Can you see the movie of your future every single morning? Have you set goals that are realistic or unrealistic? Are you one of those people who sets goals lower than you can achieve because you are afraid of failure? Think BIG and see yourself achieving a big goal, and your brain will start creating the opportunities to help you achieve that goal. Your life will start to fall into place. It is called the law of attraction. If we are positive we will attract positivity into our lives. Visualise success and play the movie of your future and how you want it to be every single day, and the impossible will become possible.
If something went poorly for you yesterday, what did you learn from it? It is important for us to ask different questions from those we habitually ask in order to shift our “habits” so that we can move away from and let go of negative feelings.
If you are finding study tough going it might be worth considering a study group. You may find that you enjoy school and life more as you are sharing the workload while also meeting your social needs. It is important to keep the group small, no more than four to six people who are willing to share notes, materials, and tips about what works for them.
Group study tips
You need to be structured.
Set date and time and place to meet.
Plan your study/revision timetable beforehand.
Each one has to research a different topic.
Set deadlines and ensure everyone meets those deadlines.
Advantages of good note-taking in class
Less time spent learning material at home as you know it well already.
Less time spent being confused about homework.
Stick to the same format every time and you will become faster and more accurate.
Listen closely in class for key phrases which will tell you what is important, teachers always repeat important points.
Use abbreviations or symbols instead when appropriate.
Try to write the gist of what is being said, instead of writing word for word; in this way you are learning and understanding as you take notes.
Notes must be revised at regular intervals, the mere fact of taking notes does not mean that the material is in your head.
If you increase your focus when you are studying you will remember more each time you study a piece of information.
Benefits
You will avoid having to cram the night before exams.
You will feel prepared and more confident.
Different pieces of information will be connected..
Learning styles
Think about the things in life that you remember in detail. Is it information that you have read in the form of pictures and text? Or is it a speech from the news or TV? Or is it from doing things with your hands?
Knowing your learning style will help you to study effectively.
Visual learners love diagrams/mind maps, for example they can do well in subjects like geography and biology. They learn best by seeing, and by drawing diagrams and colour coded bullet points.
Auditory learners do very well in language and music classes because their learning style is auditory (listening ). They learn best by recording notes, talking to others about what they have learned, and listening back to recordings.
Kinaesthetic or tactile learners learn best by movement, touching and doing, and excel in hands-on subjects such as art, technical graphics, and woodwork. Flash cards can be very effective for revising languages.
However, points to note are that no student will be totally one type of learner.
Here is an example of how to write notes:
Write down the title of the book from which the notes are taken.
Write down the title of the chapter from which the notes are taken and also the page numbers. It is important to include the name of the author and the subject.
Reading
As you read it is important to stop and ask yourself what you have read. This habit will help you to read with greater concentration. Also stopping from time to time is a way of finding out:
(a ) Whether you have learned anything; and
(b ) Whether you remember it.
Finally review what you have read, survey the headings and main ideas quickly, skim over what you have read, and review it often enough to put it in your long term memory. Now take note one again where your study ranks in your list of priorities... and don’t forget to play that movie.
Patricia O’Flaherty, guidance counsellor.
