STUDYING 101

I am often asked how do I study...


And I actually do not know how do I study. All I remember was that when I was in elementary I studied with my mother (who was thank God, very very patient in reviewing us with the lessons and making a mock exam) but the catch is --- we do it infront of the television. That's basically my dynamics in learning, no pressure and easy. 

Everything was easy in elementary (oh well except Math) but the real world of 'studying' occurred when I was in high school. I studied at a Science High School and when these three words go together, it will only mean one thing brainiac! True, our BRAIN got Insistently Abused by the Curriculum. You know, why all the other typical high schoolers were preoccupied with crushes and gimmicks, our crushes were Einstein, Mendel, Archimedes and Curie and our gimmicks were inside the chemlab perfecting the mixtures of chemicals that will make our mini-volcano erupt. It was such a headache for four years. We have to endure it but I am glad I survived it. If I were to be asked what is my biggest accomplishment in life, it would be SURVIVING HIGH SCHOOL.  


Check this indie movie about the life of Science High School students, PISAY by Aureus Solito http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuXGrIWDZ5I


But every sweat in high school paid off when we entered college because of the training we got. In college, every subject was just easy basically because we were already sharpened by our high school education. We didn't have to worry about physics or organic chemistry because we already knew the position of the -OH in Ethyl or Isopropyl and all the other alcohol in the world. Now, this explains why I was so keen in my CH4 (methane) example during the debate contrabattle. 


I took up Nursing, it's a subject that was not far from my science inclination but this subject also caused me stresses because of the many memorization, which I am not fond of. Even if I have trained in PowerMemory which gives me the advantage of memorizing things in seconds and storing them in either my short-term or long-term memory, I still hate  memorizing. We have to memorize tons and tons of drugs and its mechanism of action. Like, what's the difference between an antitussive and an expectorant. Not to mention the tongue twister names of other formulation. 


But I again, survived it with flying colors and when I took the board exam, it was all a culmination of my efforts since elementary. I sweat but I glistened after as I ranked 7th in the whole Philippines. 


When I became a teacher, I vowed to myself that I will be the best. I will be that teacher whom students love to attend class with and not fall asleep. I hope I am that - my philosophy is happy learning. That is, learning is better facilitated if the teacher will maintian a happy and positive outlook in the class. No terrorism, never a dull moment. 

Teaching Kuya Eting and Biggel basic English :-) Laughtrip

Now, I am sharing to you some tips in studying. These may not be true to all but these worked for me. 


1. DON'T PUSH. Study when you want and how you want. If you're not in the mood for studying do not waste your time pretending to study, nothing will happen. 


2. CHECK HOW YOU LEARN BEST. I am an auditory learner, meaning I learned best when a good lecturer discusses and I pay attention. So I really don't dwell on writing, I just listen. If you are a visual learner, meaning you retain more if you see colorful things, side notes or other visual aids, then do it. 


3. REST BEFORE STUDYING. Give your self and your brain a rest period before studying. If you're tired, chances of retaining the lesson is quite small. Powernaps or rest-in-between are also helpful. Powernap is 10-15 minutes only, never 4 hours. Haha. 


4. ORGANIZE. It helps if you organize your notes before you study so you won't stop the momentum when you need to look for the next page of your hand-outs. 


5. STUDY THE EASY ONES FIRST, HARDEST LAST. Study shows that we retain the last thing we memorize so it will help if that subject is crucial. Another reason for me is that, I have to finish the easy ones first and be settled so that even if the hardest subject eats all of my time, I am assured all the other subjects were taken already, I just review them a little afterwards.


6. WHEN SLEEPY, MUNCH. My practice was to keep cookies, candies and lollipops while studying because whenever I feel hungry or sleepy, they are my usual saviors. 


7. REWARD YOURSELF. What I usually did before was to give myself a positive reinforcement if I finish ahead of time like I watch television or read my favorite pocketbook for a good job. And if I did well in the exams, I reward myself by eating ice cream or watch movie. 


8. BE HAPPY. Learning should be happy, never a punishment. 


I hope you get something out from my little list.

Nursery Recognition Day, I was 1st Honors

Remember that education as what we always hear from our parents is something that cannot be taken away from us (except if you will suffer from Alzheimer's), but that's true. And for us to be educated, we have to do our part. The efforts of our mentors are not enough if we do not cooperate and the thing is, it is our own treasure not some one else's so don't expect other people to do it for you. Most importantly, let me borrow Dr. Jose Rizal's words: 

"the heart of education is the education of the heart"

How about you? How do you study? SHARE!