subject: Quality Learning [print this page] Quality Learning Quality Learning
In my 14 years of educational life, there came many occasions when I was stuck with some topic and at all those times I had only one burning desire that, there would be some gadget or some trick with which I convert that topic in some eatable material and engulf or convert in some kind of drug and inject in myself. But at all those times, I was responded with a loud "NO". I am sure all of you must have faced same kind of situation, during your student life.
Everyone sometimes in his/her life faces a situation when he/she is with lack of time and the work to be done is much more. In such type of situations "Cramming" totally fails because it is too much time and energy consuming. And result is always poor as compared to "Conceptual Learning". Also they get pass in exams but fail in life and the situation gets even worse when in professional they have to cope up with some "Tricky Topic" where they need to get concepts and no to cram.
I had also faced same type of situation in my inter exams. I joined Pre-medical and my teacher advised me to cram every topic. He showed me some papers by older students who succeeded to get admission in "Medical Colleges" and insisted me not to convey concepts in my own language, but follow book blindly. I tried my best to follow his advice and worked really hard studying about 14 hrs a day. Result..?
I simply fail to score good marks in my "Inter" because cramming was really hard for me and conceptual study. I was advised not to do that. Well I do not blame my teacher as our exam system is such that it forced students to cram and not to build your own ideas, logics, words and explanations. Anyways after that I never crammed again and built my own scheme to learn things. This is not only beneficial at student level but will also help your entire life to learn things in minimum possible time and remember them for maximum time.
Let's take a simple example to understand it. For example I am a Biology student and am given a topic for test. Let's assume the topic is "Human Respiratory System". (If I would be same 3 years back, I would cram it but now) I will simply start reading it. Just a plain reading, to understand, what is topic about and what information is provided in it. After clear understanding, I will make notes for the same topic, which will be consisted on following material.
The above three or four lines will be the maximum material that Ill have to memorize (conceptually). This will not only save my time in first time preparing topic but whenever after, I'll have to recall the topic I'll simply take that paper and revise the full topic in minutes. And if forgot something, book is always there for my guidance and help.I know not for all topics, you can create notes but for most of them you can do. This technique, on one hand, will not only save time and energy but on the other hand will also keep your mind fresh and tensions free.
Now it will also be beneficial in a sense that I have a concept about that topic and not the knowledge. Now if someone asks me about Respiratory System, I 'll simply recall those few names and will explain him in my own words in a better way. But if I would have crammed that process then, when someone asks me, I spit out the whole necessary and unnecessary information before him which neither he would be able to understand nor I.
