Weeks before an examination I would have my students write down the mark they were aiming for. Then I would have them verbalize their goal to a neighboring student in the class. Verbalizing harnesses the power of the subconscious and sparks into action the law of attraction. But the reaching of goals still requires a reason, action, and the confidence that they can be attained.
The Purpose of Examinations
No one likes to do something for nothing; it is useful for students to understand the purpose of examinations. There are four easy-to-understand reasons and they all begin with the letter 'M':
- Measure performance
- Master the materials of the course
- Motivate us to learn
- Memories- remember the material long term
Types of Testing
On an examination there are basically two types of testing. One seeks specific right answers while the other manipulates and evaluates material. They are:
- Objective questions: measure specific facts, ideas and concepts;
- Subjective questions: remember information plus manipulate and evaluate it in a meaningful way.
Learning Styles and Studying Techniques
Students should become aware of how they learn best and the reason for knowing this is simple: A key to studying is to prevent boredom and working with a natural learning style rather than against it can be more productive.
There are three types of learning styles. A helpful exercise right now would be to recognize a personal style from the characteristics:
- Visual- one who learns more quickly and retains more information when it is presented in graphs, pictures, charts, etc.;
- Aural- one who absorbs information more readily when it is heard;
- Haptic- one who learns better by seeing something demonstrated or by doing it oneself.
To better test your recognition of learning styles, consider the following studying techniques and their relation to the various learning styles:
- Visual- make mind maps, color-code flashcards or charts to show relationships among information or ideas;
- Aural- record yourself reciting the key words and supporting ideas and turn some of the information into familiar songs, limericks or poems which you can recite and memorize; or talk to yourself;
- Haptic- present the material in each section to someone else, perhaps a fellow student who will benefit from your work; or write on the blackboard in an empty classroom.
Exercises:
- Task #1- Match a haptic learner and an aural learner and have the haptic learner present the meaning of several terms to the aural learner;
- Task #2- Have pairs of aural learners take some information from the course and create a song, limerick or poem;
- Task #3- Have pairs of visual learners create a mind map to show relationships among ideas in a section of the course.
Sources:
- Carol C. Kanar. The Confident Student. Wadsworth Publishing. Jan. 2010
- Claude M. Bristol. The Magic of Believing. Touchstone. 1991
- Jason Millman. How to Take Tests. McGraw-Hill. 1969.
- John Langan. Reading and Study Skills. McGraw-Hill. Boston. 2007
- Richard Palmer. Brain Train: Studying for Success. SPON Products. Oct. 1984.
- Other Learning Styles- Dunn and Dunn. Erudium.
James Gibson - James Gibson is a retired teacher and small business owner. He is a published writer and has a wide spectrum of interests.
