Science is manifested in so many ways and it all can be seen everywhere around us. This relatable and interesting subject is also challenging in many ways for students, especially when starting off.
So, let’s take a look at 7 study techniques that will help you push your grades up for Science, as well as revive your interest and help you appreciate this subject!
BE PROACTIVE
Many students do not realize the importance of reading up and researching before a lesson; it works magic. Often times, students don’t have enough time to be prepped before a lecture or a lesson and at the end of the day, it boils down to proper planning of schedule and time management.
As a means of being prepped before a lesson, you can read the lecture notes before the lecture/read the textbook before a lesson, you could do research on the topic to find out interesting facts (this increases your curiosity and interest) and, you could even watch some interactive videos to get the visual representation of abstract concepts.
Having an idea of what is going to be taught in a lecture or during a lesson will give you some sort of a foundation for you to further build on. You don’t necessarily have to understand everything that’s being said in your notes the first time you are reading it; it will be stored in your memory subconsciously and everything will make sense over time.
BE AN ACTIVE LISTENER
Source: https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/3-reasons-why-active-listening-is-a-must-have-skill
Having read the notes beforehand, during lessons, when you pay attention to the details, everything will make sense and hence, it is an excellent memory reinforcement. Teachers might talk about concepts and give you information that is beyond the textbook or notes and it is essential to listen to them, maybe even take notes at times. The extra information and fun facts will come in handy during examinations and you’ll be surprised about how much it helps. Singapore’s education system emphasizes on knowledge application to solve real-life problems and hence, the extra reading, the knowledge beyond textbook will help you remove the barriers in your thinking process and will help you come up with solutions much easier. Also, training yourself to take note of the details will help you become more observant and sharper with identifying details in questions during exams.
MAKE YOUR NOTES
This technique may not work for everyone, but it is very helpful for those who find this as a useful tactic. Rewriting notes helps some people refresh their memory on what their tutors went through with them during lessons. Customizing the notes, crafting them in a way that that only you can comprehend is effective because every individual’s neural pathway is different and the way you store your information will be different from another person. This takes lots of work and patience, but it’s worth it. If you are unsure if this tactic is for you, the only way to find out is for you to try it!
CONCEPTUAL LINKING
Sometimes you might have problems doing well in exams because of being unable to see the big picture. Being too involved in memorizing details may just cause you to be a person who misses out the woods for the trees. Creating mind maps helps you look at the bigger picture and link concepts. This makes everything easy for understanding and information internalization.
PLENTY OF PRACTICE
The idea of this is to practice with a purpose, and not just complete one practice paper after another mindlessly; that will not guarantee you you’re ‘A’ grade. With each practice paper or assessment paper, you have done, you have to identify where you went wrong and understand why you have made mistakes you made by comparing your answers with the answer key.
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Feeling happy or sad with the marks on your practice papers does not matter. Be practical and take the necessary steps to ensure you don’t make the mistakes you made again. Identify your learning gaps, sit down with your tutors and discuss the areas where you made errors, and rectify them.
Let your brain lift those weights and exercise those mind-muscles to get better at what you do. The world doesn’t owe you anything, so work hard for what you want!
MOCK PAPERS
This is to specifically train yourself to work within a time frame. Under a time limit, there is an obvious mental pressure. Doing mock papers will help you become better at working under pressure and it will train you to think fast.
TUITION
Your Science tutors are there to help you pick yourself up and steer you in the right direction. They will not give you the answers but they will equip you with the mental tools and skill sets for you to figure it all for yourself. Good tutors won’t molly-coddle you, but they will be one of the biggest pillars of strengths in your educational journey. So, ask questions uninhibitedly and concentrate on rectifying the mistakes your tutors point out.
Follow these study techniques and make your life easier! Remember, nothing comes easy; everything requires hard work.