Exams are generally associated with great anxiety and pressure; it is vital for teachers to help their students find equilibrium within themselves and develop skills meant to show students how to get used to exams. Our experience with exams can be helpful for our students when they want to prepare for an exam. It is important for teachers to teach their students how to consolidate their study habits; in this way, students are encouraged to learn in a much more efficient way.
Most students admit that they do not rely only on their teachers’ help in order to pass an exam. They have to work individually. The problem is that they are not disciplined and organized enough to do this. The study habits should be developed both in the classroom and out of it. Some things they must do are worth mentioning.
Students need to spend a reasonable amount of time outside the class studying English; they can achieve success more easily through continuous studying than through occasional studying. Students should revise what they have already done in the classroom and should note down what they have not understood; in this way, they identify their weak points and help the teacher to become aware of the subject matter they do not master.
It is necessary that students should make use of grammars and dictionaries in an intelligent way; there are teachers who discourage their students to use them lest they should become dependent on them. Benefits for students are greater however when learners are taught how to use these materials. Learners should be helped to acquire the technique of using them and to turn these techniques into study habits.
It is vital for students to search for that place and that time in which they can study and concentrate without being distracted. Students’ conditions at home may not be so inviting for them to study efficiently. Each student must be encouraged to talk to the teacher about possible bad conditions and we as teachers ought to reassure them of the fact that we understand the difficulties they face when trying to find the right place and time to learn.
All types of activities and noise affect students’ concentration power. There are students who are not accustomed to the silence of an examination room in which they have to work on a paper pretty long without having the opportunity to move. Learners need to be mentally prepared for this situation so that they can feel comfortable in case of an exam.
It is necessary that students should revise the work done throughout time so that they can identify the progress they made and consolidate knowledge. The assignments must have the role of activating a system of retrieval meant to help students revise and monitor the process of learning throughout time. Learners should be encouraged to correct and identify their mistakes when using the language; this is, in fact, a process in which the learner monitors his use of the language. The student can do this both through grammars or dictionaries and through revising their entire work.
It is advisable for students to record each individual work on a form given by the teacher. The students can also keep the studying diary; this diary however requires time for the students to write and for the teacher to read. A diary would be an interesting idea for students but it is important that students should discuss with the teacher about their work periodically.
It would be a good study habit if students asked for help when they face a question or a problem they are not able to resolve. They should note down that problem or question and they should ask for the help of those who can really help them and who are trustworthy and competent.
It is not enough for students to practice the language in tests or exercises. They should do more than this because nowadays exams assess the way they use the language in communication. Thus students and teachers need to use the language in real-life contexts of communication involving integrative skills: listening, reading, writing, speaking and grammar as a skill.
Another important aspect is represented by the concept of pressure. It is essential for teachers to teach their students how to cope with pressure. Each person copes with pressure and stress in their own way. Stress can be a motivational factor when students know how to act, but when stress crosses a certain limit, pressure can have a detrimental effect upon students.
Teachers’ duty is to identify the symptoms a student has when they face pressure especially when preparing for exams. Learners might use time inefficiently, do the work below a good standard, be unable to attend lessons or to be attentive during those lessons. Some learners may look pale, others may become aggressive or isolated. Stressed students may also cheat or lie.
It is recommended that courses should contain tools which help students face pressure and stress. Among such tools one can mention: reading texts which are appropriate for the level required by the exam and debating these texts; role-playing situations which make students face pressure such as lack of sleep, headaches, not remembering information.
Besides role-playing, the above situations must be discussed with the teacher in a debate of strategies of facing pressure during the preparation of an exam or during the exam itself. In conclusion, students need to understand that preparing and participating at exams are forms of exposure meant to shape their identity and to help them in real life.
Bibliography
Jones, L. 2007. The Student-Centered Classroom. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Rodgers, T. 2001. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University.