H2 Chemistry in Junior college is certainly one of the most complex and challenging subjects. It has a whole lot of content that students often fear studying alone. JC chemistry tuition is a great help for students who struggle. Chemistry tutors would be able to help students in a customised manner.
Here are some ways students can conquer JC H2 Chemistry…
DEEP UNDERSTANDING
Students should aim to understand every topic fully and deeply. Many students make the mistake of thinking that some topics are unimportant and choose not to put in effort to study them. However, almost every single topic is related to each in one way or another.
This means that failing to understand one topic can result in a chain effect and affect the understanding of other topics. For example, organometallic chemistry requires good understanding in both organic and inorganic Chemistry. This way, they can pave the way towards achieving excellence.
REVISION
Students should revise what they learnt after every lecture. This should be done especially when learning new topics. Lectures are generally content heavy. Majority of students will not be able to take in everything and understand it during the lecture itself.
Some students may think that they understood everything but will realise after a few days that it’s not the case. They would eventually discover logic gaps. Other students may be aware that they do not understand but put off revision to the last minute. Even up till right before their examinations.
This method is very ineffective as the content is not fresh in their brains as compared to the night after the lecture. Revising while the concepts and information are still fresh in their brain will help students understand at a faster rate. It also helps to remember the information well.
DIFFERENT APPROACH
Students need to understand that different topics require different approach to study. Some topics such as equilibria and rate of reaction require a lot of application and practice to understand. The concepts behind these topics are generally very easy to understand. The difficult part is applying these concepts correctly depending on the type of question they are answering. This requires a lot of practice to master.
Some topics need a lot of memorisations, for example, transition metals and periodicity. These topics are usually very content-heavy. Practice usually will not help as students will either know or not know the answer to the question based on whether they study for it. Other topics can be a mix of these two where they may require a lot of memorisations at first.
But, after a lot of practice, the topic will become much more intuitive, for example spectroscopy. Identifying the correct study method for each topic will help to make learning much more efficient.
PRACTICE
Learning and understanding the topics is unfortunately not enough to do well for examinations. Students will also have to put in the effort to master the skills needed to achieve their goals for the examinations. Students are under much more time and mental pressure during examinations.
This can result in students forgetting the answer to questions they normally would be able to solve instantly. also making careless mistakes they never thought they would make. Although stress and time pressure are unavoidable, students can spend time to ensure that they can perform under it.
Doing practice papers or simply setting a time limit on every practice question will help to simulate the examination setting. With enough practice, students can become used to it. Looking at previous mistakes during revision can also help. This helps eliminate any unnecessary careless mistakes from happening again.
PRACTICAL
Chemistry also has a practical aspect to it. Many students who perform really well for theoretical Chemistry may not be equally strong in practical. Practicals generally require extra skills along with theoretical knowledge of the topics. One mistake that students make is simply memorising practical techniques without understanding them.
Understanding the theory behind every practical is important to be able to do the practical well. Another reason why students may struggle is because they lack the speed and agility required to do practical. Students should be doing something every minute of their practical.
For example, when waiting for a chemical to heat up, students should be filling up their practical worksheets instead of taking a break. Although it is impossible to practice at home, revising practical techniques will help!