to

improve your IQ.

5. Learn to meditate. Meditation

is the study of the mind. It

increases awareness. And

greater awareness is a main key

to how to improve your IQ. You

will gain access to expanded

states of mind. You will realize

new mental abilities and

profound intuition. All good for

improving your IQ -- and feeling

great!

6. Play sports that require good

hand-eye co-ordination. Squash,

tennis, ping pong, handball,

basketball, juggling -- these are

all useful when it comes to how

to improve your IQ. The rapid eye

movements required in these

games stimulate mental

sharpness and boost your IQ.

7. Emulate smart people. If you

want to know how to improve

your IQ, look at people who are

smarter, brighter and cleverer

than you and notice what they

do differently to you. And then

copy it! Human beings are

engineered to emulate skills from

others to be accepted into the

group. If your group is full of

morons then you don't have

much worth copying. Get

yourself around brilliant minds.

What do they eat? What do they

do with their time? What work

habits do they follow? How do

they use their minds differently

than you? Find out how to

improve your IQ by copying

people with higher IQs than you.

It's pretty obvious when you

think about it.

PUTTING LIBRARY IN THE POCKET

This article was sent in by a 100L student of Department of Computer Science Ilemobayo Samson. Much  kudos to him for this  brilliant writeup, you can follow him on twitter @officialsamkayz
now to the deal.Read carefully..


 In many of our higher institution, we offer a compulsory course in Library Science Known as ‘Use of library’. It involved cataloging, indexing and the use of library cards.
Whatever your discipline, the library was a place of regular visit as a repository of knowledge. And if seeking knowledge was the sole reason of being in school, you must learn how to use the library. Some Student literally slept in the library because that was where all the resource for the term papers, the project works or the endless assignments one had to write could be found. Life on campus revolves around the lecture room, library and Hostel.
Today, things have changed. Aside the fact that school and public libraries in Nigeria are no longer what they use to be due to the decadence resulting from the age-long neglect of our education sector by successive governments, technology has transformed library science into information science. This is because like in all other fields, development in ICT have converged computing, information, communications, entertainment and mass media practice into one platform, thereby providing information in the digital format used by computers.
It is an unusual sight seeing students carrying a pile of books borrowed from the library. With the help of ICT, the library has become virtual and digitized, making online access and file transfer possible with networking and sharing of information. With specialized hardware and software already in use across the world, digital information can now be sent in multiple copies simultaneously over information networks in a minute or even some seconds. There is no need for users with personal computers attached to the network to personally go to the library. They can access information via their PCs; digital information can be cut and pasted from on document into another, free or cheaper than print equivalents. This has modified the librarians’ roles in various ways.
The big question is: where is Nigeria in all of this? Libraries across the country can be networked, stocked with core collections in multimedia format, have an unhindered access to global information 24/7 as well as become digital and virtual, thus, benefitting students, researchers etc., and make learning a lot easier and cheaper. Library users don’t have to physically visit the library because they easily access books, journals and other resources online. How easier can it get?
Also, deploying technology will substantially increase the level of technology literacy, increase demand for better and faster access to information because it is less stressful and
serve as a catalyst for the growth and development of libraries across the country with a multiplier effect on quality of learning and teaching.
A recent report in Asia Pacific FutureGov- a website that keeps tab on developments in the Asia Pacific region, the United States Embassy in Singapore donated to the National Library Board of Singapore a device called eReader under the eDevice Loan Scheme.
According to the board’s spokesperson, it is a part of NLB’s efforts to bridge the digital divide among citizens of Singapore, and bring the benefit of the library board’s electronic devices themselves.
This donation will benefit Singaporeans, especially those who do not have the means to own such electronic devices to access our vast collection of eBooks… These eReader will appeal to our library patrons of all ages, from students to senior citizens, where they can read at their own leisure and convenience.
Frankly, I wish our country can take a cue from Singapore and others who, due to conscious effort to improve education and learning, have moved from third world status to a place where than compete with the best across the world. More importantly, they have come to appreciate the library as a veritable source of spurring development and they are investing in library development. So, what exactly are we doing or do we intend to play catch up when the world is moving at an unprecedented speed?

Best approach to Excel in your Forthcoming Semester Exams

Incase you have forgotten, its my job to remind you that exam is coming up in about a month, 9th of March and time is not in any way on your side. Sometimes last month I posted something on how to create a good study space you can read about that here.

Common problems students face with study include how to study effectively, coping with the amount of reading ,how to manage your time, avoiding procrastination and distractions, and
improving your concentration.Working to a revision timetable helps you to make clear goals of attainment for each ... The connection between the brain and the hand is a way of helping you to stay in ... Rather than simply reading, break out the other possible ways for getting information to stick in your mind.
There's no one way that will always produce the best results for students. It's more about determination than great intelligence! Success has more to do with well developed study skills than intellectual ability.

Below are some suggestions for effective studying practices but it's up to you to find the methods and strategies that work best.
Common problems that students face with study
include:

• procrastination and distractions
• time management
• lack of a dedicated study space
• disinterest in a subject
• lack of concentration
• coping with the amount of reading

Procrastination
Only you are totally responsible for using your time in the most productive way. Once you own up to the fact that you are just putting things off (beware because procrastination can masquerade in a thousand different guises), then you're in a better position to control your actions. Don't create a barrier by thinking of your study as an obstacle to be overcome but as a challenge to take up. Find practical ways to increase your motivation and then practise them so that the time you spend studying is
quality time.

Distractions
Develop strategies to realistically manage the distractions and interruptions that are bound to arise
in any busy person's schedule. For example:

• close the door
• turn off the mobile phone
• prepare a schedule for your study session with beginning and ending times
• take strategic study breaks so you can still pay bills, go to the gym, pick children up from school and make important phone calls
• keep a blank 'procrastination pad' on the desk for jotting to remind you to think more about non-study things later, afteryour study period.

Having a recognised space for your study, and asking family and friends to respect your study times and place, will go a long way towards minimising
uninvited distractions.

Time Management
A general rule of thumb is that for each subject you are enrolled in, you will need to spend at least 8-12 hours of independent study time each week. This time commitment will increase during assignment preparation and exam revision.
As a student juggling work, study, family and social commitments, your time is limited and valuable. This is where a schedule or timetable can be useful.
When deciding how to allocate your time:

• •take the time to plan and do it regularly, say once each week
• allow adequate periods of time for learning new material, understanding theories and concepts, or drafting an assignment
• use short periods (15 minutes) when beginning or ending a scheduled study session to review previous learning
• rise 15 minutes earlier and go to bed 15 minutes later each day
• reward yourself for achieving daily and/ or weekly study goals
• timetable more challenging tasks for when you are most alert and able to concentrate
• study regularly - daily if possible
• set achievable study goals.

Managing your study time
Create a study schedule/timetable where you allocate time for each subject and assessment. This can assist you by taking the pressure off and help you decide how much time you have for other activities.

• begin major projects ahead of time - break the task into a number of sub- tasks
• be realistic - for example if you are a 'night owl' planning to study in the early morning may be unrealistic
• generally organise your timetable into 50 minute study periods with 10 minute break.
• be specific about what you want to achieve in each study period. Rather than just allocating two hours of study each night, be specific about the study tasks to be done within the time available.

continue......

Dedicated study space
A dedicated workspace for study is both a physical and psychological necessity. Regardless of whether you find a tidy study area essential, or you can function among apparent chaos, you'll benefit from creating a physical space where you can keep study material, notes and textbooks organised.
Find a place at home, somewhere quiet on campus, or even a spot you have negotiated with a friend or relative at their place, and begin to 'own' it as your's for study. Aim to have only things you need on your desk, keeping it clear of things which might distract you from study. Devote your workspace solely to
study so that each session will make it easier to settle down to some concentrated study.

Disinterest
Most students will find that they have at least one subject they're not keen on but the subject still has to be tackled to meet graduation requirements. You
owe it to yourself to do your best. Stay motivated and maintain a positive attitude towards your studies by:

• tackling the readings and assignment for this subject first in your study schedule
• treating the topic seriously, accepting the difficulty or the uninteresting nature of the subject matter as a challenge, and reward yourself for completing a reading or spending a productive hour on the subject.
• keeping a running record of your study times and achievements in the subject and measuring your performance against previously stated goals.

Reading
One of the challenges at university is the amount of reading you will have to do. At first, this can seem overwhelming. However, there are a range of strategies you can apply to help you to read faster and to remember more of what you have read. Reading is much more than having a whole lot of words pass before your eyes. Trying to master the topic by doing a lot of reading may be going about things the hard way. Instead, try to:

• Identify the purpose. Before you start reading, you need to know your purpose for reading a particular text. Often too much concentrated reading, without any real purpose, can cause information overload. Think about the questions you're trying to answer and the reasons for reading the text.
• Skim. Read the text for the main ideas. Don't worry about remembering all the examples or the unimportant information. This kind of reading is usually quite sufficient for pre-reading for lectures, if you want to prepareyourself for discussions in tutorials, or
  see if an article is relevant for your
  research.

• Scan. Read for specific information you need for an essay or report. For example,if you are doing research and you are
  looking for some specific information to
  back up a statement you have made, you don't have to read every word. Take in the headings, briefly read any
  introduction or conclusion, and check the
  first sentences of main paragraphs (often
  the topic sentence), along with any
  charts and diagrams in the main text to
  pick up on leading themes.

• Highlight. As you read in more detail,digest the things that you canunderstand. You might choose to
  highlight, circle or underline key words
  and concepts.

• Take notes, or create a concept/mind map. Take brief notes without lettingyourself get bogged down in the difficult
  passages of the text, or draw a visual
  representation of the ideas, concepts and themes to help define relationships
  between them.

• Review. Get into the habit of reviewing readings, notes, or your assignment taskimmediatelyafter a study period (rather
  than at some later date). This will be
  helpful in your grasp of the subject
  matter and also in retaining information.

Concentration
You need to recognise that study is hard work, and therefore it's important for you to keep up a balanced diet with proper amounts of rest and periods of
relaxation to study effectively.

• Create the right frame of mind. If you're feeling tired around your studytime, go for a brisk walk or just get some
  fresh air to clear your head before you
  start.

• Take breaks. If you find your attention beginning to fade, you may need abreak. Get up, stretch or go for a walk
  around. Take a few slow, deep breaths,
  and have a drink of water.

• Study in short time blocks with shortbreaks in between. This approach keepsyour mind from wandering or from
  feeling fatigued, and will also help
  reduce time-wasting activities as you try
  to settle into study.

• Be an active learner: make notes,create mind maps, talk through keypoints aloud or explain new concepts as
  though there is another interested adult
  in the room with you. Walk around the
  room as you talk, throw a soft ball
  against the wall as you recite points to
  remember, make up rhymes or songs to
  help remember facts or sequences.

With these, I hope someone can at least say thank you.

QUICK STEPS TO IMPROVING YOUR HAND WRITING

MY HANDWRITING is awful — so bad that it’s not so much illegible as unidentifiable. It never bothered me, but I recently attended a creative writing retreat where I wrote some notes by hand. Looking over them now, I can barely read them. It’s rather embarrassing, as well as frustrating, so I decided to look for ways to improve your handwriting. As this article points out, seems I’ve been writing the wrong way my whole life!
Luckily, it is possible to reboot years of misaligned muscle memory and improve your handwriting – you just need time, determination, and the following common sense tips.

1. Decide why you want to improve your handwriting.

You need to know exactly what you hope to achieve, so you know what to focus on. Perhaps (like me) you want to write more legibly, so your notes don’t look like a spider has been dipped in poisonous ink and then violently convulsed itself to death across your page.
Maybe there are a few letters you’ve never really been sure of (that would be you, joined-up s); or you want to impress that sexy graphologist you’re seeing by projecting the wonders of your personality through your loops and whorls. 
It might be you want to write more fluently and efficiently, so your hand doesn’t cramp up after five minutes of scribbling; or that you believe it’s easier to manifest the poetic geometry of the universe through an actual pen than a computer keyboard. 
There are as many good reasons to improve your handwriting as there are ways to write “spelling” in Old English. Regardless of your reasons, here’s how to do it.

2. Choose your weapon carefully.

English writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton famously wrote that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” Just as you wouldn’t go into battle armed with the rusty paper knife you found down the back of the armchair, you shouldn’t expect to produce beautiful handwriting using a half-chewed Biro encrusted in suspect fluff.
It’s not necessary to buy a gold fountain pen with jewel-studded nib and ink distilled from a virgin squid, unless you happen to be a particularly sophisticated Bond villain. But you should experiment until you find a type of pen (or even pencil) that works for you.
A purist might tell you fountain pens are superior — presumably because it’s so hard to catch enough swans to make quills — but there are plenty of good ballpoints, roller-balls, and even felt tips out there. 

Hand position: The top of the pen should rest on
or just in front of the base knuckle.

Writing by hand shouldn’t be like a game of Mercy with your pen, so look for one that’s comfortable to hold, and where the ink flows smoothly without your having to push too hard on the paper. 
Also, try pens with different sized nibs or balls to find a line thickness that pleases you, and experiment with different colors. But take care — it doesn’t matter how beautiful your script, it will still look horrendous if rendered in a bilious green ink. 

3. Get a grip.

Although your pen does have a pointy bit, it’s not actually a mighty sword, so you needn’t hold it like one. Your grip should be light yet supportive, and there should be no undue tension in your hand position. Don’t squeeze — your pen is no more a tube of toothpaste than it is a weapon, and the ink will flow of its own accord.
It doesn’t really matter which fingers you use to hold the pen, as long as it feels comfortable and balanced. But it’s best for the top (the non-business end) to rest on or just in front of the base knuckle of your index finger, rather than in the gully formed between index finger and thumb.

4. Sort your posture.

You need to sit up straight yet relaxed, with your non-writing fingers gently curled under your hand, and your hand position resting lightly on the table. Some people recommend having your writing surface at a 45-degree angle, which could be tricky unless you have a high-tech bat-desk, or are trying to save time by writing directly onto your laptop screen. 
Clear some space, because you need room to move your arm when writing properly. You can’t produce elegant, free-flowing script if you’re hunched up over the only corner of your desk not littered with empty coffee cups, half-eaten sandwiches, and rogue power cables. There was a reason people had writing desks back in the days of yore. 
Finally, once you have a comfortable writing position, don’t screw it up by altering your alignment. When it becomes awkward to move your hand position down the page to write the next line, try moving the paper up instead of your hand down. Unleashing a typewriter bing is optional.

5. Put your shoulder into it.

This is how much my writing sucks.

Having the right pen, correct grip, and good posture is worth nothing if you’re drawing the letters with your fingers. Strange as it sounds, you should not be using your wrist and fingers to write — that leads to cramped, stilted writing, as well as fatigue.
Rather, your fingers should hold the pen in place and act as a guide, and all the movement should come from the shoulder girdle. This is one of the main muscle groups you use to raise your arm and rotate it in a big circle, like Popeye powering up for a thunder punch.
In other words, your shoulder and forearm move as you write, but your wrist and fingers don’t. This helps you write in a more fluid, efficient style. It takes practice, and feels weird at first, but these muscle groups don’t get tired as quickly as your wrist and fingers.

6. Swap your air guitar for an air pen.

To practice using your shoulder muscles to write, hold your arm in front of you, elbow bent, and write big letters in the air. Concentrate on moving from the shoulder and holding your forearm, wrist, and fingers steady. Muscles from your shoulder, arm, chest, and back should be working. These are the muscle groups you want to use when writing with pen and paper.
Once you are comfortable doing this — which mostly means coming to terms with how ridiculous you look — try making smaller and smaller air letters. You can also try tracing the shapes of letters onto a wall with your finger, or writing on a blackboard or whiteboard. 
Writing on a vertical surface means you automatically use the correct muscle groups. Resist the temptation to get close and rest your hand on the wall, because this means you are writing with your fingers again.

7. Bust out some shapes.

Once you’re confident with the muscle groups needed to write in thin air, it’s time to fire it up to 11 and break out the pen and paper. This article suggests you start out writing large X’s, /’s, O’s, swirls, and loops. Really concentrate on moving from the shoulder, holding your wrist steady, and using your fingers just as a guide. Focus on producing nice, smooth shapes, and use lined paper to help with consistent size and spacing.

Probably best not to hold your pen with this hand position.

As you get better, make your shapes smaller and smaller. Begin introducing letters — again, start out big and bold, and gradually get smaller. When you’re ready to go crazy, bust out some words, sentences, and even whole paragraphs.
Asking an adult to practice writing big letters might seem as pointless as Mr. Miyagi telling Daniel-san to paint his fence. But you aren’t just learning new muscle memory, you’re trying to unlearn bad habits.

8. Practice whenever you can.

Take every opportunity to write longhand instead of on a keyboard. If you’re a writer, or need to write a report or proposal, consider doing your first draft using pen and paper. You can polish and edit as you type it up. Write out old-skool to-do lists rather than using a computer program. Start maintaining a journal. If you’re stuck in a boring meeting, presentation, or lecture, practice your handwriting strokes instead of doodling whirlwinds and boxes.
Practice your handwriting for a few minutes each day, and you should start to see improvements quite quickly. Try making up motivational sentences that use letters in different ways.

CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING A GOOD STUDY SPACE

Your study space is critical to your ability to study effectively. After all, if you can’t concentrate, you certainly can’t expect to learn very well.

This does not necessarily mean that you have to find a place that's completely silent and set it up as your study area, but it does mean you should find someplace to study that fits your specific personality and learning style.

Students are different. Some do need a completely quiet room free from interruptions when they study, but others actually study better listening to quiet music in the background or taking several breaks.

Take the time to assess your real needs and plan for the perfect study place.

You will study most effectively if you make your study time special, like a ceremony. Assign yourself a specific place and regular time. Some students even give a name to their study space.

It might sound crazy, but it works. By naming your study space, you generate more respect for your own space. It might just keep your little brother away from your things!

1. Evaluate your personality and preferences. Discover whether or not you are vulnerable to noise and other distractions. Also determine if you work better by sitting quietly for a long period of time or if you need to take short breaks once in awhile and then return to your work.

2. Identify the space and claim it. Your bedroom maybe the best place to study, but it may not be. Some students identify their bedrooms with rest and simply can't concentrate there. A bedroom can also be problematical if you share a room with a sibling. If you happen to need a quiet place without interruption, it might be better for you to set up a place in the attic, basement, or garage, completely away from others.
   If this is realistic (some and attics have no electricity, for instance) just ask your parents to help you set it up. Most parents would be glad to accommodate a student trying to improve study habits! 

3. Make sure your study area is comfortable. It is very important to set up your computer and chair in a way that won't harm your hands, wrists, and neck. Take care to avoid repetitive stress injury. Next, stock your study space with all the tools you’ll need, like pens, pencils, paper, dictionaries, a thesaurus, and math tools. 

4. Establish study rules. Avoid unnecessary arguments and misunderstandings with your parents by establishing when and how you study. If you know that you are able to study effectively by taking breaks, just say so. You may want to create a homework contract.