Your attitude is the key to success in learning anything new, especially school subjects.
How to approach learning is very often not taught in schools. This is hardly surprising, as it requires a perceptive teacher, with time to attend to an individual's needs. In the average classroom environment this time and attention is usually lacking.
Nevertheless, I have found that even simple advice can help improve the attitude of my pupils, provided that advice is rubbed in. Here are a few of my tips, which my pupils hear from me, time and time again:
- Be patient. With time and repetition you are bound to learn. Do not try to force yourself or rush your learning.
- Ten minutes a day of focussed attention can transform a timid learner into a confident one. A little each day is more useful than cramming (although it's still worth cramming at exam time).
- Use all your senses! Repeating words out loud does the world of good. Language is a performance skill, not a matter of storing information.
- What you want and how you feel about it determines the person you become. If you truly want success, in time it will come to you.
- Aim high and you will do well. Looking for praise and recognition from parents or teachers - who want to make your life easy - is not the way to push your boundaries and extend your horizons. The drive must come from within you.
Colin Openshaw
