Tips...Tips..Tips To study...perghhhhhhh.....

First
Focus 100% on only 1 thing at any given time.
Concentrate fully on that task for that time. DO NOT allow anything to distract you, and that means NO sms, NO phone calls, NO chatting.
Let’s say you decide to learn Chap 6 of Form 4 Biology – Nutrition for the next 1 hour. Then commit to Focus 100% on that for 1 hour.
Most people (and that includes adults too) live through distractions the whole day. The world is getting more and more ADD, probably due to more and more distractions in our lives. Therefore, many people do not realise the POWER and EFFECTIVENESS of focusing 100% on something, even though it’s only for a short period of time.

Second
Use Time Budgeting Technique.
Budget a time for your lesson. Let’s take the example of learning Chap 6 of Form 4 Biology – Nutrition. Let’s say you decide to allocate 2 hours to complete the chapter, then stick to the 2 hours. Meaning you don’t give yourself excuses and do something else in that 2 hours. (toilet break is acceptable)
It doesn’t matter whether the time allocated is enough or not. What matters is you learn the habit of FOCUSING 100% on a given task. I guarantee after FOCUSING 100% for 2 hours, you’ll definitely see significant improvement of understanding in that Chapter.
Please stop after 2 hours. Don’t over shoot your budgeted time. Learn to be disciplined.
You can be flexible – but please understand that if you’re always flexible with your time, you’ll not have enough time to finish your syllabus. Learn to balance flexibility with discipline.

Third
Chunk Down your lessons.
Slice your budgeted 2 hours into smaller lessons. Preferably complete the lessons within a day or 2. Maximum 3 days if the chapter is long.
For example – you may decide to study 1 hour each lesson. You can study 1 hour in the morning, 1 hour in the evening and then another hour the next morning. (Remember to give 100% FOCUS to the subject matter in that 1 hour)

Fourth
Create a study environment that you like.
If you like music, then study with music. If you like to munch snacks, then study with snacks. If you like cold, then study with the air-cond blasting. (BUT – please make sure you’re giving 100% FOCUS to your lessons and not your snacks!)
Try it out – You’ll be amazed with the Power of 100% Focus..





HOW TO STUDY BIOLOGY...
 Students Dearest..................

1. IMPORTANT: Have you taken the reading assessment test?

Can you read at a level that is adequate for this text? If you read at the adequate level, then the following suggestions may be helpful. What follows is a summary of strategies that are being used by students who are successful in biology. AND YOU CAN SUCCEED TOO!!

2. Slow down !!
The flow of a biology book is not like the flow of a novel. A novel can be read effortlessly, smoothly and rapidly, but biology books cannot. If you are reading a novel and are somewhat distracted, you can still get the idea of what it is about. When you are not concentrating on biology you will get very little out of it, and it will seem more difficult than it really is.

3. Every word counts. Biology books are usually not repetitive, so there is little chance of picking something up from reading on. Writers of biology texts believe that extra words and repeats get in the way of clarity.

4. It is best to tackle each chapter at least three times. The first time you should skim the chapter, noting topic sentences, words in bold print, all tables, diagrams and summary charts. This is best read before the class. The second reading should be in more detail, studying each area and not proceeding until each section is understood. Reread each section as many times as necessary until you understand its meaning. Mastery can take minutes or hours or days. The last major reading is for writing down terms and definitions and important concepts (see #6 below).

5. Talk to yourself as you read. Explain what you have read aloud and make up your own examples to better understand what you have read. Rereading the material aloud, especially in your own words helps clarify the information. Hearing yourself makes a lot of difference.

6. Words and symbols of biology have specific meanings. Each time you come to a new term or concept, cover up the text and see if you can express the idea aloud in your own words. Write down all the words you do not know. Emphasise words in bold type. Whenever possible write out the definitions in your own words. Strive for understanding the definitions so that you can easily state them in your own words; you are more likely to remember them that way. By saying it out loud and writing it, you are more like to recall it later, when needed.

7. Study all diagrams and charts. They condense a lot of valuable information. Cover up and see if you can visualise them.

8. Write as you read.

• During your first reading write nothing in the text.

• Do not highlight ¬ it slows down reading and it is often used as an excuse for not concentrating.

• In a later reading, call attention to important words or phrases by underlining them (do not overdo this).     Complete sentences or paragraphs should be bracketed and not underlined.

• Write summarising statements to yourself in the margin.

• Make notes to yourself right in the text.

• Note questions that you need to have clarified.

• DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE RESALE VALUE OF THE TEXT.

9. Record all key points on a separate sheet.

10. If there are study questions at the end of the chapters, be sure you can answer them. They are good practice for the exam.

11. Make flash cards with terminology and concepts.

12. Keep testing yourself on a separate sheet of paper.

13. Without looking back, write out and say aloud the important points.

14. Create tasks for yourself as you read the text. After reading an example and working it out for yourself, try to think of other examples that would fit the idea being discussed.

15. Use more than one book on the topic you are studying whenever possible. Pick books that appeal to you. If you are very verbal, a book with long explanations is likely to be most helpful. If you are more visual, you might choose a book that has more illustrations.

16. Read the chapter before, and again after, class. You will get the most out of class if you have read the material before the instructor presents it. Even if you feel that you understood the material in class, read it over again in the text. The more you review it the more likely you are to recall it.

17. If possible, have a friend or family member quiz you on your notes and text information. Done regularly, this commits more information to long-term memory.

ACTUALLY WHAT BIOLOGY IS...............

What is biology? Simply put, it is the study of life -- life in all of its grandeur. From the very small algae to the very large elephant, life has a certain wonder about it. With that in mind, how do we know if something is living? Is a virus alive or dead? What are the characteristics of life? These are all very important questions with equally important answers.

Characteristics of Life

Living things include both the visible world of animals and plants, as well as the invisible world of bacteria. On a basic level, we can say that life is ordered. Organisms have an enormously complex organization. We're all familiar with the intricate systems of the basic unit of life, the cell.

Life can also "work." No, not the daily employment variety, but living creatures can take in energy from the environment. This energy, in the form of food, is transformed to maintain metabolic processes and for survival.

Life grows and develops. This means more than just getting larger in size. Living organisms also have the ability to rebuild and repair themselves when injured.

Life can reproduce. Have you ever seen dirt reproduce? I don't think so. Life can only come from other living creatures.

Life can respond. Think about the last time you accidentally stubbed your toe. Almost instantly, you flinched back in pain. Life is characterized by this response to stimuli.

Finally, life can adapt and respond to the demands placed on it by the environment. There are three basic types of adaptations that can occur in higher organisms.

Reversible changes occur as a response to changes in the environment. Let's say you live near sea level and you travel to a mountainous area. You may begin to experience difficulty breathing and an increase in heart rate as a result of the change in altitude. These symptoms go away when you go back down to sea level.

Somatic changes occur as a result of prolonged changes in the environment. Using the previous example, if you were to stay in the mountainous area for a long time, you would notice that your heart rate would begin to slow down and you would begin to breath normally. Somatic changes are also reversible.

The final type of adaptation is called genotypic (caused by mutation). These changes take place within the genetic makeup of the organism and are not reversible. An example would be the development of resistance to pesticides by insects and spiders.

In summary, life is organized, "works," grows, reproduces, responds to stimuli and adapts. These characteristics form the basis of the study of biology.

Basic Principles of Biology

The foundation of biology as it exists today is based on five basic principles. They are the cell theory, gene theory, evolution, homeostasis, and laws of thermodynamics.

Cell Theory: all living organisms are composed of cells. The cell is the basic unit of life.

Gene Theory: traits are inherited through gene transmission. Genes are located on chromosomes and consist of DNA.

Evolution: any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations. These changes may be small or large, noticeable or not so noticeable.

Homeostasis: ability to maintain a constant internal environment in response to environmental changes.

Thermodynamics: energy is constant and energy transformation is not completely efficient.

Subdiciplines of Biology

The field of biology is very broad in scope and can be divided into several disciplines. In the most general sense, these disciplines are categorized based on the type of organism studied. For example, zoology deals with animal studies, botany deals with plant studies, and microbiology is the study of microorganisms. These fields of study can be broken down further into several specialized sub-disciplines. Some of which include anatomy, cell biology, genetics, and physiology.