Study, study, study….. These are words most people have heard at one time or another throughout their life, but never had that important skill taught. I can remember many frustrating evenings when I was in high school. I’d be sitting in my room, staring at a book, or some form of unorganized notes for hours on end not retaining much. It wasn’t until I was in community college that I had to take a required class the first semester. The class was an orientation and study skills class. It turned out to be one of the most helpful classes I ever had. I learned about several methods of study that were foreign to me, but oh so useful! Not only in college, but in life.
Victus – a way of life.
I was happy to have the opportunity to review the Victus Study Skills System with my kids. The Latin word victus means a way of life. The aim is to equip the student for success in academics and in life. The course is built on three foundational cornerstones: Where am I now? Where do I want to be? How do I get there? Each lesson falls under one of these cornerstones. Not only will students improve study habits, but these cornerstones cross over to life skills as well.
How we used Victus in our home.
Victus Study Skills System is available in four levels, from Kindergarten through college. We received all four levels, but used the Student Workbook Level 3, which is for students in Grades 5 through 12. The Teacher’s Manual, which is essential to the program, suggests teaching all ten lessons in five, one-hour long sessions. We had to spread it out over two weeks to account for other activities we had going on at the time.
The first section is about finding out where you are now. A study habits checklist, as well as a learning strengths survey were key elements to finding out how to build on their learning style. I even completed one myself. It was neat to see that all of us were dominant in visual learning, but varied in auditory and kinesthetic learning. A list of suggested aids for learning strengths followed on the next page, with many tips to sharpen your dominant strength or improve your weaker ones.
The next section was about goals and priorities. The S.M.A.R.T. way of setting goals really clicked with us. How many times have we set lofty goals with no idea how to get there? Whether it is improving grades, saving money, or learning a skill, the S.M.A.R.T way makes things more realistic and attainable.
The end of the last section was our favorite part. The information was very valuable for my middle and high-schooler. The homeschool setting offers more flexibility than traditional schools. If we are not careful, a positive thing such as flexibility can quickly turn to a negative thing, such as laziness and irresponsibility. Victus Study Skills Systems focuses on things such as time management, scheduling tasks, and how to be better organized. We most enjoyed the note taking hints, and found them beneficial as we did the activities included in the workbook. Test prep and strategies are also taught in this section.
Just for fun, my daughter took the Learning Strengths in the Elementary workbook, and got the same results. The format is similar, but I did notice that that some of the content differs between levels. Keep that in mind if you plan to teach different levels simultaneously.
Final thoughts.
The Victus Study Skills System is a valuable study with a focus on an important skill that often gets overlooked. HOW to study and plan. Depending on your teaching and your kids learning style, you could certainly start this in elementary, but I would recommend middle school. I am thinking I may reuse this as a “Back to School” bootcamp at the start of a new school year for my family. It would also be a great course to use in a co-op setting. To hear what other review crew members are saying about Victus Study Skills System, click the link below.
