The learning Period 1 By Etim Ebere
Everything that you need to be doing from the beginning of the new term (or semester.)
This part will cover four sections.
A NEW TERM BEGINS
THE ROLE OF SCHEME OF WORK
PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS
DO YOU HAVE BOOKS
A NEW TERM BEGINS
The learning period covers the first ten weeks of the new term. It is during this period that students go to school to attend classes, do assignments and take tests.
It is the period between resumption of the new term and revisions.
Most students think that exams start on the day of the first paper.
Wrong!
Actually, exams start on the first day of the new term.
Did you see that?!
Exams start on the first day of the new term.
If a student fails an exam or has poor grades in his subjects, it means that he neglected the process leading up to the exam.
Let me introduce someone to you.
His name is Thomas.
Thomas, a student in SSS 1, resumes 2 weeks late for the new term. He's taking 9 subjects for the new term. Due to his 2-week absence from school, he has missed the early part of all the subjects. No thanks to whatever his reasons were. He comes to school one day with all his notebooks empty—not having any idea of what each subject entails for the new term. Perhaps some assignments have been given.
Honestly, at this point in the term, Thomas is floating.
You may want to say: "But with time he is going to catch up and get along with all that's been happening in the class."
Well, he can do that by copying the notes of classes he did not attend, copying classmates' assignments to submit and so on.
That is bad school behaviour.
Stay with me!
This is what most students do.
They are not serious with school right from the beginning of the term or semester.
We are showing you the step by step approach to becoming the best student in class. It starts from day one.
The point I am making here is that such a student has missed the beginning of this vital period—the learning period.
The reasons why students resume late to school for each new term have been identified by students of some secondary schools to include delay in the commencement of serious academic work, delay in the release of class timetable and laziness (voluntarily staying back at home).
Students in the university just deliberately don’t resume early for the new semester. They delay a little and miss the early parts of the lectures.
You are advised to resume early for each new term.
It is during these early days at school that the teachers come to the class to introduce themselves to you and show you the scheme of work for the new term.
ACTION POINT: Never resume late for a new term or semester. Exams start on the first day.
THE ROLE OF SCHEME OF WORK
Everybody, listen.
There is a syllabus for every subject that you offer in school.
The school system is designed in such a way that there are a number of topics you are expected to have studied at the end of your secondary school education.
That’s the standard.
And everything is covered in the subject syllabus.
So what you are supposed to learn in school is already clear, is already known.
The scheme of work is just a part of the whole syllabus.
So all you should learn in a term or a class is what we call scheme of work.
In the university, this is known as the course outline.
The scheme of work for a term contains what your teachers plan to teach you in that term only.
It is good for you to have the scheme of work for every subject you are to offer in a particular term.
This will give you an idea of what to expect in class and also help you prepare ahead of classes.
ACTION POINT: Make sure you have the scheme of work for all your subjects. Copy the scheme of work on the first page of each subject notebook or before the very first class note of the new term.
PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS
It is important that you are regular at school, attend classes and avoid roaming the school.
Yet, it is of more importance that while in class, you pay full attention to what is being taught rather than being absent-minded or distracted.
This is so important.
When you are in class, make sure the teacher has your full attention.
Focus on the teacher.
See, there is no short cut to academic excellence.
Don’t let anybody deceive you.
You cannot be thinking about your friends who may be online on social media or be thinking about the latest movie that you want to watch when you get home.
Allow your mind to concentrate on the topic on the board.
There is a difference between reading a copied note and being present in class yourself when the teacher was teaching.
There is a direct contact between the teacher and you.
That’s why when you miss a particular class, a gap will always be there in your understanding, even if you later copy the notes.
You know why?
You missed the direct raw gist.
In class, your teacher explains what is contained in lesson notes/textbooks and gives immediate illustrations.
He also answers questions arising from the class right there in the classroom.
Make sure you are following what the teacher is saying in class.
Don't just sit there and be looking at the teacher.
If you feel you do not understand any part of the lesson, feel free to ask the teacher so that you don't go through the rest of the class missing something out.
Remember that teachers always ask exam and test questions based on what they teach in class.
So pay close attention.
You can easily see that our friend, Thomas, is having a bad start to the new term because of his late resumption to school.
He has missed the introductory discussions in all the subjects and has not taken any notes from the classes.
"Is that all he has missed?" you ask.
No, he has also missed the idea of attempting some of the questions that may possibly be asked in the exam, if it is true that teachers ask exam questions based on what they teach in class.
The case would even be worse for Thomas if any sudden test comes up.
ACTION POINT: When you are in class, be very attentive as if there would be a test at the end of the class.
DO YOU HAVE BOOKS?
Have you ever seen anybody in the kitchen trying to cook a meal without having anything to cook with?
No stove, no pot and no ingredients?
I'm sure your answer is “No.”
A student who goes to school without notebooks and textbooks is just like that type of cook.
Class Notes
Your class notes are usually the information your teacher gives in class.
She writes the notes on the board or dictates for you to copy inside your notebook.
When you are copying from the board or writing the notes your teacher is dictating, make sure what you are writing makes sense so that when you are studying on your own you can understand what you have written.
Write your notes by yourself.
I repeat, write your notes by yourself!
Do not give to some other person to write for you.
There is excitement in reading what you wrote down yourself.
Everybody prefers their own handwriting.
In fact, it interests you to read your own handwriting than reading other people's handwriting with perhaps several jargons.
Students in the university love to photocopy notes instead of being present in class and taking notes by themselves.
Aside from the notes your teachers give you in the class, there are times when they are just explaining certain aspects of the topic.
While they are explaining, they will be saying some facts and key points that you may not have to write down in your notebooks.
What do you do?
Jot them down.
You should have a jotter where you take notes of key points during a lesson.
Your jotter doesn't have to contain everything.
It should only contain the most important points.
Write in your jotter only what's new to you and what's relevant.
When you take short notes in your own words, they would stick to your memory faster and provide a ready material for revision before tests and exams.
Textbooks
When you are buying textbooks for your subjects, make sure that it is the recommended textbooks that you buy.
Textbooks are published books that cover the scheme of work or syllabus that you are supposed to learn in a particular subject.
Your teachers provide you with information on your subjects, but textbooks give you more.
This is because your teachers do not always say everything in class. You are supposed to study on your own at home.
You may easily forget most of the things your teachers say in class, but your textbooks will always be there for you to refer to.
How about the Internet?
If you are a student in 2017, you are blessed.
In fact, you almost have no need for a teacher.
The internet is powerful.
God bless Google!
It is very easy to get information on any topic in all your subjects on the internet.
The internet is a very powerful tool in your studies if only you decide to make use of it properly.
You can get any information on any topic in your subjects right on your mobile phone or computer.
Like our new book, “How to become the best student in class,” it is already in the printing process.
We want to make sure that as students register for Junior WAEC in JSS3, they will get a copy of the book to enhance their performance.
But hundreds of students are already waiting to read a copy before they leave school.
So we are planning on releasing it online by the end of this month on Okada Books, so that students can go online and download Okada Books app and get the book there.
That way they can carry it on their mobile phone and read it anywhere, anytime in the term or semester and monitor their academic progress.
You see how powerful the internet is.
Use it in your studies.
If you didn't understand a topic that was taught in class or you read in your textbooks, simply go to google.com on the internet browser on your mobile phone or computer and search for it, you will find millions of simple explanations and illustrations on that topic.
You will surely find the one that clicks. (Pun intended.)
ACTION POINT: Do whatever you can to ensure that you have the necessary materials you need for your studies—note books, text books and (OK, Google) the internet.
This is where we end part one of the learning period for today.
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