Page 69 - 1944 VES Meteor

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ment in our colleges- the depart- ment of education-seem to be ex- tremely reticent regarding any prac- ticable plan covering this field. Probably, then, there is no one spe- cific program which will make a student out of a pupil.
Yet there a r e some tonic hints that might be suggested. These hints, as they occur to me, indeed seem simple ones, but most good plans are at bottom simple. There- fore, rather certain that not all of
our boys have learned yet to make use of them, I here suggest some definite ideas, which I think will apply in most cases and which, if followed honestly. will perhaps re- sult in improved study methods for preparatory school boys.
Ten Rules
I. Listen itt class. If your sub- ject is worth studying at all, your knowledge of it will be enhanced by your attention to what your teacher has to say. But this is impossible
for you if you grant only the ap- pearance of attention. It must be genuine.
2. Mark your textbooks merci- lessly. When you read something that strikes home, underscore it then and there; you will not remember to do so later. And in this connection. remember to mark your assig-n- ments when they are given. The rery boy who has trouble studying
is too often the boy that fails to take down his assignments and forgets them.
3. Take notes without instruc- tion to do so. Do not wait for the teacher to tell the class he is about to give them notes. I have always noticed that those boys who are con- tinually taking things down volun- tarily are the ones who can be de- pended upon to retain ideas for long periods.
4. Keep a record of all qutz questions. No teacher objects to this, and if you practice it, you al- ways have at hand a fair beginning for review.
5. Review a qui= immediately after taking it. Unless you have made a perfect grade, there are mis- takes which need correction at once in your mind. A student will not be caught napping twice on the same material.
6. IVhen goi11g out to get help from a teacher, be surr :you have
first put forth real effort. Have real questions to ask him if possible. Just trotting out and in is not study- ing, even though you spend several periods so.
7. Refuse to be disgruntled over every apparent injustice. For your own sake, accept a certain amount of seeming unfairness. Do not feel "hurt" at every failure on the teach- er's part to appreciate your efforts. Snap back into a recipient mood and be ready for whatever is coming next. The quibbling mind loses half of the important things going
on in class.
8. Try first to grasp the general idea underl)•ing a lesson. Frequently some principle or some basic theme, if looked for and discovered, clarifies the whole lesson, gives it form and reason. Then look for the details and consider these as they relate to this general principle.
9. Take time to compare o11e day's work ·with another, and what you learn in one course with what you learn in another. Too often we get certain information but we leave it in the raw state. Unrelated ideas are hard to remember. Often these same ideas, properly linked with what has gone before, will be almost equally hard to forget.
10. Remember that too much has been said about mental inferiority. Many boys allow themselves to think they are "dumb" when in reality they are simply excusing a streak of laziness. The chances are good that you are as bright as many whom you have thought superior.
Your so-called "dumbness" will usually disappear when you learn to put into practice some concerted plan of study. But of course do not hope for too much at first. It will be necessary to practice these ideas for some time before you can expect great results. Important things are not achieved at one trial.
Now the question still remains, can one person actually help another person to learn to study? Probably he can at most do no more than make suggestions. If these sugges- tions are accepted and incorporated in the other person's daily habits,
then very likely a real benefit has· carried over. I am quite aware that the ten rules given above are incom- plete and in some work hardly ap- plicable. But my purpose is to give, in concrete form, something which boys who are having trouble may
understand and may use. The first seven items answer this purpose. The last three are more vague, though equally true. I suggest that the boy who honestly wants to learn to study give a fair trial to the first seven rules. Use them. Practice them every day, in every class, every time you study. If you find them worthwhile, then add the eighth and ninth and try to apply these in your more general subjects first- history, English, R. I. But when you have done this consistently for a time,
you will find they apply quite as well in the more specific subjects- science, language, mathematics. The tenth is hardly a rule; rather it is a warning. But it is true and most of us need to realize its truth.
As unsatisfactory as this article is in many respects, I believe it may help some boys. Dr. Axel Munthe, himself a renowned physician, says, "You cannot be a good doctor with- out pity." Quite as true is it that you cannot be a good teacher with- out sympathy for the fellow being taught. I should like to call your attention to the fact that your teach- ers, whether they shout it from the
housetops or not, do have a sympa- thy for the boy who is failing though trying-failing and not knowing what to do about it. For years I have seen this sort of human waste and have felt that something should be attempted to help just this kind of boy. In this article I have only touched the matter. Maybe an-
other will carry on the subject in a subsequent issue a n d do it more helpfully. In this hope, I strongly urge the editors to welcome such another article and offer the space for advice that may benefit many of the readers.
IN LYNCHBURG IT'S
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