Women Of Destiny

OH! I'm so glad to see BRENDA's post. Its so nice! Especially the poem at the end. Definitely adding some colours to my so far lousy day. And Brenda, we do have some similarities there. I'm forever looking forward to recesses and the bell that indicates the end of the day, and needless to say, holidays (CNY!!). It is not freaky at all la. I love having something to be excited about. =)

Guys, i had a bad day today!! Totally sian about it. Nevermind. Promised i would elaborate more on my previous post. Again, they are from my school's vice principal.

Which way do you prefer to study? Try to figure out your learning style.

1) Silence VS music?
Do you prefer to study in a quiet place or cant do without music?
Its hard to find somewhere really quiet to study, especially in Singapore. Sometimes, even libraries can be irritatingly annoying, like those soft buzzing from constants vibrations of phones, or the music leaking out of someone's ear piece. Trust me, even that can be disturbing to some people.
However, silence helps people to concentrate and focus better. No distractions! Also, will be able to be more efficient and productive.

I cant believe why some people cant do without music when they study. Really, i cannot stand it. Its ok to listen to some songs, but definitely, not radio stations. My VP said, unknowingly, you will pay attention to what the DJ is saying instead of the work in front of you, and resume study when the songs are on, only, to listen to the DJ when he talks again. This is very distracting, and does no good especially when you are trying to drill some theories into your head.

2) Group or alone?
For me, i will just catch up on the latest gossip or news if i am studying in a group. VERY UNDESIRABLE. However, as my VP mentioned, for subjects like literature or Math, it is better to study in a group. Lit may requires you to read alot of books, and you may not have the time. It helps if one of them are assigned a book each and read up on it, then share about it. like summarised up the book, to the group on the following meeting, but that doesnt mean you dont have to read it yourself. VP did that in his university days during which he is required to read at least 40 books each term. Meeting in a group will help. For Math, yes, you might get the right answer, but the intermediate steps may be wrong or too long. People in the group can help to correct it or/and teach you faster methods to obtain the answers.

In a group, other than the occasional distractions, more work can be done, greater coverage and faster pace of understanding. Think, between having someone explaining to you and there to clarify your doubts with, and figuring it out on your own which takes ages sometimes and still not able to grasp the concept, which is faster?

Studying alone, better concentration, longer attention span, increased efficiency and productivity with the minimal distractions.

3) Morning lark or Night Owl?
Some people function better at night or in the morning. Early birds might have an advantage as they work better in the daytime, and it is the time when they are in school! Nocturnal creatures, can stay up till 4 or 5 am in the morning without feeling tired. Only when they go about their daytime activity do their tiredness sink in........... Zombies, my VP would say. (haha) This affects their sleep cycle. When people are sleeping, they work. They sleep when people are working.

It really depends on whether you are more "alive" at night or in the morning. But, for students, the suggested one would be to work in the morning since it wont make any sense to study into the wee hours and wake up 2 hours later to go to school. I did that once, during the End of year exams, Physics paper. I slept at 5 am and wake up at 6 am. HORRIBLE. Cant even think properly. Luckily, it was the last paper.

4) Short sprint VS long marathons?
Sprinters are people who take breaks every 45min to 1 hour of studying. This could work better as time is needed for the brain to consolidate and digest the information. Suddenly loading the brain with information may not be helpful. During the process when it is trying to sort out the information, it cant really register new ones. By stuffing yourself with information, you will tend to forget them faster. Though you may still remember the details, it would only be temporary.
Studying with breaks do looks good BUT, exams usually last for a few hours and there is no way you can rest in between.

People who go for long study marathons like 5-6 hours straight may find it harder to focus. Their mind would stray away, and it might get boring. Learning have to be fun in order to make an impression on you!
Try answering this question: Can you remember ONE particular lesson in Secondary school or Primary school? Just ONE.
Was it with someone you like? Was the lesson conducted outdoor? Was there any set-up or demonstrations? OR just a simple joke or something witty from the teacher?

See? If its just boring and mundane readings, your brain might not be triggered to stay attentive.

Still, marathons might prove to be effective and cover greater chapters. For e.g, i studied all the way till 5pm once i get home so that i can watch Yu Le Bai Fen Bai. That tv time can be a longer rest time compared to short breaks.

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Sometimes spending 4-5 days on a topic for a test may not bring you the results you expect to achieve. The amount of time spend on it is NOT equals to the results you get. Sounds unfair, but thats the truth. Aiya, speaking from experience one ok. From myself and from the people around me. Maybe something somewhere along the way has gone wrong. Could be that you memorise instead of understanding it etc.

Well, whatever the case, it is always good to find out what your learning style is. Not cramp all the information at the last minute. Never a solution for major exams. Thus, its better to "experiment" now, than later.

Going to watch Coach Carter now =) BYE!

Signing off,
Jo