"How can we study better?" "How did you achieve such a grade?" Some of the answers to these questions come from our attitude towards learning and doing things. As long as you approach life with an attitude of seriousness, even in simple tasks like writing your name on an assignment, I believe that studying should not be difficult for you. In my opinion, a serious attitude towards life is reflected in the following:
- Even when writing your name on an assignment, do it seriously
- Do a good job on tasks you promise to others
- Do not waste time and know what you are doing
- Create a plan
I need to explain the third point, "do not waste time," does not mean that it is incompatible with activities like playing video games or watching TV. It simply means that you should be aware that the pleasure derived from these activities is limited. When the time you spend does not correspond to the pleasure you receive, you should realize that you are "wasting time".
Approaching studying with a serious attitude can be difficult for some people. It is also difficult for me to approach certain subjects seriously. Just like how learning programming systematically is extremely difficult for one of my roommates, it is difficult to approach tasks that seem to have low short-term benefits and are not interesting to us. The second point I want to discuss is what Francis Bacon said, "Learning makes a man fit company for himself." Here, we mix it with Ken's idea of "learning in life" because their differences are very small.
- When you are descending a mountain, you think about how your gravitational potential energy decreases
- When a friend sends you a picture, you think about the knowledge related to pixels and data size
- When relatives talk about "like father, like son" or "like mother, like daughter," you think about the knowledge related to genetics and have the ability to explain these things to your relatives using that knowledge
- When the media reports news about species invasion, you think about using the knowledge you learned in middle school biology to collect information scientifically and objectively express your own opinions
People who have read books have noble inner spirits. Connecting with my previous article Talking about Behavior in the Dining Hall, if I were to ask those "impolite" people about their academic performance, especially in the subject of Chinese language, do you think they would perform well? Learning shapes our character in subtle ways. (If you were discussing the meaning of studying with someone and you quoted "Reading history makes one wise, reading poetry makes one elegant," think about how others would perceive you.)
Mathematics is rarely used in our daily lives. When we enter society, the content we learned in elementary school mathematics is sufficient to solve most of the problems we encounter. However, what mathematics brings to us is a valuable thinking mode that is more precious than the knowledge needed to solve practical problems. It is what we call "speaking through numbers," thinking through analyzing data to make decisions.
When I was trying to write a geography textbook, there was a need to measure the width of a river in a game. I used a ruler to measure the screen, calculate the scale, and then convert it. Also, when we set up a table, we need to stick things to the center of a circular turntable. At this time, we need to use a tape measure to determine the longest chord of the circle, which is the diameter, and the center of the circle is at the midpoint of the diameter.
Subjects like physics permeate our daily lives. Similar to the example of the decrease in gravitational potential energy when descending a mountain, when we see a ship being launched, can we ask ourselves why it can float on the water? If we can connect the knowledge points related to physics that permeate our lives and think more deeply, wouldn't that be better?
English is not just the English in textbooks, but also the English on computers and the internet. For someone like me who frequently uses English websites like GitHub, the meanings of words like "assignment," "issue," "request," and "content" become ingrained in daily practice.
Building websites, besides inexplicably helping me with my English, has also aided me in learning programming. (I digress a bit here.)
The third point I want to discuss is to approach learning with a "playful" attitude. (Note the quotation marks around "playful" and "approach." I only mentioned approaching, not using a playful attitude to deal with learning.)
When I was in ninth grade, I wanted to create a Chinese language test paper that integrated interdisciplinary thinking, and I also wanted to create a Chinese classical literature wiki. But both ideas failed. Now, in eleventh grade, I want to create a geography textbook, write a paper on a specific math problem, and create an English listening exercise. These things may also face abandonment. I have shared this much about this topic, but it may not be easily replicable, and it is easy to deviate when doing it. However, the interests and research revealed in these ideas may be worth considering.
The fourth point is to teach others and be a teacher. During evening self-study, I have taught geography to a classmate in the teacher's office. Sometimes she asks me to explain the lesson on thermal circulation, and sometimes she brings me questions she can't solve from the test paper. (There are some questions that I can't explain either, so I go ask the geography teacher and listen myself.) I have also helped her with outlines, and she got three or four questions right on the midterm exam.
Proof with a picture
The best way to master knowledge is to teach others. Our physics teacher said that if you can teach someone else, then you have a thorough understanding of that knowledge point.
Next, I want to talk about "study when you need to study, sleep well when you need to sleep." This is very important. I have a roommate who drinks coffee and stays up until the early hours of the morning. And it's not just for a day or two. Your body is your capital, and staying up late is not good for your health (I feel this more deeply as someone who has had surgery). Personally, I believe that doing your daily homework well in class and listening attentively is enough.
Finally, when it comes to exams, your mindset should not collapse. Quantum physics tells us that you don't know anything about a particle's condition until you observe it. Similarly, before your exam results and rankings are released, you don't know anything about your exam performance. I heard that the college entrance examination is based on a standard score, and the CET-4 and CET-6 exams are based on the performance of the norm group. Scores are comparative, and what you are competing in the exam is your ability (the competitiveness of your score), not your actual score. Your ability is there, and your ranking won't drop.