How I learn

Here I'm going to write about how I learn. I hope that I don't sound too forceful or demanding when I attempt to explain how I learn, because I don't want to seem like I'm saying how you should learn, I want to say what works for me and might work for you.

When I learn something, I try and relate it to stuff that I've already learnt. When I was learning about vectors, I was just like, "Hey, this is just like cartesian coordinates, but you're sticking an i on the end of the x-coordinate and a j on the end of the y-coordinate!" When I was learning about imaginary numbers, I was like, "Hey, this is like cartesian coordinates or vectors, but you don't stick anything on the end of the first number, but you do have to stick an i or a j on the second number!" When you relate what you're learning to stuff you already know, that stops it from being new or scary.

When I learn something that appears to require memorisation, I always try and find ways not to simply memorise. I instead try and understand as best I can so that the task of memorisation does not seem so great. An example of this is mathematical formulae. If you understand why the formulae work and can twist them and rearrange them in different ways, you don't have to memorise so much. Also, your understanding of the subject grows when you try and understand rather than try and memorise. I have another example, from chemistry, that may seem rather complicated, but I think actually helps because it builds lots of connections in my brain. Building lots of connections is good because if one connection fails, you still have lots of others that you can fall back on.

To my example: Chemistry students might be familiar with the mnemonic "AN OIL RIG CAT." It means "At the anode occurs oxidation (which is loss), while reduction (which is gain) occurs at the cathode." Although I did have to memorise that the anode is positive and the cathode is negative, I actually found that from there I didn't need to blindly memorise which one oxidation takes place at and which one reduction takes place at. You see, the cathode is negative because it receives electrons from the power source. Reduction is a process involving the gain of electrons to make the atom or ion become more negative (i.e. causing a reduction in the oxidation number). The cathode, that is receiving electrons from the battery, becomes the one-stop-shop for atoms that want to be reduced! Now, the mnemonic is easy enough to remember, but I find that understanding more will probably be more beneficial in the long run.

Another useful tip would be the one that my Year 6 teacher told our class: "Look for an easier method." If something sounds complicated, try and break it down into simple steps that you understand.

This might sound weird coming from me, since I'm a perfectionist, but learning from your mistakes helps too. When you get something wrong, and you don't know why you got it wrong, try and find out why. In the process, you will learn something new.

Finally, here is a little something I wrote titled "The Student's Creed:"

I am here to learn.
I shall not memorise for the sake of tests, but I shall internalise to add to my own rapidly expanding bank of knowledge.
All hatred and fear shall be subordinated to my important task- to learn.
I shall attempt to learn from my failures, for it is in their rectification that I may grow, and what is life without growth?
I shall see tests as the continuation of my learning, rather than the culmination of it, for it is the journey that matters more than the destination.
All this I shall do, and without delay.