Queena Lee-Chua
Inquirer
I agree with everything, except the last one. I would rather have a class of lively students who challenge everyone with insights, rather than a group of silent automatons who regurgitate everything I say.
That said, my students have missed important points. Study hard, yes, but study wisely, too. Come to school prepared, not just with materials, but also with SMART goals. Do not cram, so make sure to master the basics beforehand. Avoid cheating, certainly, but outside of exams, never be afraid to ask for help.
Set SMART goals
Companies expend a lot of effort on five- or 10-year plans. Bankers help us save for retirement. Learners also need to set goals— SMART goals.
A goal is Specific. What do you want to accomplish? Instead of saying: "I want to be a good student," which is vague, state the goal clearly: "I want to get an average of 90 percent in History by the end of the quarter."
A goal is Measurable. You need to keep track of your progress. For example, "So far, I have received good scores on three quizzes. I need to practice my oral presentation, so I can maintain my average."
A goal is Action-Oriented. Merely dreaming about a good grade is not enough. You need to take action to achieve your goal. "To do well in History, I need to do my assignments and read the textbook regularly."
A goal is Realistic. Decide if a goal is attainable in the first place, and then think about how much effort, time and resources you can expend to reach your goal.
When I was a freshman in college, my goal was to learn as much math and English as I could, and do my best in other subjects. However, advanced placement classes meant solving math problems and writing compositions every day, on top of homework and term papers in other subjects. I was a class officer and a member of the Math Club, with frequent meetings and activities. To top it off, I yearned to be part of the swim team, which entailed frequent lengthy practice sessions.
I managed time pretty well, but there was no way I could do everything. Something had to give. I did not want to lose sight of my goal, which, after all, was mainly academic. There was no way I could sacrifice my studies. So with great reluctance, I dropped the swim team. In this lifetime, I would never be Christine Jacobs, but I could be a mathematician.
A goal is Time-Bound. How much have you achieved at a certain point? "If I want a good grade in History at the end of the quarter, which is a month away, do I focus more on the textbook, or do I revise my term paper? If both, how much time do I spend on each task?"
Ask for help
Seek help at the first sign of trouble. Students dread report card time, but I will tell you a secret: so do teachers. Parents, tutors and the rest of the extended family descend en masse to threaten or plead with teachers to "reconsider" failing marks. By then, it is too late.
When we fall ill, we go to the doctor at once. When we are hungry, we look for something to eat. Why then do students delay seeking help when they don't understand a lesson?
On the first day of class, I tell my students: "When you do not understand something, please seek help at once. Turn to a classmate, do research in the library or on the Net, ask your parents or consult me. If you let the little problems pile up, then you will be over whelmed later on."
In a class of 40 students, it is impossible for teachers to meet the learning needs of everyone. One-on-one tutorials may be essential for slower or faster learners. I inform students of my regular consultation hours, and I am happy that many of them use this opportunity to enhance learning. For students who need to brush up on the basics, I go through exercises with them in detail. For those who prefer a challenge, I discuss advanced topics or pose more complex problems.
Teachers, good teachers, at least, welcome questions. Last year, when my son was in Grade 2, his Science teacher told me: "I like the fact that Scott is not afraid to ask questions if he wants to clarify things. I especially admire him for doing the asking himself. Mostly, parents are the ones who call me up, and sometimes I wonder if they or their sons are the ones with the questions. I hope they are not doing the homework for their kids."
When the teacher discusses a lesson, review the details later in the day, even if the test is still far away. If a point is not clear, reflect on it for a while. If you really cannot understand it, then seek help as soon as possible. Do not close your eyes and pray that you will never see the topic again. According to Murphy's Law, the topics you don't know are most likely the ones you will meet in the test.
Master the basics
My friend was frantic. "Can you help my daughter? She does not know division and she has a test next week. I have been sitting beside her for four hours, and we have not made progress. Now I am yelling at her, and she is crying. I don't know what to do."
Sure enough, her daughter, whom I will call Riza, could not do division. But what my friend neglected to mention was that Riza could barely do multiplication either. Four hours, even four times four hours, of hard work was not the best strategy here. If Riza did not know that 4 times 6 is 24, then how could she tackle 24 divided by 4?
Rizas problem was not so much division itself, but lack of mastery of the skills required for division. I was not surprised to learn that Riza had also flunked a previous test for multiplication.
"Can't we just do division now, and go back to multiplication next time," she pleaded, "since the coming test will be on division anyway?"
Sorry, no way. New knowledge builds on prior learning and, for a subject like math, where one concept leads to another, mastery of the basics is essential. For the next four days, we did nothing but multiplication. I introduced songs, pointed out number patterns and advised Riza to eat memory-boosting foods.
We studied division only during the last two days, but by then, spurred by freshly learned multiplication facts and a giant fear of failure, Riza was able to grasp the concepts. She got 80 percent on the test, and would have gotten higher if she had finished the 50 items.Of course, to totally master a topic, how could a week, however intensive it had been, ever be enough?
Once, when I asked a student why he failed a test, he admitted: "I did not understand Chapter Two, so I skipped the pages and went to Chapter Three. But I got lost. I was hoping to catch up in the next chapter, but things got worse."
Studying hard is important, but it is also essential to study wisely. If you cannot comprehend a complex topic, chances are you have not understood the concepts leading up to it. Instead of banging your head on the proverbial wall, or worse, giving up, why don't you go back to earlier lessons? Again, seek help if needed.
Learning is not easy, but then, things worth doing seldom are. But with the right mindset, proper support and good habits, learning can not only be endured, but even enjoyed as well. Have a great school year!
Queena N. Lee-Chua is a professor of mathematics and psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment