School performance is often regarded as a predictor of future success, but our fragmented lives can make studying a challenge. Here, author Adel Habeeb Hassan Qumbar offers suggestions for students and a creative game to help the process along.
Qumbar, a teacher, notes in his Introduction that “[t]he great feature of this book— which differentiates it from any other educational book…in the world” is that it contains “a distinctive, revolutionary educational game.” Oddly, he doesn’t discuss that game until halfway through the book, and the discussion takes up only six pages. Rather than something truly revolutionary, the game simply involves players answering questions concerning whatever topic they are studying at the time as they move a pawn around the game board.
The rest of the book offers tips on how to improve study skills and achievement. The author encourages students, for example, to maintain a clean and organized study area, go outside for a change of scenery, and write down goals.
Much of the advice, unfortunately, is overly broad. For example, the author suggests students “Resist talking and daydreaming” in class. This is surely a good idea, but the author’s tip to that end—“Try to concentrate on the lecture and search for something you are interested in” — isn’t concrete enough to be helpful.
The material also suffers from disorganization (i.e. the chapter titled “The Importance of Playing in Learning” includes an unrelated subsection on “Revision Skills.”) Additionally , the writing can be convoluted (“The superior student prepares to study like a carpenter who sharpens his tools continuously to cut large numbers of the trees and who trained for a long time to be able to do so accurately.”).
While there is a brief bibliography, the author fails to source many broad statements about science “proving” the worth of various study habits.
In sum, readers may glean some practical tips here, but the book needs thorough revision in order to be a credible study aid.
Also available as an ebook.
