TOTAL RECALL

Source – www.educationtimes.com Posted on Monday, February 11, 2013 As students prepare for the exam season memory training expert Shalu Bhambri provides tips Speed reading Reading is the basis of all learning. Move your index finger as you read. This increases reading speed and enhances concentration. Every sentence has two to four key words which contain the essence of the topic. Circle these words. They draw your attention to the gist and act as memory ticklers during revision. Key words save 60per cent of your revision time. Pinch yourself every time your mind wanders. The moment you realise you are day dreaming, start read aloud and make tiny margin notes. Avoid thinking about results, holidays or career options while studying. Revising a chapter Use the above steps and run through the headings and sub headings to get a broader picture. Speed read the paragraphs, focus on key words. Recall/ recite the points loudly. Silent reading is faster but difficult portions must be read out loud. Use all your senses while learning i.e. eyes, ears, hands, mouth and the mind. This hammers the material in your memory. ‘Read-mark-recall-reread’ strategy can work wonders. Fast and Frequent Revision Technique (FFRT) FFRT means speed reading through the material while focusing on the key words followed by recollection. This is to be done same day, next day and end of the week. By following this religiously, you will develop a strong memory. Stress v/s positive time pressure Stress reduces productivity, but positive time pressure enhances learning. Always set 40 minute targets. This gives your brain a job at hand and a deadline to complete it. This will help increase learning speed and concentration. Brain diet Oxygen is the super food for your brain. Slow and deep breathing for five minutes with your eyes and ears closed enhances concentration. Practicing anulom vilom pranayam will keep you relaxed and focused. Physical exercise or outdoor activities for 20-30 minutes is a must. Popping some vitamins, almonds etc also help. Keep it simple Oral/ mental recitations — clear concepts and make learning solid. Mock tests — show your level of preparation and bring out weak areas. Use the internet for studying — since picture format sticks better to your memory. Avoid new notes — switch to mind maps and 3D notes. Take short breaks —every 40-50 minutes and switch subjects twice a day. Bedtime revision — flip through the key words at the end of the day. Lastly enjoy your studies. Learning is not a punishment. Stop dreaming about the future too. Live in the moment and make the most of it.

Be Confident

Source – www.educationtimes.com Posted on Monday, February 25, 2013 With the CBSE board exams on March 1, Geetanjali Kumar, CBSE counsellor, offers last-minute tips to students on how to cope with stress and be best prepared. All set for the show. That should be the right spirit. You have been studying hard, so you must be well-prepared for the exams. Do not let stress or fear have any impact on your confidence level. If you have any negative thoughts, do not bottle up. Rather, confide in someone you trust. The board exams may be the all-important thing right now, but in the bigger scheme of life, it will play a smaller role. Last-minute revision • Find a quiet and a comfortable place to study, with minimum distractions and minimum background noise • Keep everything you need, ready in hand • Ensure enough time to revise • Use technology - Record the important points, definitions, formulas, dates and listen to them as and when you feel • Work on a time table so that you can track and monitor your progress • Allow time for fun and relaxation • When you notice that you lack concentration, take a short break • Do not waste time in reading the entire book. Just scan through the important points, examples, diagrams, tables and charts, etc • For last-minute revisions, use memory aids, which are quick and easier to memorise. Use numbers, acronyms, mnemonics, stories, flowcharts, spider webs, etc. • To retain information, while reading, follow the text with a pencil and whisper the text to yourself to ensure progress • Frequent mock tests with sample papers may be helpful • Take adequate rest between two study slots - a brisk walk, a game of basket ball or badminton or a stroll in a nearby market to relax and unwind • A healthy diet with fruits and fresh liquid ensure active learning. Avoid experimenting with new dishes in the last few days so that you don’t fall sick • Light breathing exercises or listening to music, reading few pages of a book or catching up with your favourite serial for half an hour are all positive stress busters • Sleep adequately in the days just before the exams • Studying in groups can also help validate one’s preparations, apart from clarifying certain doubts • Do not ignore diagrams, tables or graphs or maps given in your text books • Practice for a legible handwriting by writing big and bold. Devise a personal strategy and put it to practice in the last lap before the exams: • Scan the test paper • Start with the easiest • Move on and come back • Allot time to each question • Neat and clean answer sheets • Revise Do not pick up a new book or a new topic in the last few days. Make sure you keep all things — admit card, pens, pencils, scale, etc — you need to carry on the day of the exam in one place. Confirm and visit the examination venue before the exam. Discuss the transportation time and mode with your parents. As told to Aaditi Isaac

Let Us Change Our Mindset

The gang-rape of a young woman in the national capital shook urban India. In the surcharged atmosphere there was more anger and less reason. Impatient young people demanded not only instant justice but also the death penalty and chemical castration, which were clearly out of sync with the spirit of modern times and democratic and human rights traditions. Forced to act to quell popular discontent, the government set up a three-member committee to look into possible changes in criminal law to ensure quicker trials and severer punishment for sexual assault of women. The committee comprising Justice (Retd) J S Verma, former chief justice of India, Justice (Retd) Leila Seth, former chief justice of Himachal Pradesh, and Gopal Subramanian, former solicitor general of India, submitted its report within 30 days. Also Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised that his government “will be prompt in pursuing“the committee’s recommendations. But I strongly feel – No matter how good laws are on paper, they mean little if it takes years to punish a person accused of rape. The committee has rightly pointed out that existing laws are enough; they just need to be implemented properly and quickly. We need to understand that it was not just the failure of the government and its police and legal system. It was a collective failure of the Indian people. Those who commit offences are from this society. They are growing up in a system which has been unjust to women. Everyone wants someone else to fix the problem. No citizen wants to take the responsibility for doing his bit. The committee was pained to note that no one came forward to help the injured victim as she lay bleeding on the road. I feel that there is a great dependence on government and laws to solve social problems. At best the laws can enable change. Laws are tools for change but they cannot on their own bring about change. The need of the hour is to take steps to change the mindset of the people of our country. The committee’s recommendations include drastic changes in what is being taught to children in schools. There is a need to catch them young. Give the right inputs and gender sensitive values to children so that they grow up to be good citizens who respect women and do not indulge in sexual violence of any sort. In the short term there is an urgent need to fix the legal and judicial problem. Change the laws where necessary to make them effective and change the judicial system and courts so that there is no delay in punishing the guilty. In the long term there is a strong need to change the mindset of the people. That has to start from schools. Citizens cannot leave everything to the government and the laws. It is the people who run the government, its police departments and its courts. It boils down to people – citizens like you and me, our parents, relatives, friends and acquaintances around us, political leaders, police officers, judges and, of course, teachers.