Basic skills
Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardour and attended to with diligence.
– Abigail Adams
Once you master a subject, any subject, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle others. There are certain key skills such as establishing a good work ethic, developing physical skills and taking care of yourself, communicating clearly verbally and in writing, working directly with people, influencing others, gathering information, using quantitative tools, solving problems, asking and answering the right questioons and knowing how to create opportunities that are life skills, they stay with you after you leave schools and change careers.
Some rules I try to live by:
1. As a person thinks, so is the person.
2. Never feel sorry for yourself. You have two hands. One is for helping yourself,
the other is for helping others.
3. Say yes to those who need help before they ask.
4. It’s the repetition of little acts which constitute the sum of character.
Each act of betrayal weakens you and opens the path for more cowardice. Each
lie erodes your integrity.
5. I will address whatever fear that threatens to shrink my world.
I’ll start with the academic side, where I’ve gone through the grind. Don’t feel overwhelmed. There is nothing mysterious about academic success: It’s the accumulation of a series of disciplines and putting in the time effectively. The stuff below helps if you’re preparing for any sort of exams.
Equipment
1. A small appointments diary
2. Clearly labelled files
3. Magazine files
4. Stickers for labelling
5. Paper clips, staples, hole-puncher
6. Index cards in a box
7. Highlighters, pens, pencils (how colourful you want your notes to be depends
on personal taste, Shingyi once said her friends told her her books look as
if they are dipped in yellow highlighter. I prefer pencils.)
Academic:
1. Summary of syllabus
2. Outline of topics in chronological or other order
3. Bibliography for further reading
4. Past-year exam questions
Steps
1. Gather and order
2. Comprehend and compile
3. Memorise and review
4. Understand requirements of exam
5. Formulate your answer in clear, precise manner that covers major points
6. Keep an eye on time limit
Skills
1. Note-taking and filing
2. Note-making and compilation
3. Memory and recall
4. Question interpretation
5. Selective recall and organisation of points
Goals
Short term, for exam:
1. Set of complete, accurate and systematic notes
2. Notes in point-form (fact sheets) for quick and complete recall of facts
3. Examination essays which answer the questions selected quickly and accurately
4. Writing that is legible and grammatical
5. Finishing the examination in the time limit
Long term skills:
1. Ability to identify the key factors in a problem/project
2. Analysing the factors for impact
3. Making sure the research and reasoning you base your solution on is sound
4. Efficient working, avoiding excessive and indiscriminate research and actions
The thing is, much of the facts you memorise will be forgotten. I do not believe in mindless cramming and prodigious feats of memory – much more important is intepretation and working smart once you understand what is required, ie the Pareto principle of focusing on the 20 per cent that’s vital. You learn to see patterns that will help you along.
Common problems
1. Discuss, consider and comment on
You’re asked for your opinions and observations and must support them
with facts and evidence
2. Why, explain, account for
Show that you understand why things are as such. Give weightage to various
factors.
3. Examine, assess
This means inquire into, investigate and find out what the connections are.
Support with relevant facts and look at countervailing arguments. Measure
the importance of factors.
4. To what extent, how far
Similar to examine and assess, but you’ll have to do more weighing of
a set of factors against others.
5. Compare and contrast
Indicate similarities and differences between factors. Decide on how to compare:
a) A1, A2, A3 followed by B1, B2, B3
- Dangering of getting carried away with narrative account and forgetting
to compare and contrast.
b) A1, B1 then A2,B2 then A3,B3
- Taking it one point at a time, step by step. This helps you answer the question
more directly than a)
7. Quotation or term such as “modernism” or “Japanese militarism”
You’ll be asked to comment on a quotation. Make sure you understand
it thoroughly before attempting to answer such a question. If you are faced
with a term that is abstract, make sure you know how to account for it. Parse
for key words in the question posed.
8. Long-range questions
Covering a wide period of time or space. Parse for key factors, similarities
and differences.
Preparation
Be thorougly prepared.
Know a) what the syllabus covers and past exam questions
and b) what the examiner wants
- relevance and accuracy in factual knowledge
- clear and effective presentation
- exercise of informed judgment and awareness of context, ability to discuss
and analyse the knowledge.
Be organised.
Know ahead of time what events are forthcoming, when assignments are due so
you can put them into the calendar.
Be single-minded and selective.
Do not over-commit; know your goals and what you want to do well in.
Be consistent.
Persistence and long-term effort pay off and reduce panicky stress. I’ve
always been the last-minute kind when I was in school, though, but it takes
its toll and good working habits are definitely something that will pay off
in the long run.
In exam hall
Read all instructions carefully, go through the questions calmly and choose the ones you want to tackle. Read the question carefully and make sure you know the requirements. Do not waste time on irrelevant material.