Tuesday 25 June 2013

ORDER…I SAY ORDER SIR!: Planning your week as a super learner

ORDER…I SAY ORDER SIR!: PLANNING YOUR WEEK AS A SUPER LEARNER


















One of the greatest Generals was of course Napoleon, and though little in stature he made up for it in the way that he could motivate people with his ideas and vision. He was of course a darn good planner, and being able to see ahead is one of the greatest traits a strategist can have. In regards dyslexics, then though we can seem very disorganised at times, there is method to our chaos, it’s a matter of us ordering that chaos to benefit rather than drain our energy as it sometimes does. We should also remember that for many of us dyslexics, seeing the bigger picture, as for good ole ‘Napoleon’ is a natural ability and a talent that can be put to use (just look at General Patton, Einstein, Richard Branson and Winston Churchill) and does have its merits for the techniques I use below. A sense of order, as well as foresight is needed, and as a tutor once said, that the way to get a good degree is to be ordered in everyday activities, no matter how small, knowledge comes second to organisation..  These words have rung true and are especially accurate for students who come from an non-traditional background – although it does of course generally apply to all of us; let’s face it, university for some is a like a sweet shop, with lots of things going on, with study just one of them. So being able to prioritise when, where and what you are doing is essential, and putting them into an order where the day into definable segments, even your meals is vital.  The first step is to break down the week. 

Most students get a week study plan in the first days of entering HE, on which they put their lessons and whilst this may order the lessons, what about the rest of the hours? It can seem like an empty limbo. What has proved very successful is filling in these other time slots, so you can get an overview of what the day holds, and prioritising key tasks etc.  First, determine what you are capable of achieving and allocate certain amounts of study and leisure time to your week.  As we can see below, we have a typical student’s weekly chart, and one that has just the class study hours in. As we can see the student has begun their day at 8am, and finished at 11pm, although naturally this can be adjusted to suit you.  A student of mine would get up at 6am and be in bed for 10pm, with no study occurring after 6pm. So do think about what kind of person you are, a morning or night person when designing this chart. You have follow your natural body clock otherwise you are swimming against the current and will always feel unable to cope.




















When putting in your classes, then use a colour for each course. This technique will be used for all the various allocations for the week, and does help to order your mind to that particular hour or period of activity. It is also very good when coming to breaks or rest periods. As the moment you see the colour green at 1pm for rest, it seems natural to take a break without you feeling guilty or anxious. The reverse is true for work.  For some students, then they may have a practical or class every two weeks ,again put this in, and give it a colour so you know, and make clear to yourself that in other weeks, this slot can be used for something else. 

Possibly the first thing to do is to decide what day of the weekend you want to use as a rest day. Students always consider this a strange suggestion, as they believe that they have to work seven days a week or that they only need a five day calendar. So, we must first accept that we are timetabling a normal week, and that we should have at least one day off - where we can enjoy our own time and space and relax the mind from the pressures of study. It will also be important, particularly for those living on campus, to escape from the grounds, to do your shopping, visit your friends or go for a day trip. Also for the workaholics, then having time off and resting is part of the learning process, so that the little grey cells can recharge. Whatever day you choose, put the words DAY OFF bold through the session for that particular day.

Next, put in any other activities that you are engaged in, which might include any part time work, sports activities or other societies. Write in what they are and decide upon a colour code for each of these. Following this, decide to look at what you already have, what times you intend to eat. Now, this is very important, as eating can take in resting also, and particularly for the evening meal, having two hours is almost essential. So you may have a timetable where 1pm seems quite regular throughout the week, so designate this as your lunch. You may find that you usually eat between 5-7pm, so again make these two hours a rest period. It is all  down to imagination, flexibility and knowing what kind of person you are.        

  

















Intensive study, which includes reading and writing, should of course be done – but not for more than two hours at a time. Why? Well common sense tells us that we get tired, but also, by being tired, we lose concentration and our memory starts winding down, and becomes less effective. Also our writing ability can waiver, and possibly we are not as sharp or on the ball as we want to be.  So putting in a number of two hour slot during the day and then resting is ideal.  We now also go back to our initial comment on deciding what kind of learner you are, a morning, afternoon or night person.  If you don’t get out of bed till 12 noon, then your day will start in the afternoon and go on to midnight. Fine, now work around that. If you are an early morning person, then your day may start at 7am and finish at 7pm. What you have to do now is look at your plan and see where you can put in the 2 hour slots. If you can get in 4 to 6 hours a day study, then you are on to a winner. 

As you can see from the plan, this person works better in the late afternoon-evening, though they will put one hour of video work  between 12 to 1.  This person may also want a nice long lunch or Siesta, giving themselves two hours in the afternoon, and similar in the evening. Again this is a perfect day for this type of student. On other days, the student may just get in 4 hours, but, provided these are cemented in your mind, you can get into a regular routine. What you will also see is that every night after 9pm is students own time and one can go out if need be or watch TV. Now if this was reversed, say for myself, then I would have two hours between 10-12, and a hour video work, then lunch between 1-3 or 4. I don’t function till the afternoon, but work in the evening from 7-9. Again, remember, on both counts, if you have 4 hours per day, you are actually doing 24 solid hours of production time a week - and that is ample.  

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