As much as I have my reservations about the practicality of pen and paper examinations, they are here to stay (at least for the near future). So play the hand you're dealt and learn to avoid the mistakes that others have experienced. Here are my thoughts on the approach taken by many when it comes to the studying of Geography.
You see, it is easy to memorise information.
Before you start cursing at me, hear me out.
According to the Bloom's Taxonomy, pure information recall is a lower-order thinking skill. Just like how we used to play memory games when we were little, it is possible to memorise information without exhibiting any in-depth understanding of the context.
Therefore, should you be approaching the studying of Geography with the mentality that you can simply memorise and regurgitate chunks of explanation from the textbooks, you're assuming that the questions in your examinations are merely assessing your ability to recall information, rather than your ability to exhibit and apply your understanding to the geographical issues.
This short article is a call to get you to review your study approach.
While you are reading the explanations on your textbook, instead of memorising the entire set of explanation, try to:
- identify and highlight the key geographical terms (not sentences or paragraphs)
- make sense of these terms and their roles in the set of explanation
- watch YouTube videos to help you visualise the geographical processes
- do up a mindmap to help you unpack the overarching inquiry question of the chapter
Seek to understand instead of memorise. Only by doing this, you'll find meaning and clarity in all that you're studying.
Let me know what you think. Hit me up on my Instagram.