*This post is written personally by Glenn Lim*

OK, the much awaited ’studying’ followup post, which is part of a whole syllabus of 10 modules of Mastery Study Skills compiled over the past 2 years. The DVD version (apprx 25 hrs) will be ready by June 2009 and available through online e-tail sources. Many of my students/clients have requested that I post or email them these resources (the free, brief versions). I am compelled to do so, but due to the limited capabilities of internet (bandwidth, formatting etc), I shall post teasers here instead, while answering specific questions over email, and preparing the video tutorial versions to be sold over at masteringlearningacademy.net soon! All these will be up by mid year!

OUR BRAIN - Not many adults (let alone students) understand the powerful and almost unlimited resources of our brains. I’m not surprised, because not many of us study cognitive-neuroscience or neuropsychology. I had the great priviledge to study 2 modules of applied neurocognitive development in human studies in late 2007, whilst embarking on my masters study program. At the same time I was exposed to pedigogical/androgogical techniques in education, and grew exponentially in my understanding of psycho-education and mental literacy. Why was I so entralled by these subjects?…Because I was personally struggling in my own studies and assignments then.

When I embarked on my graduate study program mid-2007, I was apprehensive because I had always thought I was not the academic type, especially being constantly reminded of my failure as a student in secondary school (I was expelled in Sec 4, and flunked my Os twice!). Sure I read books and journals, but not without imposing upon myself a burdensome & regimental personal program, which I noble-y disguised as self-disicpline. I hated every minute of studying! And thought studying was meant for a select group of people.

In my frustration and desperation to find solutions, I started researching, read books, and attended many workshops, some as an honorary guest to my friend’s events who were fellow life-coaches and trainers. I guess you could call it an epiphany, but I begun to realise that our brains are created to do more, much more, than what we are exposed to. A prominent visiting life-science lecturer said “Every brain has the potential to work out the genius of Einstein if provided the right environment, exercise and engagement.”

That was when I decided I too, could be an Einstein! or better!…that was the turning point!

Of course many things needed to take place before beginning to engage my own brain purposefully. I realised my study habits were very self-depleting and based on a deficit model. For that matter,  in my own interactions with students, I noticed about 90% of them had bad study habits too. Instead of increasing our brain’s capacity for info assimilation, retention, association and recall-to-apply, we uncounciously shut down these life-giving faculties and subject our brains to conventional linear study patterns and drills, causinig mental fatigue, restlessness and disable neural-cognitive concentration!…Imagine the shock I had when I realised that my study program (like so many of today’s youth) inhibited up to 40% of my brain’s capacity to function and study!…Simply put, my brain was slowing down (by nearly half) whenever I hit the books! No wonder I felt listless, unmotivated and sianz when it came to studying time!

Things are so different today!…I approach studying as an exciting and challenging ‘game’ that I can’t wait to play. And build on small successes along the way to increase momentum and increase productivity. I’ve seen personal improvements of approximately 20% to 25% increases in my assignments, and witnessed many students improve in their grades by that same margin too. After researching and integrating different studying theories/teachniques that worked for me, and also developing my own curriculum to teach students these skills and strategies, I’ve come up with the whole series of Mastery Study Skills that promises to help students achieve their academic best, and in life!

My desire has always been to see students perform their very best in their subjects. And I truly believe every student has the potential to peak-perform, and I mean EVERYONE!…Especially the ones who think they are not cut-out for academics, that is such a lie! I believe if they reframe their minds and view academics from a positive perspective, they will begin to efficaciously develop strategies to achieve results!…They just need to know how….that’s where my series of Mastery Study Skills come in…more to come in the next posts…

“Mr Glenn’s Mastery Study Skills workshop has helped to jump-start my study program for my SA2 this year (2008), and I have improved by 2 grades to B3 for my POA. I never liked this subject, but over 5 months I have grown to Love it (not just like it) because of the re-labeling techniques Mr Glenn taught us! He also taught us to ‘ride the success-wave’ factor and my motivation level is super-high now and I’m more confident to set higher goals for next year’s ‘O’ Levels (2009)…” Juriah Nuralina (Sec 4NA)

“I nearly gave up my Lit and Geog because of my failing all the time, but I have learnt to ‘ride the wave’ and got my first pass during SA1! From then on I have built the ’success-momentum technique’ that Mr Glenn Lim taught us, and there’s no looking back now! I have set my ‘targetting line’ and aim for A2 from my B4 in 4 months. And I believe it is possible to achieve it!…”  Melvin Tan (Sec 5N)

“The ‘Life Blueprint’ that Mr Lim teaches us makes a lot of sense to me, and ever since I apply it to my own life and time management, I have been slowly achieveing my dreams and goals, both in studies and my life dream of being a service entrepeuneur. I now am able to see failure as a friend, and actually see failure as a powerful tool to be used, instead of avoiding it, and to use failure to work towards my goals! My view of life is so different now!…” JingMin T. (ITE Nitec)