My Thoughts on Learning + Some School Tips.

"Any fool can know, the point is to understand"

-Albert Einstein//

Blogs are full of these posts, posts with countless numbers of the same thing. Every single post about school talks about being organised, having the right attitude, and studying. Today I am going to be different, because today's post- while it is called school tips- is about school in a different kind of way to post other school posts. Looking at what is written ahead, it might be a good idea to get comfortable- this post is going to be a long one.

First of all I want to get something straight, I love learning. Being able to discover, understand and explore new things excites me. "Learning excites curiosity we never knew we had". I enjoy reading, watching videos and looking at diagrams until I understand something. And more than that, I love understanding something and doing something with that knowledge- I like watching it become real, reading about it in books, seeing references to it in movies. I love learning new things and expanding my knowledge.

That however, is not what today's post is about, today's post is about school, and school is not something I love.
At the same time, I don't hate school. I don't wake up dreading the day (at least not most of the time), I don't do anything I can do avoid it. I don't sit in class and waste my time, I don't avoid class and spend all my time in the principle office either. I put up with it and do my best to get what I can out of school.

For me, it just feels like school isn't really about learning things. A lot of emphasis is put on assessment. Being ready for the test, doing well in the assignment. I feel like we focus too much on the result rather than the process. Because, isn't the grade supposed to be a reflection of what you have learnt. Shouldn't it be showing that you have learnt something and understand it, rather than that you did well on  a test once.

I am guilty of this personally, but I think that most students worry about memorising things for a test, rather than actually understanding and applying them. Instead of understanding why a maths formula is the way it is, we focus on remembering it for the exam- and forget it as soon as the teacher collects the paper- because hey, it's not important.

But you know what, it isn't our fault- and it isn't the fault of the teachers either. We just don't know how to test understanding and knowledge. We know how to test memory and guess work. And realistically how much can we actually memorise.

At primary school things were a bit different, we didn't have exams or assignments- all the work we did in class was part of  our grade. I feel like that gave us a better opportunity to actually understand, and show our understanding.

I feel like our main issue is focusing on the grade rather than the understanding. We measure grades right? And reports are a list of letters to summarise your understanding?

We can learn just as much from weeks of class notes about life in Japan as we can in 2 days in the country. Experience is a valuable way to learn, and class is not the only way to learn.

Unfortunately, there isn't really anything we can do about this. We can hate it all we want, but things aren't going to change overnight.

Anyway, today I am actually going to share some tips. Things that I have learnt about getting the most out of school, even if you don't love it that much.

"Don't study because you need to.

Study because knowledge is power.

Study because they can never take it away from you.

Study because you want to know more.

Study because it grows you."

1.Study what you like
I get to choose 4 electives each year, and this is a great opportunity to choose things that you want to understand. Make sure that you make the most out of this opportunity if you get it, and don't make your choice lightly.

2.Spend the time and make sure you understand
This is a tip for everyone (even if you love the exam system). Taking the time to ask questions, watch videos in your own time and make sure you fully understand the topic is the best way to get the most out of school. If you do this the exam will be easier because you will know rather than having to memorise. (take it from me, I had a science quiz today that I didn't study for and got 10/10 because last week I took the time to watch a video at home and fully understand what we had done in class).

Ok, rant over. I've been planning this post for a long time, and I just haven't had a chance to put it together, anyway I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas, in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this post check out this one and this one (they are similar)

xxxPoppy

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10 Overseas Travel Tips!

"It's a funny thing coming home.

Nothing changes.

Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same.

You realise what's changed is you."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

I hope you have enjoyed the past few posts about my trip to Singapore. If you haven't seen them yet make sure you check them out here.
Today I wanted to share some tips with you. I am by no means an expert (and you can find tips on heaps of website from experts). But here are some things that I learnt from my experiences.

 1. Research
Research the country you are visiting, and at least know the basics. Things like the local language, food and customs. All things that will get you far. You don't have to read every single book that is about the country you are visiting. Maybe just read one, or a few websites, or talk to a friend or family member who has been there.

2. Learn some of the local language
If the country you are visiting speaks a different language- learn some of it. Basic phrases, greetings and questions. Learn a little bit more than "I only speak English". It makes people feel much nicer towards you if you at least try to speak their language instead of expecting them to speak your own.

3.Take brouchers with you
When I went to Singapore we all expected there to be brouchers for everything, everywhere. There weren't. So if you have a particular broucher with something you want to do in it- bring it!

4.Bring an adaptor
At lot of countries have different PowerPoint's, and it is important that you research before you go and get yourself the right adaptor.

5.Research tickets
Some places tickets book out really easily, and some places you have to buy tickets online. Research the places you are going and buy tickets early if necessary.

6.Get an idea of what you want to do

Again, do some research and find out what kinds of things you want to do. I made a map on a website (there are lots out there- google it!) that had all the places we wanted to go- that made it easier to work out what to do when- based on where things were  in relation to one another.

7. Use the public transport system
Singapore  has a really efficient public transport system, and once we got to know how it worked it was super easy to get around. They even had special tourist passes- you should investigate if the place you are visiting has these.

8.Leave some time for...
Leave some blank time. Time for wandering, time for exploring, time for you to get lost. Not everything will go to plan and make sure you have some spare time so that you are not rushed.

9.Take your time to pack.

If you don't want to forget things, take your time to pack. Make sure you bring enough, but not too much. (I am really bad at packing the right amount of stuff- not to much) Bring something nice to wear out, but one nice dress will probably do. Remember if its an emergency you can always buy something.

10.Have fun
Don't stress too much, don't worry too much. As long as you have some idea and a map it will all be fine. Most of all enjoy your trip.

I actually found it a bit difficult to cut this list down to just 10. If you have any other tips I'd love to hear them in the comments below.

xxxPoppy

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Singapore 2017 Part 3

"Travelling- it leaves you speechless, and then turns you into a storyteller"

-Ibn Battuta

Day 7:
On day 7 we went shopping for a bit and had lunch on the cutest little street. In the afternoon we went to raffles and then had a nice swim.

Day 8:
On day 8 we went to the botanic gardens. The orchid garden was amazing and there were a million flowers to take photos of. For dinner we went back to Chinatown.

Day 9:
On day 9 we went back to Sentosa, we walked on the beautiful beach in the morning and universal studios for the rest of today.

Day 10:
Our last day in Singapore, luckily we had a late flight out so we had another full day. We went to the Art Science museum in the morning, and I am glad we did because it was so unlike any other museum I have already been to. We then went to the Gardens by the Bay Skywalk before heading out to the airport.

The 10 days we were in Singapore went by in a flash, and there were still some things that we ran out of time to do. If you have any stories to share with me, I'd love to hear them.

In Thursday's post I am going to share some tips for travelling (especially overseas).

xxxPoppy

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Singapore 2017 Part 2

"Of all the books in the world,

the best stories are found in the pages of a passport."

I've finally finished going through all my photos from Singapore, and I can't wait to share more of them with you. So following on from Singapore part 1, I have some more stories to share with you today.

Day 4:
We were all pretty tired in the morning so we had a lazy morning around the pool, and a small lunch at the hotel room. Next we caught a shuttle to Orchard road and did a little bit of shopping. It then started raining, not just a little bit but all but bucketing down. After a quick google of things to do when it rains, we headed on the train to the observatories at Gardens By the Bay. By far my favourite thing in Singpore.

The indoor waterfall

My favourite photo from the trip, the ferris wheel through the cloud forest dome.

Beautiful tropical plants

Super cute owl statues

Alice in wonderland from the Alice in wonderland garden.

After the observatories we had dinner, and then went up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands sky park, for breath taking views of the city.

Day 5:

Another relaxing morning before we headed to Fort Canning part to visit The Battlebox. Unfortunately you were not allowed to take photos inside, but I did get a few before we went in.

Day 6:

We went to Sentosa Island on day 6, which is essentially a whole island that is a theme park. We started the day at the Merlion, which was a kind of observatory cross museum, and then went on the luge ride, followed by the trick eye museum, adventure cove water park and the cable car to get back.

Sentosa Island 

The Merlion 

From the Merlion

Trick Eye Museum

Cable car

What did you think of these photos?

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Singapore 2017 Part 1

"Travel sparks our imagination,

feeds our curiosity,

& reminds us how much we all have in common"

-Deborah Llyod

Over my school holidays my family and I went on an amazing holiday to Singapore, a country in South-East Asia.

The adventure gave me the chance to experiment with my camera (my first time overseas with it!) and explore a different and fascinating culture.

I enjoyed every minute of the holiday (not least because it is hot over there and mid winter here) and can't wait to share some stories and photos with you in the next few blog posts.

Day 1:
We started super early on day 1, and headed to the airport to catch our flight to Sydney. In Sydney we had plenty of time to spare and spent some time in the lounge and browsing the shops. Finally the time came for us to board our flight to Singapore, we were all very excited (not about the 8 hour flight) and quickly settled into our seats.  (Excuse the photos, they were taken on my phone not my camera)

When we finally arrived in Singapore it was time for the wolly jackets and hats to come off- we were greeted by a warm 25 degrees and a stunning view of the city's lights.

Exhaustion overcome us all and it was straight to bed as soon as we arrived at the hotel.

Day 2:
We woke at about 8 and after taking our time to get ready for the day we headed down to find breakfast- only to discover that Singapore is a 10-10 country, only one place was open! We ate here (and it was pretty good), I had a delicious berry acai bowl.

After a slow breakfast we were ready to head out, we caught a bus to Orchard Road, the "retail and entertainment hub of Singapore". The road goes for about 2km and has 44 shopping malls! Needless to say we were not bored, and only slightly lost. We spend the best part of the rest of the day exploring the never ending shops and getting ourselves used to the scale of the city.

After a quick swim back at the hotel we headed to Chinatown for dinner. We spent a while exploring the winding streets and all the things on offer before settling at a outdoor food court style area for dinner. It was amazing food!

Day 3:
Another early start on day three as we caught a taxi to the zoo for breakfast with the orangutans.

After breakfast we walked around the zoo for a bit, meeting many of the different animals (my favourite was the polar bear).

Inuka, the polar bear

A cheetah (I was glad there was glass between it and me)

Zebras

Giant Tortoises

An Elephant

A South American Tapir.

After the zoo we went to the river safari, which is essentially another zoo. Most of the animals here were in aquariums but there were a few that weren't (including the red pandas, which are my favourite animal, and giant pandas).

A giant sting-ray

An alligator

A red panda <3

A giant panda.

After the river safari we were all exhausted so we headed back to the hotel, getting our first experience of the Singapore trains along the way. For dinner that night we ordered Indian to be delivered to our hotel room.

This holiday was way to long to fit into one blog post, so I've split it into four (the next one will have days 4,5 & 6, the one after that days 7,8,9&10, and the last one some of the tips and things I learnt). I can't wait to share some more photos with you.

Have you ever been overseas? Or to Singapore? What were you favourite things? Do you have any tips for me?

xxxPoppy

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