Ameena17
Henze (1992) studied a Greek group of people to understand interdependence between learning everyday activities and culture. And how everyday activities are taught by grandparents and family brought about fulfillment of needs of students with diverse interests.In this endeavour of linking formal instruction with informal instructions have combined two of my favourite things teaching Economics at the A level and cooking a hearty meal, which is gratifying and engaging to all the senses.Satisfaction in economics is a subjective concept that is not measurable. One always wants a little more: a bit more of the vacation, a little more of dessert, to spend a few more minutes with your friends and to get an A* in Economics, you again need a little more. A little more focus, revision, time management and lot more ingredients. One needs to follow this recipe to the T so that a premium quality marksheet can be produced.You are the chef of your own meals and therefore need make this experience fulfilling and therapeutic for yourself. A meal cannot be prepared in the bedroom and therefore studying cannot happen in the comfort of your bed snuggled in a bedsheet. It is always a good idea to dress for the job and be refreshed. The next step is to get the kitchen ready, keep the equipment, a knife, utensils stove ready and at reach. In your case that would be a table and resources required for attaining in-depth knowledge of the subject.
Ingredients
Textbook (Economics for Cambridge International AS and A Level, Colin Bamford & Susan Grant)
Copy of the syllabus 9708
Past papers CAIE website
Notes related to the topic mind maps preferably
Stationery pen pencil erasers do not forget the ruler
Calculator for a mathematical perspective
Interactive quizzes focussed on MCQ. Research suggests that interactivity improves learning and opportunities for engagement to improve conceptual clarity. Kim et. al., 2015. Kolas 2015.
Videos related to the concepts (Khan Academy MJM foodie channel EconplusDal channel)
News articles and current affairs from around the world ( In shorts TOI etc)
Optional ingredients Having a study group to revise concepts. It’s important that you teach the concepts, to your peers for better assimilation of the same. (Feynman Technique)
Salt ( Self Evaluation Checklist at the end of each chapter on your Text book)
1. Preheat your brain with enthusiasm to read your textbook at least 4-5 times before your exam. Not skim through but read thoroughly. Make notings related to the real world examples economists names and anecdotes. Refer to the copy of your syllabus to be guided on the right path.
2. To the above combine your notes and mind maps systematically so as to have detailed and in-depth study. Be a little proactive and create a database of all diagrams and formulae in your Text book. Mento et.al 1999 observed that mind maps helped with clarity of thoughts both for learning as well presenting, mainly because data is organised visually systematically uniquely sometimes a relationship is created between two seemingly unrelated variables. This is done for better recall analysis and interpretation according to one’s own need.
3. It is always good to experiment some with flavors according to your own palete. Watching videos related to the concept will give a different perspective.
4. Revise, rehash and redraft your essays and garnish them with real world examples and economists’ names. Active recall techniques such as flashcards, concept mapping and self testing are particularly effective for long term learning.
5. Perfect your skills by practicing past papers over over and over again. Practice maketh a man perfect.
6. Present your work neatly with a side of confidence in your examination.
7. Last but not the least you have to be resilient and never give up .
Manage time so that you can refresh with a lot of breaks and not burn out. Hope you will enjoy achieving your goal, as much as I did writing about it. Bon Appetit
A humble teacher,
Ameena Fernandes Prabhavati Padamshi Soni International Junior College
