Good morning Principal, teachers and fellow students,
On behalf of the Student Union, I'd like to welcome all of you to this talk. It's that time of the year again, and I'm sure we are all under a lot of stress and we all want to emerge victorious in the HKDSE Examination. And this morning, it's my honour and privilege to share with you all some tips on examination preparation and stress management amid intense drilling.
First things first, it's imperative that we know where to seek assistance whenever you are stuck. It's not just meticulously organising and writing your notes that will propel us to success. My fellow schoolmates, what if we encountered, for example, chemical equations that baffled you on the spot? Should we conveniently leave them aside and let problems stack up or unscramble the puzzle? While our beloved teachers and talented buddies are selfless enough to enlighten us, they may not be available all the time, perhaps busy with their respective work. That's why on our way to the DSE, if we're unable to get a handle on whatever sophisticated theories, it's essential to have online experts by your side. By experts, I don't really mean Nobel Prize laureates. Just take myself as an example, as a Form 6 student grappling with Chemistry, I have always banked on the help of experts on YouTube like Melissa Maribel and Tyler DeWitt. They've long assisted me whenever I'm combating equations or convoluted concepts, such as redox and enthalpy, even at midnight. What's perfect about them is that watching their videos is just the same as having your teacher explain the whole concept again, perhaps even from a different perspective that allows you to resolve the torrent of inquiries in your mind, without bothering any of your busy teachers or buddies. As you have realised by now, it's important to know where to seek help when needs arise.
To fully stretch our potential, keeping our electronic gadgets away, unless for learning, will also go a long way. Instagram versus revision will very much direct us to survival or death in the DSE, and steering clear of them will ensure our survival. Fellow students, it sounds like a much-trumpeted, but useless way, but let me tell you my story. Form 4 was no different from a fiery storm, to me. I'll bet you all know how enticing your phones are, don't you? I would always enthusiastically embrace Chinese and English assignments because I had, and still have a passion for them, but slack off when it came to science-related work. Exacerbating it was the fact I was riveted to my phone all the time. And I would always traverse in an endless cycle from the news, Instagram, Facebook to WhatsApp, even responding to my friends in less a minute every time they'd text me. My evil phone dissuaded me from working harder for my good and instead spending more time on the phone. Even after failing several Math quizzes and tests, I would still lavish my free time on my smartphone instead of mending my ways. Are you wondering what came of me in the end? Well, failing Math and all the three science subjects. Although I still was promoted to Form 5 in the end it's been much harder for me to solidify my knowledge of everything taught back in Form 4, and would have been much better had I stayed away from my phone and learned at the normal pace. My friends, as you can see, it all boiled down to overusing my phone. And if you're glued to your phone, I truly recommend that you try your best to keep it at arm's length unless you need it for learning, or it will be all ill-fated like me.
Given the feverish stakes of the HKDSE exam, we could easily fall to death just by making even trivial mistakes. And with that comes stress that, if not handled properly, could also choke us and jeopardise our performance.
Managing your time perfectly well is key to mitigating stress. Do you cram everything into one single month before the exam or begin reviewing three to four months before the exam and spending adequate time on every subject? My fellow schoolmates, you all undoubtedly understand how much you will need to "consume" before the HKDSE. How can you possibly memorise everything in all the some thirty chapters in the Biology textbook, the twelve classical Chinese literature pieces, the some 600 pages in total of the history textbooks in just a month? Misusing our time or lavishing our attention on certain subjects will only heighten our stress level, as we realise time is wearing thin, with only little progress made. That's why excellent time management is indispensable. But how? Now for example, you will be taking seven exams in the DSE -- exams of the four core subjects and the three electives. My lovely schoolmates, try to spend at most an hour on each core subject every day in the morning, and perhaps reserve another three hours for the three electives. Spare around ten to fifteen minutes in between each subject to let your brain take breaks. And in every hour, I'd advise you to spend half of it for memorisation while the other half, for consolidation and drilling. Then reserve your evening for unwinding. That will ensure you will work efficiently under a strict time limit to head for the best and in the meantime, having anxiety and stress allayed.
What's more, adequate physical exercise can also crush stress given the variety of benefits that come with it. Having come across the sports unit back in F5, I'm pretty certain you all can tell the unique benefits of playing each sport, like releasing more endorphin, increasing one's suppleness, and not to mention, minimising anxiety. We all have been on pins and needles lately, working on mock exam papers in the run-up to the exam, and are you going to allow them to scar your mental health? Why don't you, from today onwards, spend an hour every day before dusk jogging, playing badminton with your friends and even soccer? I need to clarify, never is it necessary to gain much expertise before beginning. We can still play even if you're amateur. Becoming muscular is not what we're aiming for, but just unwinding and reinvigorating ourselves. Have a relaxing chat with your friends as you jog, concentrate entirely on your soul, and even leave your studies aside for just an hour to give our massive brains an enjoyable break. There's nothing wrong with it. On the contrary, if we never exercise, stress will likely gain the upper hand and paralyse our brains, even making us too sick to work. Is staking your entire body on your make-or-break DSE worth it?
My fellow schoolmates, I know every single one of the souls here is more than capable of accomplishing this daunting yet rewarding mission. Remember: Seek help when needed, concentrate, perfect time management and sports -- the full recipe for success. We all have high hopes, as do our family members, friends and teachers, but take it from me: Aim for the best, and let endurance do the rest. That's all from me today, and I look forward to seeing you all triumphant after the HKDSE!
Komentáře