As a peripatetic speaker in secondary schools across the country, I have tried to implore students to focus on the 3 Gs: Energy, Synergy and Strategy. Energy focuses on mental might. Synergy is mastermind alliance and teamwork. Then, there is strategy, which is the central plank of this piece.
As a scribe, permit me to write about The Strategic Student. My critical areas of focus include: Stupendous study strategies, content mastery strategies, memory enhancement strategies, exam preparation strategies, top achievers strategies and struggling students’ strategies.
I like the way the word student connects with study. Meaning, the main mandate of a student is to commit more time to study. Study not only focuses on methods and skills, but in a broader sense — strategy. My dictionary strives to define strategy in two wonderful ways.
Firstly, strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim. The second definition focuses more on the art of war. Based on that clear clue, strategy is the art of planning and directing overall military operations and movements in a war or battle.
Then, a strategic student is sedulous — dedicated and diligent. Somewhat, a diligent student is smart and strategic. Apart from military men, politicians and entrepreneurs put plenty of effort on strategy. In a larger sense, through fair play, it takes strategy to win an electoral seat. Likewise, in order to maximize profits and minimize losses in business, strategy plays an integral role. Therefore, in our current context, every candidate conscious of climes and times, knows, where there is no strategy, failure looms large.
Again, a strategy should be stupendous — extremely impressive. Students who become veritable academic giants rely on strategy. This, therefore, lends credence to the four steps of great achievement as put aptly by William Arthur Ward: One, plan purposefully. Two, prepare prayerfully. Three, proceed positively. And four, pursue persistently. This will come out with crystalline clarity when I focus on the six areas of critical focus, which I cited right at the onset.
- Stupendous Study Strategies
On stupendous study strategies, students should constantly wear a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA). They should have all the academic tools and well-written notes. It is advisable to focus on regular class attendance. They should cultivate a rich reading culture and expand their attention and concentration span. Students should be good stewards of time and strive to expand their learning time. Consequently, they should seek to understand every content taught. Conversely, they should shun bad study strategies such as cramming, passive study, studying without plans, targets and objectives.
- Content Mastery Strategies
Students enhance content through good grasp of the syllabus covered, cyclic reading of notes, reading approved textbooks and reading KCSE set texts. They gain content through guided reading, guided exams, topical revision and review of past exam papers. They garner content through research-based learning and subject-based contests, symposiums and hot sittings.
Students grasp content when they get prone to all forms of consultation: one-on-one conferencing with teachers, peer-to-peer, class and group consultation. They grasp content when they embrace ability grouping: the general one, subject-based, academic villages, parenting groups or family units and pairing of students.
They grasp content when they engage in active and productive group discussions. How? Through guided discussions, group exams, group consultations, making of marking schemes, copying of marking schemes and peer teaching.
- Memory Enhancement Strategies
Of memory and retention, students should focus on unique techniques such as training their memory, repetition, self-testing technique, drawing or diagram technique, involvement of multiple senses, method of loci, use of songs and acronyms, chunking information, organization of material, visualization of knowledge, active study, frequent review, focusing on silence and solitude, mindfulness and meditation methods.
They boost memory and retention through these ten laws: Law of fun or interest, law of fitness, law of senses, law of concentration, law of comprehension, law of small chunks, law of previous knowledge, law of exaggeration and law of repetition: Repetition is the mother of all memories.
- Exam Preparation Strategies
Alongside content mastery and retention, candidates should focus on exam preparation strategies. Exam requires academic, psychological and spiritual preparation. Spiritual preparation means that we acknowledge God and ask Him to give students massive powers of memory and wealth of health. For in the entire examination period, they need to be whole and healthy. The wise man says in Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord.” Moreover, academic preparation comes through cogent content mastery strategies. Good grasp of content crowns candidates with courage and confidence. This gives them ample psychological preparation, which in turn wards off tension that tightens when the examination bell blares. Plenty of preparation is the perfect antidote to stress, duress, fever, fear, fret, anxiety, angst and the pinch of panic. Athletes dedicate 90% to preparation, and 10% to winning the race. Athletes prepare for 15 years to run a race that takes 15 seconds. This underscores the essence of sitting for several exams.
For the sake of KCSE, students should keep abreast with the trends in the setting and marking of exams. They should focus on format of exams and the Table of Specification (ToS) or the Test Blueprint. They should have an idea of mistakes commonly made and penalties they attract. They should know how to respond to exam questions in the required breadth and depth. Knowing how to score free marks and plotting work on paper, is of essence. They should hone examination skills and grasp the art of tackling practical papers.
- Top Achievers Strategies
Top achievers in every class should focus on the following strategies: working for straight A’s in the subject cohorts. They should join academic villages and engage in peer teaching. They should be prone to self-testing and individual exams. One-on-one conferencing with teachers can be of help to them. Then, they should work on the Principle of Continuous Improvement (PCI). Grasping the art of examination is the way to go. It is right to fill learning gaps. They should get rid of stupid pride. They should overcome hubris — excess self-confidence and pride. They should overcome chutzpah — extreme self-confidence or audacity. They should also overcome complacency.
- Struggling Students’ Strategies
Struggling students who yearn to prop up their academic performance should focus on strategies like embracing ability grouping. They should pair up with top achievers. They should go back to Form One and Two work. They should identify simple areas they can score free marks. They should understand the art of examination. They should focus on all forms of consultation. There is the need of taking remedial and revision lessons seriously. It is advisable to focus on one-on-one consultation with tutors. Candidates who are completely low and slow should target a D+ (plus) and above in the core subjects, and C (plain) and above in the optional subjects. Above all, students who seem weak and sick academically should not give up.
Successful people double their failure rate. Winston Churchill put it aptly, “Success is moving from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.” Therefore, despite bad history of failure, students should not give up. Thomas Alva Edison in his attempts to invent the light bulb, failed 10,000 times, but did not give up. In fact he said, “I have not failed, I have only found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
© Victor Ochieng’
The writer rolls out academic talks in schools. He talks to students on study, content mastery, retention and exam strategies. He builds the capacity of teachers on best academic strategies and effective management of the candidate class. vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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