adminCharles Dube
Examinations are over and schools are out. This is familiar talk when end of year comes. Learners could be preoccupied with the question, “Now what am I going to do with all this free time?
Sure, there are games to play, movies to watch and friends to hang out with. On top of all this, there are also plenty of productive things to do during the school holidays.
One writer suggests that learners can reflect on the term gone by answering the following questions: “What did I do well in the past term? What did I not do well in the past term? What will I do differently in the coming term?”
Among many other things, talk to your friends and family about what you do. If your friends and family are not familiar with what you do or you are interested in learning more, this is the time to fill them in on what you do all day, why you like it or not and what you are going to do in the future.
Who knows, you could pick up some great insight from people who are removed from your day-to-day life. This is the time to catch up on reading.
Catch up on those books or articles you have been wanting to get to so badly. It is really hard to find time to read when you are busy with work, but now that you are on vacation you can cuddle up with a blanket and a book. Read as many novels as well as newspapers, journals and magazines. Read any literature which gives you current affairs such that when you get back to school you will not be found lagging behind.
Being on vacation does not necessarily mean that you totally forget about books, hence you improve your vocabulary.
Research indicates that learners’ success in school and life is linked to the size of their vocabulary. Learners need to work on their writing skills this school holiday. Writing skills are important for academic success and they are even more important for career success. Learners need to increase their reading speed — the faster they read, the faster they learn.
Learners can read articles on how to become happy, successful learners. Such information can be found on articles like:
How to stay focused or Train the brain and others. Start thinking about future careers. In that vein talk to as many adults as possible about career options. Getting various opinions on career options will enlighten learners and chances of making mistakes when choosing careers will be minimal.
There is nothing as painful as just choosing a career where you have no interest in.
Jobs are hard to come by and this has forced people to do types of jobs which they would never have opted for under normal circumstances. Maybe with the coming in of the new curriculum which encourages hands on experience learners will fit into careers of choice and enjoy being at work.
Holiday time is time for reflection. Learners, take advantage of this long holiday and learn about your family history.
This could be considered as irrelevant in learning but, you might discover very interesting things about your family. Research indicates that people who know their family history tend to have higher self-esteem, a key component in learning. Find a mentor — a good mentor will help the learner become more self-aware and be able to make better decisions.
Most learners are now into computers so you can increase your typing speed this holiday. Computers have become an important resource in learning hence there is need for more proficiency in its use.
Having reflected on the term gone by learners need to go on and set process goals for the coming term instead of performance goals — process goals are far more effective. What is the difference between the two types of goals? Process goals are what you intend to do, while performance goals are what you intend to achieve. For example, you can set a performance goal as follows: you want to get A grades in Mathematics, Science and English Language next term. Process goals can be set as follows: Do two or three Mathematical questions every day after dinner. All this helps in that you do not totally forget about school.
During the holidays learners can watch as many high quality documentaries to get educational information. A well-read learner produces highly informed answers. Information is acquired through reading widely. In a traditional setup no learner or child would feel lonely so as to be picking up hobbies. There are a variety of chores done at home. This is summer time and it is ploughing time. After closing schools learners would go home and assist in the ploughing of the fields. That would be good exercise.
In urban areas you could do gardening as well where possible. Learners waiting to go to tertiary institutions can take advantage and visit nearby colleges or universities for excitement.
Colleges and universities are so full of youth, passion, and knowledge and potential. Visit those next to you and learn about the courses and programmes offered and get a feel of the campus culture. Research indicates that you might leave the campus with a clearer vision for your future plans and goals. So this holiday mix pleasure and hard work.
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derick.khumalo