In principle, I like this book very much. It's very well written, but I don't fully concur with the author that stress (or anxiety) management alone is adequate to deal with 'examination fever'.The author probably has an impeccable track record as an educator working in Japan, a country where 'examination fever' is a national phenomenon. To some extent, I believe this background probably explains her standpoint in the book.
Undoubtedly, preparation for examinations, examination taking strategies, coupled with stress management & energy engineering, are critical survival skills for students. However, these skills have to be managed together in the global context of effective studying, which I have always maintained, is an active, dynamic systemic process.
It involves ten systemic steps: goal setting, priority management, active reading, information gathering, note making, memory management, lesson revision, exam preparation, creative writing & stress management/energy engineering;
Effective studying also involves participation, independence, accountability & mastery on the part of the student.
My stance is very simple: Until a student fully realises that studying is learning for a purpose; reaching out to his or her maximum potential & preparing for the future, tackling examinations in the context of what the author has written, will always become a real burden & even a gargantuan task for him or her, mentally, physically, emotionally & spiritually!
Unfortunately, most of these major issues have not been fully covered in the book.
Nevertheless, the book is still worth reading. The author's extensive treatment of the stress (or anxiety) management as well as mind programming, as applied to handling examinations, is commendable.
0 comments:
Post a Comment