Study Smart, Not Hard and Save Time - TIPS

Do you try to organize information in a way that makes it easier to recall, instead of cramming last minute or memorizing details?


No?


Don’t worry! This article will help you in building this strategy of organization, known as holistic learning.


Holistic learning is simply the process of organizing information into webs, which interconnect ideas. Instead of forcing ideas into your skull, you focus on the relationships between information. Link the ideas together to see the whole, instead of just the parts.

Building an Understanding

You aren't fed the complete picture. Limitations on communication prevent the instantaneous transmission of knowledge. Instead you listen to lectures, read textbooks and take painstaking notes to try and comprehend a subject.


Learning is a process similar to building a house. You are fed building supplies, bricks, mortar and glass. It is up to you to assemble the building.


Unfortunately, most learning strategies fall into two basic types:


1. Memorization – Instead of building anything you simply stare at each brick for several minutes trying to record its position.





2. Formulas – This is the equivalent to being blind, fumbling around a new house. You can’t see the building itself but you learn to come up with simple rules to avoid walking into walls.





There is nothing particularly wrong with either of these strategies, assuming they aren't your entire strategy. The human brain isn't a computer so it can’t memorize infinite sums of knowledge without some form of structure. And formulas no longer work if the questions they are designed to solve change scope.

Learning Holistically

The alternative strategy is to focus on actually using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing information so it fits in the bigger picture.

 

Here are some ideas to get started:


1. Metaphor – Metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find relationships between information, come up with analogies to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a string. Make metaphors comparing parts of a brain with sections of your computer.


2. Use All Your Senses – Abstract ideas are difficult to memorize because they are far removed from our senses. Shift them closer by coming up with vivid pictures, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a determinant of a matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one adding and one subtracting.


3. Teach It – Find someone who doesn't understand the topic and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Spending five minutes explaining a concept can save you an hour of combined studying for the same effect.


4. Leave No Islands – When you read through a textbook, every piece of information should connect with something else you have learned. Fast learners do this automatically, but if you leave islands of information, you won’t be able to reach them during a test.


5. Test Your Mobility – A good way to know you haven’t linked enough is that you can’t move between concepts. Open up a word document and start explaining the subject you are working with. If you can’t jump between sections, referencing one idea to help explain another, you won’t be able to think through the connections during a test.


6. Find Patterns – Look for patterns in information. Information becomes easier to organize if you can identify broader patterns that are similar across different topics. The way a neuron fires has similarities to “if” statements in programming languages.


7. Build a Large Foundation – Reading lots and having a general understanding of many topics gives you a lot more flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn.


8. Don’t Force – You should not spend much time studying before exams. Forcing information during the last few days is incredibly inefficient. Instead try to slowly interlink ideas as they come to you so studying becomes a quick recap rather than a first attempt at learning.


9. Build Models – Models are simple concepts that aren't true by themselves, but are useful for describing abstract ideas. Crystallizing one particular mental image or experience can create a model you can reference when trying to understand.


10. Learning is in Your Head – Having beautiful notes and a perfectly highlighted textbook doesn't matter if you don’t understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick with you for assignments, tests and life. Don’t be afraid to get messy when scrawling out ideas on paper and connecting them in your head. Use notes and books as a medium for learning rather than an end result.




Hope you have found this interesting and you must be ready to start NOW. All The Best from SchoolSaas.com

If you have more ideas to “Study Smart - Not Hard”, share with us below.

Content Credit : ScOTT YOUNG

Should students be allowed cell phones?

We are preparing students for adult life; we should therefore allow them to use the tools that they will be using in their adult life. If we are preparing our students for life after school, we should allow them to use the tools they will be using when they get there. How many jobs can you think of right now where a smart phone is not beneficial? Mechanics order parts on their phone, engineers view blueprints, doctors calculate dosages, and grocers check inventory. The list is endless. By the time our students enter their professions, the need to utilize mobile technology will be even stronger. Not preparing our students for that world is negligent.

Well on the other side……

We should not have cell phones in school because if they are going off like someone is calling them they will be distracting, the students could cheat on test, plus students wouldn't pay attention in class because they will be too distracted texting others and playing games on their cell phones. Students don't focus on learning, and it causes them to get bad grades.

 ….it is everlasting discussion……????? “comments r welcome..”

How students do well in EXAMS

Many students are feeling nervous during exams week. Well, who wouldn’t be, especially knowing that exams have big percentage in the final grade. Therefore, if you do not want to fail your subject then you should make sure to do your best during exams.

I will share to you some tips on how you could do well in your exams….

1. Review your lessons ahead of time – do not resort to cramming. Many students out there have the habit of reviewing their lessons last minute. They only take time to open their books when the exam is the next day. That will definitely not do you any favor. Instead, what you should do is to review your lessons ahead of time. You should start reading and reviewing at least one week before the exams so you could have long preparation. Not only it will give you more time to study your lessons but it will also save you from stress.

2.  Understand not just memorize – you should always make sure to understand your lessons and not just memorize the words. When you understand your lessons then you could explain it using your own words. It will help you answer questions easily unlike when relying fully on the things that you memorized.

3.  Make sure you are in great condition when taking the exams – you should ensure that you had enough sleep or rest.

The tips discussed will indeed help you to make sure that you will do well in your exams. Do not feel nervous because sometimes it could be a distraction to you. Just relax and recall the things that you studied.

P.S: "Comments R Welcome"

Parents support during exams

Parents, your children desperately need your help during this testing time. At this crucial juncture, parents need to be their children's pillars of support, on which they can lean for all their needs. Be it in solving academic problems or dealing with the psychological and emotional stress that accompanies the entrance tests, parents have varied roles to play.Be for them 24X7.

Parents play a pivotal role in students’ success in these competitive examinations. Remember, entrance exams also test students mentally. That is why constant support of parents is needed for youngsters to perform well in such exams. Don’t pressure students to perform well in their exam, as it only stresses them out. Parents also have to take the lead in creating a conducive atmosphere at home, to help children concentrate on their studies.

Sometimes, there might be a crisis in the family during this crucial time, let it not affect the child's studies and performance in the exams. Parents need to create a healthy routine while their wards are preparing for the exams.Students too agree that parent support is of paramount importance.

Last but not the least, give them lots of love and care………..

SELF STUDY vs. COACHING

Self study can be done if you dont have any time frame in which the studies are to be completed and also depends on for what purpose you are carrying this studies. If it is for the purpose of increasing only the knowledge and rather to be covered in depth, I would prefer the self study approach.

But if the studies are time bound and the result of passing them is going to decide or rather enhance your career opportunities then one should consider attending the coaching classes as well. As there is every possibility to learn the proven and time saving techniques or solutions, and also provide room for discussions and sharing of thoughts about the particular subject. As discussing about a particular subject with the known people or people who are experts in that particular subject will be able to clear all the doubts in a lesser time than one finds it on his own.

So In my opinion its a combination of self study and coaching which help us to be successful.

Please don’t hesitate to send me a message.  ( I hope that y’all will love it and that you’ll continue to read it.)

When Students Need Emotional Support

One of the realities of teaching today is that most teachers work in classrooms with students identified with a wide variety of needs. We often focus on how to best accommodate our students with learning support needs, but when we welcome a student with emotional support needs into our classroom, it can really turn everything upside down. Students with emotional support needs often don’t “play by the same rules” as other students.

I have found the most valuable when dealing with Emotional Support students. Students who are dealing with this type of disability require the guidance and support of steadfast, reliable adults. They need to know that we will encourage them when they are at their best and that we will be fair and safe when they are at their worst. They will test us frequently to see if we are honest in our claims. Some of their tests will hurt. One of the hardest aspects of working with these students is the “one step forward, three steps back” feelings that occur when you feel you’ve made progress with a student one day only to have them act out the next. It is vital at these times to remain calm, to remind ourselves that we are professionals helping a hurt child, and that we promised we’d be here to support them.

P.S: “Comments R Welcome”

How students can help the environment....

Today, everyone is well aware that they need to do their bit for the environment. However, we are way past the time when awareness would be sufficient. The time has come to act. This holds especially true for those who are students today – in school or college – because they have it in them to change the way we evaluate our relationship with our environment. It’s just a matter of making the right choices and some lifestyle changes.

Besides following the mantra of ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle’ develop a green conscience. Think green and more importantly, act green. Green is no longer the symbol of envy, it is the color of pride adopted by all those who share the concerns of the environment and are doing their bit for it. You, as students need to pitch in and become part of the revolution.

P.S: "Comments R Welcome"