• Question: What advice would you give to someone who is finding Science quite difficult to understand in school?

    Asked by livyad to Adam, Catherine, Karen, Leila, Nazim on 15 Mar 2012. This question was also asked by shaddeilovesmilo.
    • Photo: Adam Stevens

      Adam Stevens answered on 14 Mar 2012:

      a) Keep trying. It might take a while, but often it can suddenly come to you!

      b) Ask for help. Your teacher is probably willing to give you extra help as long as you ask nicely. If not then try asking different teachers in the science department. Even if you don’t like them you might be surprised how nice they can be without a classroom full of naughty children!

      c) Talk to your friends about it. They might be struggling too, and talking about it between you will help you all out. You could try starting a study club. It might not be the coolest thing, but it would certainly look good on an application form or CV, and people will probably thank you if you take the leap.

      d) If /absolutely/ nothing works, take a break, do something else and come back to it later. You’d be amazed how well this can work!

    • Photo: Leila Battison

      Leila Battison answered on 14 Mar 2012:

      Everybody learns differently, so try to find out the way that you learn best. Maybe you have to write everything out by hand (I do), or maybe you remember things better if they are in pictures, or if you are doing an experiment. Once you know how you learn, it will be easier to understand new ideas in science or in any subject.

      I also think it is great to be alive and learning at the moment, because you have the whole of the internet to turn to if you have a problem. Googling your question will usually give you an answer in a way you can understand within the first page. 🙂

      And never be afraid to ask questions. There are lots of people that will be willing to help you if you have a real question that you can’t figure out.

    • Photo: Karen Masters

      Karen Masters answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      The word “science” covers a lot of subject matter. It might be that you can find some of it you really find interesting and no so hard to learn. Basically what I’m trying to say is don’t just assume it’s hard and not bother trying because it’s labelled science.

      And ask for help – asking questions helps most people learn. If you are too shy or embarassed to ask them in front of your classmates then ask them after class.

    • Photo: Nazim Bharmal

      Nazim Bharmal answered on 21 Mar 2012:

      I’m afraid there is no easy answer but my top tips would be:

      1. Make sure you have a good understanding in your mind of what is being explained; you might need to read a few books or look at different websites to see how other people explain something, in various ways, till eventually you get “the big picture” and you can see how various facts fit together,

      2. You have to work hard! For some people, science is “easier” than for others, but everybody has to work to understand it and that often means time spent with books, asking questions to teachers (or online, if you can find people that will help), or talking to other students,

      3. Don’t just work alone. Make sure you talk about what you find hard with “somebody” else. Nobody can learn science by themselves.

      And Adam makes a great point: take breaks, sometimes what is hard one night seems much easier the next morning, so do something else (more homework, facebook, talk on the phone) rather than spend all your time working on one problem if you can’t solve it.

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