 
# Academic Success: Enhanced Achievement for Average Students-Proven Techniques

# By Jon Van Loon, Professor Emeritus University of Toronto

# Smashwords Edition

# Copyright 2014, Jon Van Loon

# Dedication

To the many average souls who like myself needlessly toil; tilting with the conventional educational windmills in a frustrating attempt to succeed at elevated levels.

# Important Information about the Author and Book's Content

This book is to aid the average student achieve enhanced academic performance. I have written 3 well received eBooks on methodology for aiding leaning disabled students and adults become special learners and in this process perform at much higher levels academically and in the workforce. It turned out that many students without any special learning challenges were also finding the strategies outlined in these books to be of benefit in enhancing their academic performance. Thus this book was written with the average student in mind.

Your author is severely learning disabled and bipolar yet devised learning strategies that allowed him to acquire a PhD in Chemistry and become a Full Professor at the University of Toronto now retired (that is-Prof. Emeritus). My IQ when measured in the 1940's was 96 but more like 110 using modern IQ methodology. Basically I have Grade 9 level capabilities in important areas like spelling and Syntax and can only slowly type with 1 finger; often making many spelling errors due to poor memory and the consequence of using phonetic spelling. Praise be-Spell Check and an online Thesaurus-CleverKeys. This book is my 13th eBook that followed 120 research publications and 7 authored and co-authored hard covered research text books generated in my active University years.

Okay enough then with the details about my intellectual capability and limitations thereof.

What follows is largely gleaned from the above mentioned 3 eBooks and recast here with appropriate modification. The latter were performed when necessary to better suit the format and content of a book for average learners. In addition there are newly written sections, for example on evaluation and recommendations of electronic technology which is daily changing the face of educational procedures. Here and there I use the term 'problem learner', doing so only as a gentle heads-up but certainly not to demean the average students learning capabilities.

# Preface

What really exasperates me off is the ostentatious blather accorded 'Top Scholars' in the media. Top scholar designation apparently is meant to define those very few students that obtain between 99 and 100% overall average in their university admittance year. If a mark of 100% is potentially attainable in most courses then some deficiencies in either or all factors including content level, expectation and evaluation must certainly exist. No human being can possibly master a properly challenging course perfectly.

Top scholars are certainly gifted in mastering content taught by paradigmatic methodology in today's educational systems. Yet singling such individuals for super star academic status does a disservice, often being a discouraging factor to many other talented but nontraditional learners.

As a professor with a large research group I had several top scholars over the years as MSc, PhD and Post-Doctoral students. Some were well rounded high achievers who went on to commensurate success. Several had serious problems in nonacademic facets of their lives. Delayed maturation most often manifest in poor social skills was often evident. Problems of this nature often lead to unsatisfactory results in interpersonal relationships and other shortcomings the workplace. A few were much more serious in nature.

In the following true story, dramatically written for other purposes and purposely retained in this format here, I illustrate an extreme but very relevant collateral effect of a socially inept emotionally challenged, scholastically driven, top scholar. I feel that it deserves inclusion in this form as strong note of admonition. More than that because it outlines with dramatic clarity the tragic outcome of one such monochromatically skilled individual it is offered in this penultimate location in this book. In this way it delivers a cautionary shock to the minds of the parents who lap up the overblown media attention accorded top scholars.

## A Top Scholar Tragedy

It shocked and pained me deeply but I was not surprised; his limp body there on the floor, a homemade mask pulled over mouth and nose and plastic tubing protruding therefrom. I didn't even bother to check for a pulse, the dark blue pallor of his face screamed it out all too clearly. There was the end to it; Sasha could not endure his self-contrived tortured world any longer. That fine spring morning I had just arrived at the lab early expecting that nobody else would yet be present. I immediately called 911 and a few key University Officials.

Despite overt enthusiasm for his ground breaking research, Sasha conveyed a sense of dysphoria, together with the additional manifestation of being driven by a relentless internal engine that had only one speed and that was full on. Thinking back on the 1.5 tenure in my research group of this 16 year old PhD candidate, I realized that I shouldn't have been surprised at the piteous tableau confronting me on the floor of his laboratory cubicle.

Sasha had no interest in my own categories of research programs, so why had I accepted him as a member of my research group? In fact I had decided during our first interview that I would reject him on these grounds and because of his immediately obvious and unsettling, pretentious mannerisms. That was before he informed me that the rest of the departmental staff had rejected him and I was his last chance to gain admission. This coupled with the recollection of a phone conversation with a colleague pointing out that Sasha was in fact a scientific diamond in the rough, whose distressing behaviour, like that of many prodigies had likely emanated due to lack of traditional social skills. My colleague went on to say that his only reason for rejection was based on Sasha's emotional problems which he was unwilling to abide. Having suffered myself with repudiation from this same set of problems emanating from the consequences of my own bipolarity, I wasn't surprised at hearing myself tell Sasha he was accepted.

Sasha began his work in my lab, by during the first few months, discovering and patenting a method for binding organic compounds to metals that had potential to revolutionize industrial coating procedures. Such an achievement, born as it was in the mind of a 16 year old, placed him instantly in the category of prodigy. The prospects of ancillary related fundamental developments spilled profusely from his brain.

Unfortunately this scientific largess was accompanied by an equal volume of collateral emotionally based problems. Sasha had joined an off campus group that specialized in a procedure called 'scream therapy'. Try as I did to convince Sasha to adopt conventional assessment and treatment which was available free from skilled University Health service personnel, he rejected this approach in favour of alternative methods; scream therapy being only the most disturbing of the lot. In many ways Sasha behaved like a typical 12 or 13 year old battling the dynamism of entering the early stages of puberty. He had no serious commitment to any treatment, entering each just for camaraderie of likewise inclined individuals and the shock their outlandish practices rendered to outsiders.

Sasha became somewhat of a pariah around the department and I was under pressure by coworkers and my Professorial colleagues to take remedial action. I issued him a series of warnings which were often in poor judgment not enacted due to the success of his research. His bimonthly progress reports were astounding, highlighted by the end of the first year with his acquisition of 2 more patents and 3 publications in major journals. Even the Department Chair had to admit his work had been superior enough in quality and quantity to rank him academically near the top of PhD candidates.

He was a dynamo in the laboratory. Whereas most students needed about 8 meters of bench space for their experimentation, Sasha had multiple research stations, all simultaneously active, that occupied about 3 times this much area. I can still see acutely in my memory Sasha, laboratory water bottle in hand from which he constantly sipped, almost at a run servicing these multiple setups. Unlike most students he never seemed to pause to sit at his carrel to write up results; instead he scribbled scattered notes in lab books which were strategically positioned throughout his research locations. Creation of formal reports, publications and complicated patent applications flowed like magic. It was as though Sasha could coalesce rigorous scientific arguments from seemingly random observations his laboratory notebooks contained

Anytime was work time for Sasha. Sometimes when he was under sanction due to particularly severe emotional out bursts he would disappear for a few days. This would then be followed by a week or so in which he worked 20 hour days always at his double quick time. Finally in mid second year of his tenure after a serious of vociferous, salacious, threatening outbursts that could be heard by a large portion of the building, I told him he would be dismissed unless he received proper treatment. Miraculously he seemed to acquiesce and his outbursts ceased. During this interval Sasha was seldom seen around the lab, his excuse being that he was under intensive treatment. Strangely even during this interval his bimonthly reports contained the same volume of outstanding work. Just as suddenly came that fine spring morning that I found Sasha dead.

I was about to be arrested for possession and distribution of drugs. The police during their investigation had discovered drawers throughout my laboratory contained large but well hidden quantities of a variety of illegal drugs. It was only after assurances of University officials that I was definitely innocent that I avoided this catastrophe. Testimony of the building night cleaning staff revealed that during the above short period in which Sasha had supposedly been receiving treatment, he was in fact working all night. In addition he frequently put them to fright with his screaming; his practice of scream therapy no doubt. These kindly folk were reluctantly about to lodge a complaint but that was just before I found Sasha dead.

Death had occurred due to suffocation while breathing nitrous oxide (laughing gas) without an appurtenant flow of enough oxygen. Nitrous oxide was readily available in our lab for producing flame sources for our spectrometers.

Being the trusting, simple minded person that I was I never had any idea that Sasha was into drugs. This was my rueful introduction into the vagaries of the drug culture. Apparently breathing nitrous oxide with a deficiency of oxygen was a game of blind man's bluff. The magnitude of the high this produced was proportional to the depleted level of oxygen; depleted too far a lack of sufficient oxygen results in suffocation.

Whether it was death by misadventure or suicide does not matter. The result was a societal and scientific tragedy.

# Chapter 1

# Educational Reality for The Vast Majority

Students learn by a large variety of different modalities, a factor not fully appreciated by most educators or if they do then this is seldom acknowledged in any practical way in the classroom. In fact the acrid terms slow learner or learning disabled are frequently falsely accorded a few students. These individuals who fail to live up to expectations when forced to acquire information by traditional methodology are frequently in reality special learners. That is if given proper guidance in selecting more suitable learning approaches such students actually can excel. Another small group of students presenting a challenge in the classroom have emotionally derived difficulties such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder, autism and Asperger's syndrome. But so labeled top scholars together with learning disabled and slow learners and those with the emotionally based challenges such as those listed above, form a small fraction of the overall student body.

The vast majority of students have typically average to commendable learning skills. Over the years this group has dominantly been responsible for the slowly evolving but still relatively static template of the conventional education system. Most innovation has been in updating teaching methodology and content of individual disciplines.

For most students the goal is to maintain marks at a level that will suffice for attaining university or college entrance.

Many students that perform at an average to above average level in the public and private educational system have very good memory and other valuable performance related skills. These individuals can pass exams obtaining average to above average marks simply by reading through material the night before the exam; some with superior memories obtaining these levels of performance even without pre-exam review. Research papers and related assignments are also accomplished with good results with minimal effort.

Students with less gifted memory require special study effort to achieve the satisfactory level of success for university or college entrance. Assignments of other types are satisfactorily completed again with special enterprise being necessary.

This book is for any student in the above categories.

As a teacher at the university level I am appalled by the general lack of study and research skills that the average entering student possesses. Those students who have achieved success in the public and private secondary education systems mainly by relying on good memory and related skills alone come to university with token study and research techniques often combined with a minimal work ethic. Others with more average skills do develop a procedure for exam and research purposes the former often consisting of repetitive reading of the required material. These students have a varied but usually appreciable work ethic. In both categories motivational skills are present but often require external intervention to be realized.

# Chapter 2

# Computers, Tablets, Smartphones, Digital Whiteboards and Related Devices

(Disclaimer-The author Jon Van Loon takes no responsibility for any damage to or misadventure that occurs to a device mentioned below while following any recommendations or suggestions contained herein. The author also stresses that the comments and specific recommendations are his own and though based on years of time tested experience do not necessarily gibe with majority thinking.)

Electronic media in education is deserving of a book rather than a single chapter. The following hits selected highlights and for reasons that will become obvious leans strongly toward computers. Discussing digital devices is very time sensitive due to the rapid rate of development in hardware and software (including Apps). What appears below although written in the latter part of 2014 is done with this constraint at my mental forefront. Considering that I am presently assembling state of the art computers from components, fixing tablets and running 20 full featured computers 24/7/365 for the World Community Grid as a hobby I have probably as much hard won experience and seen as many problems as most in the computer/tablet field. On the negative side my knowledge about Apple computers is minimal and hence what follows has material on iPad tablet devices which I have repaired and used but is deficient in the Apple computer area. Generally Apple equipment has too many proprietary fittings, parts and other inconveniences including a lack of some important software offerings to be of interest to me. Unlike Windows computers and android based tablets which are for the most part easily fixable or cheaply dealt with at a large variety of outlets, service for Apple equipment is available at relatively high cost at relatively few locations. Thus students may find Apple equipment inconvenient and if broken can remain unusable for extended periods of time.

## A few words of Circumspection

When calculations first were being made for assignments and on exams using electronic devices I quickly perceived a serious potential hazard. Students were turning in assignments and examinations where occasionally an answer had the correct numerical digits but was in error by an order of magnitude or more. This type of error would not have happened if the student had simply conducted a mental approximation to verify the result. This is only one simple example of what is happening now that students are making use of computers to perform tasks that were formerly performed using mental manipulations. Electronic computations and related processes are so pervasive in many student studies today that the mind is not being properly trained and exercised. Thus man students are almost totally dependent on 'magical' algorithms that constitute software in electronic devices. This is a serious problem in electronic/digital age education and must be remedied.

## Hardware-Computers Tablets and Smartphones

Ah yes, how can a student make a rational choice amongst all the ever changing array of digital equipment? From a strictly educational standpoint smart phones remain on the periphery at present and will receive almost no comment. Tablets differ in concept in 2 major respects from the vast majority of computers in having touch screens (2 components-an LCD screen covered by a glass digitizer) and are typified by operating systems based on touch sensitive icon like units called apps (essentially the software). Smart phones are similarly endowed. Until recently most laptop computers did not have touch screen capability. In 2014 touch screen laptops are readily available.

Many people consider high end tablets as miracle devices. An example why this is so is when a technician from a utility of other business arrives at their home to make a repair, test or upgrade an appliance, stove, digital cable box or any of the newer similarly endowed digital consumer devices. The technician instead of hefting his usual heavy, overloaded, tool box greets the customer on the doorstep of his/her home with an attractive executive like brief case. Once inside he extracts a tablet, boots it up and hooks it appropriately to the consumer item of interest. Then with a few taps on the tablet screen usually taking a matter of seconds the tablet is unhooked and voila the device he came to alter springs to life with a whole new mode of operation. Of course to the untrained eye the tablet has performed a miracle.

But please consider this. This 'magic' tablet has served as only a carrying device, which can be likened to a simple shopping bag that is used to carry groceries from the supermarket to the home refrigerator. The tablet simply 'carries' computer developed software which has been loaded from the manufactures extensively high end computer equipped software development lab into the tablet which in turn transfers the appropriate data from this software to the consumer's appliance or other digitally controlled device. The apparent magic part of this process was actually the product of the software developer's computer toil in the manufactures facility back at the office. No computer developed software? Then the technicians tablet is as useless for such a purpose as the one that you may have somewhere lying around your house. In fact with some of today's digitally controlled appliances both the technician and tablet are redundant for routine adjustments to these devices. A digital signal originating directly from the manufactures computer labs can be sent remotely to effect such adjustments.

Up until late 2013 most existing tablets were considered by experts as relatively second rate, hardware deficient devices. The bulk consisted of inferior slow processors, hardwired small capacity RAM and low capacity solid state hard drives-the latter often hardwired as well. All but a handful of tablets had no fan or other means of cooling which dictated the need for poor performing components that generate minimal heat. They had virtual keyboards but many could accommodate blue tooth connected often poorly operational, accessory mechanical, keyboards. Many had relatively poor resolution screens. Some did have front and/or rear facing cameras and other accessories not discussed here due to the educational slant of this book.

The Photo below shows partial motherboards containing comparable major constituent of two comparably priced units; an Acer Aspire laptop computer and a Microsoft Surface RT tablet, left and right respectively. (The processor-2 GHz laptop and 1.3 GHz-RT on both motherboards is covered, by a ventilated metal cover- Surface RT and by a the cooling assembly fitted with a fan-Aspire laptop). Visible on the laptop motherboard is the detachable 120 GB solid state hard drive-expandable to 750G GB capacity and the RAM memory board half way down the left side-capacity up to 3GB. These 2 components (up to 64 GB flash drive and 2 GB RAM) are hidden under metal ventilated covers in both cases On the RT motherboard. (The metal covers could have been popped off but this just emphasizes the quality disparity of tablet components.) Tablets often have memory expansion capability using micro memory chips inserted into a special slot on the tablets edge. It is important to understand that the built-in and microchip memories operate separately and cannot be considered as working in a synonyms mode.

The mother board being the defining component of a device even an untrained novice going by size alone can understand that the laptop motherboard has a much more loaded level of components. Of greatest importance to a student is that since laptop hard drives are removable if the laptop malfunctions and cannot be rebooted precious data on the hard drive being often still intact can be recovered by simply removing this device and running the data from it back onto the hard drive of a replacement computer. In contrast with a tablet that breaks down the data on the hard drive is unrecoverable at least without manufacturer service.

The following is a typical frustration of tablets compared to laptop computers. This a comparison that was found during a day's work and the actual example is between 2 versions of the Windows 8.0 operating systems running in units with 2 GB RAM, a Microsoft Surface RT with a 1.3 GHz quad core CPU and an Acer Aspire 5542-1516 a 2.0 GHz dual core CPU. The laptop performed a windows update of 85 updates and associated configurations comprising 435 MB of file material in 1.5 hours. The Surface RT accomplished 95 updates comprising 485 MB of file material and after 7 hours. This is definitely not to imply that update tasks on tablets with other operating systems eg. iOS or Android would have the same disparity. In fact operating system updates with iOS and Android run relatively smoothly in my experience. But devices that use these operating systems do have their own frustrations.

That was then, the following is now.

While many current tablets (late 2014) can still be characterized with many of the deficiencies as above, a few brand name tablets have broken through into a rapidly evolving better performance category through the development of better low heat generating processors, higher capacity RAM with lower power drain such as DDR 3L-RS (Samsung) and hard drives and longer lasting batteries. A few are fan cooled and employ first rate, brand name laptop model processors.

Despite the rapid developments in tablets the hard drive capacities SSD's in tablets in most are too low. The primary memory capacity for students should be at least 100GB; that is the memory not including secondary memory micro SD chips. Few have such capacity. Hardware is mostly hardwired onto motherboards and items like memory are not exchangeable or increasable. If a defect occurs present models are generally too costly to be manufacture repaired and must be considered throwaways.

Many may already be sensing where all this development is leading.

### Recommendations and Evaluations

As this is written the laptop computer is the preeminent choice for most students. Proof for this is the numbers of major tablet manufactures (mainly Apple, Microsoft, Lenovo, Samsung and Asus), that represent their new tablet offerings as legitimate substitutes for laptops some are even in a panic to metamorphose their devices into what they represent as a '2 for 1' device; that is as a tablet that also functions as a laptop. Some of these 2 for 1's are being marketed as superior to laptops since in theory, with the addition of an accessory keyboard and computer like operating system component they can be a laptop as well as a tablet. Buyer beware! Retailers are also often confusingly listing tablets in the category of computers for sales purposes.

Laptop computers have developed over decades into vastly improved units that possess all the required basics as well as a vast assortment of bells and whistles. The tablet in contrast is a relatively recent but important development. Although these latter products are improving with nearly every new model, they as yet have inherent drawbacks. Add to this the sudden potential for attracting a large fraction student purchases and you have a panic to produce tablets that manufactures claim compete favorably with laptops. Thus this field is presently in a rapid state of flux. Microsoft has been particularly aggressive and has produced a device with fan cooling and containing top of the line Intel processors. Using the words from Microsoft's own website, The Surface Pro 3, "the tablet that can replace your laptop". Again from this website a Surface Pro 3 is stated as having a price that starts from $849 and tops out at around $2000. Because of the so-called 2 for1 units short existence no sufficient record exists to substantiate manufacturer claims either of reliability, performance or overall capability.

## Laptop Computer Hardware

It should be noted that fixed position, desktop computers can be obtained or built that vastly outperform laptops. But these will not be discussed here since laptop computers are portable and the newer models are light fast and have high RAM and hard drive capacities suitable for the needs of the vast majority of students.

The total hardware package is complex but can be broken down in a simple manner as follows: power supply, motherboard (also called a systems-board), random access memory RAM, hard drive, microprocessor (processor or CPU), video card (or video chip integrated on the mother board), wireless chip hard wired or plugin card with associated antenna, video screen, keyboard, mouse pad and a DVD drive. A few key items of this hardware are shown in the picture above. Counterclockwise from the upper left are the top of an AMD Quad core CPU, its underside, a strip of DDR3 RAM, the top of a conventional hard drive and the underside of a Solid state hard drive showing a double array of connectors the bottom sata and the top power supply.

The power supply input for a laptop is provided by a transformer connected to AC line voltage 120-140 V input which it converts to DC voltages of from about 12 V to 19.5 volts, depending on the computer manufactures specifications. This is the power for the mother board and other hardware and output sockets contained thereon.

The motherboard is the heart of the computer and is covered by a variety of digital chips (the 2 most commonly mentioned being the chipset and the bios) and by sockets (common ones being for RAM strips, CPU and Video card and output ports and jacks (examples being USB ports, wired internet connectors video and audio output connectors and camera memory slots. In some recent designs some functions of the chipset and video chip are contained within the CPU. Connections between items on the mother board are through wires commonly called data buses. A little publicized fact is that the speed of many functions of computing is limited by the bus speed and not by the processer speed, the former being much slower than the latter.

The microprocessor (CPU) working together with RAM, chipset and hard drive is the data processing and distribution center. Basically the CPU is a specially composed very thin silicon wafer containing huge numbers of inter connected transistors and varieties of gates etched on the surface. Its operation is the main source of the heat being produced by the computer and thus requires cooling usually a fan and special copper tubing and external venting. The main goals in CPU development are to reduce the heat generation, increased processing capability and reduce total unit size. As can be imagined these seem intuitively incompatible.

CPU's as originally conceived worked as a one single core. And hence were designed to concentrate on single tasking. Multitasking a commonly required by students and most other users slowed the computational process very perceptibly and were essentially very progress limiting. Today's laptop CPUs have up to 4 cores (quad core) with 2 cores (duo core) devices being the norm. Just for interest sake, 8 core CPUs are readily available for desktop computers and I personally have 16 computers running with 8 core CPUs. Each core can be assigned to accomplish a completely single task or can share fewer tasks, speeding up the computational process remarkably.

To illustrate this individual outputs of each individual core of one of my computers during normal operation are shown above.

Hard drives come in 2 types, conventional and solid state. Solid state hard drives are relatively recent developments and are similar in concept to USB flash drives. The downside to these potentially much faster devices is their present cost; which although declining at the time of writing is up to 8x that of conventional devices of a similar capacity.

Boot up speed can be used as an example from my own 8 core microprocessor equipped computers to illustrate the improvement available using a solid state hard drive compared to a conventional hard drive in 2 otherwise identical devices. The improvement is a factor of 2, with the boot up times being 30 s compare to 60 s respectively. Utilities such as are used for defragmentation and optimizations show similar or better relative speed up improvements. Benchmark statistic comparisons on these 2 types of hard drives, although beyond the scope of our discussions here, demonstrate impressively favourable results for solid state hard drives.

Suffice it to conclude that at this point in developments that solid state hard drives are the wave of the future. A few computes are already commercially available with solid state hard drives and as prices decline, will likely soon replace conventional devices in most laptop computers.

Video screen and graphics are, like most of the above other laptop components, immutable constituents that are defined by the make and model of laptop purchased. But it is useful to go over a few important video screen and graphics properties that will constitute the nature of your computers visual output.

Four parameters that can be selected as most important in defining your laptop's video output are the graphics chip, screen resolution, variety of screen and screen size. Screen size essentially defines portability. The smaller the screen then generally the more easily portable a laptop becomes and for many students this may define the main preference for many students. Typically screen sizes range from about 12 to 17 inches, the smallest value being 1 inch larger than the current maximum size for tablets. The most popular student screen size is 15.6 inches which to me is a surprise. Its relative larger size may mirror the fact that even computers with size determining, larger screens, are becoming much lighter than their predecessors in time. Also 15.6 inch screens define the most commonly offered laptops and hence are the least expensive computers with similarly desirable components.

Liquid crystal diode or LCD screens are the basic types that constitute those in laptops. There are commonly 2 technologies designated TN and IPS which are used for this purpose. The TN type is most frequently offered its main disadvantage being a narrower viewing angle and having poorer but for almost all purposes more than adequate colour rendition. Viewing angle deficiency is generally not a severe limitation in laptops since such are almost always being viewed at 90 degrees. On the positive side TN technology has faster refresher rates and is less expensive. The much more expensive IPS type screen has both a wider viewing angle and better colour reproduction. Next up is the choice between glossy or matte type screens. I prefer matte type but glossy is the norm for the average user. The only real advantage I can give for choosing matte over glossy is that the former being less reflective is much superior for outside (my backyard being a favoured spot for my laptop use) and multiple single spot inside lighting. Finally touch screens, with swiveling or fixed position mounts, are becoming readily available in affordable laptops and can be chosen for use with windows 8.1 and the soon to arrive windows 9 operating systems.

For general purpose operation screen resolution for laptops need not be a concern being fixed by the make and model of laptop chosen. With laptops this is usually defined by the numbers of vertical and horizontal pixels on a screen. Most laptop manufacturers being aware that the quality of video output is the most common feature that constitutes a consumers first reaction to a laptop, take care that this feature of their product line is attractive. Those students that depend on video quality for leisure applications such as gaming may wish high definition video. Such is readily available on higher end models.

The graphics chip processor again is usually fixed by the make and model chosen and hence is not something that needs much discussion. Two producers dominate this field AMD and NVIDIA. Both brands are now commonly available with high definition specifications.

The mouse pad being an important item in defining the operational characteristics of a laptop should be tested carefully by the customer before choosing a make and model. An important consideration regarding the mouse pad deserves mention here. Various operational characteristics problems may frustrate the user. For example using a mouse pad it is not uncommon to find that the software relating to a desktop feature may unwittingly be deployed simply by hovering the cursor there-over. In cheaper models the device manager and control panel by which the drivers and other adjustment features of a laptop computer can be altered strangely lacks any control for the mouse pad. Thus over sensitivity of the mouse pad, illustrated by the above example cannot be rectified. Thus employing a wireless USB mouse can be recommended when possible.

The DVD/CD optical drive once a central feature to laptop operation is no longer offered in all laptop models. To improve portability this device may be omitted as was the case in the class of laptops known as Netbooks. Formerly DVD/CD drives were essential for introducing or repairing the laptops operating system. However in modern times computer manufactures no longer supply new computers with CD disks containing the operating system. Thus the main remaining essential operation requiring the use of the optical drive has disappeared. The new generation of high capacity, USB connectable, flash drives is far superior for most all former optical drive applications. Whereas in former times there were instances where a DVD/CD optical drive was essential under certain circumstances to reboot a computer; the new models provide this option to be accomplished from a flash drive.

### Recommended Laptop Hardware

1. Hard drives. Most manufactures of laptop computers in 2014 install conventional hard drives due to the high cost of comparable solid state devices (SSD). Hard drive capacities of 500GB or higher are useful. Those without funding limitations may wish to vastly improve performance of many operations. This is possible by cloning the software from a conventional hard drive onto a comparable capacity SSD.

2. Random Access Memory. Recent laptop computers have DDR 3 RAM with speeds commonly up to 1600 MHz (twice the top speed of the just recently replaced DDR 2 RAM in older model laptops). Just now becoming available, DDR 3L has the same memory characteristics but running at a lower voltage and hence consuming less power. Laptops are available with up to 16 GB of memory but any level above 6GB is adequate for the typical 2 to 4 core processor containing laptop.

3. Central Processing Unit. Laptops with 2 to 4 core processors are common with the latter being preferable. The 2 common makes of CPU are Intel and AMD. Computers using AMD processors are often less expensive even though comparable in speed to a computer with an Intel CPU. The present author finds that for average usage the less expensive AMD is fine. CPU operating speeds of 2 GHz are adequate. Greater speeds or unlockable speedup capability are unnecessary for most student usage, competitive gaming being the exception.

4. Motherboard manufacturers are usually dictated by the manufacturer (some manufactures use their own branded motherboards others may use outside manufactures brands) and can be different in qualities depending on the manufactures model chosen. More expensive models usually mean better motherboards. The most important performance determining hard wired modules are the chipset (usually Intel) and video graphics chip. Finally the BIOS module must be present to initiate the boot process.

5. The Video Screen and Graphics Chip. If you have no particular need for high end graphics and screen resolution most middle of the line priced computers will more than suffice. In fact for general student requirements many entry level laptop offerings can be considered. Those students that require best video definition must be prepared to contemplate computers in the $1200 and above price range.

The bottom-line in choosing a laptop is first to consider your pocketbook deciding just how much money that you have available and are willing to dedicate for such an item. Then run through the hardware sections of this treatise outlined above and check to see what if any special requirements you might have. For the average student a computer of from 600 to 800 US 2014 dollars will be fine. With special sales prices below $600 US are often available for computers with the required specifications. My advice is to choose from well-known brand name units for well-known computer specialty outlets. Buying second hand laptops is always chancy and is not recommended. Guarantees are closely similar among the brand names but registration of your new device to activate the guarantee if necessary must be done. Extended warrantees offered by the vendors, a major source of income considering the low margin markups in the very competitive laptop market, are usually a waste of money and are not recommended.

## Laptop Computer Software

Now that you have your brand new laptop in hand it is important to load it with the minimum of software that is required. Remember that a computer overloaded with marginally useful hardware can have impaired operating speeds unless the user takes special measures to prevent much of this software to idle continuously behind the scene.

The computer or other digital devices 'operating system' is a piece of software that is usually preinstalled by the manufacturer and as the name suggests contains the basic set of commands that operates the device. Most other software, with the exception a few items like trial versions of antivirus vendor programs also installed by the manufacturer for financial consideration. Other software is typically chosen and then installed by the digital device owner and users.

The Windows Computer Operating System automatically installs the latest version of Internet Explorer. Periodically updating Internet Explorer to the latest version is important.

A computer owner must choose a browser to install for surfing the internet. The default choice for Internet Explorer is Bing. It is my experience that converting the default browser to Google Chrome is the best choice for convenience and security. Mozilla Fire fox system is the choice of many and can also be recommended. There are many other browsers available but these do not rank as top choices for overall searching purposes.

In my experience the free version of most commercial software or freeware in general is adequate for most purposes. (I have 24 computers and could not afford to use purchased software and my experience with free version software has been excellent). Only in the case of office suite software would I recommend something commercial.

Installing software is a chancy operation fraught with the possibility of unwittingly installing viruses embedded within the desired program or utility. Thus I urge great caution in choice and method of making such installations. First it is important to download free software using a source that provides virus free downloads of the chosen software. In my experience the following download sites, not necessarily in the order listed, are reliable. If you can't find a piece of free software listed for download at any of these 'safe' sites then I recommend abandoning that software choice.

Recommended Download Sites

MajorGeeks

CNET (download.com)

Filehippo.com

Softpedia.com

When downloading free software the download providers always have alternate recommended software available from paying vendors often more prominently displayed on the first download page so please be cautious that you find amongst these the download that you set out to make and click on only this. Then while following the download and installation instructions take care to read each window of the process carefully before clicking to go on to the next step. (Another trick to get you to accept unwanted programs is to list these with boxes already checked and failure to remove these check marks can cause the unwanted additional software to load).

### Recommended Computer Software

There are only a few software programs that every computer should possess. These include a top rated antivirus program, a defragmenter/optimizer utility, a cleaner optimizer utility, perhaps a registry cleaner utility and an Office Suit that provides a versatile word processing component. The following software can be recommended in its current form and should also be used as following at least weekly. Other writers will often have different specific recommendations that are equally valid.

1. Auslogic Defrag. Click on the tiny arrow on the defrag tab and choose and click on the item that includes the optimize option.

2. CCleaner- both the Registry option (click second item on the left hand located tabs) and the cleaner which is the default choice should be run. The user can also manage start-up programs which can be accessed from the Tools tab on the left hand tabs. Remember in most cases the programs that startup automatically at the boot should be limited to less than 5 (only making sure you leave on the antivirus utility ones) you can disable all others. All the programs in this list unless disabled run behind the scenes using processor time and hence slow down your computer proportionately.

3. Advanced System Care 7 and/or Glary Utilities 5

4. AVG or AVAST free versions Antivirus Utilities: Before running an Antivirus scan always check to be sure this utility is up to date.

5. Word Processing, Spread Sheets etc.: It is almost essential to choose the Microsoft Office Suite for compatibility considerations. When it is necessary to transfer data to other user's computers and to other destinations this choice is most commonly compatible with the recipient's software. I find Microsoft Office Suite 2010 a good choice with the 2007 version also adequate. The advantage over more recent versions is that the Home and Student CD has a license for 3 computers and hence can be used for other family member's computers at no extra cost. These versions are no longer commercially available from Microsoft so they must be found from other vendors such as eBay.

6. CleverKeys: This tiny bit of freeware is of indispensable when you are engaged in word processing or writing emails. If you need the definition of a word or need a synonym these can be obtained simply by bluing out the word in question and then using the key combination, control-m, then click on the source you want from the drop down list which in turn automatically brings up the desired window with the word you have designated. You can pick then scan the options to find what you want. Then simply click off this window and your manuscript text reappears waiting for you to make any change to the blued out word that might be desired.

7. PDF Text Readers: The Adobe reader is a free essential that is one of the best for reading PDF formatted documents. PDF (Portable Document Format) has the following attractive properties. It for example allows Window users to share files with who use different OS platforms such as Apple (eg. Mountain Lion) and Linux, can be used among others that use different word processing software and is a file format that can provide protection from unauthorized editing, printing and copying .

Word Reader is a free piece of software downloadable from Microsoft to allow users who have not purchased and installed Window Office Suite to read Microsoft Word documents. It is strictly a reader and will not allow writing or editing of Word documents.

8. Print Screen: From time to time you may need to print material that is on the laptop screen which cannot be printed by using the normal print function included in the operating system. For this purpose special software must be downloaded to activate the keyboards print screen key. Gadwin PrintScreen is a useful freeware utility for this purpose. .

Most other software like photo editing suits and movie or music streaming sites are downloaded at the discretion of the user. These should be chosen carefully with referral to recommendations from reliable internet sources. One of the most common errors made by students is downloading too much software and without due diligence investigations.

### Chromebooks

Chromebooks (2014 vintage) deserve special mention to avoid confusion with conventional laptops. They are essentially a type of cheap laptop costing about $150 to $300 US. They were originated by Google and are available from a few different manufactures and they need to be singled out for special mention. More accurately a Chromebook is a device that looks and operates much like a laptop but has mostly inferior hardware and a more restrictive operating system. For example it has a paltry 16GB hard drive capacity and a dual core 1.4 GHz CPU and runs the Google Chrome OS (different from windows or i- operating systems). The specifications vary slightly between manufactures.

Chrome books operate with a heavy dependency on the internet. With a 16GB solid state hard drive, boot up is attractively almost instant. Memory, usually 4GB DDR3, is more than adequate. Screens have high definition resolution. The software Apps are available form Google. 'Google Drive' instead of the more familiar Windows Office Suite is the source of spread sheets and written documents.

Form a student point of view and from my perspective, Chromebooks can be justified for elementary school students, particularly those in the lower grade levels. If you scan the internet for recommendations you while fine slightly more in favour of the Chromebook as an entry level laptop. Instead my recommendation would be an inexpensive windows running, laptop.

## Digital Recorders

Every student should invest in a small hand held digital recorder. Such devices are of particular utility in lecture rooms, during discussions and other for other occasions when course work may be useful in auditory format. In the case of the latter the student will find in many sections below, extensive references to digital recording and replay as an important method of directly enhancing the learning experience.

## Digital Whiteboards

For many purposes in the classroom the digital whiteboard can be a very effective interactive tool for learning. Being very expensive in 2014, in Ontario they have restricted availability and are usually limited to a few per school in the public school system and at that to the larger urban school systems. To make them available on demand in a particular classroom they often come equipped with castors.

Also required is a digital projector connected to a computer which provides the sources for the digital images displayed thereupon. The images thus projected on the whiteboard can be finger manipulated. Notes can be written by instructors and students and if desired, be saved to files on the computer. Anything relevant to the classroom study can be sourced on the internet and displayed on the whiteboard. This includes video clips, templates, images, text and presentations by students.

## EBook Text and Reference Books

A favourite hobby horse of mine is promoting the importance of the already significant swing away from hard copy books in favour of eBooks. In the context of providing text and reference books this is a particularly urgent priority. Since I am writing here with the student in mind I won't discuss this equally important trend for business, medicine and other professional activities.

One of the most noteworthy examples of eBook format importance is the ease with which content can be updated and outdated material deleted. In today's world and even more crucial in projecting into the future, the accelerating changes in many aspects of our body of knowledge, rapid addition of new material makes such updating mandatory. Apart from this and more particularly from the student viewpoint the availability of eBooks would abolish the need to carry about heavy hard copy textbooks.

## Smartphones

Smartphones are important digital devices for a variety of applications. However as educational tools they are generally of limited utility. The variety of Aps for smartphones and tablets are nearly identical. Perhaps most importantly since they have cellular connectivity smartphones can be of use when internet connectivity is unavailable. Smartphones having become the users' constant companion they can be valuable for recording content that might come to mind when a tablet or laptop is unavailable.

However smartphones have smaller screens and can be a source of serious distraction from educational activities. Text messaging is such a ubiquitous habit that unless relegated to designated leisure time slots is most certainly be a negative factor in a student's scholastic activities. Although tablets are available with cellular connectivity, they are seldom purchased for this purpose. Since smartphones are otherwise similar in architecture to tablets, little further detail from an educational stand point is required in this treatise.

## Internet Details and Use

American fright at the implications of lost leadership in the sciences as suggested to the World through USSR launch of Sputnik 1, sparked the US formation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). One of the main priorities was the creation of Information Processing Technology Office (IPTO). J.C.R. Linklider was appointed Head and he viewed universal information networking as a revolution in human communications and data distribution. L Roberts was appointed at IPTO as leader of a group to establish such a network. A packet based data switching network was first established called the ARPANET between UCLA and SRI International at Menlo Park California. A protocol (a set of rules) is essential to control communications on a network between the source and the receiver. The most important and early step in this regard, was the establishment of the Internet reference model, Transmission Control Protocol-Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). This is a 4 layered description for network communications and the internet is still related to this model. A 5 layered protocol of TCP/IP was developed into a wide spread network in early 1983. Although a networking system had been available by dial-up in some locations in the US since the 70's, it wasn't until commercial routers, eg. from Cisco Systems and Juniper were available in the 80,s and web browsers eg. ViolaWWW, in the early 90's, that Internet growth became phenomenal. In 1989 an MCI commercial mail system became available over the Net.

Today the Internet, mainly using the English language, is an infrastructure made up of a complex set of physical connections basically defined by its interconnections and policies governing routing. The Internet Corporation for Assigned names and Numbers (ICANN) based in California have been given the power to assign the distinctive identifications on the Internet. This is the only organization on the internet with any central coordinating power. The rights include assignment of IP addresses, sight domain names and protocol port and parameter data values.

The World Wide Web's (www.) initiative came from CERN a scientific group which ran an underground atomic particle accelerator crossing the boundaries of Switzerland and Austria. In 1990 Tim Breners-Lee and Cailliau published a formal proposal for the World Wide Web a development from the Electronic Book Technology System established at Brown University. NeXTcube, used by Brener-Lee became the world's first Web Server and was employed also to compile a World Wide Web, web Browser. The importance of this to the world and you and I is well documented and the web is free an important fact that must not be misconstrued with cable company charges for use of their lines and servers and technical services. The modern day web uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)-related to the above mentioned TCP-for communications. There are 8 HTTP defined commands indicting the action which is desired to occur. Of these the GET, command is the most important since it is the request for a desired resource. HTTP/1.1 is the version in common use today. Many of our requests to locate a web site are prefaced by http:/www.

### Browser

Browser or Search Engine is a term that refers to the system installed on your computer by which you can locate items on the Web. The most common and the recommended, here, is Internet Explorer (IE). At this writing the version is number 9 with 10 pending. Both Firefox and Chrome mentioned earlier are recommended. Updates become available for all browsers from time to time so keep abreast. A Search Engine is necessary in conjunction with the browser and these can be labeled as your default, Home Page. This means that when you click the IE icon then this page appears with its attendant search window and usually advertisements and features such as sights to click for news, entertainment, hotmail, shopping etc. MSN.com home page has the search Engine Bing and even has latest newscasts and sportscasts. Such a page is much too much distracting especially for those with our learning challenges and concentration problems. The best search engine in my opinion is Google.com which has a minimum of extraneous material. This latter comes in basically 2 forms Google and Google Chrome. For searches I prefer Google Chrome and make it my Home Page. This is done by placing it in My Favorites (see below) and then dragging it as an icon from this list onto the desktop. There are many other search engines. And if you type "search engine listings" in your browser you will obtain a sight that lists search engines by category eg. general, world, topical and reference sites. An interesting development is Wikis. These are set up by groups and deal with special topics within the internet in depth. A good example would be a weather wiki or several wikis within this subject area on different aspects of weather. Their advantage is that instead of having to hunt in a general way on the internet on weather, these groups pop up and within these a great concentration of the information you seek exists in the one place. In a related matter scientific researchers are beginning to use the internet to publish their results. This could present a problem because it can circumvent Peer review, an essential aspect of having expert opinion shone on the work to help "legitimize" the material.

### Internet Connections

By and large and certainly in urban Canada dialup internet connections are seldom used. Direct Subscriber Line (DSL) involving modems connecting to residential phone lines, or cable modems that connect home computers to residential cable TV cable (coaxial or optical fiber cables.

The ranges of frequencies that are now available for data transmission have greatly increased. When referring to cable TV, the Internet and cellular phone transmission speeds, these are often spoken of as "Broadband". With Internet, a broadband transmission approach is the fastest method. Strangely broadband, a breadth of electromagnetic frequencies is rated by speed and little thought is given to the spectral dependencies of this "speed". The greatest obtainable broadband "Band Width" is through fiber optic cable transmission with direct home connection, an option not often available to most domestic users. Transfer speeds of (TB)/ sec are available with optical devices compared with MB/sec (2 orders of magnitude slower) for present copper wire systems. Direct internet connection using coaxial cable or phone line, is usually the method chosen. A single copper wire is the carrier in these systems, thus broadband data transmission must be done in multiple sequences by digital multiplexing (a method by which a data stream is coded at the source and decoded at the reception sight). Internet transmission operability characteristics over residential cable lines are determined by the numbers of subscribers that share the line, the more simultaneous users the slower the service. This can be ameliorated to some degree by statistical control of the multiplexed transmission be the provider.

Modems (acronym for modulator/demodulator) are the devices which were developed initially to transform data into a form that could be sent over a phone line. (A wave has an amplitude ie. the height variation and a frequency ie. the number of cycles it makes in a unit of time and either one can be coded/modulated and then the original form retrieved by decoding/demodulating). To take a familiar case, the radio, to illustrate; the music or voice waves picked at the input (antenna), can be modulated either in frequency format (Best) or amplitude format for electronic processing and then demodulated and the recovered wave forms reproduced by the speakers for listening. Other types of modulation, such a pulse type, are also used. A modem, in computer applications relating to the internet, modulates signal at the data source so it can be transmitted to the Provider and then through servers, switching equipment and other devices on phone lines and cable to the modem at the consumer end (eg. your house) which demodulates the material into a form that the computer can use. The reverse is the case at your end when you transmit material. Information is not sent as individual characters over the internet but in TCP/IP datagram's (data packets). Internet is available in many areas in different transmission speed categories, faster if you are willing to pay more.

It is crucial to be able to connect computers in special areas together. There are a number of means depending usually on the size of the entity, the numbers of computers and the variability in the functions the computers perform. The methods include an Intranet (very large groups), Server(s) (medium to large), Wired and Wireless (medium to household size). There are other factors an important on being criteria for system back-up which also have interplay on this decision.

### Router

The signal from the modem is fed to a device called a router. This is the gateway device into your system for the internet and as such has a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address to which data meant for your computer system can be sent. Then each of your computers also has a unique IP address so that the data is sent by the router to the correct computer. Signals to individual computers can be sent either over wires (LAN) or by wireless devices (WI-FI). Data speeds into your computer are usually much faster by direct wired connections. If needed to find your Routers IP address, type into your internet browser-whatismyipaddress.com-and then click on the top entry on the page that appears.

For your computers own internet address if ever needed do the following

Click start menu button (Task Bar)).

Click Run.

Type cmd and a black window appears.

Type ipconfig and hit Enter key

The IP address appears, in my case 192 followed by 3 more numbers separated by periods

Within a local area, where there are a number of computers, such as an office or school, a Local Area Network (LAN) cable can be plugged into the router and then a computer. There must be one cable for each computer. Since each computer in a network has a single IP address the router will choose the data intended for a particular computer onto the correct LAN cable. Most routers have a maximum of 4 LAN plugs so this approach can be used for only 4 computers. If you have 16 computers as I something else must be done. If for example like me you want to have all your 16 computers connected by LAN connections then you can use your homes power lines to send router signals between distribution boxes plugged into AC outlets on your walls. Each one of these boxes can be used to service up to 16 or so computers depending on the distribution box you use to connect the lines to the computers. This internet carried over a home's power lines can also be used to permit wired connections in location where running a wire directly from the router could not be done

Instead of having a wired connection for each computer, a sharing of one cable/modem input is possible by setting up a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) better known as a Wi-Fi system. In such an arrangement a Router also has a wireless signal transmission capability and if a Wi-Fi PCI or USB card is installed in each computer the internet signal from the router can be received by the computers. The router uses antennae to transmit the data by radio frequency waves to carry the information you request from the internet.

When I look at the available Wi-Fi signals that are within range of my computers I can see not only mine, but the ones from 12 neighbors! So it is advisable to make yours a "secure" network. Otherwise what I am transmitting over my Wi-Fi system is available to be picked up by numerous undesignated persons.

### Internet Connection Security

Attempted attacks on your computer through your internet connection are becoming more common and more sophisticated. A variety of methods exist to minimize the risk of a break-in. Creating a Security system is most easily accomplished be the Microsoft method. To use this approach a flash memory and router with a USB connection are essential.

WEP

This appears to be declining in popularity for the reason stated below.

Known as Wired Equivalent Privacy this encryption method is the most common and easiest to violate. WEP encryption Keys are a series of letters and numbers. Key lengths are 128 or 256. This method is easily hacked.

WAP

This encryption is an improvement over WEP because instead of a Key, an algorithm called Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) is employed. Hacking such a protocol is much more difficult. Most equipment that is WEP capable can be upgraded to WAP easily. Although there are a variety of more recent and sophisticated methods of encryption, WAP can be recommended for most home use. The encryption methodology is simple and comes as an installation wizard on the CD accompanying the router. Also included is an Ethernet cable like those used for connecting a wired computer internet network. It is needed to connect the router/modem and a computer during the wireless network set up.

### Toolbars/Taskbar

Toolbars appear along the top of the computer screen in Internet explorer and can be very useful. These can also be conduits for viruses so their installation must be carefully considered and only most trusted should be utilized. Your browser can provide such a list.

A Google toolbar is only recommendation but for some reason there is no version available for Internet Explorer 9. If you are using 8 the Google Tool Bar has a variety of helpful features and you can choose the ones you prefer from a long list. My favourites are AutoFill, Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com., Truly free software, Google maps. AutoFill is a page that you fill in that contains your name and addresses, email address and a variety of other important material you often must fill in on forms that come up in your daily routine. When such forms appear simply click on AutoFill and most if not all the form is done instantly.

Many other toolbars are being made available but I have found them of little use. Also as a ribbon across the top part of the screen each one that is installed decreases the effective screen height.

A taskbar is present for windows OS up to Windows 7, on the bottom right of your main page. Here are the programs that start up and run behind the scenes when you work on the computer. Some like the current time, wireless LAN status icon and the safely remove hardware icons serve an important purpose.

### Internet Summary

1. Connection to Internet: DSL Broadband (On all the time).Connections between computers: A small computer network can be wired or wireless using a modem/router as the common entry point.

2. Search Engines: There are a large variety of these methods of searching the web. My favourites are Google Chrome and Firefox.

Computer Networks: Such include, intranet, Wired LAN, Route and wireless connection.

3. Security: Here there is WEP, the WAP algorithm (sufficient for most households) and a variety of more complex types.

4. Toolbars/Taskbar: Since the absence of Google Toolbar on Internet 9 none are recommended. The Taskbar, bottom right, indicates programs that start up automatically at the boot.

### Email

Email or e-mail, either is correct. An email transaction occurs directly or indirectly on the Internet, but I have chosen to treat this subject under a separate heading.

Web-based email service or email client services are available

A web-based email is, as the name suggests, dependently on access to the Internet. An email client is a software program (eg. Outlook or Outlook Express, now provided as Windows Live on Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium) but still available with the Professional editions provided through a cable service provider but also ultimately, for outside mail, depends on the internet. The advantage of the email client approach is that the emails are downloadable by client without activating the Internet. Microsoft provides a feature called, Windows Live Mail, which downloads all your Microsoft based email through an icon on your Desktop. Again new email must be sent by Internet directly or indirectly through cable connection.

Outlook Express: Choose this if you need only an email client for email and newsgroup functions. For newsgroup you need to choose an appropriate reader software.

Outlook: This should be chosen if you need email, discussion group, calendaring, task, and contact management in general.

There is a variety of web-based email service, perhaps the most common outside of business, called Hot Mail. Microsoft Hotmail and msn type hot mail accounts both exist now under the name Outlook not to be confused with the former client Outlook. Other web-based services include AOL mail, yahoo mail, g-mail and a variety of others I have no familiarity with. The ones mentioned are free up to specified GB levels of material. 10 GB of Hot Mail is available free from Microsoft (November 2008) and is plenty for most home users. These accounts can be set up easily by accessing the provider and then filling out the required material. In doing this you will be asked to provide an address of the form, eg. yourname@hotmailtype.com. If this is available you are fine, but if someone else already uses this, a new "yourname" choice will be necessary. Secondly you need a unique Password; in devising this try to choose something unusual, such as a combination of letters numbers and symbols. The Password must be simple to remember by you but not easy for interlopers to guess. For what it is worth I have 5 email accounts for different purposes. I strongly recommend at least an Outlook Express type account because when you are using the Internet and need to ask a question of the addressee, there is usually a choice on the web page called "Contact Us" or something similar, to click and this often automatically brings up email client software to use for your enquiry. You can do this in a hot mail account, but only after copying the email address, clicking off the site and then setting up your account for the desired correspondence.

Your Internet cable provider must be contacted by phone to set up an Email Client account. You will be requested to do a set-up on their server which includes, email address, password, account name and incoming and outgoing server protocol addresses. This is easily done and the service is usually "free" having been already included in the provider's fee for your internet service.

### Email Summary

Classifications of email:

Web based Client Services

Hot Mail: hotmail and msn, g-mail, yahoo mail and many others

Client Services Mail: Outlook Express Outlook

## Viruses

New types of viruses are appearing with frightening regularity. Thus what follows is only a cursory view of this subject. Having a highly rated antivirus system plus Windows Operating Systems set to automatic update state are essential.

Suddenly your computer starts to misbehave or run at a snail's pace, what has happened? A whole book could be written on viruses and although your problem may not be a virus the likelihood is high up on the list.

Someone once informed me that computer viruses were obtained by opening a suspicious email and this source of viruses is one of the most common. Downloading from the Internet, in general, is becoming a serious source of viruses and many people install antivirus software that relates relatively specifically to the Internet. The use of multiple antivirus software suites on the same computer is a questionable practice due to potential interference problems, but this approach is not uncommon.

There are now so many virus types and methods to acquire these, that a section, albeit having to be much too brief in this type of format is necessary, here, to help in their avoidance as much as possible. Most viruses attach themselves to other files in your computer. Some even enter the computers as files that are closely identical to one of the key files of an infected version of desired software.

### Types of Common Viruses

There are many types of viruses; here are some of the most common.

Boot Sector Viruses: Floppy discs, not commonly used in modern computers were often used to boot a recalcitrant computer. Viruses could be introduced during this process. Bootable CDs can carry viruses in a similar manner.

Trojan Horses: These perform a seemingly useful function but are secretly taking undesirable actions that are harmful to the computer operation. One of the worst is destruction of data.

Worms: These make copies of themselves which are them distributed to other computers usually causing slowdown of the computer performance. Unlike most viruses they do not need to attach themselves to other files in the computer.

Root Kits: These bad actors when introduced attempt to allow the perpetrator to take over operation of your computer. A sure sign of such an infection is when you open a desired file the virus automatically redirects you to another undesirable location.

Time bomb: Such viruses once entering your computer remain dormant until a predetermined time somewhat later at which time they begin to take action.

These are by no means a complete listing of viruses and new forms appear without notice. One disturbing trend that needs mention is a trend toward infecting hardware during manufacturing and firmware which has been programmed for updating of hardware.

### Summary List of Common Viruses

-Boot Sector

-Trojan Horses

-Worms

-Root Kits

-Time bombs

### Sources of Virus Infection of Computers

Executable files particularly in email are probably the main sources of viruses. Thus it is important to state from the beginning that unwise actions on your part are usually to blame for acquiring viruses. Never open a file in an email unless you are certain that it is valid. I have been tricked so many times that I seldom open any executable files in emails. It is a common practice for Hackers to create emails that appear to come from legitimate sources, even having the format almost pictorially identical to one of your regular email sources. Thus take particular care in examining emails that have executable files.

Emails requesting personal information like passwords are commonly sent out in a format as described above that mimics a legitimate source. Never respond to supplying such information without phoning the source to confirm the requested action.

Internet searches are frequently required actions and opening files obtained during this process is a common source of viruses. Take particular care in opening files that have been recommended in a Blog.

ActiveX controls are small add-on programs that are used on the Internet. They are sometimes required for software operation. Computer users will often see boxes on their screens that ask you to download an ActiveX Control but these can be the source of virus introduction and I never down load them unless absolutely necessary.

Freeware which I am always wanting to download are often infected with viruses and that is why I have cautioned that download sites such as CNET and Majorgeeks that supply only virus free software must be used for this purpose.

Popup have from time to time lured me into downloading viruses. The type that is most worrisome appears as you are working away on your computer when suddenly a popup appears that says something like; 'you have just obtained a virus infection click here to scan your computer'. It is almost a kneejerk reaction that makes me take the requested action, always resulting in a nasty virus. Instead click off the popup!

Illegal software often contains viruses. It cm be tempting to download what are free versions of expensive software. This action invariably results in viruses.

Spam should be mentioned in this section. It is mostly commercial advertising, filling the internet with large numbers of copies of the same message. The purpose is to expose people to material that they have not chosen to receive.

### Summary List of Virus Sources

Executable Files in Emails

Internet Searches, Especially Executable Files in Blogs

Freeware Downloads

Pop Ups

Illegal Software Downloads

ActiveX Controls

### Actions that can be taken if you have a Virus

First, what to do if all the virus removal techniques below fail: You have been backing up your computer and these backups may sometimes be used to eliminate a virus. Additionally Windows operating systems have a 'system restore' function. This can be accessed easily either from the Control Panel or by typing this phrase in the search area on the start menu. The strategy here is to return your computer to a date before the virus was acquired. If this date is in doubt it may be necessary to do multiple restores at previous dates until success is achieved.

Scanning your computer with your antivirus software is the first step in attempting to remove a virus. A full scan of the unit should be your first choice. Make certain to carefully observe the antivirus dash board before initiating a scan. A variety of scan options are available. These include scanning various defined sections of your computer and often have choices as to what factors to evoke during a scan. While on the topic of scans I also often scan my external hard drive and my flash drive for the presence of viruses. If your antivirus software virus scan fails there are plenty of freeware scans that are available from the internet that are worth a try. A few of my favourites include Kapersky Rkill, Avira Antivir, Spybot, and combofix.

Again at this point I want to emphasize "Back up Your Computers Regularly" using any of the following DVD's, External Hard Drive, Windows Server 2007

Windows Server 2007 is excellent software for small clutches of computers but is beyond detailing in this account. The newer version of this particular software Server 2010 is not recommended. Windows Server 2008 is a professional version and is not applicable for student use.

## Cloud Computing

Only brief mention of this quickly emerging field can be justified here. Yet groups of servers accessible on the internet which are filled with specific data usually in a particular field or application together with software and storage available to consumers is a field that is presently burgeoning. Probably the most famous and best known cloud is iCloud from Apple. Here consumers with multiple devices such as Mac computers, iPad, iPhone and iPod have automatic access to all their data on each one. Such is because iCloud is built into the OS of each and its data is stored in their location in iCloud. Thus all the information and software is available using any of these devices without having to formally download data separately on each one.

# Chapter 3

# Secrets of Success

Important Note

From here on in this manuscript I use the word 'write' when I mean to record some information in a permanent fashion. However the reader must also interpret this word 'write' to include typing into e-devices which, today are commonly laptop computers or tablets. Likewise when I use the word 'read' I often mean to do so out loud and when useful to record such readings into a digital recorder

The educational system in Brazil in the 1980's, like that in most of the world's developing nations (over 80% of the world's population) catered mainly to the rich. When I become depressed and curse the injustice and difficulties that result from my own learning problems, I try to think of my sojourns in Brazil. The average citizen (more than 80% of the population in countries such as Brazil when I was working there) had little hope of acquiring more than a very rudimentary formal education. For the average leaner, unless he came from riches, his chances of acquiring a very useful education there were exceedingly small. This means that for countries comprising 80% of the world's population there is almost no hope of notable academic achievement for the average non privileged student and hence of obtaining real vocation-related satisfaction.

Those of us living here in North America, are among the "chosen few". I was a bad case scenario in having a learning disability and coming from a family of only average means, yet I was able to achieve a good education to the top of the tertiary level. Where is that injustice now! How can I possibly be depressed by my relatively minor problems?

In elementary school I was always the poorest learner among my immediate friends. Even by Grade 13 in high school, out of twelve friends, I was still the poorest. Of this group, four were Ontario Scholars (they had overall percentages over 80). However, beginning with first year university the tide began to turn – with my special learner skills, which are divulged below, I was beginning to climb in my learning capability. At the end of first year university, five of my friends had not obtained sufficient standing to enter second year. Surprisingly, two of the five were Ontario Scholars. How could this be?

These five were gifted learners and had been receiving good marks until then by reading material through on the night before examinations. They were such adept learners and knowledge acquisition came so easily that they didn't even have to make much of an effort. On the other hand, I had to work exceptionally hard, often spending long hours many nights before examinations reading and always writing down important points into course summaries. I also read the summaries out loud so I could double my chance of information retention. Of course, at university, even gifted students who learn relatively easily must change their ways. The material is too voluminous and too complex to be learned well enough by a simple reading. The important points must always be removed from the forest of other information.

The student who has never had to acquire good study habits is often undisciplined in his study performance and is usually missing essential elements to boost the learning process. His assignments are poorly done and are handed in late. Even if he is smart, he begins to have examination difficulties due to poor learning technique. Often students of this type, facing such troubles, begin to give up because they lack the motivation and self-discipline essential to acquire a successful approach.

In my way, I started to move up in my group. By the third year I was near the top of what was now a group of seven who had survived in our specialty discipline. (I hasten to point out that several of the earlier "failures" actually did finish undergraduate work, but it took them much longer). Finally in the fourth year I got four As and a B, which put me at the top of my class. In fact, by the fourth year I looked forward to exams because I had learned "tricks" to performing well. I had learned how to excel at exams. This did not mean I retained much of what I learned. A week later I might be back at square one. The question then is: "Do I have any real knowledge of this material?" Because of my poor memory the straight answer is undoubtedly "only a little". However, I do have my summary cards (today these are in computer files), which I can use at any time to re-acquire this material. Therefore, I have the advantage in the longer term of having summaries that allow me to relearn the material very efficiently.

Pragmatically speaking, I had done what was essential. I obtained excellent marks at university and graduated with honours. Even though I had not committed to long term memory a large body of information in my chosen field, I did have a diploma, which meant it would likely be me who would obtain a top job. This is despite the fact that some of my friends who "failed" might have memorized a greater store of material in this area than I did. Again, despite some gaps in acquired factual material, it was also likely that I would achieve greater success in the profession. This is because of my better motivation, self-discipline and a better all-round approach to difficult tasks.

An important lesson can be derived from all this. Mechanisms have evolved in the real world for charting progress. Many of these, like conventional systems of evaluation within universities, are far from ideal. From a practical standpoint, however, it is essential to maximize your chances of scoring highly within the evaluation scheme. Without such measured achievement, progress in any field will be slowed or even blocked. I have known several scientists in my field who, despite knowledge and performance that are superior to mine, have never achieved high level scientific positions. In these cases it is simply that they lacked the Ph.D. diploma. How unfair, you might say and I agree strongly. But such is life.

Gaining recognition as a scientist is a difficult task. I had the very good fortune of doing my Ph.D. under Professor Fredrick E. Beamish, in his time the world authority in the analytical chemistry of precious metals. Thus, anything I published with Beamish gave me instant recognition.

We wrote two books together (more honestly I should say Beamish wrote two books to which I contributed a small amount, but for which he gave me co-author status). In this way I instantly acquired a high profile in the field. Beamish died when I was only a few years into my research career. As a result of my association with him, I was instantly pursued as an authoritative speaker at conferences and symposia throughout the world. Fortunately Beamish, because of his command of the subject and his excellent teaching skills, had imparted to me the most important considerations. I had acquired knowledge in his field and was able to fulfill these engagements with credibility.

My real love, however, was environmental pollution research, an area in which I had no experience. The prospect of establishing myself and, in particular, gaining a worthwhile profile in this field, was a frightening challenge. I soon learned that by establishing myself as a chemist in the difficult precious metals field I obtained a boost up in anything else I wished to undertake involving related chemistry. I used this strength to build my career in environmental studies. Within a relatively short period I was again receiving invitations to speak internationally, but this time on· environmental topics.

I have many weaknesses. If I dwelt on these (as I sometimes do in periods of depression) I would make slow, if any, progress. Success for me depends greatly on an efficient utilization of my strengths. I have learned to blot out of my memory most of my weaknesses, much of the time. Then I try to engage in those pursuits that emphasize my strengths. Contrary to what this may suggest, I do attempt projects that I find troublesome. My writings are a good example of modest achievement in an area I find extremely difficult. I always use my strengths to improve my ability to deal with any task. To be successful I must work very efficiently. My learning difficulty means my attention span is short, and hence I become frustrated after only short periods of intensive work. This is a very serious added hindrance to success in difficult undertakings.

## Secrets to Success Summarized

1. Motivation

2. Self-discipline

3. Use as many senses as possible, but emphasize your strengths for learning eg.

(a) auditory

(b) visual

4. Work in concentrated intervals (thirty to sixty minutes) separated by breaks (ten minutes).

5. Develop hobbies and practice a scheme of physical fitness.

6. Abandon negative thinking. Stop crying over your misfortune and get on with the challenge.

7. Develop advantages over normal learners eg.

(a) better study habits and methods

(b) better organization

(c) read more efficiently

(d) take the examination challenge

(e) better writing capabilities

## Motivation is the Key

Russ Jackson's boot cleats seared through the flesh of my face and indelibly into my memory as I lay helplessly on the field under a pile of bodies. For the fifth time in the practice he had called his favourite play, a quarterback draw over the center. The result was the same tremendous, rambling, almost leisurely gain, for thirty or forty yards.

Jackson was a mental giant among college football players. Apart from being physically very powerful, he knew exactly how to use the plays at his disposal to best tear a defensive team to best tear a defensive team to shreds. Those of us in the first line of resistance were barely slowing him down. It didn't help that I was only five feet, nine inches tall, 160 pounds and foolhardy enough to try out for the University Varsity team as nose guard. Thankfully, I didn't make this team. I did, however, persist with this silliness as a member of the Faculty of Arts and Science team.

Likewise, the fact that I was a poor skater with "rubber" ankles didn't keep me from playing competitive hockey, albeit at low levels. Collisions with hulking defensemen and sometimes with goalies' fists haunt my memory like a bad dream and I can almost feel the pain today.

Whether it is a penchant for masochism or a hellishly competitive nature spiked with foolhardiness, I have always wanted to be a winner in every sense of the word. It is probably this very trait that makes it relatively easy for me to discover, use and perfect the techniques that have helped me overcome many of life's roadblocks. Frequently, the same obstacles have defeated others. My attitude is that there must be a way, if only I can discover it.

The professorial years, filled as they were with frustrations and depression became, on balance, fruitful and productive because of my overwhelming motivational drive.

Fueling thoughts of useful achievement in my case was an old Readers Digest article on the famous brain surgeon, the late Dr. Wilder Penfield from Montreal. He was quoted as opining that the average person uses only 15% of their brain power. I reasoned that if I used a higher percentage I could be more like my gifted colleagues. I have spent a lifetime trying to achieve this goal.

Nothing of real significance can be done without motivation. By this I mean red hot drive that cannot be suppressed. To gain the impetus for success a person must believe he can succeed. I strongly believe that for most learning people, success is very possible. In fact I am convinced that by using a method such as mine achievement at a high level is possible.

First it is important to emphasize your positive attributes. If you are like me you will frequently pass through stages where you hate yourself (your "stupidity") your life and want to give up because it's too hard to go on. At these times, try to think of the things you do well (and we all do some tasks well). Write them down. If your memory is poor you will need this tool. If this is difficult for you, ask a family member for help. (My mother saw many positive attributes in me that I would never have identified.) Keep this material on a card - an achievement card - in your wallet and refer to it frequently.

### Motivation Comes in Many Forms

Motivation can come in many forms in a lifetime. For me, it has frequently come disguised as a person.

Pink and red geraniums spilled from tree-like stems down the front of a somewhat dilapidated dark green, slatted fence. There stood Alan (now Sir Alan) behind the gate, wine glass in hand, beckoning to us in his, by now, familiar and very friendly way. It was January, but the brilliant Australian summer sun was almost completely absorbed by the dark red Cabernet Sauvignon in the glass grasped gently in his hand, casting a shimmering reflection on the footpath. The orb's extreme intensity was evident almost everywhere. A bright red flowering eucalyptus tree bordering the sidewalk buzzed incessantly from its blanket of bees. We had arrived at the Walsh home in Brighton (a suburb of Melbourne) for what promised to be another idyllic sojourn

I was invited to spend a sabbatical year, in 1975, at the CSIRO, Division of Chemical Physics in Melbourne, Australia. This scientific organization was the birthplace of a revolutionary technique of chemical analysis. The name of the technique atomic absorption spectrometry - conjures up to the layman thoughts of extreme complexity. On the contrary, its most important feature is its simplicity. In fact, the technique is so readily learned that even people with little or no specific scientific training often excel at its use. It was its inherent simplicity that appealed to me.

For about twelve years before this sabbatical, I had been engaged in research involving atomic absorption spectrometry. Unfortunately, Alan Walsh, the "inventor" of this approach had so clearly and with such full detail, described the technique in his original publication in 1956, that later researchers such as me were left with little chance of making a very significant contribution in the field. In fact, time had proven that although Sir Alan's technique is used for about 60% of all chemical analyses worldwide (estimate 1995), there have been only two significant contributions to the approach (one by a Russian and one by another Australian) since that date.

Alan Walsh has always been one of my greatest motivators. Here was an expatriate Brit, brought to Australia during the Second World War. While he preferred gardening and gold to chemistry, he became one of the most important scientists of this century. In recognition of this fact he was later knighted by the Queen. His story is inspirational and when told, never fails to bring a lump to my throat.

Sir Alan, as part of the war effort, was required to provide chemical analyses for war-related industry in Australia. An example of a required and crucial chemical test was the determination of the levels of metals contaminating used aircraft engine oils. Knowing this, it was possible to predict when the engine was going to fail without needing to disassemble the whole engine. After the war, similar difficulties faced the food, agricultural, mining and metallurgical industries. Like his colleagues, Sir Alan had been disturbed with the great difficulty and time-consuming nature of such tasks using existing techniques. With these approaches, it would be essential to have large numbers of highly trained scientists to do the work. Such a brain trust was not available in many of the smaller countries such as Australia and Canada. It was with this strong motivating factor that Sir Alan invented the relatively simple technique of atomic absorption spectrometry for chemical analysis.

It seemed certain that such a development would be immediately put to use by the chemists of his age, but quite the opposite was the case. For five years there were very few accounts of its use. Difficulties and discouragements fostered by early, poorly designed commercial equipment forced Sir Alan to produce a competitive instrument. Because of an Australian Government regulation he was not able to share in the patent rights to his own invention, so he gave the equipment away to "selected" scientists. These researchers readily demonstrated the overwhelming simplicity and usefulness of the technique and this stimulated industry to produce better equipment.

Surely at this point Sir Alan would receive worldwide acclaim. Again, the opposite was closer to the truth. Many scientists with vested interests in pursuing more conventional approaches tried to discredit his pre-eminent position in the discovery. Others, particularly those companies with a large financial interest in existing equipment for conventional approaches, attacked his findings endeavouring to show that important points in his conclusions were in error. Fortunately, neither group was successful in their denigrations. Sir Alan, after ten years of frustration, finally received the accolades he deserved. Strangely, however, he has never directly profited, monetarily, from his discovery. Despite multi-million dollar industry profits, Sir Alan was, if anything, in a loss position financially.

The vast majority of us will never be associated with a discovery of such a magnitude. However, if we were, it is likely that the severe difficulties Sir Alan encountered would cause us to abandon the project. Certainly this would be the case for me. When I cast back in my mind and call up the image of this simple, unassuming, fun-loving scientist who, despite overwhelming adversity, reached the pinnacle of scientific success, I am ashamed at my depression over my much lesser problems.

I challenge the reader to look around. There will be many who are worse off than you and yet make very significant contributions to life. To me this is the ultimate in motivation.

## Self-Discipline is Vital

Nothing eats away at the underpinnings of motivation more insidiously than lack of success in a landmark task. My first book had a senior coauthor, my Research Director during my PhD. Out of the talent pool he had at his disposal, why he chose me was a mystery.

We were being jerked about like a kite on a windy day. Our publisher, a large and well known scientific book company, was on the verge of canceling our contract. There had recently been several serious arguments relating to the content, format and length of the book. This was in spite of what we felt was a firm agreement on these matters signed three years before. (During the same period, several of my research papers had also been turned down by the scientific publishers.)

A final letter came stating that several sections of the book were not in the format required for publication and that changes were essential. A close scrutiny of the requested modifications revealed they were almost entirely in segments I had prepared. My first reaction was to abandon the task.

Throughout my life, abandonment of any project was very uncharacteristic of my behaviour. In this instance the frustration of the work had threatened the research side of my commitments. Thus the manuscript remained abandoned on my desk and soon was hidden in the usual untidy mess. I had not even informed my senior author of its non-progress. Reappearance during a hunt for other material jolted me back to an embarrassed reunion with the offending work. Surprisingly its absence from my attentions proved fortunate because I found myself able to begin again with revisions. How amazing it was to find that the rejected material really was in bad condition despite all my earlier changes. This realization became common in my career and often I would wonder whether progress was really occurring.

Beamish, the senior author, with his characteristic tenacity, began his part of the chore. The manuscript, which had already been three years in preparation, was subjected to additional severe modifications and corrections over the next seven months. It was immediately resubmitted. Imagine our horror when three weeks later a letter came asking us to allow the publisher out of the contract. All this time, hours of frustration, blood, sweat and tears and now rejection!

I could neither anticipate nor expect any further help from Beamish. The predicament was mine. Every time the dilemma crossed my mind I broke out in a cold sweat. Indeed, it got so I could not broach the subject without a torrent of self-pity mixed with a strong desire to throw the manuscript in the garbage. However, forcing myself to begin I wrote to a variety of new publishers. Within a few months I had negotiated another contract. This time the publication process was completed successfully.

In retrospect, this was for me the turning point on the tortuous pathway to professional respectability. I had used strong self-discipline in a task that seemed to involve insurmountable odds and had won. I was now confident that the mechanism for modest success was in place. All that was essential was an overwhelming tenacity to the task. Never mind that the route was, and always will be, severed with seemingly non traversable chasms. Ignore the fact that these impediments do not exist for many of my colleagues. I was now confident that the bridges could be constructed and the roadbed built, albeit laboriously, to successfully overcome these difficulties.

It was 3:00 a.m. as I tiptoed through the house to let the dog out. As I passed the family room door, there, in the glow of the blank TV screen and one small lamp, I saw my daughter, a study card in hand. She appeared to be in the exact same position where I had left her the evening before. But now, scattered in every direction between the sofa and the coffee table, lay a blanket of notes. It was the early morning of her final exam in first-year psychology.

My daughter has been required to work so very hard for every mark in every exam and every assignment. Instead of giving up as studies got tough, like several of her friends had done, she worked harder and harder. This type of work habit did not develop overnight. The groundwork was laid in elementary school. Then "gradually, through the high school years self-discipline grew. She had learned to put studies before social events, sports and hobbies. She was even able to study during brief periods of illness. Now, at the advent of her university career, she had arrived with the discipline to do whatever was necessary to pass examinations and to complete projects well and on time. None of this disciplined approach to her studies came as a result of parental prodding. It was a classic case of self-discipline. Her study pattern had become exemplary.

The procedure was this. Beginning with the first lectures, she summarized all course material onto study cards. This material was then committed to memory during regularly designated study periods, several times each week. Yet she was not pleased with her preparation unless she spent most of the night before an exam in continual review of the material. Then a very short period was left for rest and sleep (if she could). In this one respect I do not concur with her approach. I suggest it is better to go to bed at the normal hour. But as I recollect back to my own tenure as a university student, I cannot imagine that my approach could have been much different.

Do you have the self-discipline to regularly force yourself to do important work you find difficult or distasteful?

## Play the "Learning Game"

Perhaps it is becoming clear, but I will strongly emphasize my overall approach. What I am doing in the learning process is critically evaluating what is needed and then planning the best way to carry this out within my own limitations. In this way, I make a game of learning, a game of exam taking. I am pitting my cunning against the writer and the examiner. I have succeeded because I have won the game - I have acquired an advantage.

Life itself is really just a game we play for a relatively short period. A few of the players set the rules and these are governed by the way a human being operates. It is obvious to me that some people play the game of life more effectively than others. It is also clear that career success is to some degree dependent on intelligence, but there are many other factors involved. In fact, these other factors often supersede intelligence in importance. To run these down would involve a boring discussion of the pluses and minuses of human nature. Setting aside impediments such as dishonesty and greed, how can a person who wants to achieve in an ethical manner, possibly succeed in such a world?

My Ph.D. supervisor used to say, when I complained about others getting ahead by devious means, that you can't keep a "good man" down. At the time I was mystified by the phrase "good man", but he obviously meant to include "good" in an altruistic sense. At this stage in my life I have come to believe strongly in his view. To me a "good" person is one who is highly motivated, self-disciplined, and ethical and one who has studied, worked hard and learned to play the game of life well. He is equal to his peers in many respects, but in important aspects he has acquired an upper hand.

What of the average learner - can they develop this eminence? The answer is of course, yes. Gifted learners very seldom seem to find it necessary to improve on their learning performance. It is a mystery to me why not. After having lectured to hundreds of students at all levels in the university, I am convinced that few are highly motivated to want to vastly improve their performance. They seem resigned to, or content with, their present level of performance. Even if they express a desire for improvement, they seldom have the necessary self-discipline to persist. So, the average learners are the natural candidates to develop this mastery. For this purpose, they must have the motivation. They can develop the self-discipline and they can acquire the methodology.

I frequently hear those with learning difficulties say, "I've tried so hard, but I still can't do this. My teacher is against me, my parents don't care, my boss is against me," and so on. I say to this person, "You certainly are correct in one thing. You can't do it." Then I say, "Do you know why this is? It's not because of the boss; it's not because of a parent or a teacher. It's because you've convinced yourself you can't do it. Only you can let someone or something beat you."

There are two most important ways of improving our storehouse of knowledge:

Auditorily \- traditionally from teachers and professors,

Visually \- traditionally by reading.

Learning can be made into a game - a competition. In this regard it was essential for me to break the game down into its rules. Okay, so I needed to improve my techniques within both of the above perceptual areas. I first thought this wouldn't be easy because the traditional approaches were too well ensconced. However this perception I began to realize is erroneous. In the following sections I outline the fruits of my reflections. These are my methods or "tricks".

## The "Tricks" to Learning

### Physical Fitness

Whether we like it or not, appearance affects the way we are treated. Good looking people often obtain preferential attention, not only socially, but in the working environment. In this way they have an edge. Although we can do little to change our basic physical attributes (without expensive cosmetic surgery) there are ways that almost anyone can obtain a physical edge.

Obviously the way one dresses or uses make-up sets the tone of physical appearance. More importantly, however, is being physically fit. Fitness not only has a positive effect on appearance, but will also give you a mental edge and a feeling of well- being.

I definitely do not recommend you take physical fitness to the extremes that I do. It seems I can never do anything half-way.

Some years ago during my late thirties I was in hospital recovering from depression (remember I am bipolar). The doctor decided to do a series of biochemical tests. When the results came back he told me I was a prime candidate for heart trouble. I weighed 198 pounds and looked something like a plump Christmas turkey. My heart raced after even the least expenditure of physical activity (probably due mainly to the long convalescence). I had high blood pressure. The triglyceride levels in my blood were so high that fatty deposits filling one-quarter of the blood vial settled out in a short period. It was frightening!

Ten or twenty years ago, despite my best efforts to the contrary, I suffered periods of deep depression during which thoughts of suicide pervaded my mind. These feelings had become as common as putting on clothes in the morning. Strangely, however, I found myself to be truly frightened of dying when brought face to face with the sudden death possibility described by the doctor. In retrospect, I think I used thoughts of suicide only as a safety valve when times got toughest. Never intending to really do the job, I felt better in the knowledge that there was an ultimate solution, a final peace. Moreover, this sense of relative well-being could be magnified by the development of elaborate and skillful plans for accomplishing the feat. In this regard, as a research chemist, I brought to the contemplation of suicide a new dimension of ingenious scheming. Most importantly, I had ultimate control. Death would occur only if and when I decided.

Faced now, however, with a real possibility, even probability, of a health related death beyond my control, I panicked. For this reason I resolved to regain control. The doctor and I sat down and discussed what could be done. Three avenues for improvement were suggested: medication, special diet and exercise. As exercise, he prescribed walking with intermittent jogging for distances increasing gradually to one mile. In prior times I had engaged in periods of jogging, but these were followed by long intervals of inactivity. My strong capabilities for self-discipline drove me into a regime of strict adherence to the doctor's orders, at least in two of the three categories. I reasoned that medication and physical fitness, coupled with a reasoned approach to eating, would see me through. Indeed, after only one-and-a-half years I had lost thirty pounds and felt much better, not only physically but mentally as well. However, herein lays a weakness. Even though I was making excellent progress I was far from satisfied. It seemed probable to me that if one mile of jogging and walking was helping, one mile of total jogging would mean an even greater improvement. After achieving this plateau and feeling great, I reasoned that two and then three and then more miles of jogging would take me to much loftier heights. With this reasoning and at the end of a six-year span I found myself routinely running up to twelve miles a day and entering races. I weighed 153 pounds, a loss of 45 pounds! I felt great! (My family said I looked anorexic).

Most importantly, I approached life and its daily problems in a vastly more positive frame of mind. My energy level is many times what it was before. I bound in to work each day. Although I still sometimes wonder how I will face what many consider simple tasks, I usually complete the required work.

It is always wise to consult a doctor before undertaking new programs of medication, diet and physical exercise. It is appalling to see the lack of physical fitness in the general "healthy" population. Many of my teenaged students pant and wheeze after climbing the three flights of stairs to my laboratory. Then, slumped over desks, propped up against laboratory benches and stifling yawns they try to work. I think back only a few years ago and I remember the feeling well. I know I now have an edge!

### Organization

Many people work inefficiently because they are not organized. I know that efficient organization would be an important factor giving me an advantage over other people. Each day I wasted valuable time looking for items in my office. Finding letters caused me the most trouble.

It should have been very simple; the letter was on my desk. The trouble was that so was almost everything else in my office. Material was piled in sloping, precarious piles over flowing the top and sides of the desk. Almost nothing was in files. From time to time the piles became too tall and material fell off. Sometimes I found, to my horror that it fluttered directly into the waste basket.

I had been working this way for years because I was unable to organize a proper filing system. Oh, I could make up files all right - folders with names to contain the material. But then I forgot where I filed things and was unable to make a logical system. Much of what was filed was lost forever, as surely as if it had been thrown away. My salvation in this matter was to have someone come in to design and construct a proper system. The new scheme consisted of coloured files with simple headings. My efficiency went up immediately. Still my desk remains topped by a series of piles across the back and down the sides, but at least now these are smaller and more compact. Seldom does anything fall into the waste basket and I rarely lose anything - at least not permanently.

I am sure there would still be a pile of clean laundry in the middle of my bedroom floor if my mother had not labeled each of my bureau and closet drawers with the items to be placed therein. She put labels such as underwear, socks, shirts, pajamas on the proper drawers and all I had to do was to match the correct item with the correct drawer.

Organization is a difficult and frustrating task for many students, but it is crucially important. Don't be afraid to ask for help (parents, siblings, friends and co-workers) because it will give you an edge if you become well organized.

### Set Realistic Goals

Setting goals is an important factor in the proper organization of our lives. It is very common for a person to be unable to see any progress in his job or school work. Often this is more apparent than real. Unless progress can be measured easily, it is natural to feel uncertain about your advancement. In this regard the setting of goals can be very helpful.

A mistake people commonly make is to set goals that are either too high or too low. When defining goals it is important to be realistic. For those who have challenges in learning, it is especially important to set goals that are attainable. At the beginning there is nothing wrong with setting goals in the lower difficulty range. As a pattern of success is developed, the goals can then be made more difficult. It is important to set both long- and short-term goals.

For example, in 1978 I decided to run in the Toronto marathon by 1982 (long-term fitness goal). In the shorter time period I proposed to achieve an average of nine-minute miles over three mile intervals by the end of 1979. I achieved both of these goals. (In fact I was achieving eight minute thirty second miles over three miles by the end of 1979). My performance in the Toronto marathon of 1982 was humorous at best. I set a goal of finishing in less than four hours. In the euphoria and excitement at the start of the race I began at a pace that was much too fast. (I had poorly organized my race plan). By the half-way point I knew I was tiring badly. In fact, as we turned around the midway point to come back, I could barely see that prominent Toronto landmark, the CN Tower, in the distance. I knew I had to pass this tower before reaching the finish. As a result I almost gave up at that point. At about the three-quarter mark, one of my shoe laces became untied. I sat down on a low fence post to rectify this problem. When I tried to get back up I felt dizzy and almost fell down. In what must have been a comical shuffling gait, I continued. From this point to the finish I remember very little. When my time was posted it was three hours, 59 minutes and 58 seconds, just barely within my goal of running the race in under four hours!

### Schedule Time Effectively

_Important Note_ _\- texting and other potential distractions_

Probably the most common present day distraction relates to text messaging. Outside of the classroom (assuming Smart Phones are prohibited therein) texting can become a schedule breaker. Constant interruptions during a well prepared work schedule cannot be tolerated. In fact distractions such as texting if allowed to interrupt the task at hand can single handily ensure a return to chaotic work habits.

I realized that one of my problems in preparing for examinations was not having enough time to do the studying while trying to keep up with the other daily tasks that were essential. My required study time was depleted by inefficient attempts to finish other important tasks. I began to organize my tasks into categories of importance. There were those that:

-had to be done immediately,

-had to be done today,

-should be done today,

-had to be done this week,

-should be done this week, and so on.

I set up a period for crucial tasks in prime time each day. I carefully itemized tasks (must always write them down!) and assigned time intervals. Periods for other essential work were planned and tasks were again assigned time intervals. Of equal importance, I planned time for leisure, family and friends. Then there were periods I spent on buses, subways, at lunch, and so on, when I could be handling less demanding tasks (reading of marginally important material). In this way the important tasks always got done under the best conditions and even those items of marginal necessity could be attempted. Through scheduling, marginally important tasks were never allowed to interfere with prime time critical work. Thus my wasted time was minimized and I had developed another studies related enhancement.

I stress that work periods for those attention deficit problems should be relatively short but numerous followed by brief breaks. Initially I failed to recognize this need in my own schedule. Work intervals can then be sequenced one after the other as long as a break occurs after each one. I also find it necessary to change frequently the subject on which I am working, since long periods of concentration on anyone topic produce frustration and inefficiency.

### Tips for Organization of Time

1. Do a time log assessment of present daily activities and critically evaluate it.

2. Set up a new time schedule.

(a) Accommodate both long- and short-term goals.

(b) List every task.

(c) Divide work into categories of importance.

(d) Make work periods of relatively short duration (e.g. thirty to forty minutes followed by a short break of ten minutes).

(e) Include leisure and family activities.

Sometimes scheduling can get out of hand. For example, I realized I needed a better overall plan to enable me to deal with all the components of my day. These include:

-meals, bedtime

-letter writing (today-emails. text messaging etc.)

-manuscript writing

-teaching

-lecture preparation

-administrative duties

-reading journals

-doing research

-meeting with graduate and undergraduate students

-family

-travel to and from work

-leisure

In my usual way, I began by assessing my present approach. I needed more time than my colleagues did to complete work. I also had to do more than they did just to survive. I found that although I didn't seem to have time left in my "busy" day for anything more, when I did a critical minute-by-minute time assessment (in table form), it turned out there were gaps that could be filled fruitfully and other intervals that could be used more efficiently.

Initially I created a schedule for work and living that was so tightly structured that if something went wrong and a delay occurred, it fouled up the whole schedule for that day. This, plus the fact that I was doing research at both the University and in my home led to overwork, mental fatigue and finally a breakdown. My schedule was so full that I sometimes found it necessary to do important journal reading on the subway on the way home. If there was too much noise on the subway on a particular day and I failed to complete the job, I got angry. So you can see why I developed problems caused by stress.

After I became established at the University, I abandoned such silly schedules in favour of something more realistic. But the fact remains that I might not have been able to survive as a university faculty member without such an intensive approach during my early vocational years.

### Write it Down

Remember that when I use the word 'write' I mead record the items either hand written or by using input to a laptop computer or tablet.

I learned through bitter experience to write everything of importance down. In this way I am at ease and I function more efficiently. This means carrying a pencil and paper at all times. I keep a pad and pencil with me even on the bus, usually while I jog and beside my bed at night. If I wake up and think of something important I will not be able to get back to sleep unless I write it down. Once I do that, the pressure is off. A smartphone could provide the same purpose with the material later being transferred to a laptop or tablet. Transfer between devices is easily provided through access to Cloud servers (eg. iCloud).

Jogging seems to stimulate my memory and many times I find myself thinking of important material that suddenly and inexplicably pops from the recesses of my mind. Without pencil and paper I would have to phrase these in an efficient and catching way and then repeat them continuously until I got home. Now, better prepared, I can write them down, slip back into a mental quiescence and return home mentally refreshed, instead of frazzled.

### Use Your Total Sensory Package

As I look back over my rather up and down academic career, I can recognize certain intervals during which success in learning was more likely than at others. These typically were times when learning was dominated by auditory aspects.

The air could be cut with a knife. It was a typical London fog filled with brown fumes and sulfurous gases to the point where even a healthy person gagged. This was the early

1960s before conversion from coal burning had become widespread. Foolishly, I stepped from my room at University College, London, into the street and began jogging. It was late and traffic was almost nil. Apart from the fact that I could hardly see three feet in front of my face, each breath was laboured. Even at the beginning I was out of breath. I was sucking and wheezing like an old man with emphysema. I began to cough and tears filled my stinging eyes, further impeding my vision. I was now navigating mainly by ear.

Jogging in the centre of London was dangerous even under the best of conditions, but with my keen sense of hearing I found myself at least able to navigate acceptably, or so I thought. One advantage for a North American using his ear to navigate is that he is not as likely to be killed as he would be by looking the wrong way when entering traffic (which flows down the left side of the road). I felt I was doing exceptionally well, considering conditions, when BANG. I felt a crushing blow to the stomach followed by a crunch to the forehead ... then nothing, When consciousness slowly returned, I was lying in the hospital on a cart. A nurse loomed suddenly over me, "Crazy Canadians sure are lucky," she admonished. "They found you draped over the guard rail swinging precariously out over the Thames."

I had reached Victoria Embankment, but failed to turn as I approached the river. I bumped into the railing and ricocheted off the base of a light standard. In this case, emphasizing my best sense (hearing) was far from enough and it nearly got me killed. Here, as in learning, it is essential to use a multi-sensory package.

Suddenly I realized I was covered with large red Brazilian ants crawling up my legs, underneath my pants, into my underwear and onto my chest and back, When provoked they bit ferociously. The total effect of dozens of biting ants was like a fire slowly enveloping my entire body. The more I jumped, squirmed and swatted, the worse the biting became. But these were reflex actions and it took me several minutes to control myself and realize this was the worst approach to the problem. The only solution was to strip and pick them off one by one, which I did, helped by a friend and his wife.

In Brazil, unlike Canada, a step from a roadway can be an unexpected adventure. This incident occurred during a bird watching trip in the rural areas adjacent to the city of Campinas, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. It was not a trip to the wild jungles, simply a Sunday drive along country roads.

As we drove through the countryside, except for the presence of bright red lateritic soils, I could easily imagine I was in the hills just north of Toronto. Looking closely, though, I realized that what might be mistaken for grain crops was young sugar cane and that the hills were covered with dark-leaved coffee bushes. We came to a small, lightly wooded break on a hillside and descended to observe hummingbirds careening through the air and feeding from a profusion of local flowering shrubs. To get a better look I stepped from the road into tall grass. Hummingbirds are notoriously hard to identify and Brazil has some 200 species. They often differ in appearance only in subtle shadings of green and iridescent purple. Females are sometimes impossible to distinguish. For this reason, a close look is important. I was aware, during my short walk in this ditch, of an odd, pungent, acidic smell in the air. But Brazil is a country of a million odours where one's sense of smell tends to be knocked into submission. This smell, had I taken time to let it register, would have warned of the presence of ants. I had smelled it many times near red ant colonies at my cottage. Instead, I rushed unheeding into the fiery trap. Strangely, in recollection, the smell almost outweighs the feeling of the bites in my memory.

Experiences such as these graphically illustrate the importance of the total sensory package to our perceptions. Just as motivation and self-discipline are the cornerstones of achieving and maintaining success, using the senses efficiently is essential to the success strategy. It is crucially important to use as many senses as possible in learning.

You might argue that book pages and notes, apart from being somewhat musty in odour, bland to the taste, smooth to the touch and rustling softly when crinkled, have little to impart to our sense of smell, taste, feel and hearing. How then can a person be expected to use these senses when learning through reading? Would it not be even harder to conceptualize methodology for using the other senses?

Hearing is, of course, easy to use. Thus in a reading situation, in private, one simply reads out loud. In addition, this reading can be recorded and played back later. I frequently read out loud when learning in my office at the University. I am sure this behaviour puzzled students and colleagues who approach my door. Likely many have gone away without knocking. Apart from the learning advantage of such an approach I have probably also avoided many hours of time-wasting conversations. Reading my notes and books aloud is crucial to me because of my average auditory memory and my poorer than average visual memory.

What about smell, taste and feel? Granted, I find these of much less use. While reading I use my finger to trace my way down a page. I have trained myself to "feel out" key words and phrases that are triggered by my eye. In this way, I imprint the idea more strongly in my mind. In a similar way, this senses a page. I have trained myself to "feel out" key words and phrases that are triggered by my eye. In this way, I imprint the idea more strongly in my mind. In a similar way, the senses of smell and taste can be used as additional imprinting techniques. All this takes practice, but is well worth the effort. As initial guidelines I suggest associating very familiar smells and tastes with key words and phrases. Then practice the generation of these in the imagination as they are encountered in the reading.

Sooner or later important segments will become associated with their own characteristic odours and tastes. Using my senses to advantage gives me another edge.

## Reading

I was fast approaching a four-fold major arterial intersection in downtown Melbourne. Driving on the left-hand side of the road was enough of a challenge, but now I was being tailgated by a large lorry. There were no traffic lights or stop signs at this intersection and the only driving rule I had grasped was to give way to the vehicle on the right. A comment I had heard at a recent party flashed into my mind. Someone, remarking on the treacherous nature of Melbourne driving, suggested the safest way to negotiate such an intersection was to close your eyes and push the accelerator to the floor. Despite my inexperience with Australian city driving, I did successfully negotiate this nightmare. A few days later, speaking to Sir Alan Walsh, my Melbourne mentor, I commented somewhat in frustration, "I've read the Victoria State Driver's Manual, but I can't seem to make sense of all the rules. Those that I do understand, I can't remember."

Without even the hint of a smile Sir Alan replied, "Don't worry about it. There is really only one driving rule here and that is: Give way to Lorries!"

For three-quarters of my life I avoided facing the fact that I was unable to learn from books in a normal way. After the discovery of my learning challenges it was easier to convince myself to admit this fact.

On the bookshelf in my home office sits a row of textbooks from my undergraduate and graduate school days at university. These represent some of the required books for the courses I took. A skimming of these recently reminded me again how little they had been used. A mathematics book, in particular, was of interest. It was the text for a course I had failed in second year. The professor had presided over open discussions in class, instead of giving lectures. These discussions were based on difficulties students had encountered in learning the course by reading assigned sections in the text before each "lecture" period. Throughout the margins of this book cryptic, often vulgar, comments abounded. Although I had forgotten about my frustrations with this course, the comments brought these feelings rushing back. In response to this reaction I could feel a slight dampness developing in the corners of my eyes, the closest I usually come to actually crying. At times like this I have to fight the impulse to feel sorry for myself. I know how silly this must sound, considering all the advantages I have compared to others, despite my problem.

The telephone rang, interrupting my reading momentarily. I had turned the book face down on the desk to preserve my place. Returning to the task, my first reaction was that I had never seen the material before. In fact, when I scanned back over the preceding two pages, the contents also seemed new.

It was quite possible I had misplaced my position because pages could easily have slipped on the smooth surface and turned back or forward before the book was firmly on the desk. Recognizing this, I began reading the previous material. After two pages of reading I came suddenly to a familiar heading.

The problem of unknowingly reading the same material twice is a frequent occurrence. It serves to jolt me back to the reality that I cannot learn well by reading in the normal way. Although I have developed a more useful approach to reading, I often find myself slipping back to a more conventional pattern.

### How I Read

Oh, come now! A university professor who reads books and articles written for children to obtain important information? How could this be? Authors of articles for children are usually gifted at explaining topics in very simple terms. Before tackling more advanced treatments, I often read material from the children's section of a library to garner a simple, clear and concise overview of a subject. Another approach I found useful was to find books with the words "for Dummies" in the title.

It is impossible for me to read sentence after sentence in the order they appear in an article. I divide the article into sections, speculating on where the important information-bearing material will be found. Usually much, if not most, of an article is filler or repetition. Typically the middle sections contain the least concise information. As one might expect, after all this mumbo-jumbo, writers worry whether they have made their points and so they frequently have concluding paragraphs containing most of the important data in a highly condensed form. For this reason, I read the opening abstract and concluding parts of any difficult article first.

### Reading Techniques Summarized

1. Paragraphs, phrases, words. Divide article into sections (look at weights of headings) -

2. Identify important sections, Read children's book account of the topic of interest.

3. Read conclusion and abstract (if they can be found) first.

4. Read other important sections next.

5. Read for ideas.

6. Give special attention to first and last sentences in a paragraph.

7. Read out loud.

8. Turn headings into questions (then look for the answers).

9. Write down important points while reading.

9. Summarize the important points:

(a) on cards or sheets of paper (use your own words), (b) on a tape recorder. (c) in computer files

10. Repeat the important material in an article again and again.

Nowadays, small abstracts of the important findings in an article commonly appear italicized under the title. If this is present I read it first. After reading such small amounts of the commentary, I typically know more than 50% of what is important in the document. It remains simply to flesh out the informational root stock. This can be done by quickly scanning the article looking for key words. These are often in headings or at the beginning or ending of paragraphs. These I highlight in different colors for different types of information and then the material is summarized. Summaries containing the "selected" facts are the only guarantee that each time all the important facts will be selected. I find, however, that with practice over the years, I have optimized my abilities to choose the most important material.

It is often difficult to break up an article that you are reading into manageable, learnable, segments. In many writings the author will help by providing headings. Moreover, if a heading is used solely to divide an article and inform as to type of contents, some of its usefulness is lost. The reader will be more likely to look for the important information if the heading appears as a question. In an article on sugar the heading, "Sugar's Successful By-Product," would more efficiently inveigle the reader's interest if it were rephrased, "What is Sugar's Successful By- Product?" Writers will seldom formulate headings as questions, but the reader can do this for himself. If an article is written without headings, as often is the case, I find it useful to provide my own after the first reading. This forces me to understand what a segment within an article is all about while making it easier to read in ensuing attempts.

"A picture is worth a thousand words," is an often-stated truism for most people. If I can mentally construct a picture of what I am reading it is easier to remember the contents. A mental picture is much like a good summary. Also, the process required to construct an accurate mental picture leads to a better understanding of the components of an article. It is even better if I can relate the mental picture to something within my own experience.

It is the important components of an article and their interrelationships that the reader must identify and then commit to memory. Such a piece of writing can be viewed as a mystery to be unlocked. It is important to read for ideas. These ideas or important parts can best be uncovered using the techniques outlined above.

Learning occurs through both sight and hearing. I found early in my struggles that if I mouthed what I was reading, at even a very low volume level, I improved my retention. I resort to this procedure particularly when I am experiencing difficulties in understanding or in concentration.

Anything that I wish to learn must be written down concisely so I can read it and write it time and time again. I do this after having withdrawn the facts from the filler. This has two benefits: (1) I achieve an efficient outline of the facts, and (2) in order to obtain the concise facts, I must understand what I am reading. In other words I often read words, but when pressed for what is really being said I cannot respond. However, if I am forced to extract the meaning before writing it down, then I have understood what has been said.

Frequently, when sentences are long, complicated or have words I don't recognize, I must simplify these before extracting the data. Long sentences can often be broken into two or more parts and then read separately. Sometimes, I understand a view espoused in a sentence only after I have explained it to myself or argued with myself silently or out loud about the meaning. Some of my best arguments have been with me.

Students commonly use highlighter markers to emphasize material of importance in what they are reading. This is commendable when used properly. My experience is that most students highlight much too much of the content on each page making this approach almost useless. Thus it is crucial to spend adequate time learning how to recognize really important content. In my view most authors are much too wordy making it difficult to find the critical nub of the issue being discussed. A student, who uses the reading approaches outlined above, will acquire the necessary ability to highlight only the most important items on a page.

## Learning by Listening

In the above section I have emphasized an auditory component to reading.

I benefit greatly if I can hear a concept espoused as opposed to seeing it only in print. Because of this, I never skipped classes. Even today, I always attend lectures by colleagues whenever possible. It is also important for me to try to obtain permission to record such sessions.

I record many of my summaries on tapes. These can be replayed when the summaries are reread. I must admit to not having as much need for such auditory ploys as I once did; I don't think I learn any more easily, it's just that I have optimized my other approaches.

The nasal "honk" of the Japanese crow is louder and much more dominant than that of any crow I have heard elsewhere around the world. Jogging in much of Tokyo is a difficult task because of the traffic. In order to jog, it was necessary to do so at times when the traffic was lightest. In Ropongi, where I was living, this was between about 2:30 and 4:30 a.m. Each morning it became my habit to arise at 3:00 a.m. for a one-hour jog. But Ropongi, known in Tokyo as "the poor man's Ginza", never really sleeps and I was greeted frequently by the nasal renditions of the neighbourhood crows that, in spite of the darkness, were often disturbed by the sounds of the abundant nightlife. But the crows were not the only interesting living forms flitting about the darkened parks and the other by-ways of Ropongi.

One morning, as I jogged by the "Purple Onion Cafe", now devoid of the crowds of beautiful people of Tokyo who jam its floors to overflowing each evening, I heard the pitter-patter of running feet behind me. Sensing a race, I quickened my pace. The runners likewise picked up speed. As we flashed by the Ropongi subway station,I increased speed again and once more this was matched by the ghostly footsteps behind. Suddenly I heard a volley of giggles. Looking back, the most bizarre and unexpected sight greeted my eyes. I was being pursued by a few of Ropongi's ladies of the evening. I thought to myself, business really must be bad if they find it necessary to pursue each potential customer in this manner. It must have presented quite a comical picture - the "virile" Canadian, jogging at top speed, being matched step-for-step by Tokyo's finest "ladies" decked out in their business clothes, including high-heeled boots. The end to this story must be left to the reader's imagination because I refuse to divulge the final outcome of the race.

I came to Tokyo to give an invited talk at an international scientific conference and to work with a colleague at the University of Tokyo. It was during the latter period that I became startlingly aware of the importance of listening and note taking in my learning process. For twenty-five years I have struggled to understand the theory in my research area.

Because of my inability to learn the bulk of this theory, I had to slant my work, very strongly, to applied problems. Attempts to understand the theory have involved the reading of a number of books and the perusal of dozens of review articles. In most cases, I gave up after a few pages, because I could not remember material prerequisite to the more difficult concepts. This was even true in spite of using as many "tricks" of summarizing as I could devise. I remained for years in this state of theoretical oblivion. This was a matter of severe concern because many times I would be embarrassed in in-depth discussions with colleagues.

While in Tokyo, I surreptitiously attended an excellent' lecture by a brilliant American scientist and colleague, Dr. Jim Winefordner. Jim was lecturing to the fourth-year chemistry class at the University of Tokyo at the same time I was there. It was during this lecture that the lights suddenly came on and for the first time I achieved an insight into the bulk of the basic theory of my specialty.

How had Jim succeeded in penetrating the theory phobic recesses of my mind? Why, suddenly, was this material clear when all previous attempts had failed? Jim's flair for presentation of well summarized material in a format that only a learning challenged person could fully appreciate, was the answer. Because my main problem is visual and my auditory processes are at least average, this oral presentation maximized my chances for success. As a backup and to ensure a suitable record of the material, Jim kindly lent me his lecture notes for copying.

### Listen for 'a Skeletal Summary

Many teachers give a topic-by-topic summary of the material covered. This is provided either at the beginning or the end of a presentation. Such a summary is of great help to the student in organization of notes after the class. If given beforehand, the summary can provide an indispensable key to the important material to be outlined during the talk.

### Tips for Listening and Note Taking

It is important to mention here that students often use computers to take notes in a lecture and this is excellent. Unfortunately this was not possible for me.

1. Listen for the skeletal summary of material being presented (often given at beginning or end)

2. Listen for key and important content. The teacher may say for example. This is important... This may be on the exam... Three important results are...

3. If you can't keep up with the lecturer, then take down important words and ask for help to fill in the blanks later.

4. Practice listening to yourself. This helps sharpen listening to others and helps teach you more easily.

5. Practice ignoring background noise, hearing only the important material.

6. Ask questions for clarification.

### Listen for Key Words and Phrases

The English announcements at Rio de Janeiro International airport were surprisingly clear. I should not have had any difficulty in connecting with my flight to New York. A woman's voice announced the arrivals and departures and any other important information in a slow, almost artificially precise, English phraseology. Word came that my flight was delayed and that further information would be available soon. At frequent intervals the expected time of departure was updated and this went on for such a long time that I began listening only in a very casual way.

My Varig Airlines flight was now to leave at 10:10 p.m.. Unfortunately, a Pan Am flight with a closely similar flight number, also regularly scheduled to New York, was to depart a few minutes later at 10:25. Somehow, through a lack of attention to detail, (not picking up the key word, Varig) I had become locked in to the departure information on the Pan Am flight. It was only through my penchant for boarding flights, at the earliest possible time and my jogging capabilities that I didn't miss the Varig flight. I arrived casually at the gate for the first boarding call of the Pan Am airplane, only to be told by the attendant that I had the wrong flight and that the last call for my flight had just been given. I had to sprint through the crowded departure area to a location several gates away. From there I bolted down the galley way to the plane to find the door was already partially closed. Fortunately, my breathless but noisy approach alerted the flight personnel and they let me on board.

This is a rather vivid illustration of how important key words can be in establishing the correct perception. It is crucial to identify key words and phrases in a talk and to record these accurately. Phrases commonly used by speakers, such as the following, help identify important material:

-This is important ...

-A key point is ...

-This will be on the exam ...

-Three principal conclusions are ...

-Take Accurate Notes

Because of my perceptual problems I do not take notes as quickly and accurately as most students. I remember one particular geology lecturer at the university, who went so fast it was impossible for me to take down most of the material. When this occurs, I try to put down the key words and phrases and ask for the speaker's help to fill in the blanks. I bugged the professor so much for assistance that it had the beneficial effect of slowing his lecturing pace. If the teacher is uncooperative, the student can often borrow notes from classmates to help flesh out his own notes.

My daughter sometimes requested my help in her high school science, one subject where I stand a good chance of really helping. At times I cannot understand her notes. She swears she has taken things down exactly as stated by the teacher.

Still they make no sense. What has happened of course is that she has taken material down as she thought she heard it. It is, therefore crucially important, to check the accuracy of notes. Nothing is more frustrating than laboriously learning muddled information.

Undoubtedly you have heard people out in public talking to themselves. Frequently the first reaction is, "They must be crazy." Probably we have been conditioned this way because talking to oneself can be an indication of emotional mental illness. Thus I may have difficulty in convincing you to adopt the following advice. I improve my ability to learn from others if I practice listening to myself, even in public. Not only is this good practice in listening, it also helps me perfect my auditory learning processes under severe background noise conditions.

In a related issue, distractions from spurious background noise are a particular problem for average students in the classroom. Trying to take lecture notes in a typical class of today, where other students continually talk among themselves, can be a severe frustration. This difficulty was obviated to some degree in my case, by intensive practice.

One year I lived in a university residence that was an old multi bedroomed house. The bedroom I was assigned turned out to be the largest. Crammed into all the available space were five students with five beds, five dressers and five desks. There was no time during study periods when this room was quiet. This gave me plenty of practice in optimizing my ability to extract and commit to memory important material under adverse conditions. Needless to say, I also spent long hours in library stacks, especially during pre-examination times. For the average student there is no substitute for excellent environmental working conditions. These should be sought actively. Any auditory distraction can be fatal to the accurate recording of spoken or written material.

## Writing

Voice recognition software is available and several of my doctors use this to produce the report of a visit or examination. I say use this at your peril. My experience suggests that unless you can afford the most expensive version this technique is prone to errors. I have never had the opportunity to use the high priced versions.

### Fleshing Out the Skeleton

We rattled thunderously down the pock-marked highway, stopping only now and then at the governmental check points between the abundant districts in this part of India. The many people walking, bicycling or traveling by ox cart, were sent leaping from the path of our onrushing vehicle. I was just marveling at how well the driver managed to avoid hitting anyone when there was a sudden jolt followed by two bumps as the car hit and either killed or injured a dog.

The driver swore under his breath and didn't even slow down. Up ahead I could see a cloud of black vultures circling languidly against the bright blue sky. As we came closer, the flock seemed to be spiraling down through a building with no roof. Coming abreast of the structure it was obvious this edifice had been designed with no roof. A sudden twist in the road took us momentarily along a small open section in the wall; a sickening taste crept up into my throat. I was gazing at piles of human carcasses being quickly de-fleshed by a mass of ugly black vultures. Here and there the white sheen of the bones reflected the brilliant sunlight that pervaded the scene. Within hours this pile of lifeless humanity would be nothing but skeletons bleaching in the sun. This venue was the site of a normal religious ceremony for the dead.

The human skeleton, of course, is the structural member of the body on which is hung the flesh and other bodily organs. In writing, a similar approach can be taken. First, produce the skeleton and then garnish this framework with "flesh". The "skeleton" consists of the various sections of the article outlined in point form under headings. The "flesh" is the contents recast in the form of sentences and paragraphs. For all but the most seasoned authors it is impossible to write well by initially stringing together words in a grammatically acceptable manner.

### Apply the Stimuli

Despite completion of six books and over 150 scientific research papers, I find each writing assignment extremely difficult. If I am to succeed in completing particularly the large projects, a high degree of motivation and psyching up is essential.

For this purpose I can employ a number of positive and negative stimuli. The use of positive forces is easily understood. However, in my case it can be equally helpful to employ negative factors. The best of these, for me, is to become contractually obligated during the euphoria of the early planning stage when I am still uncertain of my ability to complete the project. Once this occurs I am forced come hell or high water, to at least begin. Another ploy is to announce my early plans to bosses, students and associates in a manner that leaves little room for backing out later when the going gets tough.

Once the decision to begin has been made I write the easiest sections first. In this way completion of some segments of the project will impart momentum that can help catapult me into, and then through, the more difficult quagmire that awaits.

### Tips for Writing-Technique

1. Skeleton - decide on the section divisions (headings).

2. Sketch the article using single words and phrases.

3. Using separate sheets (or single pages of Microsoft word) for each section, write out each section in rough in point form.

4. Do "easiest" parts first.

5. Now write each section in sentences and paragraphs.

6. If I have trouble with sentences or paragraphs, I say what I am trying to write, into a tape recorder and write this down during a replay (many people say things better than they write them).

7. Use short, uncomplicated sentences.

8. Now do revisions:

Rearrange material and if necessary improve spelling, sentence structure and paragraph structure.

Again, review material, particularly breaking up unwieldy sentences and paragraphs

9. Give material to someone else to read and correct.

When I have finished approximately one-third or more of a project, it becomes impossible not to continue. To this end I leave the completed sections in a pile on my desk where their presence becomes a constant irritation and reminder of the task still at hand.

Many readers may never tackle writing projects as large as a book, a short story or a magazine article. However, no matter how small the commitment, stimuli such as those mentioned above, can be useful.

As a poor reader I am constantly frustrated by the work of many modern day newspaper and magazine journalists. Their articles are frequently obtuse, filled with anecdotes and distantly related aphorisms that for me obscure the most important points. It is as though they were setting out to write a book rather than an informative article.

Movie reviews provide a good illustration of the problem and an excellent solution. I enjoy reading movie commentaries. In the past few years, however, I have found it increasingly difficult to ferret out the critics actual assessment of the movie from the jargon and filler material. The movie review took on a new dimension for me when a local newspaper introduced a pictorial rating system. The commentary is now accompanied by a numerical rating of from one to five, in a box together with the sketch of a smiling or scowling face. This picture and number in the box clearly tell problem readers, like me, what we most want to know. We are then spared the necessity of plowing through the word jungle of confusion that today often passes for a movie critique.

The problem writer must bear this point in mind. It is of first importance to cover the facts in a concise and easily understandable fashion. Any literary embellishments that are added must not confuse the material. If, as I have recommended, the writing is initiated using a skeletal, point-form format there is less chance that the important ideas will become obscured in the fabric of the finished tapestry. When I write, important ideas that are not necessarily related to the section I am currently writing constantly flash through my mind. If I do not immediately record these they will be forgotten and lost forever. This is another good reason for initial use of point form. In this way, such fleeting information can be quickly and concisely inscribed.

### The Writer's Tools

The following are the essential tools for the prospective writer: All are available on the internet.

-digital voice recorder

\- The software program CleverKeys. Make certain you have downloader this program

-A good dictionary with relatively large print,

-A concisely written book summarizing rules of grammar and punctuation (but further summarize these rules on cards or in computer files),

-A good Thesaurus (or book of synonyms),

Frequently, while composing, I find myself unable to express in writing what I wish to communicate. A very helpful approach, and one that I find works almost every time, is to say what I want to express out loud. I do this as though I am telling someone else. Then I write it down exactly as it was said. A tape recorder can be very helpful in this technique.

Great authors such as Charles Dickens expressed their ideas beautifully in intricate sentences. However, the normal writer, and particularly the problem writer, will find that clarity suffers as sentence length and complexity increase. It is a good rule of thumb always to cut out unnecessary words and phrases. Keep sentences short and to the point.

Use active rather than passive verbs wherever possible. For example: "The water skier was pulled by a 9O-horsepower outboard motorboat." becomes, "A 9O-horsepower outboard motorboat pulled the water skier."

Here, not only is the method of expression more straightforward, but the number of words has been decreased by two.

Those readers, who like me have visual memory difficulties, may find the following helpful. Instead of writing the first draft, I often put the material directly onto a digital recorder. This helps produce clearer, more concise sentences. It helps me "hear" how my writing sounds.

Writing can be a pressure-filled experience. Frequently, after about one hour I begin to work less efficiently. At this point, it is important to set the writing job aside and take a short break. During the "breaks" it is possible to interweave other, less demanding work. For example, I make phone calls, open mail, reply to letters, sort lecture slides or lecture files.

Due to fatigue, many days I find distractions, lack of proper motivation and other factors, leave me unable to write well. On days such as these, I can accomplish other essential, less challenging tasks. Good writing requires a high degree of motivation and excellent environmental conditions. It is a waste of time for me to attempt important writing projects on any but the best days.

My former colleague, Dick Beamish, had written the first manuscript on our acid rain research. It was filled with excellent scientific detail knitted together in a flowing style. The reviewers were full of praise. Dick had covered the biological aspects of the work and now it was my turn to detail the chemical results in a second paper.

Chemical aspects of the acid rain problem are supposedly within my area of expertise, so it was my job to record the material. I wrote this paper, one of my early writing jobs, making liberal use of Dick's phraseology. It was a labour of many days, protracted unduly by what appeared, at times, to be a unique and insular layer in my brain. As a result, what should have been a free flow of material was cut to an intermittent dribble. After dissecting this rough copy, the paper again critically appraised, then polished several times; it was sent to the journal for review. Some weeks later a bulky envelope arrived from the journal. It seemed obvious without opening the package that my manuscript had been rejected and returned. The reviewer's comments were immediately on top as I opened the wrapper. These comments were four pages long, about one third the length of my entire manuscript! His comments ran me through the gamut of my fragile emotions.

To my great surprise, although rejected in its initial form, ultimate rejection had been avoided. The helpful and dedicated reviewer had instead attempted to suggest how to rewrite the paper in an acceptable manner. His first comment cut me to the core. He stated, "This research is scientifically very worthwhile, but it has been carelessly presented and is full of errors in spelling and syntax. "If possible Van Loon should hire a professional writer." I was crushed. For weeks I was unable to put pen to paper.

Now, many years later, with much practice and use of the suggestions above, my scientific writing has become at least acceptable and competitive with that of my colleagues.

## Studying

Study is a part of our existence whether or not we are in school. We are commonly required to read or listen to material that requires our deliberation and comment. This may be as trite as an advertising brochure or a sales pitch on TV. In such cases it is important to assimilate the facts, process these in a logical way and then produce a useful decision.

The anguished cry of the Kiskadee blasted in through my Brazilian hotel window. Its early morning voice is strikingly different from the clear melodious whistle that it gives after the sun has risen. In fact you might be forgiven for wondering if some frustrated sleeper has caught the bird by the throat causing it to utter such tormented sounds.

The Kiskadee is a large black and yellow Central and South American flycatcher. It is commonly found in towns and cities inhabiting trees in parks and backyards much as the robin, blue jay and cardinal do here in North America. Its mournful, early morning rendition, given in the darkness just before dawn, was my signal that it was time to arise for my Jog.

I was staying in a typical, old-style European hotel. It rose six stories above a narrow street in the main shopping and business district of Campinas in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The rooms were distributed in a circular fashion about a central stairwell and elevator shaft. Because there were no fire doors, the central hallway of the building formed an excellent chimney. This would cause the hotel to burn to the ground in minutes if a fire ever erupted on the lower floors. Since I was on the fifth floor and terribly nervous of fire I slept with one foot on the floor and one ear open. I was always ready to flee at the first indication of a problem.

This part of Campinas was alive throughout the night and I learned to identify amidst the general hubbub those sounds that indicated all was well in the hotel. These included the squeaking of the bed from the prostitute's room next door and the soft cooing of the pigeons on my balcony that continued all day and night.

The general din of the evenings and nights had a very negative effect. The braying of "musical" car horns and the noise from poorly muffled engines typical of Brazilian vehicles made it impossible to concentrate at any hour of the day or night. To avoid being inundated upon my return to Toronto I had brought with me work that I was depending on studying in my spare time. Because of these adverse conditions, this exercise was a complete failure and I simply had the aggravation of carrying a heavy load of papers to and from Brazil.

### Do's and Don'ts of Study

Good study requires excellent environmental conditions. Any distractions add immeasurably to the length of time required to process written material. I never cease to be amazed at the success rate of the more gifted teenager. Success is obtained despite study conditions that would make my Brazilian hotel room seem as silent as the grave.

My son, for example, lies in the middle of the bed propped up carelessly by pillows. A sea of cassette cases and the latest rock magazines cover the bed, moving up and down in waves to the beat of the music. The walls are papered with posters so that it is impossible to gaze up for a moment without being carried away in a daydream by a gesticulating rock or sports star. Excited by all this noise, his pet cockatiel flies back and forth from cage to nearby bookshelf. All this and he is "studying" for an exam!

Don't listen to loud music. If you obey this rule your work will be done sooner and better. There will be plenty of time left to catch up on music. On the other hand some say soft soothing music may be okay but my in my view it is better to work in silence.

Do study in intervals with breaks in between. The length of a study interval will be determined by the concentration powers of the individual. (People with learning challenges have great difficulty with concentration). I find that between thirty and sixty minutes is a good length of time for me, followed by a ten to fifteen-minute break.

### Study Technique Summary

1. Don't cram.

2. Don't listen to loud music.

3. Don't become too relaxed.

4. Do study in thirty- to sixty-minute intervals followed by fifteen to twenty-minute breaks.

5. Do have plenty of good light and fresh air.

Do not become too relaxed. A bed is for sleeping. Attempts to study while reclining will be rewarded with somnolence that unduly protracts the study period. Do have good light and plenty of fresh air. Activities in diminished light are for bats and other nocturnal species. Fresh air maximizes alertness. The elevated temperatures commonly found in modern centrally heated homes in winter are not conducive to efficient study. Also I try to keep my office at work at a temperature not greater than about 19°C, much to the consternation of my co-workers.

### What to Study

To optimize the study process it is first crucial to know the boundaries of the material to be covered. This is particularly important for the average or problem learner.

I was giving the first course in analytical, atomic spectrometry ever to be attempted at the University of Campinas in Brazil. It was a relatively large and eager group who turned up for the first lecture. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, but all science students must acquire a working knowledge of English. This is so they are able to communicate and study using the predominantly English-language scientific literature. As a result I was allowed to lecture in English. I was implored to go slowly and speak clearly, something I felt I was doing well. My contention was-supported, I surmised, by the smiles and pleasant comments I was confronted with at each class. (Brazilian students are very respectful). You will then imagine my consternation when, after the final lecture, one of the regularly attending students in the front row stated in broken English something approximating the following: "Professor Van Loon, could you please tell me what to study for the exam? I was unable to follow in detail any of your lectures." There was a general nodding of heads indicating that most of the class was in a similar predicament. What a gaff not to have checked for this possibility early on in the course. To say the least, I felt obliged to narrow the exam topics to those that could be readily covered from available text books.

It is a good rule to ask the teacher what material is to be covered on the exam. You can lose nothing and you may be surprised to find that your own views on the extent and particulars of material to be covered differ greatly from the teacher's.

Next, enquire of the teacher what material is most important. This is particularly crucial information for the average learner. Time may not permit a complete coverage of all course topics. The student should already have some good ideas on this because of hints that are generally forthcoming throughout the course. The teacher will have made statements such as, "This is important so listen carefully ... ", "Some important conclusions are ... ", "I would like to emphasize the following ... '. Whenever I heard these comments or phrases, I wrote the initials N.B. (from the Latin nota bene, meaning note well), boldly in the margin of my notes.

### Tips for Discovering What to Study

1. Ask teachers what will be on the exam

2. Ask teachers

(a) what is important (b) what can be omitted

(c) material that is to be covered by exam (e.g. notes, textbooks, etc.).

3. Get copies of old exams (also use returned tests and exams).

4. Identify important material in margins (to easily identify what to study).

One good method of flagging important material is to identify this in colour in the margins of notes and books. It is crucial that such material literally leaps from the page when read, so carefully planned underlining or highlighting with coloured markers can be useful. Use separate colours to define different topics. A few words of summary in the margins can also help highlight important ideas.

Copies of old exam papers and tests are useful sources of what to study. Recurring questions indicate important topics and emphasis should be given to these subjects. (One teacher I had in high school asked the same question every second year!) In addition, returned tests and examination papers can be used to correct mistaken views and facts that may have occurred in study notes.

On the other side of the coin, it is likely that some of the course material is not of sufficient importance to warrant emphasis. The teacher may indicate sections that can be omitted.

In many courses, reading assignments are given in addition to material covered by the lectures. It is important to know whether the teacher expects this material to be learned in detail.

Having a grasp of what is important can make all the difference. It is crucial to pay attention to any hints in this regard and to augment such information by asking direct questions. There have been startling instances in my life where failure to assimilate clearly preferred information has resulted in a gross distortion of what is important. The following is a good example.

It seemed to me that on a bird-watching trip the most important information would be a thorough knowledge of the species of birds likely to be encountered. For this reason, in

order to know what reference material to study, I had carefully quizzed my Brazilian hosts. I wanted to know what types of birds were likely to be found on the proposed birding expedition around the Campinas area of southeastern Sao Paulo state. There are over thirty species of flycatcher in this area alone. Many differ only in the colouring around the eye or in the presence or absence of banding.

I remember being particularly annoyed by Sandra's interruptions. I was already ensconced, bird book in hand, in the back seat of a Volkswagen Beetle. I was attempting to commit flycatcher colour differences to memory. She was babbling in a long winder patter about wanting to take a "rake" in the space beside me on the seat. I barely heard the comment and being particularly aware of the need for complete concentration while observing or studying I had tuned her out.

Soon we were gyrating along the back roads near Campinas. Sandra and Tom were up front and I was ensconced in the back seat of the Beetle jammed against a birding telescope, bags containing bird books, notebooks and a variety of paraphernalia from the American school where they taught science. On top of the pile was a large burlap bag on which I rested my arm to prevent the lot from toppling into my lap. Under its folds I felt what appeared to be a heavy coil of thick hose. I wasn't surprised when after our first stop the burlap bag had tipped onto my lap. I quickly but laboriously threw the heavy bag back on the top of the mound. This occasioned a slight hissing sound and I hoped no damage had been done to the contents. The problem repeated itself several times during the expedition and each time I rudely threw the package back on the pile.

Imagine my consternation, when during one of our stops, Tom after recovering the burlap bag from the back seat opened it in a casual manner a few feet from where I stood and a somewhat angry six-foot anaconda slithered menacingly into the marsh. The snake had been in a collection at school and had become too large to keep safely. Tom, being unwilling to kill the snake, was giving it its freedom. Sandra had tried to solicit my permission to place the "snake" with me in the back of the car. This word, in my trance-like studying state, I had heard as "rake". Here was a clear indication that complete and careful attention to studies can be dangerous to one's health!

### How to Study

One of the important "tricks" that I employ to give me a learning advantage is to use as many of my senses as efficiently as possible. Most students simply employ visual processes when studying. Because of my poor visual memory this would be for me a frustrating and non-optimal approach.

We jerked down the runway in the C47 (a World War II aircraft modeled after more familliar the DC-3). The runway was no more than a carelessly bulldozed patch in the tundra covered with debris from the mine. Because of this, here and there, boulders jutted dangerously from the surface. As we were rolling down the strip for takeoff the pilot suddenly turned to the co-pilot and said, "Why don't you take it?" No sooner had transfer of control taken place than we hit a rock and the plane became prematurely airborne. Without sufficient air speed it twisted sharply and the pilot, now back at the controls, fought to bring us down safely. He then taxied slowly back for another try. My only thoughts, amidst feelings of fear of imminent death, were how to disembark before the next 'try'!

I was sitting in a makeshift seat behind the flight deck. The cargo bay just to my rear was filled to over flowing with several tons of dynamite. I had been given poorly operating earphones, mostly to help deaden the constant roar of the engines, which filled the cabin. There was no way to communicate with the pilots and in any case the only other way out of this part of the Arctic was a 1500 km walk. This was an alternative I must admit I considered seriously.

On the second attempt I was greatly relieved to find we made a fine take-off. Up we sailed into a crystal clear twilight sky. A few minutes later I found myself actually enjoying the flight, my ears filled with the garbled and mindless chatter going on between pilot and co-pilot. Suddenly, about thirty minutes into the flight, I was pitched violently forward in the seat accompanied by a zinging sound from the straining seat belt. One of our two engines had quit. This had an effect not unlike slamming on the brakes of a speeding car. With little comment and no alarm the pilot simply feathered the engine. Good, I thought, we'll go back to the mine for repairs and I can get out and begin walking. But no such luck. On we flew. I had visions of the plane spiraling into the earth, my body disintegrating into atoms in the ensuing dynamite-aided holocaust. Surely this would be the first time in the history of mankind that a soul would actually fail to escape bodily destruction! One of the more useless bits of information I retrieved later was that the dynamite would not have exploded on impact because no detonators were on board and such were necessary for the dynamite to explode.

Another event in this flight of terror illustrates graphically the importance of a clear multi-sensory approach to perception. Despite the hissing and wheezing from the earphones, I was aware of a frightening trend in the conversation. I was pretty certain the pilot had asked the co-pilot whether he could see where we were and that the answer had been no. This occurred as they furtively scanned a map supported between them. I foolishly took this to mean we were lost. If I'd taken the time to carefully scan the instrument panel glowing brightly before me I would quickly have been aware that we had a number of the latest navigational aids and that all these were working perfectly. In addition, if I had studied the map, which was also clearly visible to me, I could have seen that they were carefully plotting our progress and that this was leading in a relatively straight-line fashion to our destination.

What actually had occurred was trivial. From time to time the flight crew had lost visual contact with landmarks, which normally help them verify visually our position on the map. Radio beacons usually available for navigational aid were out of range in this part of the Arctic.

Another example from the same trip serves to emphasize that perceptual enhancement is obtained through a multisensory approach. Anyone who has been in the north during spring and summer may relate somewhat to this illustration.

During my late June 1980 stay in the Arctic a plague of mosquitoes and black flies was occurring. The insects were so numerous they appeared as blackish clouds in front of our faces. Because of their large numbers the mosquitoes' familiar buzzing sound was loud indeed. Both the mosquito and the black fly bites were painful and itchy. Now whenever I even hear a mosquito it conjures up a vivid "sight" of clouds of insects and I can even "feel" their bites before they attack.

A multi-sensory approach enhances learning. While studying, employ multi sensory processes.

### Multi-Sensory Studying Summary

1. Read study material out loud.

2. Read study material into your digital recorder.

3. Summarize material concisely on cards and on tape.

4. Can you devise ways that may work for you involving other senses?

5. Include the internet when sourcing study material and summarize in files if possible.

6. Obtain any recordings, which are available commercially or from libraries, of material being studied. More and more study materials are being digitally recorded commercially. A good source of such material can be compilations prepared for the blind.

### Make a Study Schedule

Most people study in a relatively disorganized fashion. To obtain another significant advantage, prepare a study schedule, and organize your study time.

Work hard while working and play hard while playing. In this way you will achieve the best advantage out of each activity. A good break is as important in efficient study as good working habits during the study period. The average learner may have difficulty with concentration over protracted periods. I find a fifteen to twenty-minute break each time is sufficient to clear my brain.

A break from study does not necessarily need to mean a break from work. Sometimes I find a shift to a different type of mental work is a useful study rest. However, activities not related to intensive use of mental powers are generally better breaks. For example, I take a break to feed my collection of birds or to transplant some seedlings in my plant collection.

Some psychologists believe that in constructing a work schedule it is more efficient to study the same subject at the same time each day. I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of this approach, but I use it just in case.

### Study Summaries

The most important single success "trick" that I use revolves around the construction and use of study summaries. I am firmly convinced that without these I could not have reached university, let alone obtained a Ph.D. It was during the interval when I developed excellent study, summary cards, that my marks went from near failures to A's and B's. But study summaries are still indispensable to me even now. Without them I would have incurred innumerable career disasters.

### Basics of How to Study

1. Use both auditory and visual senses.

2. Make a study schedule.

3. Summarize all material (also make summary of summary), using a computer if desirable.

4. How do you remember best?

-diagrams

-categories

-colours

-similarities and differences

-tables

5. Use short forms and symbols. Also use point form and put material into your own words.

6. Always write out the material being studied.

7. Read out loud while studying.

8. Put study summaries on audio format.

9. Change important material into questions and answers.

10. Explain difficult material to yourself out loud and argue with yourself.

11. Repetition is important.

Note that in summarizing it is important to employ symbols and short forms. Leave unnecessary words out.

Pictorially the summary can be constructed so that it is easier to see the weighting of topics and subject, for example:

1. Important Topic

(a) Important subjects:

-points

-points

-points

(b) Next important subject:

-points

-points

-points

2. Next Important Topic (a) Important subjects: ... and so on.

How do you remember best? Recall your experience, and for those items of a scholastic nature that you remember best, try to remember why this is. I find that diagrams, "flow charts, and simple tables make things easier to remember. Develop a "form" that best suits your learning capabilities. The liberal use of colour is also helpful. If I underline or highlight very important topics in red and important subjects in yellow this helps me get the weighting in my mind. Be careful to choose carefully topics to highlight or almost the whole article can have colour and this is useless. Colour can further be used to highlight the flow of charts and diagrams. Do this to achieve a "mental picture".

Categorizing material is helpful in memorizing. Listing material with respect to similarities and differences can also be useful. A common exam question begins with the words, "Contrast and compare ... ". For this reason, points on related topics can be summarized in a manner in which it is easy to contrast and compare.

When using the summaries to study it is important not simply to read the material. The student must continually be writing down (words, phrases, etc,) as the summary is used. As emphasized earlier, reading out loud is very helpful. I transcribe my summaries onto audio format and use these with study cards. When you come to difficult material while studying, try explaining it to yourself out loud. Do this as though you are explaining it to someone else. I find this greatly hastens my understanding. In addition this may help in rewriting the material in a less confusing form.

Sometimes it is possible to transcribe difficult material into a picture. If you like pastoral scenes, use the contents of such a scene to represent different points (for example, five geese indicate five important subjects).

If you are studying for an exam, convert important material into questions and answers (l was amazed by how many questions that I actually made up, appeared word for word on exams). In this way you set yourself up to answer questions and you get your answers as complete as possible with the aid of your notes. All that is then necessary is to transfer the material to the exam book.

Finally, repetition is the crucial factor in learning. The more times you are able to repeat the study cards, files, audio material the better. This point cannot be over emphasized.

## Homework

Miss Jones was an elderly lady who carried about her the musty odour that I had grown to associate with old age. She shuffled about the classroom, her short spindly legs splayed sideways from being forced to support a much too plump body. But if her gait was slow, her mind was just the opposite. She nearly always smiled and was very firm but kindly towards students. It was easy to ask for extra help after school and during the noon hour because Miss Jones received such requests with enthusiasm. She was my Grade 11 French teacher and although I failed this subject the first time, she very carefully guided me through to a successful finish the next year.

It is important to ask for extra help in subjects where you are having difficulty. It is my experience that most teachers will gladly help hard working students. Many teachers, like Miss Jones, go out of their way to make time available for help during lunch periods and after school

Homework is one of the important integral aspects of acquiring a formal education. It is equally as important as classroom studies. I found it helpful to do "difficult" homework in the study room at school. In this way, if a big problem occurred, I could usually obtain assistance from a teacher.

### Make Homework a Regular Habit

After obtaining the correct instructions and accurate information, organizing your homework is the next most important factor. Frequently, there are assignments that require several nights for completion. To avoid problems it is crucial that a notation covering work on this assignment appear in the schedule each day. In organizing my work at home I prepare a number of sheets in the following format:

FEBRUARY 2-9

Ongoing

1. Science fair until Feb. 15 (Sf)

2. Book report due Feb. 12 (BR)

3. Study French (S)

Daily Specifics

Subject Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun.

Science 3:30

Supper 5:30

English 6:30 (Example using Monday only)

French 8:30

Each period is fifty minutes plus a ten-minute break. (Note that some work will take more than one period).

Monday is detailed above. A two-hour period is allocated for science fair - 3:30 to 5:30. A ten-minute break is allowed after each fifty-minute interval. The 3:30 to 4:30 portion can be done at school if necessary, so difficult material should be handled at that time. This will allow full use of school facilities, including teachers and library. Supper is from 5:30 to 6:30, followed by English. In this case, the English homework involves the long-term goal of a book report plus a regular assignment. Again, a two-hour slot is assigned, which means two fifty minute work periods plus two ten-minute breaks. It is crucial to begin studying for exams at an early stage, so each day should include some study. On the above schedule, even though there is no formal homework in French, a study period is given.

Note also that the homework is scheduled as early as possible.

This is to maximize the chance of doing your work while you are freshest. It is also a good habit to do the most difficult work first.

My son would tell me, "Dad, I have no homework." I found this hard to believe, but I had no real evidence to the contrary. Then one day we received a letter from his French teacher. In part it said, "Your son is failing French. I don't think he studied for the last two exams in which he received 18 out of 40, and 40 out of 100." I made enquiries and I found out that for the past two weeks there had been no formal French homework assignment. Instead, the teacher expected the students to study each night for a major French test. On the eve of the French test he had rushed through the material, but by then it was too late.

### Tips for Doing Homework

1. Have correct instruction and background information.

2. Organize your homework time.

3. Leave time each night in your timetable for study.

4. Work in thirty to sixty-minute intervals (including about a ten-minute break).

5. Do the most difficult work early (it may be essential to do this

at school with help).

6. Do homework under good environmental conditions.

7. Private tutoring (or even private schooling) may be essential.

8 (a) For written assignments; do rough copy in point form and then form sentences (dictating onto an audio recording device may help improve writing).

8 (b) Have material checked by parent, tutor, or teacher before the final copy.

One of the most difficult points to get an average student to understand is the futility of cramming. A few smart students with above average learning capabilities exist in each class. This group can get away with a cramming session the night before. But all students should consider nightly study as an integral part of a well-balanced homework schedule.

I almost cried in frustration every time I heard my child say, "Well, so-and-so only studied half an hour last night and got 80%. Yet I studied for three evenings and only got 65%. It isn't fair!" Indeed, it doesn't seem fair at first, but with more careful thought it becomes obvious that this is one of the clearest signs of a developing "advantage". The "crammer" learns no self-discipline and has little motivation. On the other hand the hard-studying learner is developing working skills that will guarantee at least modest success. When the going gets tough in university or in a vocation, the disciplined worker is able to stick with a task, no matter how difficult, and see it through to fruition. The "crammer" has fallen by the wayside unless by a miracle some vestige of good work habits has been developed.

### A Good Homework Environment is Crucial

Below is just example of a good environment in which to do homework yours will differ.

I had a homework buddy. Sometimes he would sit on my shoulder and talk incessantly right into my ear as I worked at my desk trying to complete my homework. I would then lift him on my finger and place him on the top edge of the distant aquarium where he watched intently as the fish swam dizzily round and round. Frequently, he would take a drink and sometimes even tried to take a bath. This was Chris, my budgie. His vocabulary consisted of three or four well-learned phrases. I used to think that if bird-brained Chris could learn eight or ten words, even I should be able to acquire a useful vocabulary. Each time Chris mumbled pretty bird ... pretty bird ... pretty bird, it would jolt me back to the task at hand.

My room was ideal for homework. It consisted of a bed, a chest of drawers, a closet and a long desk I made myself - no frills. There were bright west-facing, well-screened, windows covering one large wall. These could be opened easily. Chris resided in a cage near the window. I had a few tropical fish in an aquarium on the far corner of the desk. The remainder of the desk top was covered with a jumble of books and papers, always in disarray (my organizational skills were abysmal). On a small shelf hung on the wall above the bed was a lamp and a small radio from which spewed' a tangle of wires. The dangling wires were due to a crude modification I had made to the radio to allow it to be used as an amplifier in a two-station communications system between my bedroom and a friend's down the street. This radio was burned indelibly into my memory one night when it fell from the shelf onto my stomach while I was sleeping, jolting me with 45 volts of electricity. I remember awakening to what seemed like sparks shooting between my teeth!

It is important to have the proper conditions for homework. There should be a minimum of distractions. (Chris was my only diversion.) A good, large desk should be available. But unlike mine, it should be kept neat and tidy. The room should be bright and airy. I used to leave the window slightly ajar while studying even on the coldest days. During my university years, my dad built a small, one-room, uninsulated, cabin on the edge of the ravine in our back yard. I used to study here during March and April for the final exams, wrapped in a warm coat and with a roaring fire in the small wood stove.

### Tutoring May Be Necessary

There are many tutoring sources today both private and commercial. The choice is personal.

For me, extra help from teachers was not enough; outside tutoring was essential. During my high school days I had two tutors, both for French my main nemesis.

## The Examination Game

Professor Green was saying, "All right then, what is a bimolecular reaction?" A terrible panicky feeling encompassed me as I realized I was beginning to lose control of the situation. Up to this stage in my Ph.D. oral examination I had managed to guide the questioning to be within the narrow bounds of my field of expertise. The examination committee was supposed to keep the questions within the general area of my research investigation. They were permitted, however, to ask peripheral questions as long as these were related in some way to my research. Because of my learning challenges I had been unable to master a great volume of subject matter. Thus I prayed that the questions would relate as closely as possible to the center of my research topic. Most committee members were not very conversant with the material comprising my research. Because members of oral committees feel uncomfortable away from their own fields of specialization, they tend to drift, if allowed, toward their own areas of expertise. This can be fatal to the candidate.

In answering a previous question I had unwittingly volunteered the term "bimolecular reaction" and so had given Professor Green a chance to slide more closely to his own area of expertise (a difficult subject not related to my work). If we were to banter a great deal on this subject I would be in trouble because my knowledge of such material was minimal.

It was now two hours into the examination. I was tired, confused and my legs felt rubbery. Green was the third of four examiners and the examination seemed to go on forever. I had heard stories from other candidates that if the exam goes well it was normally over in two hours. If it goes not so well, questions can drag on for three hours or more. The longer the exam, the less chance there was of passing. At the two-hour mark they seemed, at best, to be only two-thirds finished. A feeling of panic developed and I struggled to retain my composure.

After three-and-a-half hours of the ordeal, the fourth examiner was just reaching full stride. At this stage I was having problems even with simple questions, dead center of my research "expertise". It was often necessary to use the blackboard for answers. Much of my scribbling was illegible and nearly incomprehensible. I began worrying whether I would soon go completely blank. The committee seemed to have sucked every morsel of information from my mental data banks.

Suddenly it dawned on the examiners that the beginning of lunch time had passed by three-quarters of an hour and that chances of obtaining a good meal would vanish after 1:00 p.m. So, after three and three-quarter hours, the torture ended. I was unceremoniously dismissed to wait in the hall while a decision was discussed. I stumbled clumsily to the far end of the corridor and then wheeled to come back. Unexpectedly, the committee had already come out. Such a short deliberation surely meant disaster, I hypothesized. Shuffling back toward my doom, I could see smiles on their faces. Sadistic, I thought. How could anyone enjoy such a result? Then, congratulations were babbled into my unbelieving ears. It was so unexpected! "An excellent oral," Beamish, my Research Director was telling me.

And so, after twenty years of formal education I had reached 'the pinnacle. But what did I have to show for the struggle in a concrete way? I could, of course, count several large boxes of study cards. This included about 2,500 cards for my Ph.D. oral alone. I had three research publications in a good journal and a thesis. I also had a rapidly vanishing, high level of technical facts and figures crammed into my brain. Because of a dodgy memory my only real data bank lay in the summary cards. To be honest, although I had achieved a Ph.D., I felt anything but accomplished. However, the fact remained that in spite of my average learning capability, I had become the master of examinations.

A Ph.D. oral is an ordeal, but for me, so is any examination. There are many good arguments that suggest that examinations do not necessarily measure, in a truly effective way, the knowledge of the student. But it is a good bet, at least for the foreseeable future that academic progress will continue to be judged largely by written examination. We must learn to survive this evaluation process.

Aware that our futures depended on examination performance, let's plot an efficient course of action. Several factors are clear

1. Examinations have a particular pattern.

2. A student is usually required to recall course material from memory.

3. This material often comes straight from course notes.

4. The student is required to comment critically on facts and to compare different theories.

5. Examinations stress memory work with an ability to do manipulations and calculations.

With these conclusions in mind, how do we optimize examination performance? In other words, how do we play the examination game? Obviously, we must commit the facts to memory, to be recalled where necessary on the exam. This means extracting the facts in a concise way and then learning them for effective recall. Finally, give thought to the arrangement of the facts in some "contrast or compare" format.

The weakest and most difficult step for me is the memorization step. How then could I improve on attempts to commit facts to memory? Fortunately, there are a variety of audio and visual "tricks" (see section on Studying) that are available for my struggles. Use of these is not the main difficulty. I had to conclude that no matter how many "tricks" I employed, there was always the very good chance that I would not be able to regurgitate information, on demand, during examinations.

I sat back to analyze the situation again. How could I improve my abilities in the examination game in the face of this possibility? Obviously, if I smuggled summaries (cheat sheets) into the exam, I would greatly improve my performance. Some of my friends had already reached this conclusion and were sneaking in summaries written on hands, arms and sometimes even on bits of paper. Like most students, I couldn't do this. I did develop an approach that had the advantage of being perfectly legal in the examinations game and was the next best thing to "cheat sheets". I went to the examination location replete with summary cards (up to fifty for a typical course) and the summary of the summary cards (about five or six). I studied mainly the summary of summaries until just before I actually had to enter the examination hall. I then left the cards, as required, outside the room. When the announcement came to begin the exam, I didn't.

This is what I did - try it yourself. Turn the examination paper over and write the summary of the summaries on the back of the exam. This will give you confidence because now you will not be able to forget everything - something I feared before every exam. Only after completing this, turn over the exam and read the instructions carefully.

I remember at one exam there were fourteen questions. "Jeez," I thought, "how will I ever get through all this?" I wrote like a mad man for three hours and as the final bell rang, I was just finishing number twelve. Since all questions had equal marks, I calculated that in not being able to finish two of the fourteen questions, I was really only starting with a possible 88 out of 100 marks.

While I was making this calculation on the top of my exam paper in a restaurant on the way home, something very informative caught my eye. There, in dark script for anyone to see, was the following underlined instruction! Answer any 8 questions. I had missed this instruction and as a result I had answered an excess of four questions! Additionally, I had rushed all my answers. Because of this, my marks on the eight the examiner chose to mark, were probably poorer than would likely have been necessary.

Examination instructions can contain a variety of important details such as:

The number of questions to be answered,

The marking scheme,

What aids are permitted,

The length of the exam.

Next read the questions carefully. There may be key words that control the meaning of the question. Such words might be, compare, contrast, describe, elaborate, define, summarize.

There may also be qualifying words that alter slightly the approach you would take such as: most, usually, some. If you have trouble relating the various components of a long or involved question; try rewriting the query in your own words. Frequently you can simplify such questions by breaking them into their component parts.

One of the most frustrating exam experiences is a failure to finish. For this reason, it is a good plan to quickly assign a time breakdown to the exam questions. This need only be a very rough guide. It could simply consist of an estimated time when a question or group of questions should be completed.

It is also a good idea to attempt the easiest questions first. Once you have succeeded with any part of the examination, it becomes easier to continue more optimistically. If you proceed in numerical order and get stuck on an early question, it can have a devastating effect on your self-confidence. Also, the delay may mean that the examination is over before you have a chance to finish an easier question.

Following the easy questions, attempt the high mark questions next. If you are lucky, the high mark questions may also have been some of the easy ones and hence may already have been completed.

It is important to maximize your effort. My performance on exams deteriorates towards the end. After a long period of intense concentration and strain, my ability to answer effectively is greatly impaired. By responding to the high mark questions as early as possible, I stand a greater probability of producing a creditable result.

Answer questions in point form if this is permitted. (I often answered in this form, permitted or not.) This approach has advantages both for the student and for the marker, including:

The important points are very clearly delineated.

There is less chance of leaving out an important detail.

There is also less chance of misrepresentation through wordy, sometimes contradictory, sentences and paragraphs.

The marker has less chance of misinterpretation or of missing important details.

Finally, if there is time remaining, recheck your answers. In this regard, it is also beneficial to read the questions again to ensure that correct interpretations of instructions have been made.

### Summary of Tips for Writing Conventional Exams

1. At the beginning, don't look at the questions.

2. First, write a summary of the course (use a summary of the summary) on the back of the exam or on the answer sheets.

3. Read the exam instructions carefully.

4. Only now read the questions carefully - noting the marking scheme if available.

5. Make a rough time breakdown of the exam.

6. Answer easy questions first.

7. Answer big mark questions next.

8. Check your answers.

# Chapter 4

# Closing Remarks

Ultimately although the intelligence level of an individual will determine the ultimate upper level of academic achievement. This is true of both the gifted and average learner. In practice, students with the same upper potential limit of academic achievement cover a wide range of actual achievement. The level each student ultimately reaches within this interval is self-determined and can be self-enhanced. Improvement occurs through the mastery of techniques presented in this book and the development of high levels of motivation and self-discipline. Such traits are not forced upon, and hence are often not acquired, by many students.

Further, I believe that the acquisition and efficient utilization of these factors gives the student a better prospect for vocation-related success. I must be very certain to emphasize the difficulty involved in maintaining a high degree of motivation and self-discipline and in the intense, efficient and continuous use of better learning strategies. Since the time and energy commitment in so doing is high, it is all too easy to ask, "Why do I have to spend so much more time and energy to achieve than do my more cerebrally gifted friends and associates?" The answer is simple. If you do so, you will ultimately gain the self-satisfaction of equaling or even bettering these individuals.

If, as the poet said, "To err is human..." then I must certainly be more human than most. Despite errors, hardships and personal trauma, the flickering flame of hope still burns within my heart. At times it burns more strongly than at others but in all my years it has never been extinguished. I live in the fervent belief that there are many out there that will accept this challenge.

Do you have the courage, drive and commitment to accept my challenge?

