I'm finding my subjects really difficult (In Yr 11) (1 Viewer)

[Meight]

So I've been back at school for like... 4 days now? And there are concepts in multiple subjects which I have had to spend like 6 hours each day for like 4 days + the entire weekend and I'm still not understanding them.

Thing is, I have a dream. Doing well in these subjects would really help me achieve that dream but I'm not really naturally good at these subjects. In fact, these subjects are proving to be incredibly difficult for me and I've only just started.
I'm finding it really hard to stay motivated.
Should I drop them? It's just that if I switched to different subjects, I would just end up finding it even harder to 'want' to do well because the subjects that I've chosen are really the only subjects that I'm at all interested in.

 

[Squar3root]

welcome to the HSC

 

[teridax]

welcome to the HSC

i think you need to be more helpful than that lol, shitty posts like these don't contribute to anything

anyway OP, it would be nice to know what subjects you actually do and how you find them so we can determine which ones need more attention

 

[Squar3root]

i think you need to be more helpful than that lol, shitty posts like these don't contribute to anything

So I've been back at school for like... 4 days now? And there are concepts in multiple subjects which I have had to spend like 6 hours each day for like 4 days + the entire weekend and I'm still not understanding them.

Thing is, I have a dream. Doing well in these subjects would really help me achieve that dream but I'm not really naturally good at these subjects. In fact, these subjects are proving to be incredibly difficult for me and I've only just started.
I'm finding it really hard to stay motivated.
Should I drop them? It's just that if I switched to different subjects, I would just end up finding it even harder to 'want' to do well because the subjects that I've chosen are really the only subjects that I'm at all interested in.

watch Mandela's speech?

 

[Meight]

watch Mandela's speech?

thxs

 

[Meight]

i think you need to be more helpful than that lol, shitty posts like these don't contribute to anything

anyway OP, it would be nice to know what subjects you actually do and how you find them so we can determine which ones need more attention

okay
i'm doing

maths (<---- struggling with some concepts)
physics (can't visualise waves and how they behave or w/e and plenty other stuff. The main problem is that I can't visualise things with diagrams in this subject)

those are the ones i'm struggling with

the other subjects... I think I should be fine.

 

[teridax]

okay
i'm doing

maths (<---- struggling with some concepts)
physics (can't visualise waves and how they behave or w/e and plenty other stuff. The main problem is that I can't visualise things with diagrams in this subject)

those are the ones i'm struggling with

the other subjects... I think I should be fine.

I reckon you should keep your subjects for now - you're only a week and a day into year 11, chill man. You got time to make a decision on what to retain and drop (they let you change until week 4 this term I believe). For Maths just clarify things with your teacher if certain topics confuse and then proceed to practice Q's from t/b/past papers. I can't comment on physics, but I heard from my friends that the prelim course is conceptual so yes, so if you cannot visualise then perhaps watch online videos explaining the concepts.

 

[emilios]

maths will come with practice. believeeeee me m8 i failed my entrance test with like 32%. worked ahead using a couple textbooks and i ended up topping my 2&3U classes in yr 11 and even went on to do 4U. maths will reward you if you keep at it

but yeah HSC sciences are a bitch. you don't have to fully and conceptually understand concepts in science though. like you can always probe deeper but you reach a point where you just can't understand it e.g. how tf does magnetism work... what even is an electron? i had the same problem but once you learn how to learn, then your brain rewires and shit and suddenly you can pick things up quicker. i was slow in yr 11 as well. most importantly just keep at it. it's good that you care so much because not many people do in yr 11, but i highly advocate giving yr 11 your best cos it sets a good precedent

 

[astroman]

try tutoring

 

[Drongoski]

emelios

Given how you started off, you have done amazingly well with an ATAR of 99.50 (congrats!). Your story should be an inspiration to many who find Yr 11 initially daunting, and are discouraged.

 

[Sien]

It's okay, I barely scraped through the 60% in yr 11 2u maths when I was doing it in year10. I bawed my eyes out one day when i got home, yeah these shitty marks were getting to me.I think it's just you haven't found the right way for yourself to study. It's the quality not the quantity you study. When I look back, those were the easiest questions ever lol I was so stupid back then (still stupid haha) but English is an exception lol forever bad at it

 

[dan964]

1. Year 11 is a huge step-up from Year 10, so don't worry its only the first week. Just keep at it, you will eventually adjust to the workload etc.

2. Maybe you need someone to help you, ask you teachers during lunch or after class, its their job to make sure you understand the concepts. Example, if you can't visualise waves diagrammatically, maybe there is another way you can think about them, maybe a vibrating guitar string or mathematically as a sine curve. If they (your teachers) still can't help you, then tutoring is yes, a valid option. Preliminary is the practice run, learn what strategies work to help you understand (especially because some people just hit the books when they hit year 11, sometimes it works, sometimes not)
For example maybe you learn best if you have a hands on model (tactile learner) (thats why I suggest something like a guitar string), or maybe aurally (someone explaining verbally, or a video). You will have to harness whatever Year 10 understanding you do have as well, as most of what is year 11 is either based directly or a more detailed version of Year 9-10 work.

3. All the above suggestions are valid. If finding motivation is a problem then talk to teachers, school counsellors, people you find close to you.
4. Sometimes the only way to get through is hard work. Don't learn this the HARD way though. Be consistently applying yourself.

@Sien
Yep. Although if you do only one hour of quality study its not better than doing two. Its not the hours, its actually how much gets done and how well you are prepared.

 

[Bingobango]

watch Mandela's speech?

...You mean MLK's speech, right?


OP: If you're studying 6 hours a day (how the hell), it may just be that your method is misguided. You say that you're studying 6 hours a day but not "understanding" things. With 6 hours a day, you'd probably remember shit easily, or be able to tell people about what's on the course, but if you're chugging in 6 hours and lacking understanding, maybe your study methods aren't as high-quality as they could be? For example, if you're taking math, are you just plugging away at questions, falling them, looking at the answer, then moving onto the next question... wash rinse repeat? Because if so, that might not be the best way to make progress. It may be better to focus on a conceptual understanding of the theory behind each question so that you can better comprehend why you have to perform whatever task it is you need to perform (differentiate, whatever). For math, maybe look on wikipedia and just read the first paragraph (not the next one's, they'll get confusing) for particular concepts. Go on Khan Academy, or google search 'conceptual explanation for conics'. Focus on trying to understand the 'deeper' stuff behind your study.

Other suggestions like asking for help also very valuable lol. Try to get your teacher to explain to you first, the concepts, then next, how the task you're supposed to perform is derived from that underlying theory.

 

[WrittenLoveLetters]

Ask teachers for help, ask them until you understand. You can ask 100 times, and ask once more, they will explain it 101 times if needed.

Maybe borrow some textbooks and do some reading? Or try to explain the concept to yourself.

I think you need to work on the way you approach studying though, in all honesty, I spend a few hours studying several topics and subjects, and by then, I understand a majority of the things I spent time on.

What is your studying like?

 

[barcyy]

Same thing with me! For Physics just get tutoring no joke it will help heaps and buy an excel physics textbook!

I have the same problem for maths as well! We just started and i'm already struggling with algebra in 3u. I practiced heaps from the 2u cambridge book but once i do the 3u work it suddenly becomes hard for me and i can only do half the work in class. This work is all new to me so does anyone have any advice? I have a brother that does 4u and will help me out but i need some solid advice.

 

[Meight]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions
(and giving me inspirational success stories lmao)
I really appreciate it

The way I study for maths is 1. Look at example. 2. Spend 10 minutes doing all the questions in the exercise using the steps for working out shown in the example. 3. Although I'm getting most of the questions right, at this point I still have no idea what's actually going on in the working out (Does that make sense?) 4. Try asking Google why certain things are done in the solving process to try and gain a 'conceptual' understanding 5. Understand absolutely shit nothing after one billion hours of research and trying to work it out.

I'd say I'm alright with getting the basic gist of things. But it's so hard for me to really get a deeper understanding, which is what I need.


But I think I'll get myself a tutor to help out with things (and for physics, I'll watch videos since diagrams aren't helping.)
And if it all turns to shit, well... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nah but I think I'll keep trying at these subjects and if I really can't handle it I'll switch before my 4 weeks are up.

 

[teridax]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions
(and giving me inspirational success stories lmao)
I really appreciate it

The way I study for maths is 1. Look at example. 2. Spend 10 minutes doing all the questions in the exercise using the steps for working out shown in the example. 3. Although I'm getting most of the questions right, at this point I still have no idea what's actually going on in the working out (Does that make sense?) 4. Try asking Google why certain things are done in the solving process to try and gain a 'conceptual' understanding 5. Understand absolutely shit nothing after one billion hours of research and trying to work it out.

I'd say I'm alright with getting the basic gist of things. But it's so hard for me to really get a deeper understanding, which is what I need.


But I think I'll get myself a tutor to help out with things (and for physics, I'll watch videos since diagrams aren't helping.)
And if it all turns to shit, well... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nah but I think I'll keep trying at these subjects and if I really can't handle it I'll switch before my 4 weeks are up.

I think you're rote learning maths; that is, you repeat the same methods without attaining a holistic understanding of the topic (this is important as exam questions aren't simply copied from the textbook). Rather than researching the conceptual explanation last, do that first to see how the patterns come together. Trust me, when you study maths in that way, it'll become a lot more enjoyable.

 

[Drongoski]

I think you're rote learning maths; that is, you repeat the same methods without attaining a holistic understanding

I suspect so too.

 

[Meight]

I think you're rote learning maths; that is, you repeat the same methods without attaining a holistic understanding of the topic (this is important as exam questions aren't simply copied from the textbook). Rather than researching the conceptual explanation last, do that first to see how the patterns come together. Trust me, when you study maths in that way, it'll become a lot more enjoyable.

True but after I've finished doing the questions, I go to google and youtube and khan academy etc. for hours trying to figure out why my working out works at all but I don't end up understanding anything at a deeper level. Putting patterns together in my head is really difficult? I'll probably just ask teachers and tutors to explain things to me in the future.

 

[Sien]

True but after I've finished doing the questions, I go to google and youtube and khan academy etc. for hours trying to figure out why my working out works at all but I don't end up understanding anything at a deeper level. Putting patterns together in my head is really difficult? I'll probably just ask teachers and tutors to explain things to me in the future.

Aren't there proofs in textbooks ._.