Tips to enable thorough learning of concepts - Lawrence High School

Read first part here

When you pick up a chapter to read/study, it is important to keep in mind that your approach should be to master the concept rather than what is just given in the particular chapter.

The very basis of a sound knowledge of fundamentals is the habit of asking ‘whys and hows’. Never be satisfied by what is given in the books. Always, ask challenge your understanding by working backwards from a problem to see where it leads you. Every step should be conclusive and natural.

This means, you might have to, often times, resort to looking up at other reference material, apart from the school books. While, this may seem unnecessary at a lower grade, especially when you think of just the ’20 mark’ exam, this is a crucial habit that needs to be cultivated to have your foundation laid in concrete.

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Why the need to supplement textbooks?

Spoon-feeding by teachers and mugging a concept without full understanding of the subject will only probably fetch you the desired marks. However, the real test of the knowledge is when you are required to apply what is learnt and that is when you’ll feel inadequate if you have not invested time and effort to grasp the fundamentals.

How can you supplement textbook studying?

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It is an exciting time to be in school, since these days most schools have devised the concept of project work and assignments to encourage students to go beyond their school books and apply their knowledge. The internet age and the easy availability of books in school libraries make it interesting and simple for the students to augment what is taught in schools.

Lawrence School helps identify, nourish and foster unique talents and abilities that every child is endowed with. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/ 

Tips to enable effective knowledge absorption - Lawrence High School

Studying a course material should not happen just before a test or exam. The intention to study must be for gaining knowledge and not merely to pass or obtain a certain percentage. Keeping this in mind, Lawrence brings to you in a series of blog posts, tips to enable effective learning.

Before you get on to the task of studying, it is important to understand your learning style-what works for your friend need not work you and vice-versa.

An everyday routine: Any concept needs time to be assimilated into your system and this cannot be done with a hurried approach a few days before an exam. Therefore, design a day-to-day learning schedule that involves a slow and thorough approach to understand the given topic.

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Break down the lessons: Taking on a lot of information at one go can be overwhelming and could add pressure. Break down the chapter into smaller parts as per your capacity and time schedule. This way, the concentration and output will be optimum.

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Incorporate your learning style: If you are a visual learner, take down notes as you grasp the concept in a format that will help you recollect the gist at a glance. Remember, that this should not be a method to just learn by rote what you have studied, but only as an aid to help you retain what is learnt. If you are a kinesthetic learner, think of small-sized hands-on projects or get your teachers to help you with small assignments based on the topic. If you are an auditory learner, try reading out aloud or listen to recorded bits of your lessons.

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*The School could provide assistance by offering all kinds of material to benefit all kinds of students in the form of written notes, recorded tapes of lectures and ready assignments that can be taken up by the students as per their learning preference.

Let the information rest and then re-start: Try avoiding taking on a fresh concept immediately after the one before. Take some time to ponder over what has been learnt by attacking the concept/lesson/problem in different ways. Mulling over a newly-learned concept/lesson/problem also gives you time to let your mind smoothen the rough edges.

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These were some tips to get started. We will add more in the next few posts will elaborate on them.

Lawrence School helps identify, nourish and foster unique talents and abilities that every child is endowed with. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/