First semester final exams have come and gone, and second semester is here. This is the last set of courses before the end of the year. Now, how do you get ahead in second semester and go on to crush it? For some students it just means summer holidays before it starts again in September. For other students, these marks are going to make a difference to what program you get into in College or University. These marks matter. Maybe you did great in the first semester and feel you can coast. Maybe you didn’t do so great in the first semester and you are retaking some course again this semester. Whatever your situation, you want to do your best and have a little stress as possible. The best way to ensure this is to “start early”. What does that mean, you ask? Instead of being reactive to poor grades on test and assignments the way most are in the first semester, be proactive in the second semester. Stay, if possible, ahead of the class or at least stay up to date.
Stay up to date
Staying up to date in class can mean doing simple things such as,
- Going to class
- Reading over class notes
- Taking class notes
- Doing the homework assigned during class
- Reading the section in the textbook before class
Get ahead
In some cases, this can be enough. In other cases you may want to get ahead. Some simple things you can do to get ahead:
- Do more than is assigned in class.
- Read a section ahead but also attempt the exercises in the text book
- Each text book has chapter tests and chapter pretests, take those. Even if you don’t get any of the answers correct, you’ve taken the time to go over the material
- Go online and research the topic you will be learning next. There are so many excellent resources online. YouTube is full of worked exercises. We have many worked exercises at the grade 11 and 12 level for the Ontario curriculum on our YouTube channel.
Up your game
If you want to up your game and maximize your time a bit try some of the following:
- Work with a of group friends taking the class, a study group.
- Get outside help and support to either stay up to date or to get ahead. This could b a family member, friend who has already taken the course, a private tutor. The idea is to find someone who is comfortable and familiar with the material so you do not have to waste time trying to understand the material but instead you spend time getting clarification o the material and then practice with someone who already knows how to do the material.
- Ask you teacher if you can get the exercises for future sections because you want to work ahead.
- Get old exams, test, assignments, whatever you can find from previous years on the course and go over that material
The biggest thing you can do is,
- Not get behind.
It usually takes one week, sometimes even one missed class, to get behind and off track. Whether it’s because you’re sick or have had an off day, did poorly on a test. That first sign you may be falling behind, go get help and caught up. What are some of the signs you’re falling behind?
Signs you’re falling behind:
- Poor mark
- You haven’t done the homework problems and the next set of homework problems are being assigned
- You missed a class
- Missed test
- You have a poor mark on a report card (This is too late!)
- You’re not following the material in class (ask questions!)
What do you do when you’re falling behind?
- Go back to the list on “Staying up to date in class” and make sure you are doing all of those.
- If “Staying up to date in class” is not working or you’re already doing that, try some of suggestions in “get ahead”.
- If “Get ahead” isn’t working or you’re already doing that, try some of the suggestions in “up your game”
- If “Up your game” isn’t working or you’re already doing that, tell someone, parent, teacher, guidance counsellor. You may just need some one on one help for a bit to clarify some confusions and get back on track. It’s not a huge deal, yet, so don’t worry, just get some support and help with the material as soon as possible.
Learning, acquiring and processing knowledge is different for everyone. It’s like growing. We all grow at different rates. We all learn at different rates. Just as with a sport, it is possible to train and get stronger and faster. The same will come with learning. You will get stronger at knowing how you learn best, and eventually more efficient and more effective at learning new things.
