New board game teaches students how to study

As most parents and teachers know, students are under a great deal of pressure these days to learn and do well in school, and often the pressure of exams can be crippling.

Students are told to go home and study, but who teaches them how to? It isn’t something you are born knowing and there are definite skills to being able to learn and study effectively.

Wellington-based Karen Boyes has developed a board game that will help everyone, aged 11 and over, to learn how to study and to absorb information more effectively, giving them the greatest chance of success in exam results. Study smarter is a game of life and skill designed to improve a student’s chance of exam success through play.

The game can be played at home or school and is specific to secondary and tertiary students looking to improve grades and exam results.

To make this board game a reality, Karen and her team have set up a Kickstarter Crowdfunding Campaign to raise $37,000 NZD to complete the design process and go to manufacture.

“Basically we have 37 days to pre-sell board games, webinars, study packs and more, to ascertain interest before going to print,” Ms Boyes says.

Crowdfunding is a fantastic and relatively new way of gaining exposure and the goal of this campaign is to reach those who share the vision of educating through active learning and create a community of like-minded people.

The Study Smarter Board Game encompasses memory skills, learning strategies, how to set up an effective study environment, exam strategies, motivation, as well as what not to do when studying.

Karen Boyes is the designer and facilitator of the Study Smarter workshops and webinars and has over 20 years of research on how the brain actually learns.

She has won awards including NZ Educator 2014, NZ Speaker 2013 and NZ Business Woman 2001.

She is the author of several books including 27 Study Tips for Success.

“We’re really excited to be launching our campaign,” she says. “This is something anyone can use to jumpstart their student’s studying.”