Mon April 29, 2024Today, I would like to address an important upcoming event—Parents’ Day. This Saturday holds great significance for all students, as it provides an opportunity to sit together with your teachers and parents, reflecting upon your academic journey in the first term. It is a time to assess your progress, celebrate your achievements, and identify areas for growth and improvement. How did you perform in the interim exams? Do you feel nervous or pressured about your results?
From my observations, I have noticed that many of you are quite hardworking during the exam period. However, I recall an incident from last year when I was invigilating a S1 class. I noticed a little boy who had fallen asleep during the exam. It was because he had stayed up studying until 4 am the night before. This raises an important question: Is last-minute studying effective? If not, then what would be a better approach for your preparation?
Over 100 years ago, a scientist named Hermann Ebbinghaus introduced the concept of the forgetting curve as part of his research in learning and forgetting processes. He discovered that after just one month, he had forgotten 90% of everything he initially learned. Modern neuroscience has validated this trend through various studies. Moreover, recent research has shown that if we interrupt the forgetting process shortly after learning new information, such as by reviewing it the next day, we can slow down the rate at which we forget. Each subsequent review further strengthens the neural pathways in our brains, helping the embedding of information into our long-term memory.
Ideally, we should aim to interrupt the forgetting process within 24 hours of learning new material and then review it again a few days later. There are several effective learning strategies we can employ, such as self-testing, flashcards, practice quizzes, or other learning strategies to retrieve information from our memory. The more frequently we utilize these techniques, the better we will retain the information. When reviewing our materials, it is crucial to not only focus on what we already know, but also identify any gaps in our knowledge. Incorrect answers on quizzes or exams can serve as valuable indicators of areas where we need to dedicate more study time.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that practice truly makes perfect. The most effective way to study is through regular review and revision. This requires your diligence and commitment. If your results in the first term were not satisfactory, let us take the upcoming Parents’ Day as an opportunity to reflect on our study methods and strive for improvement in the second term.