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How to help your teenager cope with exam stress

In an increasingly competitive world, young people writing exams are arguably under more pressure than ever before, knowing that their results need to give them an advantage when applying for higher education or employment. Unfortunately, this means that they are also exposed to increasingly higher levels of stress – stress that can, if not managed properly, become debilitating and even affect their performance. Dr Gillian Mooney, Teaching and Learning Manager at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider, says it is therefore vital for parents and other caregivers to monitor the mental wellbeing of learners and students in addition to their preparation, as there are a number of ways that stress can be manipulated to improve performance rather than allowing it to be an unnecessary hurdle. “At this time of year, it is not unusual for young people to experience peak levels of stress because of the nearing exams,” she says, adding that “it is important to remember that stress can both be motivating and managed”. Mooney, who has also spent more than a decade and a half as a Psychology lecturer, says adults should understand that stress is subjective, and that what is stressful for one person, may not be stressful for another. “Stress is your body’s physical reaction to certain situations. Your body has a biological response – that is chemicals and hormones are released – in order to help you cope with a stressful stimulus. As a result, stress can affect your physical health, your mental health and your behaviour.” She says while some stress is healthy in the short term, and can help one be more productive and motivated, negative stress will cause ‘distress’, leading to feelings of anger, irritability and fear. “Negative stress may also cause physical symptoms such as a headache or stomach cramps. Exam anxiety is a kind of stress that involves excessive worrying about exams, the fear of being evaluated, and, of the consequences of exams. Exam anxiety is experienced by many students and is not mysterious or difficult to understand.” Mooney says this type of stress can be easily managed if a student takes heed of the following ten tips: Believe in yourself: If you have worked consistently since the start of the year, you should be fine and there is no need to worry excessively. Don’t try to be perfect: It’s good to have goals, but these need to be realistic. If you believe that anything less than 100% means you have failed, then you are creating unnecessary stress for yourself. Don’t keep things bottled up inside: A good way to alleviate worry and stress is to confide in someone that you trust and who will be supportive, for example your parents, friends or lecturers. Keep things in perspective: Exams may seem like the most important thing right now, but in the context of your whole life, they are only really a small part. Life will be worth living regardless of an exam. Give yourself credit for getting as far as you have. Be proactive in tackling your problems: If you do not understand some of the material, merely feeling stressed about it will not help. Rather make an appointment to see your lecturer, talk to your classmates, or review a past exam paper. Get accurate information: Check all the course information and ask your lecturer. You need to know what will be in the exam, how it will be marked, where the exam will be written, and when the exam will start and end. Structure your study time: You need to study in regular sessions of about 50 minutes each, separated by 10 minute breaks. Plan for the exam: Try to arrive at the exam venue early. Wear a watch or make sure you know where the clock is in the exam venue. Wear layers of clothes so that you can adjust when you feel hot or cold. Make a list of all the materials you will need in the exam room and be sure to pack it before you go. Try to maintain a healthy lifestyle: Your anxiety levels will increase if you feel tired and run down. You can improve your resilience by getting enough exercise, eating nutritious food and getting regular and adequate sleep. Avoid the things that won’t help: Try not to drink too much coffee the night before and the morning of the exam. Avoid other students who are anxious and talkative before the exam. And avoid talking about the course material just before the exam. “If you manage your emotional approach to stress, the physical response will also become manageable,” says Mooney. “Parents and caregivers should be vigilant and ensure that if they start seeing the signs of excessive, unproductive stress, they timeously assist by providing the practical and emotional support required to help students and learners perform at their best.”

June 2, 2016
Parenting Hub

Relaxation And Exam Preparation

I don’t think any of us associate exams with being relaxed, but bringing these two together is the answer to exam success. You see, when we activate the stress-response in the body, that fight or flight mechanism, we actually decrease the blood supply to our higher thinking functions. See it like this: If you were in the bush, running away from a hungry lion you don’t really need to be able to do calculus at that time – what you need are fast reflexes and pumped muscles. This is the same mechanism in place when we get stressed about exams. The more stressed you are, the less clearly you can think. This is why I believe that continuous assessment is a much clearer indicator of what kids know and have understood than these highly intense end-of-term exams. But hey, if you’re stuck with them for now, let’s look at what you can do to help your kids through… Firstly, remove the pressure to excel. Bribing or threatening kids into doing well on their exams is more likely to activate this fight or flight mechanism. Even the way that you speak about the exams can make a difference – be very matter of fact about it – “it’s not a test to see who you are or if you’re a worthy human being (you’d be surprised how many kids believe this at some level) but just a way for the teachers to see how much you’ve learned and if THEY need to improve their teaching methods or help you out in areas that you haven’t understood. And it’s ok if you don’t do well!” Taking this pressure off makes it more likely that they will. And I’m not saying they don’t need to study, they do, but in a stress-free way. The next thing is to introduce some kind of relaxation exercises into their study routine. Deep breathing is a simple, easy way to de-activate the stress response. Breathe in as you count to 3, hold on the count of 4 and then breathe out to the counts of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. In other words your out-breath is twice the length of your in-breath. This is a typical breathing pattern used in stress-biofeedback, a medically proven technique for reducing stress and all the negative side-effects that come with it. Take a 5-minute breathing-break for every 30 minutes of studying. My personal favourite for staying in a relaxed, and therefore beneficial studying state, is to get your brainwaves to a Theta level (4-8 cycles per second / Hz). From the ages of around 2-6 we are predominantly in a Theta state which is why we absorb so much information so easily. I call this the Learning State, and it’s very easy to get back into it. Pick a spot on the wall in front of you above eye level. Stare at this spot intensely until you start to feel a strain on your eyes. Then, while still looking at this spot, expand your vision to include the peripheral vision (ie as far as you can see to either side while still staring at your spot). Then you can look back down (at your study material or teacher) but keep a constant awareness of the periphery. When we are stressed (the lion is chasing us) we tend to be very focused on our foveal/central vision – one small spot in front of us. When we’re relaxed (reclining on the porch of our beach house), we tend to open up our vision to include the whole scenery. So by getting into the relaxed Learning State, we “trick” our bodies and minds into believing we are relaxed, and we open up to much more information. Staying in the Learning State while learning and while writing exams is a simple and effective trick for marrying exams and relaxation for best effect. Good luck and stay calm!

November 11, 2014
Paarl Dietitians

Brain Food For Exams

Our brain, a mass of fat and protein weighing about 1.4 kilograms (equal to 3 bricks of butter), is the organ that makes us human, gives us the capacity for art, language, moral judgments and rational thought. It’s also responsible for each of our personality, memories, movements, and how we sense the world. So, one would think that it is the organ that we would take the most care of. We have days dedicated to heart, kidney and bone health, but how often do we take time to appreciate our brain and make sure we are looking after it! What we eat can have a direct impact on how well our brain works. Our brain is a hungry organ and reportedly uses 20-30% of our daily energy intake. Relative to its size and weight, that is rather demanding and if we don’t take in adequate nutrition, our brain is going to go hungry. None of us feel good when we are hungry, so just imagine how your brain must feel when it goes hungry. Just by skipping breakfast alone, you can adversely affect brain functions like fluency when speaking, ability to solve problems and motivation to tackle tasks. What we need to realise is your brain works just like your car. Just like your car requires good quality petrol, oil, water, brake fluid and other components to function well, so does your brain. The nutrients key to your brains health and function include glucose, vitamins & minerals and other essential chemicals. If you want to keep your brain fit and healthy and make sure it serves you well, keep reading to learn more about food and brain health. Glucose = carbohydrate = brain power The ability to concentrate and focus comes from the adequate supply of energy – from blood glucose – to the brain. The glucose in our blood comes primarily from the carbohydrates we eat – foods including fruit, vegetables, cereals, bread, sugars and lactose in milk. Eating breakfast and regular meals containing some carbohydrate ensure you will have enough glucose in your blood. Low GI carbohydrates are the best choice as they will ensure a steady supply of glucose to your brain. Not having enough glucose in the blood makes us feel weak, tired and our minds cloudy. This may happen when we don’t eat enough carbohydrate-containing food e.g. when you are following a low carbohydrate diet or if you have an erratic eating patterns. However, though glucose ensures good concentration and focus, once your blood glucose is within the normal range, you CANNOT further boost your brain power by eating more carbohydrates and increasing your glucose levels. This will not make you smarter but only cause you to gain weight! Your dietitian would be able to guide you on how much carbohydrates you need to prevent weight gain. Choose fats wisely Our brains are made of around 40% fat, and our cells need fats to maintain their structures, therefore an adequate supply of healthy fat is needed to maintain brain health. Healthy fat choices include the mono-unsaturated fats like olive oil, avocado pear, nuts and seeds and omega 3 rich foods like pilchards, sardines, salmon, trout and walnuts. If you don’t like fish you may decide to take an omega 3 supplement. Make sure your omega 3 supplement has a high proportion of the active ingredients – Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Take up to a total of 1g/day of these essential fatty acids every day. We stock various omega-3 supplements at the practice that meets the recommended dosage. Include protein at each meal Tryptophan is one of the building blocks of protein, and has been shown to play a role in depression. Studies have shown that adding pure tryptophan to the diet of people with depression can improve their mood. Tryptophan is found in most foods like seafood, dairy, nuts, seeds and legumes, but is found in the largest quantity in turkey, chicken and red meats. Protein also contains essential nutrients and eating it little and often helps to keep us feeling full, which in turn, can prevent overeating. Fresh meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and eggs are the best sources of protein. Fill around one-third of your plate with a protein food. Don’t forget your fruit and veggies and wholegrains Wholegrain cereals, peas, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables are rich in a range of vitamins and minerals that your body needs in order to function well. These foods are also rich in B vitamins, (including folate) and zinc, which evidence suggests is important in managing depression. Try to eat at least five different fruits and vegetables daily to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. Drink enough fluid Water makes up 85 percent of the brain weight. So, it is but natural that lack of water can lead to brain shrinkage. Researches have shown that dehydration not only shrinks the brain tissues but also adversely affects concentration and memory. So, how much water is required by the body every day? Drink water according to your body weight. Dividing your weight in kilograms by 30 gives the amount of water in litres a day. For example, if you weigh 75 kg, drink (75/30= 2.5) 2.5 litres of water spread out over a day. Be careful of caffeinated beverages though. Caffeine may affect your mood and may lead to withdrawal headaches and to low or irritable mood when the effects wear off. Drinks such as coffee, cola, energy drinks, tea and chocolate all contain caffeine. Avoid all energy drinks, and try to limit intake to three cups of coffee, or five cups of tea a day. Alcohol also has a dehydrating effect. Drinking too much alcohol can also lead to B vitamin deficiencies, and can make you more depressed or anxious. Try to limit intake to no more than two to three drinks on no more than five days per week. Try to include a super food each day Super foods

October 15, 2014
Edublox - Reading & Learning Clinic

The Difference between Study Skills, Study Techniques and Study Methods

The Difference between Study Skills, Study Techniques and Study Methods When one considers learning and study, one should always keep in mind that there are three aspects that are of importance: Study Skills: The ability of any learner to study successfully depends to a great extent on his fundamental study skills, i.e. his ability to concentrate, to perceive correctly and accurately, as well as the ability to remember what has been perceived. Study skills should not be confused with study techniques and study methods. The difference between these can be explained by using the game of soccer as example. In order to be a soccer player, a person first has to master the fundamental soccer skills, e.g. passing, heading, and dribbling the ball. Only after that can he be taught techniques and methods. In the same way, in order to be a good student, a learner first has to master the fundamental study skills. Mnemonics training is often done without keeping this sequential fashion of learning in mind. A mnemonic is a specific reconstruction of target content intended to tie new information more closely to the learner’s existing knowledge base and, therefore, facilitate retrieval. There are a variety of mnemonic techniques, including keywords, pegwords, acronyms, loci methods, spelling mnemonics, phonetic mnemonics, number-sound mnemonics, and Japanese “Yodai” methods. An example of an acronym is to remember the word HOMES to recall the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. The purpose of number-sound mnemonics is to recall strings of numbers, such as telephone numbers, addresses, locker combinations or historical dates. To use them, learners must first learn the number-sound relationships: 0=s; 1=t; 2=n; 3=m; 4=r; 5=l; 6=sh, ch, or soft g, 7=k, hard c, or hard g; 8=f or v; and 9=p. To remember the date 1439, for example, the learner uses the associated consonant sounds, t, r, m and p, and will insert vowels to create a meaningful word or words. In this case, the word “tramp” can be used. There are, however, at least two problems in improving memory by means of mnemonic instruction. The first problem is — as already stated — that it overlooks the sequential fashion of learning. Mnemonics instruction is, to a large extent, instruction in memory techniques, which should be taught only after the skill of memory has been learned. It can be compared to a person being taught soccer tactics, such as the “wall pass,” while he has not yet adequately mastered the skill of passing the ball. As stated in Knowabout Soccer, “No matter how good your passing technique, if the quality of your passing is poor, your technique will not be effective.” The second problem is that by teaching memory crutches only, the result is, as stated by Scruggs and Mastropieri, “on more complex applications, generalization attempts [are] less successful.” If the skill of memory is taught, however, the learner can apply it in any situation. Study Techniques: There are three learning techniques that can be employed to make study more successful. 1. Association: This is probably the most important and most effective of all the learning techniques, of which mnemonics is probably the most commonly used association technique. 2. Thinking in pictures: One is able to remember much better what has been seen in the mind’s eye than what has been thought in abstract terms. Therefore, one should always consciously try to think in terms of pictures. 3. Reduce frequency of brain waves: The brain usually vibrates at 20 cycles per second or higher. Dr. Georgi Lozanov was probably the first who discovered that, if the frequency of the brain waves is reduced, more effective study becomes possible. He found that playing slow Baroque music could reduce the frequency of brain waves. José Silva was probably the first who discovered a method to reduce the frequency of brain waves at will. Study Methods: Most learners have the bad habit of only studying the day before a test or exam. There are two serious disadvantages attached to this method of study: 1. There is never any regular practice of study skills. 2. It has been found that within 24 hours — on an average — one forgets up to 80% of what one has learned. If, however, the study material is reviewed after 24 hours, it takes 7 days before 80% is forgotten again, and if another review is done at this point, then it takes 30 days to forget 80% again. Research has shown that, if the correct pattern or review of studied material is followed, memory consolidation is enhanced significantly, and the overall time spent in learning is slashed dramatically. The following pattern of initial study and subsequent review will certainly deliver excellent results: 1. Set up a timetable that is divided in study periods of 30 minutes each. On the first day on which this new timetable will be implemented, take the first study period to learn some study material thoroughly. It must be brief enough so that it can be absorbed in only about 15 minutes. Once the full study program is in operation, as you will soon realize when you read further, one only has about 15 minutes in each study period of 30 minutes in which to study and absorb new material. The rest of the time is spent on reviewing previously learned material. The piece of work must be summarized and thoroughly studied in these 30 minutes. Take a rest of 5 minutes at the end of the study period. 2. Review after 5 minutes. Take 3 minutes of the next study period to review the study material of the previous study period, before new material is again summarized and thoroughly studied. 3. Review after 24 hours. Take 3 minutes to review the material that was studied the previous day. Then take 3 minutes to review the work that was studied 5 minutes ago, before again studying and summarizing new material. 4. Review after 7 days. Take 3 minutes

December 17, 2013
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