How do you learn and pick up Chemistry quickly and effortlessly?
The most important key is, you have to try. You can abbreviate Chemistry as “”Chem-Is-Try”! The more you try, the more you will pick up skills along the way to understand the concepts. Never give up. Pick yourself up even after you got a question wrong, look at the question again and ask why it is so and how to do it. Practice makes perfect. It is not just for mathematics. It is for chemistry too! We just have to pick up where we left off and continue to try and attempt the questions again.
Probably, you are at a stage where you are keen to start reviewing the concepts which you have trouble with but each question makes little sense. The key is to work with questions via a skill-based approach. For example, when we learn the topic of electrolysis and its complex application of electroplating gold onto a flower, we firstly have to understand what conducts electricity, and the changes that happen to these substances when they conduct electricity. We address this as skill-based learning. We cannot run unless we learn how to walk. We got to build a good base before we proceed with more difficult questions.
Imagine you are playing Jenga. If our base of the Jenga blocks is not stable what will happen if we continue to stack more bricks to the tower? It will get more unstable and collapse. We have to make sure our foundation is grounded and hence use the keys from the foundational level of understanding to apply to more complex questions. It is like playing Super Mario, or for a game you you are more familiar with: Minecraft. After you build a house, you move on to build a good base and proceed to build more complex fortresses to survive, even an onslaught of a zombie apocalypse!
Apply skills-based learning next time when you are reviewing concepts. Start off with the level 1s of each chapter and review before you progress to the application questions. You can do it.
Thirdly, seek consultation. Sometimes when Chemistry seems like a maze, we look for help! Don’t be shy to ask for help. You can consult your seniors and friends if you feel shy about consulting your teacher! 2 heads are better than one and you would never know if through the discussion you suddenly go, “Eureka! I know how to solve it!” Moreover, the teachers are a text away. We are always here to cheer you on.
Discipline yourself to work on the practice. Sometimes when you don’t feel like getting any work done, set an achievable goal and work towards it. How do we make sure we steer clear of distractions and complete the tasks at hand? Set a reward after you have accomplished the task! It will make it more enjoyable. Now, make sure you have an achievable goal so it is a task which you can complete. You can also spin some non-lyrical instrumental music on Spotify if audial aids work to help you focus.
My last advice for you is to look for Chemistry in our every day. Saw a choked pipe at home? We can use acid-carbonate reactions to remove the choke through effervescence and mechanical action to rid the choke. Why do we cry when we cut onions? Diffusion! And why do we not tear as much when cutting onions in colder weather? I did It when I was in London and it was because the temperature was colder so particles diffuse more slowly! Look out for chemistry applications all around you and you will be amazed to see it coming alive in our lives. When we appreciate chemistry in our lives, it will help us to pick up more complex questions with a curiosity to command it better!
Remember, Chemistry is “Chem-Is-Try”! Start off somewhere and every step you take gets you a little further than where you had been. You got this in you and you can do it.
