Are you a science student? still in high (secondary) school? are you looking to be successful in your final school exams: WAEC, NECO, IGCSE, JAMB e.t.c? then this is for you! I would just like to share a few tips that would be hugely beneficial to you, especially if you’re in your senior years (ss1, ss2 and ss3). In the video preview above, I shared practical steps that you can use to tackle the reading problem. So very succinctly I would like to recap below.
- Text-ing
Nooo not that kind you do with your phone, this is different. It is important, necessary, exigent, appropriate, inevitable, infact I’m running out of vocabulary. But I cannot over-emphasize how important it is to use you textbooks. yeah, that’s the sort of text-ing I’m talking about Text-book. Get it? I would like to say at this point in very clear terms, that if you’re going to really excel, you can’t keep reading off only things your teacher gives you as notes. How are you going to tell me that you’re a science student, studying Chemistry, Physics, and you don’t read your textbooks on your own? it is almost impossible! before long, you will be shocked at how much information you are bereft of, how much knowledge you lack. How are you going to depend solely on what your teacher gives you, when he/she gets part of what he gives you from the textbook? but you can read the textbook on your own and get ALL of the information, and not some of what the teacher feels you need! Reading your science textbooks opens your mind to how ignorant you are.That’s the hard truth. But you don’t have to keep being ignorant, that’s why you’re reading the textbooks in the first place. And you have to cover all of them before you start writing your final exams. Well yes, very true; you have to.
PS: I am in no form, disparaging the work, and efforts of a teacher. Infact most times, you find yourself in a place where you need the teacher to introduce a topic to you, before you can even fully grasp anything in the textbook. You also need the teacher to explain whatever you come across in the textbook that isn’t very clear to you. Reading your textbooks on your own, should compliment the work of the teacher, and not replace.
There’s a little something I’d like to do here. I’m supposed to be paid for this, but never mind. I’d like to recommend some textbooks for you, proven and tested by the best, that’ll really help you. You see, the title of this is ‘Readin’ Right’ you need to know how to do it the right way. You will waste valuable reading time, when you consume the wrong material. Some authors have really done their job well, and have really simplified things for students. You don’t want to have to figure out the textbook, before figuring out chemistry or Physics. I think this author has done a really good job: Solomon Dauda Yakwo; Calculations in Physics, the book is dope. Of course you must have to supplement that with your New school Physics by…. For your Chemistry, still stick with your New School Physics by Ababio and Calculations in Physics by Charles Asemota. Maths, read Everything you can! I am of the opinion that; of course we’re talking Nigerian syllabus, and WAEC, NECO in perspective, if you just focus on these only, you’ll be more effective. It’s very simplified and concise.
- Sticky notes
When it comes to science subjects, they’re lots and lots of, infact tons of formula. And there’s no running away from them, you just have to know it. And you know that it’s very difficult, if not impossible to get a hang of all of them, you know keep them all in your head and remember easily. So this method is very efficient; write down all your formula in sticky notes! Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, all of them. It’s easy to refer back to them time and again, and it’s portable. Means you can carry them about, virtually any and everywhere. When you make it a habit, to keep looking at these formulas that you’ve written, (with your own hand writing please!) they start sticking and after a while, formula won’t be a problem for you. You will virtually know them. It’s just that simple. What you keep seeing sticks! that’s why they’re called STICKY notes. lol I’m just playing.
- Jotting
Now, very closely related to using sticky notes, as I talked about above, is jotting. Yes jotting. Jotting involves the whole caboodle. It’s all encompassing. Having settled the textbook affair, because you definitely have to read them, and regularly for that matter, but as I said earlier; what you keep seeing sticks! you have to realise something. Most times, valuable information is in between lines. Yes in between lines. It’s easy to miss them but they’re important. Think of this as a summary. Have a note book, for each of your science subjects, and after reading each topic, whatever you think would be vital, jot down. Textbooks these days are getting fancier and easier to read, but you can’t keep referring to them all the time. It can be a drag sometimes, looking for something that seems to be lost in the textbook. But Jotters are for ‘quickies’ maybe when you’re answering past questions, or just general revision. It gives you the vital and necessary information about that topic, without bothering you unnecessary information, having earlier jotted. Which will take me to my next point.
- Past Questions
When you’ve started following the steps above, only when and after, those steps, should you contemplate this step and not before. Don’t start answering questions when you don’t know all about that topic. You have to review what you’ve read, learnt and known. School they say, doesn’t test intelligence, but memory.Sometimes you think you know, and maybe you do, but what do the examiners want from you? you don’t give them what you know per se, you give them what they ask for. This is the test. Most of the textbook I listed above have questions after each topic. When you’re satisfied with how much you know in any particular topic, attempt ALL questions in that topic that you can find. You don’t want to have to enter the exam hall knowing a whole lot, about a particular topic, but the questions make no sense to you. That’s a huge waste of reading time, because you didn’t know what was required of you from that topic. For instance motion. when you’ve read everything about motion, projectiles, formulas and all, answer questions given in the textbook, and in other textbooks. Also, go to your past WAEC, NECO, JAMB, IGCSE questions and look for questions in that topic and answer them! The truth is that, these question recycle themselves, and they’ll come in your next test or exam, but in another form!
- More tips and final Advice
Finally, I’d like to add here, that whatever you do, make sure that before you start reading you have an idea of exactly what you want to cover. Don’t just read with a vague idea of so many things. If you’re reading your Physics, for instance, have it in mind before you ever start that you’d like to cover a certain topic, or area in a topic. That way, you’re able to systematically cover your textbook. Don’t just read some from this topic, that topic and so on, except you’re revising.
Again, find what motivates you. For me, I think it’s important to find your space and what works for you. They are some environments that are absolutely impossible to read in. You’ll just be deceiving yourself if you say you’re reading in such places. Some people can read on the bed, others can’t, some people can read with others chatting in the background, others can’t, some people can stay late into the night, others can’t. Some people, food works for them, that is while reading, others will like bright lights around them. Find your space and what works for you.
I’d be honest, it’s not everytime you’ll feel like reading, or that you’ll have perfect conditions, but it’s mind over matter…what does that even mean? But I think that it’s important to have people around you, that will not only inspire you, but will literally force you to read at some points. It’s also highly important to take advantage of every reading time you have. Anytime you sit down to read, be true to yourself that you’ll achieve something before you finish. After a while, when you’re answering questions in class, passing tests, answering past questions, it becomes far easier to read, because it’s frustrating to keep reading and see no results, but now you’re seeing results, and boy do they come quickly.
Finally, I’ll say set milestones or little goals for yourself. The aim is to complete your textbooks (you definitely have to) go through all your past questions and all that. When you set daily, weekly, monthly goals for yourself, you’ll achieve them, and you’ll be smarter and happier. I advocate for starting early enough. Start doing these things now! follow these steps today! They’re not that hard. And you don’t have to start reading for 1 hour, but start with 15 minutes. Start small and very soon you’ll be hitting reading times you never imagined; that’s the joy of knowledge. Start as early as you can, you don’t have to wait till you’re in ss3, the earlier the better. These things are meant to be covered over a long period of time, and not rushed into your head all at once.
Science is fun. It’s not that hard. Get over hating it, or being afraid. Open up your mind to the countless possibilities. For me, I believe anybody can study Physics and Chemistry. It’s pertinent to pay attention to all I’ve said above, and boom, there you are. Before long, you’ll be loving these subjects, and not only that, you’ll be passing them too! You can hit me for any questions. You can really succeed.
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