STUDENT WORKSHOP

Theme: Nurture your body, double your confidence and energize your mind during examinations

Required materials: A.V set up (Power-point presentation), Notepads, and Stationary (pen/pencil, chart
paper, markers etc).

Objectives of the workshop:
To help students understand the importance of eating right, having self-confidence and believing in oneself
and energizing ones mind during examinations and to equip students with the knowledge of how to deal with
exam pressure.


Step 1: Ice-breaking session: (Slide 2 &3)
The facilitator can start the workshop with an icebreaker to help the group energize and to get their
attention. The facilitator may ask the students how many of them like studying. Once a show of hands is done
the facilitator may then ask the people who did not rise their hand what they hate about studying.


Step 2: Understanding the importance of studying (slide 4 & 5)
Get students perspective on why one needs to study, share with the class the importance of studying.

To improve our skill set- Being educated sharpens different skills such as making decisions, solving
problems, better thinking, communication etc and helps you all your life
To have a bright future Schools and universities are the first sources of knowledge and we take that
knowledge later on to build our careers and improve our lifestyle. More knowledge is acquired on-the-
job, but without an education, that job would not be within easy reach. Without a good education,
good jobs are difficult to find and without a good job we cannot have a good lifestyle and future.
Ideate better You can talk about ideas and events instead of just about other people and whats on
sale in stores. An educated person does not gossip, having a preference to discuss ideas and to listen
to what other people have to say.
To increase our awareness and knowledge levels Education helps to increase our overall knowledge
about different things that are happening across the world, in addition to increasing our knowledge
about different subject matters.

Step 3: Understanding what the students thought when it came to exams (slide 6)
The facilitator can ask the students what their thoughts are on exams. After the discussion, show the slide
and discuss what pressure can lead to. Most of the students find exams to be a stressful point in their lives. It
is that time when tension and anxiety start building up. Many students even get physical pains during this
period.

It is important to understand that pressure to a very small extent is required in order to motivate the child to
study. Most of the time, however, during exams we find students going through a lot of pressure in order to
perform well. This kind of pressure can lead to:
Loss/ Increase in appetite
Low self-confidence
Nervousness and anxiety
Depression
Pressure to perform well
Fear of failure
All these hamper their efforts to study and remember information, which in turn affects performance.


Step 4: Understanding why students get stressed during exams (slide 7)
Some of the reasons student get stressed during exams include:
Stress/Tension Too much of stress has physical and psychological effects on the body
Low confidence Low self-confidence makes you believe that you are not good. This psychologically
affects the way you study leading to stress.
Improper Planning and Lack of Revision Without revising whatever information you have learned
will be difficult to remember. The more you revised the better your recall. Practice makes you
perfect.
Fear of failing - Fear of failure causes children to experience debilitating anxiety before they take a
test, compete in a sport, or perform.


Step 5: Understanding what is happening in India The exam Fever (slide 8)
80 % of students fear being labeled as a failure
Over 60 % of both boys and girls feel pressurized to score well
40 % of both boys and girls experience high levels of stress and anxiety before taking an exam
40% of high achievers at school also undergo exam stress and anxiety
22 % of boys and girls also take to smoking as they feel it would help them relax during exams.
20 % of students take memory enhancing pills because of the pressure to perform
5,857 students or 16 students a day committed suicide across India due to exam stress in 2009 -
2010
95-100 people commit suicide in India every day. Of these, a whopping 40% are in the adolescent age
group. The motive of killing themselves is invariably academic pressure


Step 6: Understanding how you can cope up with stress - BEAT the stress (slide 9)
In order to do well in the exams one must be prepared. And we can be prepared by following a few simple
steps:
Be Confident
Eat Right and sleep tight
Aerobics and Play time
Test your memory and Revise



Section 1: Be confident (Slide 10 and 11)
Points to discuss:

Students sometimes doubt their abilities and label themselves as not good. They begin to believe in
that and get nervous which affects their self-confidence, and in turn leads to poor performance.
If you believe you can do it, you naturally will be able to do so. Self-confidence is vital for coming out
victoriously during exams. Double up your self-confidence by believing in yourself first. Loving and
admiring yourself is the best way to build up self-confidence! All of us are different and that is what
makes us special people.
Take up leadership opportunities. Cultivate important characteristics, including responsibility and
independence by handling different roles and tasks.
Set attainable goals for yourself. Set high standards for yourself. Reassure yourself that you are
capable of achieving greatness. Push yourself to improve your weaknesses. Realize that conquering
difficult tasks builds mental toughness and fosters persistence.
You can also increase your confidence by proper planning which prevents poor performance. When
you know that you are prepared for your exams, your confidence automatically increases. Plan your
timetable, your study period, your lessons, your notes, etc much before you begin to even sit down
for your studies. This will guide you during your exam period.

It is important to understand that:
If you feel good about yourself, you do well
When you do well you are motivated to achieve more
When you achieve more, you grab every opportunity that comes your way.
All this leads to a high self confidence



Section 2: Eat right (slide 12 and 13)
Lead a discussion the following points.
Discussion Points:
The better fuel the brain receives the better they study Make good nutrition a part of your study
plan.
Vitamins and Minerals Include Iron and vitamins (B) enriched foods in your diet. For eg: red meat,
cereals, fish or soya. Go fruits and include lots of green leafy vegetables rich in vitamin E like
Spinach. Eat different nuts, herbs, milk products etc.
Eat smaller and regular meals - Consider eating 5 to 6 smaller, regular, well-balanced meals like
toasted bread with cheese, fruits salad, or a bowl of oats. Avoid fatty fried foods, sweets and
chocolates as much as possible.
Bread, pastas and potatoes are filled with starchy carbohydrates that keep you going for long.
Stay hydrated: keep your body and mind hydrated and fresh. Water, fruits juices & milk are an
intelligent choice. Avoid coffee and tea and choose a healthier option like Horlicks!! Helps in
concentration too!!
It is important to take care of the body and exercise and stay clean by bathing, wearing fresh clothes,
not eating junk food, brushing our teeth etc because it will boost the immune system and we can
avoid falling sick. This will help to study better.



Section 3: Sleep right (slide 14 and 15)
Tired brains and bodies do not function well on tests. In addition, use exercise to reduce stress as well as a
break for that change everyone needs from intense work and studying. Sleeping right allows your brain to
relax and improves thinking and concentration. Even during exams, duration of 8 hours sleep everyday is
necessary as sleep helps you relax and improves concentration. Sleep will also help you recall information
better and help you remember what you learn. Take a short power nap in between your studies if necessary
and avoid caffeine before you go to bed.



Section 4: Aerobics and play-time (slide 16 and 17)
Exercise helps to boost your immune system, to stay alert, lowers stress and makes you feel good. It also
helps to increase the blood flow leading to better concentration and increase memory. This in turn helps you
to perform better in exams.



Section 5: Test your memory and revise Follow the big P (slide 18 - 21)
How do I memorize and prepare?
All people have almost equal ability to read and remember though some minor differences exist among them.
None of us is bestowed with excellent memory by birth. We have to work for it. Registration, retention and
recall (3Rs) can be improved by regular practice. Fears, anxiety, preoccupation with difficulties can interfere
with memory due to poor attention and concentration. It is important to use good study habits and memory
tips for effective learning.
Paying attention, using a style of learning or method of learning that suits you best and all your
senses helps improve memory
Use different memory techniques such as MNEMONICS (for example VIBGYOR) etc. (Ask students
to Google and look for more)
Understand the information and develop a revising technique that works for you
Drink water regularly to flush out toxins and enhance memory
Almond and fruits nurture your memory cells
Use different memory techniques
Focus on an object everyday for 5 -15 minutes to improve concentration
Empty your mind of all your thoughts before you sit down to study

Planning and Revision Strategies
The facilitator shares revision strategies with the students. There are some revision techniques, which may
actually hinder performance. These include memorizing all the notes, waiting until just before the exam to
revise, memorize model answers and try only one or two revision strategies. To sum it up, revision is vital,
provided the right techniques are followed. The basics of doing well in exams starts with good planning to
revision to getting the right study materials are given below:
Suggestions on planning (my plan of action) and studying would include:
Make a daily or a weekly time table. Remember to set realistic daily/ weakly goals appropriately.
Start small break down your work or assignments into smaller tasks.
Start with easy subjects and slowly move to tough subjects.
Revise your lessons/ notes daily.
Take a 15 minutes break every 2 hours.
Include physical /recreation activities like walking, music, swimming etc as a part of your study plan.
Plan your diet and sleeping patterns especially during exams.
Create a good studying atmosphere Choose a quite and well lit place away from distractions, have
all study materials, clean and
Practice and review your work regularly.
Study in groups if possible Sharing and discussing always helps.
Identify when you study best some people study best at nights and some study well in the mornings.

Revision and Recap strategies:
Make smaller notes or snippets of the lessons as and when you study
Practice more - Being familiar helps you remember. Read about something in one textbook - then try
another. The difference will help you fix the subject in your mind.
Revise regularly - little and often helps you remember. Five minutes reviewing your work each day or
week is better than one hour the night before an exam.
Revise at a time when you can concentrate the best.
Use creative methods of remembering like mnemonics For eg: VIBGYOR (the colours of the rainbow)

Conclusion:

The facilitator concludes by asking for feedback from the group and by answering any queries that students
may have.

All the best!


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