It is possible that some students study hard but never succeed, or reach their desired target. Perhaps, the methods they use while preparing are not appropriate. When results come out and a student feels they did their best but was below the pass mark, it can be dispiriting. The good news, however, is in two words — ‘studying smart’ — once mastered, learners may just say goodbye to poor performance. Alice Usabye, a teacher in Nyanza, Southern Province, says sometimes it is better and helpful to join group discussions to exchange ideas and collaborate, and at the same time, help each other. Studying in a group can also make learning easy and fun. It is also motivation as learners get to work with others. This helps them learn new skills and broaden their knowledge and capacity of thinking. She also notes that having a timetable would guide a learner to minimise their study session when it comes to preparing for exams. This also prevents them from cramming notes at the last minute. Usabye further says that revision often helps learners prepare for tests, and works as self-evaluation — to find out how much they know. The beauty about testing themselves, is that it enables students to grasp any topic profoundly and extensively. Using past papers while revising is also a good idea because chances are, some questions might appear in the next tests or exams. However, it helps a student study a number of topics at a go, she says. According to Usabye, learners ought to understand what they are learning instead of trying to memorise everything they read without fully comprehending it. Once they understand what they learn, they can explain it very well, with examples. “Students shouldn’t only rely on notes from the lectures, teachers or their books, rather, use other materials to expand their understanding. The library contains information on most of the topics that are taught in schools. They should be driven to carry out research on the Internet to find a selection of information that might help them discover new material,” she states. Usabye indicates that when a student is learning, it is essential to have a break during study sessions as it helps them retain information better. On this, she adds, studying for a prolonged period can make one feel exhausted and lose morale. So students need to give their brain time to absorb what they are learning. During the break, students may choose what helps them relax, like talking to friends or playing games that help the brain to ‘cool down’ and prepare for the next learning session. Furthermore, she says, teaching someone else can help an individual understand difficult concepts and memorise them. When you want to teach something, you have to know yourself and be prepared. While you are teaching, you too learn as you are forced to express information in your own words, ask questions and get answers, and at the same time, get new skills and ideas. John Mary Musinguzi, the principal at Little Bears Montessori School, says students need to identify their talents. If it is related to classwork, then they should concentrate on that. If it is outside the classroom, it is better to assist them where they feel they can do best, but with guidance. These talents can include music, sports, art and design, and so much more. Note that, this may now include a mentor who will give better guidance to both the student and the parents, he says. “For the student to study better, more learner-centred methods should be used to allow them to discover more from within them. This helps them to improve the skills within, some of them may include, sharing, self-esteem, presentation, leadership, among others,” Musinguzi says. These will help them in the future as they grow. The learner-centred methods may, for instance, be through group work, field study, class debates, role plays, among others, he adds. Musinguzi carries on that he would advise students to sit at the front during class lessons as there is more concentration to what the teacher is teaching, and less distraction from colleagues. He also says, students shouldn’t multitask while revising, the greatest distraction of all time is checking a phone or watching TV while trying to concentrate on something, because you won’t be giving one thing all the attention necessary, hence, wasting time. Some studies show that people who claim to be good at multitasking aren’t actually better at it than the average person. Musinguzi, however, urges learners to focus on effort, not the end result, because if they put emphasis on just having high marks, they might not be able to learn much, since they are focusing on high marks. He also notes that learners have to trust that they can improve, even in their weakest subjects, but only if they put in the energy and time. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
