Let me introduce myself first. I’m Harry Tsang from 4E, this year’s academic leader. Are you now feeling stressed and confused? Maybe Yes. As all of you have been promoted to F.3, which is a very important transition period, your studies are no longer as easy as that in Forms One and Two. So, I’m going to introduce to you a slogan, P.D.F, which will remind you how to study efficiently and strategically.
First of all, I’d like to start with ‘P’, which stands for preparation as well as paying attention in all the lessons. Why is preparation essential? The thing is, if you do not know what you’re going to learn, you’ll be like working in a ‘foggy’ environment during the lesson. Your brains are not ready to receive anything! It is always a good practice for you to jot down the ‘ambiguous’ points from the textbooks before attending the lessons. Get prepared first. Afterwards, you should stay focused in the lesson as it helps you clarify your misconceptions and enhance your memories. In this way, you will not lag behind and are more able to catch up with the teaching pace.
The next step is ‘D’, standing for diligence. Well, I don’t suggest you rushing just before the exams, but please make efforts regularly and wisely. The way to be diligent is to finish all homework by heart. Don’t laugh and do remember my words, you’re finishing and learning from your homework but not CLEARING it. A lot of students actually underestimate the power of doing assignments. Indeed, they can test your understanding on certain topics and skills. When you try to apply your knowledge to the homework, you activate your brain and turn the knowledge your own wisdom and common sense. What’s more, you may even spare some more time doing extra exercises. In a word, hard work is essential if you want to excel.
Last but not least, letter ‘F’ is your key to success. ‘F’ means familiarizing yourself with the typical questions and universal techniques. Some of you may find that the exam questions tend to vary from what you’ve learnt. Apparently, the ways to ask a question vary, but the logic behind is somehow the same. You find the questions strange to you because you can’t trigger yourself to retrieve the right information from your brains or apply the right skills you’ve learnt. As long as you’ve practised enough, you can get on to the right path although the structure of questions changes. This step is relatively important for the subjects requiring calculation. However, you’re to familiarize yourself with the skills concerning calculation rather than the structure of questions.
By the way, you and I surely understand that the process of learning could an extreme hardship. But remember, ‘No Pain, No Gain’. Our efforts will pay off one day in the future. As a F.3 student, just studying hard will not do you any favour. Please bear P.D.F. in mind and work it out. Then your study will be different, at least mine has been different. That’s all for my tips. Have a fruitful life this year! Thank you!