17 Oct 08 Tips to have successful group discussion

Photo taken from Here

I think most of you know that group discussion can gain more ideas, understanding and create more values. Most of the people practice this in School, University, Work and their religion activities. While we’re in mid of seeking knowledge, we use group discussion to learn faster, do more exercise, and also build up the “team player” minded. At work, we need group discussion in any matter to get consensus/common understanding with each Dept. In some religion, they practice this also to let more people get involved in sharing testimonies, teaching in their religion.

To have a successful group discussion is easy and simple,

Be prepared beforehand –

Everyone who attends the group discussion need to prepare the raw ideas, information, and related material before attend it. This may shorten the time of discussion and bring the MAX effect of it. At least people who are going to join the discussion need to understand the topic of the discussion.

Example: Read through the article/chapter, jot down all the queries, ask in the discussion and let everyone discuss about it, at the end, everyone understand it.

Create a relax environment –

Please do not ever use the statement below to stress your audience,
“Do you read the article/chapter before you come to this discussion?” (Maybe some of them forget to read it before hand)
“You should know you need to understand the article/chapter before come, right?” (Maybe they read it but not meaning they understand it)
“Do you prepare any question/sharing for tonight?” (They will feel tension when listen to this…)

We should let them feel relax, not being push to do anything in the discussion. Just talk about something funny and yet related to the topic of the day, ask some question like “do you see any funny thing on your way to here, Mind to share it?” Once in a while in the discussion need to make some joke and cheer them up, a long hour discussion will make people feel sleepy and can’t concentrate on the subject discussed.

Summary of the discussion –

Many of the people forget about this item, we need to summarize all the thing had been discussed. Let everyone have a glance back to the topic discussed.

Hopefully this simple tips can help you to hold a effective discussion.

Tags: blogging, discussion, learning, Lesson, meeting, news, sharing, skill, tips, writing

24 Sep 08 Father

Ideas come from Qiu mama’s blog post - Click here [is in Chinese]

Qiu mama shared a experience of her with a Man [Father of a daughter], this father do not push her children for last minute study before their exam. He thinks if they are concentrating on their teacher teaching, they should not have any problem in exam. Last minute study is kind of rush job which might not bring any good effect to the children, moreover it might mess up their study. He does not put high expectation on his children, he just wish they can learn whatever is important to them and apply it.

For me, I do not encourage all those last minute rush revision which we always see our friends were doing it. I prefer to jot down whatever teacher/lecturer saying in the class, and understand all those explanation which we can’t find in the textbook. I always believe that whatever come out in the exam, seldom can find in the textbook, most of time, all the general knowledge will appeared which mentioned by teacher/lecturer in the class. I used to tell my sister to complete all her homework, and concentrate during the class, because if we do so, I bet we at least can pass our exam. With a little bit more of the effort, we will score good result in the exam. I do practice like this and I do get good result in all the exams.

Many people just can’t understand the theory of “Study hard” do not grant you a good result, “Study Smart” do. You can memorize the whole textbook and write it back in a paper without any mistake, but you will know apply it flexible, because all appeared in your mind are fully same as textbook, thing/question/situation which do not match with textbook will collapse you. Like old time Martial Art Master (Kungfu Master), they always ask their student to learn/practice hard for the entire pattern and at the end they ask them to forget all of them. Why? Because you will not forget what you’d learned, but you just need to forget the entire sequence, only when you forget the sequence then you can become unpredictable and skillful. In our world, when we study, we should practice the same method, learned it and forget about it.

Yes, it is difficult to do so… even for myself, I can’t confirm I could do the same.

“When a person who learned more from books, he afraid to fail, cause when he is failed, it means he lost everything he practice.” – by DSvT (1980 ~ )

Tags: blogging, college, father, learning, life, news, school, sharing, student, studies, study hard, study smart, university, writing