The Sunday News
Charles Dube
THE general academic discussion is on examinations and results. Today’s episode runs along that theme where I share views on becoming successful in school. Successful learners are not more intelligent than other learners. They are just more disciplined and focused and they have developed winning habits. Learners who do well in school do not wait until they are in the mood before they get down to work. Neither do they wait until they feel motivated before they start preparing for an examination.
Successful learners rely on systems rather than motivation. They do this to ensure that they get the work done, even when they do not feel like it. They review any information they have learnt on the same day. It is a vital step that ensures they stay on top of the material. Applying this tip also helps you, the learner, to move the information to your long term memory more quickly. The biggest obstacle to doing well in school are distractions. Get rid of distractions before they become distractions.
Do not multitask. There is nothing like multitasking — whenever you are multitasking, you are actually just switching between tasks. This reduces your studying efficiency. Cultivate the belief that intelligence is not a fixed trait. Belief is that powerful. In other words, intelligence is a trait that you can develop overtime. Still on this note, as a learner, do not ever label yourself as “dumb” or “not academically inclined,” because with the right mind-set you can become more intelligent.
Manage your thoughts and emotions. Learners who lose focus or motivation are typically discouraged. They are often discouraged because they feel as if they would not do well academically so they lose hope. Ask yourself the following questions: Are these thoughts true? Are these thoughts helpful? Am
I taking things too personally? How can I view the situation more positively? What productive action can I take to improve the situation? Through answering these questions you will adopt a more positive and resilient mind set.
The sooner learners embrace this view that better even for their teachers. They should be positive in class. Active participants in class perform better that those learners who keep to themselves. Through active involvement in discussions in class wrong answers come up and are immediately corrected.
This links up with organisation. Learners should be organised. Learners who are disorganised end up wasting precious time looking for items on notes, or doing last minute work they forgot about.
Do consistent work. Do not do last – minute work, and do not cram for examinations. How can a learner become more organised? She or he can set a daily reminder to check if there is any homework due the following day. Set reminders to start preparing for tests or examinations. Create a conducive studying environment. Ensure that you have all the stationery, notebooks that you need, though some people might look at these a minor details which need not to be emphasised upon. But a good learner grabs all advice she or he comes across.
Take a few minutes to prepare for each class. (By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail). Every night think about classes you will be having the following day in school. Take a few minutes to skim the textbook or notes, so that you will be familiar with what your teacher will cover the next day. In addition do a quick recap of the previous topic because the new topic will likely build on what you have already learned.
Take notes during class. It is surprising to hear a large number of learners saying they do not take notes in class. It is important to take notes in class because it helps you to pay attention and to learn the concepts better. Ask a lot of questions as a learner. Asking your friends and teachers questions about what you are learning is a great way to stay engaged. This also ensures that you understand the new material. Do not be afraid to ask what are termed as silly questions. Besides, if you pay attention in class, your questions will likely be logical and insightful.
Do and submit your homework on time. Make it a non-negotiable to submit your homework on time, and give a good effort for each assignment. This is the foundation of doing well in school. Challenge yourself and do extra questions that require deep thinking. Look for other resources outside class such as online. Learn information that is outside the syllabus. This will help you to see the wonder and beauty in all that you are learning.
In your studies, have a specific plan or objective for each study session. For each study session, set a clear objective as to what you intend to achieve.
This might be to read though a set of notes thoroughly or complete some examination questions. Test yourself periodically. Do not assume that just because you have read the notes and looked through some examples that you understand the material well. For all you know, you might have been daydreaming during those study sessions.
What else should you do? Do plenty of practice questions and keep a list of the mistakes you have made, so that you do not repeat them in the examinations. Take practice examinations under strict examinations conditions so that learners get used to them. I am disturbed to hear that other schools deny learners those practice examinations sessions only for learners to experience examinations and the feel of examinations in the actually public examinations. This is a big disadvantage to learners as they take time trying to adjust in the examination room.
The moment they adjust the examination is almost over and they do not do well. Though it appears impractical to give many practice examiners, those not so many given help learners in a big way. Find ways to help others and contribute. Learners often lose motivation when they focus too much on achievement and too little on contribution. After all, the aim of education is to become equipped with skills and knowledge so that you can help others.
When learners lose sight of this, they sometimes feel as if school is meaningless. To keep this in perspective, find small ways to contribute in your capacity as a learner, for example, volunteering, fundraising, solving problems in your school, and serving the underprivileged. There are many more other ideas to follow in forthcoming issues.
For views link with [email protected] or sms to 0772113207.
