Re-reading is a waste of time!

October 31, 2014


If you find going back over your textbooks and course notes a tedious, boring and frustrating process, you may benefit from changing your approach, as re-reading material is not thought to be that good at embedding material into the long-term memory.

Check out the video (2 mins) for a quick explanation of a technique you could use instead.



Other suggestions would be to try the flashcards or practice past exam questions without looking at your notes.

Try a few methods and see if any of them help. The important thing is not to get discouraged. If you find that a particular method is not working for you, despite giving it a fair go, change it up a little bit and try something else.

If you hit upon a particularly useful technique, be sure to share it in the classroom, or via our social media platforms.

Posted by Adam Harries.

 

Getting Stuff Done!

October 30, 2014


This is a productivity technique so simple, you'll wonder if it's for real. Trust me, this works.

It's called the pomodoro technique, in honour a the little pomodoro-shaped kitchen timer in the pic.

Here's how it works...

  • Set the pomodoro timer for 25 minutes (there are loads of free apps that serve the same function).
  • Work. Study. Whatever. Just do what you've got to do for the full 25 minutes. Total focus. No interruptions. No calls. No email. Anyone can focus for just 25 minutes.
  • After the 25 ...

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Posted by Adam Harries.

 

Negative highlighting for better revision

October 29, 2014


Using a highlighter when revising new material is a common practice, but it may be a complete waste of time for you.

What often happens is that by the time you have gone through the material, highlighting as you go, there are so many highlighted areas that it becomes useless when you go back through and start reviewing the material.

What may help is an approach that turns highlighting on its head. It involves highlighting the areas that you don't want/need to focus on. This may be because you a...
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Posted by Adam Harries.

 

Competence. The STAMPP of approval.

October 27, 2014


Human factors is an area of study that concerns how human behaviour influences circumstances, events and outcomes. In a health and safety context this is important, due to the simple fact that virtually any undesired event or circumstance will, at some point, involve a real human being.

One element of human performance that is closely connected to human behaviour is competence, which is the ability to perform to a required standard. Many things influence a persons competence. A couple of model...
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Posted by Adam Harries.

 

Perspective on Health & Safety

October 24, 2014


If you think that Health & Safety has gone over the top in the UK, you may have fallen for some of the misleading rubbish that gets published in the press. 

It's a fundamental right that a person that goes out to do an honest days work in order to provide for their family should come home safely at the end of the day, without being exposed to anything that could injure or kill them, or damage their health in any way.

Shift the focus onto someone you care about. Your wife, husband, or your child...
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Posted by Adam Harries.

 

Facts, Emotions and Emails

October 24, 2014


Email is one of the biggest time wasters of our age. It's also a tool that is commonly misused by managers. Here's a quick tip to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to click on the compose button.

Use email for when you need to provide factual information. 

If you need to convey emotion (positive or negative), skip the email and use face to face communication. 

If you need to praise someone, to do so via email will rob you of the opportunity to make a positive impact on morale. If you nee...
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Posted by Adam Harries.