| Thursday, April 26, 2007 |
| Exams!! Oh NO!!! |
 It has been over a week since I updated this blog! Gosh, time flies... For all of us, me included, the examinations are looming frighteningly fast. Alright, so I may not be taking the exam, but I do know what it's like to be in your shoes. Revising is not that difficult a task, and after the slogging for the examinations we'll finally have some time to relax and play video games, draw, watch TV all day - anything! To help you guys make the most of the rest of your revision time, I've written a few study tips.
Create a Schedule
A schedule is like a time table where your days are planned with time for school, self-study, tuition, play and rest. With a schedule, you are able to see if you are putting in enough time for both study and rest, which is just as important as study. If you don't have a schedule or plan for studying, then you will not have any way of allocating your valuable time when something unexpected comes up.
You already have a schedule for school - your school time table. This is a good model on which to base your schedule for study after school. There are a few things that all schedules need - time slots (either 1/2 hour slots like in school, or 1 hour slots) and days. The self-study or revision that you plan should not clash with other repeating events, like tuiition, or prayers. Plan your revision around them.
Here are some schedule tips:
- Don't plan to do the same activity for hours. Everyone needs a break from studying, this rests our brains so they work better. However, if you study for 30 minutes and then play for 3 hours, you know that you are not giving enough time to your study.
- Balance your time. A good estimate should be that your study should be 3 times longer than your rest time, e.g. you study for 30 minutes and take a break for 10, then go back to work. Play time can be planned as well, perhaps an hour or two before bed.
- Revise your schedule if needed. Sometimes things we plan don't work out well, and that's okay. Feel free to change your plan if you need to, be flexible.
- Follow your schedule. The most important tip of all. If you know you may have trouble following your schedule, ask your parent or sibling to help keep you on track by reminding you of your plans.
How to study
Use the M.U.R.D.E.R. way!
How to Create Notes 
My favourite way of making notes is to turn my textbook's information into a concept map or mind map. I happen to like mind maps as they allow me to link information between chapters, to remember things easily (just by remembering their location on the map) and it also gives me a chance to draw and decorate my notes!
Mind maps are usefull because our brains remember pictures better than it remembers words. This is because from the time mankind first evolved, the most important aspect of survival was remembering the faces of your friends and family. Forget what they look like and you might end up in hostile company. Using this old trick of our brain, mind maps make information easy to remember - especially if the information is short and sweet. Once the map is created you can even put it on your wall and refer to it as often as you want.
Read this link to find out how to make mind maps. |
posted by Virelai @ 5:54 PM  |
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Name: Virelai
About Me: Yeah? Yeah? So I'm up to my knees in whale droppings with a long walk home underwater.
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