Having taught more than 2000 students in the past decade, I’ve managed to formulate a framework that helps me tailor my lessons to suit 3 different types of learners.
1.The Dabbler
The dabbler is getting ready for a topical class test next week and hasn’t started on the chapter yet. He finally sits himself down and gives himself a timeline of an hour to complete revision for the topic. He opens his textbook and 20 minutes later, he finds himself reading chunks of information without really understanding anything. So, he gives up and tries a few questions from his topical worksheet. He’s satisfied with just a few minutes of practice. He checks it off his to-do list for the day and goes back to play.
Yes, he fails/barely passes the class test.
What works for the dabblers?
Cheat sheets. It takes time, perseverance and patience to master a subject and our dabbler might have to immerse himself in the subject for weeks/months to progress beyond the first 5 pages of the textbook. Cheat sheets do 2 things for them: 1. Breaks the topic down into sub-topics for them to digest smaller chunks of information and 2. Gives them a formula for almost any type of question so they can keep practicing it till they become perfect at it.
2.The obsessive learner
The obsessive learner wants results — and fast! Productivity drives her, so she plans the next 6 months and can’t afford to waste any time. She wants to maximise her day by studying 3 subjects. She pencils it into her schedule and plans it to the spec.
Her first week of studying doesn’t go as planned as she piles up a backlog of subjects not covered each day. She loses patience and puts her books away. The obsessive learner has hit a plateau.
What works for the obsessive learner?
Quality, not quantity. To progress, the obsessive learner must accept her study week is not going to be as productive when learning a new topic/sub-topic. What’s worse is that her obsessiveness to completely cover the topic in the limited amount of time will lead to her leaving out bits of crucial information that would most likely be tested more in the examination.
My study planner for students has always followed a strict rule – A maximum of 2 topics from the same subject to be covered per day with at least 3 hours of time spent on each topic. A checklist is also maintained for this study planner to ensure that revision is done 3 times before the final exam. This way, my students ensure that they cover the DEPTH of the subject instead of the breadth of it. It worked wonders for me when i took my O and A levels.
3.The Hacker
The hacker only wants to know what is being tested in the exam. He starts revising for a topic by practicing past year examination papers before getting acquainted with the concepts. The hacker achieves perfection in the skill of answering common exam questions very easily but their fixation on results prevents them to think beyond the pattern of commonly tested questions.
What works for the Hacker?
Creative problem solving. The hacker already has a strong learning ethic. It is important however to direct the hacker’s energy to solving questions that are not typically tested in the examination. Besides, questions that require critical thinking or those that contain spatial visualisations have seen an increasing trend in the recent PSLE and O level examinations, indicating a possible new norm.
What works best for you?
Contact us for an individualised assessment of your study technique and we’ll show you EXACTLY what you need to be doing differently in order to see results.