Understanding > Memorising

In today's article, Julia guides us through the merits of understanding new content instead of simply memorising...

 

The discovery of an effective means to absorb information is inarguably one of the most useful when advancing into a qualification as academically dense and challenging as the IB. Not only will it make or break your exam results, but it will also play a key role in facilitating your entire sixth form experience – it would be difficult to have fun in your late teen years if you keep wasting time fruitlessly droning through the concepts of that science subject which you only took because you had to.  

 

 

Over the years most of us have undoubtedly had struggles finding a study method that works for each of us individually – if you have not yet faced such a difficulty, as an IB student this abstract ideation will become a reality sooner than one would want to believe. Methods specifically vary from person to person in terms of effectiveness and GCSEs taught us that to get the grades we want we should memorise definitions, mark schemes and equations. This is helpful, nonetheless it's usually an extremely monotonous and boring task. It is difficult to remember something that carries little or no meaning. So, our priority ought to be understanding the subject content. Once we have a grasp on the basic concept, everything else becomes easier. The specific methods come later. Memorisation happens subconsciously by this point because we acknowledge it as valuable information - we know why in matters and is essential to our cause. Sometimes, one does not need a word for word definition to copy and paste, as one is able to explain it themself. 

 

Of course, when push comes to shove, sometimes memorisation is necessary to secure full marks on those oddly specific multi-step biology questions and there is zero shame in drilling through a small stack of flashcards right before an exam but attempting to understand the ideas which set the studied mechanisms or phenomena into motion will we an unparalleled aid in achieving success.  

 

If you struggle to understand a lesson or concept, actively seek an answer. Ask the teacher or use other available resources - it is the most efficient foundation for any long-lasting learning. A way to relieve exam stress is always useful 😊