After seeing some tips for studying mathematics, let’s add a new scientific topic to our review and find out how to study chemistry !
I can already imagine why you stumbled upon this article: you and chemistry don’t really get along these days. You can’t get the formulas into your head, maybe you even do a lot of exercises, but there is always something wrong… it’s like a foreign language that you can’t decipher chempire.net.
As we had already said about mathematics, chemistry is also one of those subjects for which you can have the gift and feel in your… element! (Come on, give me this joke). But if this is not the case, and this is probably why you are here, I would like to put you in a position to approach the study of chemistry with simplicity .
We need some ad hoc tips to integrate into your study method , let’s see which one.
HOW TO STUDY CHEMISTRY: THE APPROACH
Before I start giving you my advice, I would like you to reflect on something that may be taken for granted, but that is far from trivial and that may change your mindset.
Chemistry is part of our daily lives and is in everything around us. Everywhere you look, whatever you look at has a chemical process going on. For example, “the friendly neighborhood chemist” Dario Bressanini knows this well, who, among other things, has written a series of books on this principle, focusing precisely on the chemical phenomena that occur in food when we cook it, freeze it, defrost them and so on
That is to say, although at first glance chemistry may seem like something very far away from you, in reality it is not at all. And if you have chosen a course of study in the field of natural sciences, you know better than me that chemistry must be known because it is a basic discipline ! What gives you such an abstruse and complicated perception is the “language” with which it is expressed. So here it is that the language of chemistry turns out to be a bit of a complex obstacle that may lead you to “hate” the whole subject.
So my initial suggestion, before even moving on to the method recommendations, is to look for a slightly more “realistic” approach with the chemistry . Discovering and understanding the basic chemical reactions that occur in everyday life makes it a topic closer to home. Little by little you will be able to break down the barriers of mistrust that separate you from a more serene learning of the subject and studying it will be easier!
MY AD HOC ADVICE ON HOW TO STUDY CHEMISTRY
Let’s now move on to practical tips to apply both in class and at home. Obviously, these tips cannot replace a complete study method.
They are specific suggestions to approach learning the subject, to be integrated with the method you already use to prepare for your exams. Method composed of study cycles, reviews, memory techniques, etc.
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If after reading this article you realize that you are missing any part of the method, I suggest you come and take a look at the free videos (just leave your name and email and you will receive them by email)
1. TAKE THE LESSONS
Following the lessons is the absolute first thing to do. If you do not have the “gift” of chemistry, as we have called it, you cannot hope to fully understand the topics covered without listening to the teacher’s explanations.
Imagine being at home, with the book open under your nose: “What is this? What does this other one mean? And what does this symbol mean? Why can’t I do the exercise?” Plausible confusion scenario, right?
Confusion can creep up on you even during class, but the key difference is that you can instantly raise your hand and ask the teacher to re-explain what you didn’t understand . I know it’s not easy because many times you get embarrassed, but you better learn to do it, you just have to win. So listen, take good notes and ask if you have any questions. Use the lesson as an active study time!
Following the lessons also has the usual advantage of having access to a whole series of useful information for the exam : what are the topics that the teacher insists on the most, the exercises that he makes you do the most, the mistakes to be absolutely avoided so as not to make him angry and so on. Within the video course this is what we call “the creation of the top secret file”
If you have lab classes , try not to skip them either. On the one hand because they are undoubtedly fun, on the other because they give you the opportunity to see in practice what you face in theory. Perhaps seeing a reaction occur that you studied in the book, engraves it in your memory in a much more lasting way.
2. LEARN THE THEORY WELL
If there is something really important in the study of chemistry, it is the knowledge of its theory , without which you cannot do the exercises. Everything in chemistry is connected and you cannot study and understand a topic without first having a deep understanding of what underlies it.
For example, understanding the atom is the first step in chemistry. If you don’t know how the basic element of matter is made, you can’t study anything else. And so on for each topic: each concept lays the foundations for another and knowledge of the latter should never be lacking to advance.
So don’t rush from one topic to another if you don’t understand it well first, because you won’t get very far anyway. Class attendance is also important in this sense. The theory that is read in the book is certainly different from that expressed in class by the teacher, who knows how to explain it to you so that it is easier to understand.
HOW TO STUDY CHEMISTRY WITH MEMORY TECHNIQUES
Notes will probably not always be enough for you, so it is important, when necessary, to integrate theory into the textbook. The theory is also made up of formulas, reactions and nomenclature.
The memorization of these elements occurs in two ways:
It is first necessary to understand the working mechanism of the various formulas and reactions;
then you can use memorization techniques to memorize the data
Specifically, to start I suggest you use the PAV technique . Let’s take an example with the periodic table , assuming you have to memorize it.
You can memorize it in groups or by periods. Let’s say you choose to memorize group 2 : beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, radium.
Now, the PAV mechanism, paradox-action-vivid, works by associating each element to be remembered with a vivid image , so absurd that it cannot be forgotten. The next step is then to create a story in which all these elements act.
Let’s try. To remind you that we are talking about the second group, imagine a number 2 with green eyes, arms, legs and underwear. Imagine him bowling, knocking down all the pins (Beryllium). Then he gets a sudden stomach pain and takes magnesia (magnesium). The rival he is playing with loses and kicks him (Calcio). Number 2 gets angry and tells him “you are really stupid! (Strontium). A violent fight breaks out, one of the two dies and ends up in a coffin (Bario) in which, however, there is also a beautiful radio (Radio).
3. DO THE EXERCISES
When you have made the theory your own – and only then – you can try the exercises that, although they have a similar approach to each other, cannot be solved with a generic mechanism and that’s it. You have to think about it and use the knowledge you have available to solve the problem.
Mind maps , as in the case of mathematics, also come in handy in chemistry. In fact, you can create a map with all the steps to follow to solve a specific exercise, in order to have a “checklist” to verify that you have done everything correctly. Or even to memorize those slightly more difficult passages that you have difficulty with.
As we said before, try to understand what exercises the teacher makes you do most often. And when you have to prepare for the exam, make sure you are clear about how they are done, since the probability of finding one will be high.
4. STUDY IN A GROUP
Chemistry will no longer scare you so much if you find companions to share the study with. In the study group you can help you understand the theory, perform the exercises, simulate the tests.