MTALBERTGRAMMARSCHOOL StudentGuidefor NCEASUCCESS CONTENTS Page Introduction HowdoIlearn? WheredoIlearn? HowdoIOrganiseMyself LookingafterYourself UsefulWebsites 3 4–12 11–12 13–16 15–18 19-20 2 INTRODUCTION WouldyouliketodowellatNCEA?Surelyeveryoneshouldanswer“yes”tothatquestion.Readingthisbook mighthelpyou.Itcertainlycan’tdoyouanyharm!Somepeoplemightsay,“Idon’tcare”.Thisisjustoneofthe waysinwhichpeoplepreparethemselvesforfailure.Ifyouprepareyourselfforfailurethenthatiswhatyouwill achieve.Ifyouprepareyourselfforsuccess,thenyouwillsucceed. Intheend,ofcourse,itwillcomedowntoyouandtheexampaperbutwhathappensforthatshortperiodoftime onasummer’sdayintheexaminationhallwillbeaffectedbyeverysinglethingthatyoudobetweennowand then.Itwillbeaffectedby • Whatyoudo • whatyouread • whatyouthink • howyoufeel • whatyoueat • howyourest • howyouexercise • whatyousaytoyourfriendsandtoyourfamilyand,ofcourse • whatyoulearnandremember. Youcansucceed.Whatyoudobetweennowandthenwillmakeahugedifference.Thehardroadtosuccessis workingalone;gethelpfromyourfamily,yourteachersandyourfriends.MostpeopleonlytakeNCEALevel1 examinationsonce. 3 HOWDOILEARN? WhatIsTheBestWaytoRevise? Getitintoyourhead–thereisno“correct”waytorevise.Don’tforgetYOUDONOTHAVETOREVISETHESAME WAYFOREACHOFYOURDIFFERENTSUBJECTS.ItmaybethatonetechniqueworksbetterforSciencewherea differentonewillworkwellforHistoryorTechnology.Ifyoufindtherightwaytomakethingsstayinyourmind youhavetakenagiantsteptowardsachievingsuccessatNCEA A.RememberwhatyouhaveheardaboutVisual,AuditoryandKinestheticlearning. Highlighttheactivitiesyouthinkwillworkforyou. VISUAL AUDITORY KINESTHETIC Formpicturesinyourmind Usetapes Pace/walkasyoustudy Takenotes WatchTV Physically“doit” Seepartsofwords Listentomusic Practisebyrepeatedmotion Use“cue”words Speak/listentospeakers Breatheslowly Usenotebooks Makeuprhymes/poems Roleplay Usecolourcodes Readaloud Exercise Usestudycards Talktoyourself Dance Usephotographicpictures Repeatthingsorally Write WatchTV Userhythmicsounds Writeonsurfaceswithfinger Watchfilms Havediscussions Takenotes Usecharts,graphs Listencarefully Associatefeelingswithconcept Usemaps Useoraldirections Writelists Demonstrate Soundoutwords Draw/usedrawings Usetheatre Watchlipsmoveinfrontofamirror Saywordsinsyllables Repeatedlystretch/moveinchair Watchlipsmoveinfrontofamirror http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtml Veryusefultodiagnoseyourpreferredlearningstyle 4 • POSSIBLEREVISIONTECHNIQUES:- Highlightkeypoints.Whynottryunderliningorcolourcodingparticularpiecesofinformation?Aseriesof differentcolourhighlighterpensmightbeusefulhere. Thisisaveryusefulfirststeptobreakingdownlong piecesofwritingintomoreusableshortlistsordiagrams. Highlightthekeywordsinthispassage.Underlineanyimportantphrases. TheStatesofmatter Allmattercanexistinthreestates–solid,liquid,andgas.Solidshaveafixedshape.Liquidshavenofixedshape, buttheirvolumeisfixed.Gaseshavenofixedshapeorvolume.Theyspreadout(diffuse)tofillalltheavailable space.Unlikesolidsandliquids,gasesareeasytosqueezeintoasmallerspace(compress).Thestateofa substancecanbechangedbyheatingorcooling. • MakeaMindMap.Someofyouwillbemorefamiliarwiththisthanothers.Amindmapisreallyaspider diagram-usingcoloursothateachlegofthespiderisadifferentcolour.Researchshowsthatcolourcanhelp usrememberthings.Itreallyisworthtryingthis–ifyourbrainworksthisway,mindmappingisaperfect wayofrememberinghugeamountsofinformation.Itmaynotworkforyoubutyoudoneedtopractisea littlebeforeyoucanmakethatdecision.TryusingPICTURESaswellaswordsandmakingeachmapfunnyor memorableinsomeotherwaysothatitwillstickinyourmind.Don’tforgettheseareyourrevisionmaterials –theycanbeasoutrageousasyoulike. Addcolourandwittyimagestoyourmindmap. • TheShrinkingMindMap.Theaimofthegameinrevisionistoreducealotof materialintoasmallspace.Ifyouhaveproducedamindmap,theideaofa Shrinkingmindmapistocreatethesamechartwithfewerbranches. • CassetteTapes/PodcastsTakesomeofthelistsorthenotesthatyouhavemadeandrecord themontoacassetteorpodcast Listthetopicsyoucouldlearnwellfromatape:- ..................................................................... ..................................................................... • Song,Rhymes,MnemonicsandAcronyms.Makingupcatchphrasesorrhymescanhelpyouwithcrucialbits ofinformation,e.g.tohelpyousortoutwhichisthexandwhichistheyaxisonagraphyoucouldremember “xbelowybecauseygoesuphigh”.Itmaymakeyoucringebutyouwon’tforgetit!Or,“xisacross”(across!). Amnemonicisawordorabbreviationthathelpsyoutoremember.Anacronymisawordmadeupusingthe firstlettersofaseriesofotherwordsorthefirstwordofaseriesofsentences.Forexampletorememberthe advantagesofcreditcardsforBusinessstudies Convenienttocarry Outletsforuseeverywhere Paylater Security Extrase.g.insurance C.O.P.S.E Thesefivepoints,whenarrangedinthisparticular order,producethewordCOPSE.Thiswouldbe easytorememberinanexam. 5 Makeupasongoranacronymforsomethingyoufindhardtoremember e.g.ForSciencethereactivityseriesofmetalsorplanetsinthesolarsystem. EgForHistory RLAMB=Reparations,Landloss,(no)Anschluss,Militaryrestrictions,Blame(warguilt) ExplainsthepunishmentthatGermanysustainedafterWW1 RevisionTip:Don’tforget–ifyouhaverememberedseveraloftheseforanexamitisnotcheatingtowriteall oftheacronymsdownassoonasyouaretoldtostartanexam.Makethewordsfunny,personal,orevenrudeifit helpsbutthisreallyisanexcellentwayofreducingalotofinformationintoaverysmallspacetohelpyour memory.Tryit. • Post-its.Researchshowsusthatwhenourbrainisstoringinformationoureyesareoftenangledupwardsto therightortotheleft(dependinguponhowyourbrainissetup).Post-itscanbeabighelpinremembering importantinformation.Whynottrymakingsomebrightlycolouredsignsorevenjustwritingdownkeywords thatyouwanttorememberandputtingthemupinyourroomathome?Maybearoundyourmirrororon yourdoor. Trydifferentcoloursfordifferentsubjectsordifferentareasoftheroom. Designsomepost-itsusingwords,listsorsymbols: • ListsItmaybethatallthe“fancy”waysofrevisingwehavetalkedaboutsofardon’tworkforyou.The traditionalwayofrevisionistomakelistsofinformationanditmaywellbethatyourbrainlikesthisbetter thananyotherway.Ifyouaregoingtomakelists,tryandfindwaysofmakingtheminterestingandkeeping themshort.Thetemptationisalwaystowritedowntoomuchanditmaybethatyouusetheshrinking technique(formindmapping). • StudyBuddy-SharingLearning.Oneofthemosteffectivewaystolearnistoteachsomeoneelse.Thisiswhy yourteachersaresoamazinglyknowledgeable!Onceyoufeelthatyouhaveadecentgraspofthe informationyouaretryingtoremember,itmakessensetotellsomeoneelsewhatyouknow.Youare probablybetteroffbeingtestedonthechartsandliststhatyouaretryingtorememberfortheexamsthanby havingsomebodylookthroughyourfolderofworkandaskingyouquestionshereandthere. 6 Listyoursubjects: SubjectsWhocouldyouasktobeyourstudybuddy? ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ................................................................................... ..................................................................................... • PractisingPreviousExamQuestions.Allexamsarewritteninacodedlanguagebecause,tobehonest,there areoftennotmanydifferentquestionsthatyoucanbeaskedaboutparticularsubjects.Whatdoeshappenis thatthesamequestionsareaskedindifferentwaysorwrappedupinwhatcanbeconfusinglanguage.A massivekeytosuccessinexaminationsisunderstandingthequestionthatyouarebeingasked. ‘Over60%ofallerrorsinexamsarecausedbynotreadingthequestionproperly.’ Listyourstandards Whichsubjecthasgivenyoupractice papers Whichsubjecthaveyouboughtarevision workbookorexampackfor? 7 ArethereanyRevisionbooksyoushouldbuyorsitesthatyoucangoto? Seelastpagesofthisbook. • ShowYouKnow.Thereisnopointreadinginformationandthensayingtoyourself“yesIknowthat”and movingon.Youmustdemonstratetoyourselfthatyoudoknowtheinformation.Howdoyoudothis?Itis uptoyou. • Recitethingsoutloud • Writedownlists • Stopyourselffromeatingthatnextbiscuituntilyoucanrecalleverythingthatyouneedto– whateverittakes. A. i) withoutcheatingwritedownalloftheprevious8“howtolearn”suggestions. ii) lookbackandfillintheothers.(Theorderdoesn’tmatter). iii) Coverupthelistandsayall8outloud! Repeat(ii)and(iii)untilyoucandoitcorrectly! • RevisionCardsorCueCards.Somepeopleliketocondenseinformationontosmallcards whichtheycanthencarryaroundwiththemmoreeasily.Ifyoudothis,tryandkeeptheinformationon thecardstoaminimumandtryandhavesomeorganisation,forexample,onecardpertopic.Makethe cardsdifferentbyusingcolour,pictures–anythingthatwillhelptheinformationstayinyour mind. A. Makeacuecardforonetopicyouknowwell. Example Topicheading • ................... Subjecttopics • .................... Extrainformationi.e.keywords • .................... Oneachsubheading. • .................... • ..................... RevisionTip:TAKEABREAKPeoplelearnbestatthebeginningandtheendofeachrevisionsession–sohave lotsofbeginningsandends!Themaximumtimethatyoucanconcentrateis40minutes.Rewardyourselfby finishingsomethingandthentaking5minutesoutforacupoftea.Thengetbacktoit! 8 ANDFINALLY……..SOMEDON’TS DON’T: • Kidyourselfthatyouknowsomethingjustbecauseitseemsfamiliarwhenyoureadit.Ofcourseitdoes, youhavejustreadit! • Revisewithfriendsifyouareonlygoingtochatandnotreviseanywork.AfriendisforlifebutNCEA examspassthiswayonlyonce. • Foolyourselfthatyouarerevisingbyreadingthings.Peoplespendhoursreadingandre-readingnotes withouteverbreakingthemdownortestingtheirknowledge.Intheendtheverythoughtofpickingup thathugefileandstartingtoreaditagainissodepressingthattheydon’tbother. • Goonrevisingwhenyouaretired.Giveyourselfabreak.Ifyouplanproperly,thereistimetoget everythingin. • Don’tgiveintopanicandstartstayinguphalfthenight.Theinformationwon’tstick;yougetstressedout andbecomelessefficientasareviser.Bestrongaboutthis. • Thinkaboutmorethanonesubjectatatime.Muchrevisiontimeiswastedbythinkingaboutwhatyou arenotdoingforsubjectsB,C,andDwhenyouaretryingtorevisesubject Makeaplanandsticktoit.Ifyouhaveconfidenceinyourplanthenyouknowthereisenoughtimeto covereverything. 9 WHEREDOILEARN? HavingacomfortableplacetoreviseisacrucialelementofsuccessatGCSE.Everyonewillhavedifferent circumstancesathomeandnoteveryonewillhavesoleuseofabedroomorastudyarea.Thereareproblems withyoungerbrothersandsisters,television,musicetc. Youmayneedtobreakthehabitsofalifetimeandtalktoyourfamilyaboutyourneedsoverthemonthsahead. Whatyouneedmostofallisoneplaceinthehousethatyoucanusealoneandwithoutnoisydistractions. Yourworkplaceshouldinclude,asfaraspossible,thefollowingthings. • • • • • Adeskortable Acomfortablechairwhichsupportsyourback Agoodleveloflighting Acomfortabletemperature Alltheresourcesyouneedincludingallyourrevisionresources,pens,pencils,scrappaper, coloursetc. Don’tgiveyourselfexcusestokeeponbreakingintoyourrevisionbygoingtogetthingsthatyouneed.Putitallin oneplacetobeginwith.Organisethespace.Researchhasshownthatuntidyroomscanhaveamajoreffecton self-esteemandself-confidence.Keeptheroomneatandtidyandyouwillgiveyourselfthefeelingthatyouare ontopoftherevision.Thesesmallthingscanbeimportant.Atalltimesyouwillbedoingwellifyoufeelthatyou areincontrol–untidinesssuggestsalackofcontrol.SOCLEARTHECLUTTER! 10 Music Withoutdoubt,somepeopleworkbetterwithamusicalbackgroundbutforallofthese,therearemanypeople whospoiltheirrevisionbyhavingmusicaldistractions.Likeitornot,allofthecurrentresearchsuggeststhat musicwithafastbeatwillstopyoulearningeffectively.Slowandquietinstrumentalmusiccanhavearelaxing effectonyourbrain.Thiswillpromotetheabilitytolearnbutdoyoupossessmusicofthisnature?Ifnot-the bestadvicemightbetodowithoutaltogether.Behonestwithyourselfaboutthis–youmightlikeitbutisitdoing youanygood? Distractions Evenwhenyou’vesortedoutyourworkplaceanddecidedwhetherornottolistentomusic,it’sstillfartooeasy toavoidthatrevision.Resistthetemptationtowatchatelevisionprogramme,DVDorvideo‘inthebackground’. Askyourfamilytotellfriendswhocallthatyouarebusy.TURNOFFyourmobilephone(don’tjustturnittosilent). 11 HOWDOIORGANISEMYSELF? BeforeTheExam–MakingARevisionTimetable Therearemanywaystomakeaplanandnoonewayofdoingitproperlybutthereareanumberofthingsthatyou candotomakethingseasier. ThenameofthegameisCONTROL.Ithasalreadybeensaidinthisbookletthatyouwillworkwellandachieve successifyoufeelthatyouareincontrolofyourrevisionateverystage. Controlinvolvesbreaking“revision”downintosubjectsandthosesubjectsdownintotopics.Inthiswayyouwill endupwithadefinitenumberofstepsthatyouneedtotaketoachievesuccess.Youwillbemorerelaxedand effectiveiftheanswertothequestion“whatareyougoingtodotonight”isnotthegeneral“revise(groan)”butis thespecific“Historytopic6andEnglishtopic3”. Startpreparationforthefirstexamsfirst,butdon’tforgettheothersubjects. TIMESPENTONPLANNINGISNEVERWASTED.Planningiscontrol.Controlisthewaytoachievesuccess. Step1 WeekNo Drawatablesimilartothis. Monday Morning Afternoon Evening WeeksRemaining Untilfirstexam. Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Step2 Step3 Step4 Diarydates.Fillineverythingonyourplannerthatyoualreadyknowabout-socialevents, holidays,sportsfixtures. AssoonasyouhavethedatesofyourNCEAexaminationsthese,too,shouldbe filledinonthechart.Thiswillgiveyouaperfectviewofexactlyhowmuchtime youhavetoprepareforeachexam. Forceyourself,whereverthisispossible,tobreakdownyoursubjectsintotopics. Onceyouhavedonethatyoucanalsobreakdownyourpreparationintostandards. Nowyoucanbegintofillinyourrevisionslots.Workbackwardsfromthe finalexamdateandtrytoachieveanevenspreadofsubjecttime.Youmay wishtoconsciouslygivemoretimetosomesubjectsbutateverystageyouwill knowpreciselyhowmuchtimeyouaregiving. 12 YOUMUSTINCLUDETIMEFORRELAXATIONINYOURTIMETABLEandsomeblankslotsto‘mopup’incaseyou fallbehindorneedtotakeanunexpectedbreakfromtheplan.Eventhemostperfectstudentintheworldcannot achievesuccessatNCEAwithoutallowingforleisuretime.Ifthisisonyourtimetableyoubeattherevisiondevil called“GUILT”because,ifleisuretimeisallowedfor,youknowperfectlywellthatyoucanaffordtorelaxand forgetallaboutstudying. Step5Putitonthewallandtickoffthethingsyouhavedonesoyoucanseewhatyouhaveachieved. OnExamDay Inworkingtowardsanexamyoushouldfeellikeanathletebuildingtowardsaperformanceatyourpeak.Justlike anathlete,theamountofsleepthatyougetinthedaysbeforetheexamandtheamountandqualityofthefood thatyoueatwillmakeadifference. Tryandgetintoaroutineaseachexampassesbysothatyouarenottryingtosolveproblemsonthemorningof animportantday.Knowwhereeverythingisandgiveyourselftimetodoeverythingwithoutpanicking. Thinkaboutsomeofthesethings:- • Setthealarmtomakesureyouareupingoodtime–ifyouareabadrisergetsomebodytocheckonyouand dragyououtofbedifnecessary. • Eatbreakfast.Forexample,toastorcerealtogiveyouenergy. • Putyourselfinapositiveframeofmindbeforetheexam.Thisisapersonalthing,forsomeitmightinvolvea shortburstofexercisetogetthat“feelgood”factor;forothersitmightinvolveareassuringlookatsomevery briefrevisionaids(butdon’tgetstuckintothefilesatthispoint). • Giveyourselfplentyoftimetogettotheexamwithoutrushing. • Keepthatpositiveframeofmind.Keepyourheadupandkeepyourshouldersrelaxed.Whatareathletes doingbeforeabigrace?Ifyouwatchthemtheyaretellingthemselvesthattheyaregoingtosucceed.They repeatthisoverandoveragainuntiltheybelieveit.Don’tforgetifyouwanttosucceed,youwillsucceed. LOOKINGAFTERYOURSELF? Believeitornot,stressisquitegoodforyouaslongasyoudonotfeeltoomuchofit.Muchoftheadviceonthe earlierpagesinthisbooklethasalreadydealtwithdifferentwaysofreducingstressandthekeywordthathas alreadybeenidentifiedisCONTROL.Knowyourselfandbeawarewhenthingsaregettingtoomuchtocopewith. Knowingwhatyouwilldoifyourecogniseaproblemwithstress. UNDRESSSTRESS! Recap Someofthethingswehavealreadytalkedaboutwhichcandispersestressinclude:- Don’tworryaboutwhatotherpeoplearedoing.Theymayneedtododifferentthingsandtheymayneedtodo moreorlessthanyou.Itdoesnotmatter,theyarenottakingyourexamandyouarenotincompetitionwith them. Listentogoodadvicebutbeawaresomepeoplesayalotanddonothing.Itisthesamepointagain.Yougeton withwhatyouneedtodoanddon’tworryaboutotherpeople. 13 • Makeaplanandsticktoit. • Establisharoutineandsticktoit. • Eatproperly. • Getenoughsleep. • Takeregularbreaksaspartofyourplan. • Whenonplannedleisuretimeforgetwork. • Whenrevisingsubjectadonotthinkaboutsubjectb,c,d,e,f,getc. • Buildinvarietytoyourrevisionandbeatboredom. • Talktopeople–talktoeveryone.Thisisanaturalwayofrelievingtension–don’tbottleitallup! SymptomsofStress Youwillprobablyexperiencesomeorallofthesethingsoverthenextfewweekssodon’tworrythatthereis somethingwrongwithyoubutifanyofthesethingsstartgettinginthewayofworkthenyoushouldtell somebody: Badtempered/irritable Persistentheadaches Persistentbackache Lackofconcentration(worsethanusual!) Feelingsofpanic Feelingsthatyoucan’tgetyourbreathproperly Feelingsofunhappinessordespair Feelingsofpointlessness Stomachache Dizziness 14 StressTip TAKETIMETOBREATHE-Oxygenisfree,pigout Copingwithworry:Herearesomeideas: SuggestedActions PositiveAttitudes Sharetheproblem. Thinkpositivelyanddon’tthinkaboutthenegative alternative. Beactive.Dosomethingphysical. Controlit.Makeyourselfstop,pause,thinkandtakea Belogical.Makealistofpossibilities,considerallthe freshlook. options. Seethefunnyside.Smileateveryone. Relax.Tightenyourmusclesandthendropyour shouldersandletthetensiongo. Setsomegoalstogetthroughit.Breaktheproblem down,tackleitonestepatatimeandkeepthinking Writeaboutit. howgoodyouwillfeelwhentheproblemisbehindyou. Concentrateonyourbreathing.Trytenrepetitionslike this: Breatheindeeplyforaslowcountoffour;holdthe breathforaslowcountoftwelve;releasethebreath slowlyforaslowcountofeight. FinalThoughts-GettingThingsinProportion TheworstthingthatcanhappentoNCEAstudentsisafeelingthattheyarealoneandeverythingisgoingwrong. Forgetit.Thereisnothingthatcanhappentoyouthathasnothappenedtomanyothersofthehundredsof thousandsofpeoplewhohavesatandsurvivedNCEAexams.Thisisnotapublicexecutionsokeepitallin perspective.InDecemnberitwillallbeover. CaffeineConscious Fluidsareimportantforyourbodybutbecarefulyoudonotoverloadoncaffeine,whichcangreatlyexaggerate thefeelingsofstress.Toomuchcoffee,teaandcokecanreallywindyouupsobecarefulofthisordrinkdecaff. Toomuchsugarwillmakeyousleepyandmakeithardertoconcentrate–youwillfindcerealsandfruitarebetter snackswhileyouareworkingthansweets. 15 Whatthisbookletmighthavedoneistotakeawayfromyousomeofthemostcommonexcusesthatpeopleuse fornotdoingverywell.Fallingbackonfailurecanbequitecomfortable.Ifyoudon’tmakeaneffortyoucan alwayssay,atalaterdate,“IcouldhavedonebetterifI’dworked”. That,ofcourse,isnonsense.Theseexamswillonlyhappenonceinyourlifeandyouwillachievewhatyouare abletoachieveontheexamdays.Solet’sputthatexcuseinthebinwiththeothers: “Iamnotverygoodat…….” “Ican’tdo……” “Ihavenotgottimeto……” “Iamtoothickto……” “Inevereatbreakfast……” “Igettootiredto…..” “Igetreallystressedoutbyexams…..” “Idon’tknowhowtodoarevisiontimetable…..” “Idon’tknowhowtorevise…..” “Iwon’tgetthegradesIneed……” Yesyoucan!.Yesyouwill!.Goodluck! 16 UsefulWebsites http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificationsstandards/qualifications/ncea /subjects/ Onceyougettothehomepageclickonsubjectspecificresources Bookmarkonyourcomputer www.studyit.org.nz Hugelyvaluablesitethatischeckedbyseveralteachers.PrimarilyforEnglish,MathsandSciencebuthasother subjectsaswell. 17 http://www.magsmaths.com/ www.ncearevision.co.nz ThissitehasbeensetupbyPearsonEducationtosupporttheirlineofRevisionbooksandCDs.Ithassomevery usefulresourcesinitegdiagnostictests,exemplaranswers,linkstoNCEAsites 18 www.studypass.co.nz Thiscompanysellrevisionbooksbuthavesomeusefulmaterialonlineaswell. www.physicsclassroom.com ThissitetargetsPhysicsspecifically 19 Subjectassociationwebsites GooglethesubjectegHistoryteachersassociation,,GeographyTeachers, OVERSEASSITES www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize BBCwebsiteusefulrevisionforallsubjects www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revsion BBCwebsite,goodgeneraladviceandusefulresources www.revisiontime.co.uk Anexcellentsite,withlotsoftophints www.projectgcse.co.uk Goodrevisionsitewithquestionsandnotes www.kevinsplayroom.co.uk Goodrevisionsiteformostsubjects www.littleheath.org.uk Lookatsubjectpages 20
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