An activity-filled workshop ‘Study and exam skills’ was held at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road and Cunningham Road on Thursday and Friday. The workshop, part of Pro-Social Peer Moderator Programme of Fortis, was organised in association with The Hindu in School for students of classes 9 and 11 and teachers from schools across the city.
The study and exam skills module included effective planning and organisation, tips and techniques for effective studying and coping strategies to deal with exam anxiety. Samir Parikh, director, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram; Anjana Rao, psychiatrist, Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru; and Divya Jain, psychologist, Fortis Hospital, New Delhi, addressed the participants.
Dr. Parikh said students with optimal stress who value something do well in examinations. “Those (students) with low or high level of stress do not fare well,” he said. He told the students to study for 45 minutes at a stretch and take breaks between schedules. During the breaks, they can go for a walk for a few minutes, drink water or juice and may use the washroom. “However, you should not take power naps, drink caffeine, watch television, listen to music or chat or talk over phone,” Dr. Parikh told students.
“Exams are part of your life to make your dreams come true,” he told them. He also said that if there was a perceptible change in a person’s behaviour or if functionality deteriorates whether in a child or an adult, then they must consult an expert or student counsellor. Dr. Parikh added that media, experts and celebrities had a huge role in creating and spreading mental health awareness.
Ms. Jain spoke about effective planning, goal setting, prioritising, and activity scheduling. She told students to have SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) goals. She told them to identify their excuses, work on easier tasks first, commit to finish a task, break large tasks into smaller units, seek help when the task is difficult, eliminate distractions, take breaks, and reward themselves.
About 200 students and teacher coordinators participated in the workshop. Participating students were presented with ‘peer moderator’ badges and teachers were presented with an information kit.
