The Halcyonite

By Sasha

’24

Welcome to the second part of this three-part series. With exams coming up, not all of us feel on top of our workload, and very understandably, the IB expects a lot of us.

This article will focus on organisation and study tips. It will zoom in on the specifics of study methods that will help you keep on track with studying, and the best tips on staying organised, in both your school and home life, and with the end-of-year exams coming up, shared by Ms Gardener and Ms Stoneman.

Top study tips

When trying to figure out what study method will work best for you, there are some questions you can ask yourself to figure out what kind of study style works best for you.

Ms Gardener emphasises how “[Creating] a setting that you know works” is so important to keep focused and it can vary for each individual to suit their specific needs. Here are a couple of questions you can ask yourself on how to set up the best environment for you to focus.  

Environment:

1. Do you like background noise? Like being in a cafe?
2. Do you like to be in silence? Would a library be suitable?
3. Do you like to have music playing?
4. Does it help to work in a group and discuss with others?
5. Is your phone a distraction? If so, what will you do to solve that? Will you turn it off when studying?
6. Can you work at home well? If so, where do you work best?
7. If you are not able to work well at home, where do you think you work best?

Time of day

• What time of day best suits your schedule and when do you work most efficiently?
• Does working late at night benefit you more than working during the day? 

What is the most effective method?

• What type of revision is helpful? Flashcards? Summaries? Mind maps?
• How can you work most efficiently?

Considering the different environments and study strategies that would work best for you may take some trial and error. But, taking the time and putting in the initial effort to create a setting you know works is essential for completing tasks with confidence and in an organised order that works for you. 

Everyone learns in a different way and a study at the University of Pittsburgh has proven that passive studying is less effective than active studying revealed through cognitive science research. To activate the prefrontal cortex which contributes to the storage of information and focus (J. Morecraft and H. Yeterian).

Organisation

Ms Gardner and Ms Stoneman shared the top organisation tips that keep them organised with work and personal life. It’s important to keep in mind each individual will have their own method of keeping organised and it is important to find balance and discover what works best for you and your life.

Ms Stoneman mentioned Google Calendar is a useful tool to keep track of school and personal life. “[Making] lists with sublists and [taking] time to sort them into Google Calendar” allows you to address the tasks you have to complete and sort out the tasks and build them into your schedule. 

Colour coding tasks by different categories can be helpful too. Sorting your work into homework, due dates, meetings, tasks, and personal life may help you keep track of what different tasks you have coming up. It can also indicate whether your schedule is balanced. If you see your schedule is non-stop and there is not much rest, Ms Gardner recommends scheduling “white space” into each week. It is a time when you can choose what to do. Providing a guaranteed time for yourself where you can focus on yourself and do what you like can provide a sense of respite from your busy schedule. This can be filling your time with rest or care for yourself which can be exercising, watching tv, hanging out with friends, or anything that allows me some “you time”.

Honestly, everyone works differently so here’s what I do. I brain-dump everything that is going on in my mind, future tasks, due dates, small bits to do, homework, or anything I need to do. Then I write down the days of the upcoming weeks and disperse the work based on priority, with scheduling in time for smaller tasks throughout my days. Now I don’t know if this is scientifically proven to work, but it works for me so I don’t really care…it’s all about finding what works for you!

Incomplete tasks

Dealing with incomplete tasks can be tricky, but it is important to assess the importance of the task and evaluate why it didn’t get completed. It may be because the task seemed daunting at the time and therefore needs to be broken down into steps. Teachers at Halcyon are also always willing to help and set up a meeting with you if you need feedback or help on a topic. They are great resources, it is just a Google chat away.

Social life

From both perspectives of the teachers, they said social life is key to keeping their schedule balanced. But to ensure that you have made time for these occasions is an important event to work into your schedule. Deciding a date and time, it can give you something to look forward to. Ms Gardener said in the interview, that after she spends time with her family or friends “[She] never come[s] away from those situations feeling less refreshed”

Last-minute study tips (what everyone needs most)

Alright, I will keep this short and sweet as DP students really don’t have much time:

Best resources:

Biology:

• Bio ninja
• Think IB

Chemistry:

• Youtube:
  • Richard Thornley 
  • MSJ chem
  • Khan academy

All subjects:

• Revision village
• Save my exams
• Study IB
• Pomodoro timer
• Youtube!

In grades 10 and 11 your teachers will provide you with many resources for your individual subjects, and if they don’t you can always ask.

When an exam is coming up, and you feel unprepared, break down the sub-topics into red amber and green (RAG) and focus more on the sub-topics that are red which you are not as confident in. I always do this before my exams which may, unfortunately, be just days away… and it saves me. 

The DP programme is all about being on top of it. When you have extra time, set aside a few minutes to get on top of your work and due dates, and if you are behind, don’t let it slip out of your hands and try your best to stay in control of your school work to prevent you feeling overpowered by your school work. School is not life, we don’t live to study, we study so we can live. 

HOOGENDOORN, CLAIRE. The Neuroscience of Active Learning – Writing across the Curriculum. 24 Nov. 2014, https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/writingacrossthecurriculum/2015/10/15/the-neuroscience-of-active-learning/

J. Morecraft, Robert, and Edward H. Yeterian. “Prefrontal Cortex – an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Www.sciencedirect.com, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/prefrontal-cortex#:~:text=Learning%20and%20 memory text=The%20 prefrontal%20 cortex%20is%20an.