There is an old story of a nervous speaker who was introduced after dinner. He walked up to the stage, sweating, and said, "My friends, when I arrived here this evening only God and I knew what I was going to speak to you. And now, only God knows."
We laugh, but it happens to students every year. They read a chapter, they close the book, and only God knows what they have understood. The answer is to understand first and memorise second. For that I teach a method called the judicious method, also known as the Five Ws and one H.
Six questions
The five Ws are Why, Where, What, When and Who. The H is How. Almost every question you can ask about a subject falls under these six headings. So after you read something once, stop and ask yourself these six questions about it. If you can answer them, you have understood it. And what you understand stays for much longer than what you only repeated.
This works especially well for science and technical subjects, where the process matters more than the words.
Three small examples
Why does lightning come first and thunder follow? You remember that light travels faster than sound. So we see the flash first and hear the thunder later.
Why is there a small gap between two sections of a railway track? Because iron expands in heat. Without the gap, the tracks would bend in summer.
Why does water form when hydrogen and oxygen combine? Because two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen make H2O.
See what happened? Each time you ask Why, you get a fact and a reason joined together. The reason helps you recall the fact. When you ask powerful questions, you get powerful answers.
Use it on any topic
Suppose you have to write about Jawaharlal Nehru. Ask these questions.
- Who is Jawaharlal Nehru?
- Where and when was he born?
- Why should I learn about him?
- How did he become such a great man?
- What books did he write, and what did he achieve?
- For how long was he Prime Minister of India?
Once you have the answers to these six questions, writing about Nehru becomes easy. You have the skeleton and you only need to add flesh.
Use it on your own worries
I like this part the most, because the method works on problems too. Many students are tense about their studies and cannot say exactly why. Ask yourself these six questions.
- What are my problems with my studies?
- When should I start preparing for my exams?
- Why am I tense about studies and exams?
- How can I overcome my tension and stress?
- From where should I start studying?
- Whose help should I take, or whom should I consult?
Write the answers on paper. A vague worry becomes a small, clear plan. Often the tension goes down on its own.
Why understanding matters more than speed
Nowadays many students are made to read and reproduce, without understanding what they write. This may help them pass an exam, but the knowledge is temporary and of no use later. What matters is to learn how to apply the principles. When you understand a concept, you can answer many related questions, even those that were never taught to you. This is what success in life really needs, and it is the real purpose of education.
Here is a small test of how much understanding helps. Try to learn this string of numbers: 5 8 12 15 19 22 26 29. It looks difficult. But look closer. You add 3, then 4, then 3, then 4, and so on. Once you see the pattern, you can rebuild the whole string whenever you need it. Now compare it with a random string such as 6 8 4 3 0 7 4 2 8 6 1 0 6 9. There is no pattern, so you have to fight for every digit. The better we understand, the better we learn.
A habit for this week
The next time you finish a topic, do not just close the book. Spend five minutes writing the six questions about that topic and the answers. Do this for every chapter this week, and see how much more you can recall.
This is one chapter from my book Train Your Brain.
