Sunday, October 11, 2009

SPM Tips: Do SWAT Analysis

Through survey i've made in this blog ..majorities of the students said they didnt get a good results. Well..if u are now in form 5 & among of those who got bad results, i advice u to do SWAT analysis.
What is S.W.A.T analysis??
It is a postmortem technique to identify the following:

S= Strength
Know where is your strength in physics. Polish that particlar topics so that they will be your best bet while answering SPM paper. Make sure u didnt do any mistakes if these topics come out in SPM.

W=weakness
This is far more important. By now u should know where's your weakness. For example, ask this questions:

Which topic that u are not familiar with?
Which paper has degrade most of your marks..is it paper1, 2 or 3?
If paper 2,then zoom in,..which section..is it section A, B & C.
Learn from those mistakes u had made..& most important DON'T REPEAT THE SAME mistake.
One more thing, U'll be having a BIG problem if u do not know 'what u don't know' ..faham ke??
So please identify what is the topics that u know nothing about them b4 its TOO late.

A=Action
Once u've analysed both strength & weakness, its time to do some action about it. Go & plan how to improve your weaknesess. Here i list out some suggestion:

-Add more hours in your study scheddule & focus on improving yr weakness.
-Do lots of questions on your weakest topics. Find some pass yr questions as well. -Do study group to improve your understanding. It is more effective as u'll learn better while discussing it with others. -If your parent has more budget, U can hire a personal tutor to improve your understanding. U can clarify most of the doubts abt physics with the tutor.

T=Threat
Identify what are other things that keep u away frm doing revison. For example, ask this followingquestions:
-Is internet keeping u away frm study?
IF YES..
u need to be disiplined . Instead of surfing on non important things, u shud stick to my blog & study physics :)

-Does playing video games, watching TV make u end up doing NO revision?
What else i'm gonna say..just stop it..SPM is once in a lifetime. After that mainlah puas2.

-Does your relationship with someone affect yr study?
If tis is the case, just forget him/her...,.. appreciate your youth time.
Dont over explore.. Love yourself. Trust me, in the end u wont end up married with him/her.
Most of the time u'll only get HURT
..Anyway benda2 couple ni buat tambah dosa jer and might lead u getting a bad SPM result ..
Trust me..i'm an xperienced teacher & have seen lots of them end up got BAD results.

-Family problems?
Well i had an experienced where a student flunk on his SPM due to this problem. If u are among them, go & seek counsillor for advise or share it with someone u can trust. Be THOUGH & pray a lot!
The bottom line is..Please identify other THREATS that distract u frm doing SPM revision.

So that is what SWAT analysis is all about.
S=Strength
W=Weakness
A=Action
T=Threat

After u've analysed & studied all these aspect , u need to manage all those information and start to do some ACTION!
Start it NOW!


Tuesday, October 6, 2009

SPM tips: How to Grab an 'A'

My dear students..here i enclosed some summarize tips compiled for your guidance in studying physics. These tips are useful and could be your 1st step towards getting an A in physics..InshaAllah :)


1. GRAB THE DEFINITION FOR PHYSICS TERMINOLOGY

Specific heat capacity, latent heat, refraction, pessure, micro wave, work done,
resultant force, resolution of force, forces in equilibrium, focal length, len’s
power, magnetic field, half life, beta ray, gamma ray, interference, logic
gate, momentum, impulsive force, GM tube.

2. GRAP THE PHYSICS PRINCIPLE AND THEIR APPLICATION
Principle of conservation of momentum Pascal’s Principle
Principle of Conservation Of Energy Bernoulli’s Principle
Principle of force in equilibrium Archimede’s Princip
Principle of Thermal equilibrium Superposition Pinciple.

3. GRAB THE PHYSICS LAW & APPLICATION
Hooke’s Law Newton 1st law of Motion
Boyle’s Law Newton 2nd law of Motion
Charles’s Law Newton 3rd law of Motion
Pressure Law Law Of Reflection
Snell’s Law Law Of Refraction
Ohm’s Law Faraday ‘s Law
Lenz’s Law


4. GRAB THE PHYSICS RULE
Right Hand Grip Rule
Maxwell Cork Screw Rule
Fleming’s Left Hand Rule
Fleming’s Right Hand Rule

5. GRAB THE PHYSICS FORMULA
Identify whichone is given & not given

6. GRAB THE PHYSICS EXAMINATION FORMAT
SCORE P1 (50Marks)
SCORE P2

  • -Section A (60 Marks)
  • -Section B (20 Marks)
  • -Section C (20 Marks)
SCORE P3 (40 Marks)
Examination Mark Scheme

7. GRAB THE METHOD OF ANSWERING QUESTION
P1 - Do the easier question first
P2 - Observation skil, Point form, table form, Ranking method
P3 - Get the Variables, Tabulation Of data, Draw the graph

8. GRAB THE METHOD OF ANSWERING CALCULATIVE QUESTION
Write all the information again. Use symbols.
Choose the formula.
Make subtitution
Final answer with correct unit

9. GRAB ALL THE PHYSICS EXPERIMENT

10. GRAB THE PHYSICS CONTENT USING
MIND MAP
CHECK LIST

11. GRAB THE PAST YEARS SPM EXAM PAPERS

Year 2003
Year 2004
Year 2005
Year 2006
Year 2007
Year 2008

12. GRAP THE DRAWING SKILL
Ray Diagram of Lenses
Ray Diagram of plane and curve mirror
Diagram of instruments
Diagram of experiments

13. GRAB THE WORKING PRINCIPLE OF INSTRUMENT
Hydrometer Astronomical Telescope
Manometer Compound Microscope
Barometer Nucler Reactor
Bunsen Burner Fibre Optics
Carburretor Electric Bell
Electric Motor Electric Relay
Electric Generator Loud speaker
Hydraulic Brake Microphone
Submarine Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (CRO)
Periscope Semiconductor Diode
Binocular Transistor

14. GRAB THE GRAPH SKILL
DRAWING
SKETCHING
INTEPRETATION
DETERMINING THE GRADIENT

15. GRAB THE UNIT CONVERSION SKILL
Normal conversion
Conversion involving derived quantities
Conversion involving Area
Conversion involving Volume

16. GRAB MATHS CALCULATION SKILL
Use the calculator
Use basic algebra
Use the basic trigonometry
Use the basic proportional method

17. GRAB THE QUESTION’S SKILL ANALYSIS
Sketch / Draw Diagram
Underline the important words
Write all the information again using symbols
Think for the topics, sub topics, principle, law, theory, rule and total marks

18. GRAB THE TECHNIQUES TO REMEMBER

a). Do acronym,
b). Short Note taking
c). Mind map
d). Creative diagram/picture
e). Create Physics Joke
f) Create Physics lyrics


Thursday, October 1, 2009

SPM A1 Student tips
Hi guys..

Yeah!!Its holiday season again..a Holiday mood!!
However is it Time to enjoy & relax? yeah y not..
but don't forget to revise k..coz othrwise SPM will haunt u after the school break..hopefully u'll b having a 'productive holidays'

For today's post, its worth reading this article written by one of your seniors who got an A for physics. They summarize some good tips on studying SPM physics.. enjoy reading :)
How to Study Physics for SPM?
Although I scored an A1 in Physics for SPM, I am not exactly the right person to be asked, "how did you do it?" So, I posed the question to my friend, Jasmine, instead to see what she had to say. Jasmine and I have known each other for 5 years (yes, throughout my secondary school years) but, our fathers know each other longer than that! Anyway, here is what she had to say:

Firstly, Physics is very different compared to the other subjects. Physics is one of the toughest Science subjects for many people. Physics is more to the Maths side as it is mostly calculations, formulaes and principles.. Biology is 100% memorising, Chemistry is 50% calculation, 50% memorising, Physics on the other hand is 100% calculation and formulaes. The study of Physics is very deep and it involves a lot of techincal details: heat, electricity, electronics and so forth. Every minor detail is important and that makes the subject complex and sometimes even tedious. Nevertheless, once mastered, Physics is very useful for survival purposes in our daily life.

One very important thing in Physics is understannding. You must understand what you are learning, not just memorise for the sake of exam. Physics is actually an easy subject to study. All you must know are the formulaes and principles involved.. What usually happens is the teacher will twist the questions and asked them from different angles. That is when it becomes tough. What you must remember is the basic pronciples involved. No matter how tough the question is, in the end, it will always go back to the basic principles.

I would recommend a good revision book for this subject as the school textbook alone is not enough to score. Pay attention in class and ask questions whwnever you don't understand. Do not be scared or shy to question your teachers as it is necessary for you to know in detail about Physics. For eg:
Where did the formulaes come from, how are they derived, how are the variables involved connected to each other, conversion of units and many more.

Master your calculations and make sure you choose the right formulaes for each question. This can be a problem sometimes. Physics is not a mugging subject, you cannot simply study it by the book. You must attempt questions from workbooks and do a lot of exercises. Only then you will be exposed to a wide range of different ways questions can be asked. Hence, you will be able to answer various types oy questions no matter how tough they may seem.

Interest plays a vital role in scoring in this subject. You must show keen interest in studying Physics. Most people dislike the subject as it is far more complicating then the other Science subjects. Therefore, they make no effort to master the subject.

Finally, try attempting the past year questions for Physics. Analyse the questions and topics that have come out in the previous years. SPM questions are always very similar, so chances of the same type of questions coming out every year is very high. Please take note, same type of questions, not same questions. Make sure that you are able to do all the past year questions. If so, you will not have a problem during the actual exam.

It is very important for you to understand in Physics. You MUST know what you are studying. Only then will you be able to score in the subject. Physics is not a difficult subject. I feel that it is much easier than Biology and Chemistry, bur it requires a lot of patience, interest and understanding.

NEXT, I asked her what type of reference books she would recommend. Also asked why she was very interested in the subject.

I don't know what are the reference books they have nowadays for Physics but I would recommend either Success or Focus. I found both quite good. But you can also check out the others that are there now.

I was always interested in tools and mechanical stuff ever since I was small. I love playing with my father's gadgets even now and I suppose that's why I love Physics. This is something that has to come from within I guess.
So, there you have it. Feel free to add on to the above mentioned points. One question for all of you out there, how do you spark an interest in Physics?