Organising Yourself for Effective Study

To help you get into the habit of studying, it is vital to work out routines and strategies that make
studying the norm. One of the most important first steps is to set up a regular place to study, where
you have everything “to hand” so that settling down to study is easier. No-one else should touch it,
move your stuff or interfere in any way.

Study room/ Workspace: Find a workspace/room that you can always associate with study and
coursework. Do it right now. Keep the room airy but warm, and have good light to avoid eyestrain.
Avoid using a family space (like the kitchen table) where you have to set up and clear away when
others need it, as this will affect your ability and motivation to study.
Shelves & Storage: Have shelves to keep your books in order and clearly visible, where you can
easily get them if needed.

Clutter-free Desk: Keep your desk/workspace free of clutter, or you will spend your time tidying up
and searching for things instead of actually studying.


Year Planner: Put your year planner up on the wall in front of you so that you can see it at all times.
It is a reminder of what you have done, and what still has to be done.

Timetable: Keep your weekly timetable on the wall of your study space also, as well as placing
another one in your study notebook or diary to keep you on track and focused.

Study notebook or diary. Keep a written diary of events and deadlines. This keeps you organised
and you know what you have to do. Use it to monitor and check on your progress.


Divide your study periods into manageable blocks or units (1 unit = half hour). Start small,
especially if you have difficulty concentrating. You can always build up the time you spend studying
once you have established the habit, and as your stamina increases.
11Study for 25 -30 minutes, then take a break, even for a few minutes, and then continue.
This gives the brain a chance to rest and to make sense of or consolidate the learning.

Write in exactly which topic or subject you intend to cover in each time slot, rather than just
writing in a vague intention to “study”. After a lecture or tutorial, go over your notes as soon as
possible, so that you will remember everything important that was said. Remember the 80/20 rules:
you can lose up to 80% of your learning if you don’t review it within 24 hours.


There is really no “best time” to study it depends entirely on the individual. You might be a
morning person, or you might come alive later on at night. Work round what you like, and what is
practical. Get up an hour earlier in the morning if it works best for you.

If you opt for evening study (or have to study in the evening because it is the only time available) the
best approach is to study early in the evening rather than late, because the brain gets sluggish and
tired as the night progresses. Tiredness makes learning more difficult, and you retain less information
for your time and energy - you are not getting “value for money”. If this is not possible, have a power
nap and work later at night - you have to work within your parameters.

How many hours of study depends on your background and current level knowledge and
understanding. Never compare yourself to others in this regard. Find what is right for you

Resources: Enhance Your Learning

You should take stock of all the resources you have available to help you achieve your goals, and then
use them carefully for full effect. Here are some of the more obvious, and maybe not so obvious:

1. Your brain:

This is the best resource you have. Develop it: train it well, work it well, treat it well (rest and
good food) and you will soon have a brain that is more efficient than you imagined. The more
you use it and exercise it, the more powerful it will get, and the better it will work


2. Lecture Notes:
These may be specially prepared for you by lecturers and course tutors to aid your learning.
They are particularly useful as pointers for examination revision as well as for writing essays. If
you make your own notes from lectures then ensure you attend the lectures, not borrow
someone else’s (second-hand thinking) notes.

3. Books /Internet/ CD-ROMs/audiotapes/newspapers:
These are all sources of information. Use them to increase your knowledge and understanding.

4. Sample assignments:
These are very useful. They give you an idea of the level of quality to aim for in your own
work. If you are lucky enough to be given one, use it and learn from it.

5. Past examination papers:
These are crucial. They highlight the kinds of topics and questions that are usually asked in
exam questions. The past papers will be very similar to the types of questions you will be set
in the exam proper. Be careful if the syllabus changes however, so use them in conjunction
with lecturer/ tutor hints and advice, but don’t take too many chances or learn too little - you
can get caught out like this!


6. Marking schemes or marking criteria:
It is useful to have an outline of the methods and strategies (criteria) used when your work is
being assessed. This way, you know what is expected of you. There are no hidden obstacles or
hoops to jump through, and this takes a lot of the anxiety and worry away. Usually your
college lecturers and tutors give you a very clear indication of what they expect. Listen.

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A Better Way to Read: Techniques for Easier, More Efficient Reading

There are different strategies you can use when reading. Depending on the context, find and use the
one that best suits the specific task in hand. This section briefly explains the techniques involved. It is
based on the SQ3R system. Basically these are the steps involved:

1. Skim read to get an overview of the information and to alert your brain.
2. Have questions prepared, so that you know what information you seek.
3. Re-read with increased focus and attention, and make notes.
4. Recall what you have learned, using summarising techniques.
5. Review the learned information as soon as you can, but within 24 hours for increased  efficiency


Skimming (sometimes called “speed reading”)
This is where you “surface” read very quickly to get the “gist” of a topic or an overview of the
chapter/story/instructions/experiment/other. It is usually a preliminary read, and if you find the
information you require, you follow up with close reading for detailed information, where you will most
likely make notes.

Scanning
Where you are looking for specific answers to information, use the technique of scanning. Because
you know exactly what questions you want answered, you speed-read and your eyes scan over the
words/pages very quickly until they find what they are looking for. Then, rather like in a radar signal,
the brain is alerted and focuses in on the details you require.


Close Reading
This is when you have pinpointed what you need. Now you read with increased focus and attention,
and it is at this stage that you will most likely make notes. If you are given questions at the end of
the passage to guide you through the passage, then use these to find out the answers, otherwise
have 2-3 questions prepared for which you need to find answers. Your purpose for reading may be to
introduce you to, or increase your knowledge on a given subject or topic.


The SQ3R method in more detail:

1. Preview/ Survey/ Overview 
• This is rather like a trailer for a film or video, but you are the one “scouting” for
information. It gives you an overall sense of what lies ahead, whether you are looking at
a book or a section of a book. Skim or speed-read to get a preview of what you will be
studying, and how it is organised.
• Pay particular attention to the introductions or conclusions, and look at any headings,
diagrams or pictures that accompany the text. Examine the text layout, and note where
points are emphasised or “signposted” for you, for example with phrases like, “to
summarise” or “of central /prime importance”. It will give you a general idea “the gist” of
the main concerns of the chapter or book and prepare your brain for the task ahead.

2. Question
• Always have questions ready before you start. This preparedness is the key to
active learning. Use the questions given at the end of a chapter or section. Or you
can make them up yourself if you need to, and they can be as simple as:
What do I know about the subject already? What is the chapter or section about?
What are the main points or ideas? (usually 3 -5)
What evidence is there to support (or oppose) these views?
Are these facts or opinions? Are they justified? Up to date?




3. Read ‘n’ Write
• Re-read the chapter. Try to pinpoint a “topic sentence” which summarises the most
important point in a paragraph or chapter. Even better, make one up yourself. This is
the sentence that tells you what the main point of the section is.
• Slow down if you come to a difficult passage. Skip backwards and forwards to see if
the point becomes clearer, or to check if it is explained in more detail later on.
• Re-read the material until you are sure you understand it.
• Write down any information that seems to provide answers to your study questions
in your own words; that is, summarise it.
• Note any difficult words or technical terms: look them up later if you can follow
what is being said, or if you can’t, look them up now.

4. Recall
• Check your understanding of what you have read throughout. Can you recall what
you have learned?
• Go through the main ideas you have read so far. Do they make sense to you?
• Check your notes or summary sheets and make sure you have included all relevant
information. If not, do so at this stage.
• Summarise again, in your own words, the main points of all you have learned in this
session. These will double your retention and learning recall power.



5. Review
• Go over your notes within 24 hours, and perhaps a week later, and again regularly
during the course of the term/year. This might seem excessive, but if you do not review
newly learned material within a certain time you can forget up to 80% of what you
learned in the first place.
• Remind yourself of the questions you wanted answered. This will gear you up for
finding answers.
• Do your notes give you the answers?
• Check them to see if you have answered everything, and if your notes are accurate.
Rechecking information will fill in any gaps or blanks in your notes or in your memory.
• Make up a topic sentence (or sentences) to summarise your summary. This is a sort
of “super shorthand”, (or super text message). You reduce all you’ve learned to the
smallest possible sentences without distorting the meaning. These “text” sentences
become a “prompt” or external memory of your learning. They are useful both for
assignments and for examination preparation: (brain fodder).


6. Highlighting or Underlining: A Colourful Habit
• It can be very useful to highlight or underline important points in your textbooks, but it
is not an alternative to note taking. Also, if you re-read the text, other “new” points
stand out, so you underline them, and end up with a section totally underlined, but still
no notes! So, if you underline, use it only as a reminder of where you want to make
notes. However, remember not to underline or highlight library books or any borrowed
material.

Get Ready: Exam Preparation

Strategic Planning: Approach your revision in an organised systematic way. You will cover more
ground, and you will feel you are making progress. You will feel more in control, especially if you are
able to tick off topics that you have covered as you work through them. This in turn increases your
confidence and encourages you to keep working, and so helps you keep your motivation and effort
high.

Timetable: As examinations approach and the syllabus is covered, set up a revision timetable, a
countdown of sorts to help you stay focused and to keep your motivation and enthusiasm high. You
will very likely be given some time to prepare for exams, but often this is already used up for
essentials like catching up on coursework, feeding the emaciated cat and so on. Towards the end of
any course, effort can slip due to sheer tiredness and lack of energy, or burn out. Yet this is a time
when you need to gather your energies and resources, and prepare for the final victory.

Noise & other distractions: You may feel background music helps you focus, and maybe it does.
There are opposing schools of thought here. Many researchers cite the power of association: if you
build up the habit of listening to music or other background noise to concentrate, come exam time
you might not do as well without this “prompt”. More recently, Study Skills gurus are saying if music
be the muse of learning aids, play on! This is open territory: do what best suits you but treat with
caution.

Syllabus: Take care to check that you have covered everything on the syllabus before you launch off
into revising certain areas and topics.
Course or Topic Summaries: Write out a summary for each course or topic (Keep it to A4 size if
you can). This is time and effort very well spent, as it will show you the main areas you know, and
more importantly, those you need to know, and which you need to work on.

Past Exam Papers: Excellent preparation because they give you a template (a working example) of
what you can expect. Use them to see the kinds of questions that are likely, how to approach
structuring your answers, and how to time yourself when answering questions.

Course Notes: Use your course notes to go over main points. Skim texts, always looking to draw
information out rather than “stuff it” into your brain. Exams are about retrieving information quickly
and efficiently - train yourself in this.

The “Bare Bones” of examination answers: Prepare basic or “skeleton” answers. By condensing
learning you will be able to access it more easily in a real situation; single words or short phrases can
act as prompts and triggers. By practising writing under exam type conditions, even if you only write
out the outline of what you would cover, you will get used to writing under pressure


Practise the exam format: Make sure you know, and that you are comfortable with, the layout of
the papers. Each subject will have different sections, choices of questions, compulsory questions, and
questions that attract different marks. Use these as a guide for the exam structure and outline.

• How to get there: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and PRACTICE. You remember 
• best by doing, not by watching, listening or reading, so do all you can

Iskandar Malaysia (JB) : Most livable city ranking

Every year a new list is published, but it seems there is little change at the top. 2012 ranking saw Melbourne move to the top spot with the remaining cities in the list stay in the whereabouts they were before in 2011.

It is interesting to see how Johor Bahru ( being the major city in Iskandar Malaysia ) fared against other top cities in the list.

I personally think in order to promote Iskandar Malaysia as the chosen destination for international investors, it needs to be in the list. It does not matter if JB is almost at the bottom of the list on the 1st year, the most important is to have JB climbing up the list from year to year.

It is also important to be able to distinguish JB from other major cities in Malaysia such as KL and Penang.  As someone who has lived and worked in KL , Penang and JB, I personally found JB has it's own characters that are not widely publicized. JB is definitely a calmer city, with lots of space and people are more relaxed compared to other cities in Malaysia. You might disagree with me if you look at causeway crossing area where people are just rushing to be on the other side of the border.  I mean , we have to look at Iskandar Malaysia as the whole region.

All these good traits could be the strength of Iskandar Malaysia and it is sad if these traits disappeared with the development of Iskandar Malaysia.

Hopefully 1 day Iskadar Malaysia ( specifically JB) will find it's way into the "Most livable City Ranking" !!!