Pity the kids?  Think of the poor parents. The run-up exams is just as stressful for them. It’s often the first time their child has been judged by the world, and they feel judged, too: those tough decisions about schools are put to the test. That – and realising the results are way beyond their control – is enough to make anyone panic.

BRIBERY

It’s easy to feel that other parents are providing the right blend of encouragement and colourful revision charts. The reality is that they’re just as likely to be reduced to bribery – offering cash for results.

COACHING

Hands-on tuition isn’t recommended. Some children appreciate the attention, but locking horns over textbooks can be counterproductive. A friend of mine, coached her son in English every night for six months, only to find that he went from a grade D to an E.

Terri Apter, a social psychologist at Cambridge University and the author of The Myth of Maturity, says, “If you want to coach, focus on the task in hand and be responsive: your teenager will tell you whether it’s useful or making him or her anxious or impatient.”

A WATCHFUL EYE

The problem for working parents is that they can’t be sure how much work is actually being done. Even if you’re home-based, it’s hard to know what goes behind closed doors and, more importantly, whether the revision is productive.

Apter says that parents shouldn’t be afraid to ask their children about the work they’ve covered during the day: “If a child isn’t doing enough it’s virtually impossible not to nag, but nagging can be structured. Work out a reasonable amount of revision time and designate a specific time of day for it. And if for some reason the time has to be changed, then the work also has to be reallocated. “Of course, that is often easier said than done.

HOW TO HELP

If the mention of revision increases tension, there are unobtrusive ways to offer help – such as delivering regular snacks, offering to test, or generally hovering, ready to explain things or to discuss problems.

According to Apter, that’s just as important with undergraduate offspring. She says, “Independent though they are in both practical and intellectual terms, university students still want emotional support, to know that their parents respect their efforts and that they’ll be forgiving if they mess up.”

Above all, Apter insists, it’s vital that all parents keep a sense of perspective about exams: “Remember, if your child doesn’t do well, it’s not like a horrible illness or injury. There are many more chances.”

Credits to: Celia Dodd 

The identical principle is critical to implement into your program of spiritual practice. If you wait until all your chores, responsibilities, and everything else is done before you get started, it will never happen. Guaranteed.

I have found that scheduling a little time each day as if it were an actual appointment is the only way to ensure that you will take some time for yourself. You might become an early riser, for example, and schedule one hour that is reserved for reading, praying, reflecting, meditating, yoga, exercise, or however you want to use the time. How you choose to use the time is up to you. The important thing is that you do schedule the time and that you stick to it.

I had a client who actually hired a baby-sitter on a regular basis to ensure that she had the chance to do the things she felt she needed to do. Today, more than a year later, her efforts have paid enormous dividens. She’s happier than she ever thought possible. She told me that there was a time that she never would have imagined hiring a baby-sitter to ensure this type of quality time for herself. Now that she has done it, she can’t imagine not doing it! If you set your mind to it, you can find the time you need.

Credits to Richard Carlson PH.D

We talk to ourselves 50, 000 – 80, 000 times a day.

What we say to ourselves affect our performance and our results.

When we use positive words, they give us power. When we use negative words, they take away our power.

Positive Words

I will do it
I meet a challenge
I love exams
I am committed to succeed
I haven’t learned to do it
I have a learning experience
I will surely win
This is very challenging

Negative Words

I’ll try to do it
I have a problem
I hate exams
I hope to succeed
I cannot do it
I have failed
I will sure fail
This is very difficult

Controlling our Body

Your body controls your state and your thoughts!

To feel confident, put your body in position of confidence

• Confident posture
• Confident look on your face
• Confident voice
• Confident movements

To feel motivated, put your body in a motivated position

• Motivated posture
• Motivated look on your face
• Motivated voice
• Motivated movements

Whenever you feel lousy, charge your body position! This will automatically charge how you feel!

When you ACT CONFIDENT, you BECOME CONFIDENT.

Controlling our Thoughts

When we control our thoughts, we control how we feel and how we behave. This controls our results.

The quality of our life is the quality of our thoughts.

We are what we think about all the time. When we think about success. We become successful. When we think about failing, we fail!

So… Think only of good, positive and powerful thoughts!

We control our thoughts by controlling our mental PICTURES and SELF-TALK (what we say to ourselves).

FEELINGS

Our STATE (feelings) determines what we DO (ACTION). This determines our RESULTS.

To consistently take action and get good results, we must be in a powerful state like motivation and confidence.

We Control our OWN states.
Nobody can make us feel bad except ourselves. Nobody can make us feel motivated except ourselves.

We control our STATES by controlling our BODY and our THOUGHTS.

Things to look out for when using:

Mothly Planner

• You need to plan only once in PENCIL. Make use of your subject breakdown to apportion out the time to the different subjects.
• You put in the chapters only. This will make the planner a lot easier on the eyes.
• Review the planner every month because at the initial planning, you might overestimate/underestimate your own capabilities.
• Plan backwards from the start of your examinations to current day. Also, block out 5 days before the examinations. These act as buffer period for you to handle “emergencies” if need be.

Weekly Planner

• You plan for this every Sunday night.
• Not down all the activities that you will need to do for the week.
• Add in the duration of the activity that you are participating in.
• Always add an extra 1/2 to the timing. For example, Activity is from 8pm to 9pm. On the weekly plan, put in 8pm to 9:30pm instead. This will give you more time to work with.
• Add in P1 to P4 for each activity. This will help you to prioritize.

Study Planner

• Plan this before you embark on your studies.
• Begin with the outcome in mind.
• Each subject will have a different proportion of time for each activity (E.g. Mathematics will spend less time on memory as compared to Science.)
• Remember to apportion out the break times as well (2 minute break every 25 minutes and 15 minutes break every 2 hours)

Creating a Super Learning Environment

To maximize your learning, it is best that you create an environment that is most conducive for the brain.

1. Temperature
The brain learns best at a temperature of 19 degrees Celsius. It would be ideal to study in a cold room.

2. Do away with all Distractions
The best way to avoid being distracted is to get rid of anything that can distract you. Make sure that your study area is away from the TV, bed and computer.

3. Yellow & White Lighting
It is best to use a combination of fluorescent (white) light in the background and yellow light shining on your book.

4. Super-learning Music
When you play music (no lyrics please) while you study, it will boost your learning as it activities your right brain and puts you into a relaxed state, the best state for absorption. The best kind of music to use is baroque music.

5. Healthy Body, Powerful Mind
It is very important to eat right and have regular exercise. This way, it will give you the energy and oxygen your brain needs to learn.

6. Learning Posters
The brain learns best when exposed to the learning material all the time. The brain then absorbs the information subconsciously. How we make use of this?

Always write your notes on large sheets of poster paper and put it up on the wall. By looking at it daily, you will learn it easily.

Also, put up positive and motivational posters to put you in the best Mindset and State to perform well. Use the posters you have learnt from the program.

Copyright© Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group