August 2009 | SimpleChemConcepts

Monthly Archives: August 2009

Early Bird Registration: Final Revision ‘O’ Level Chemistry Mastery Workshops

Written on August 25, 2009 by sean in Announcement, Chemistry Coaching

Hi Students (based in Singapore),

With GCE ‘O’ Levels and IGCSE Chemistry Examinations in 2 months time,how many of you are prepared to score the grades you desire for Chemistry?

Many of you seemed to realise that this is time for you to really sit down and revise what you have learned for the last 2 – 3 years. This can be shown by the number of emails i received from students as well as the numerous comments on the Chemistry questions posted recently in this Chemistry Blogsite.

I am glad you are taking actions! =)

Based on the numerous requests from parents & students, we have decided to re-run 2 of our Chemistry Topical Mastery Workshops this September school holidays, in order to assist you.

If you have missed the workshops during the June Holidays, this is the chance for you to learn it from us again.

And for those that realised that you can’t answer questions related to these topics, I would strongly urge you to join us whatever it takes, due to 3 reasons:

1. High Weightage in Exams EVERY YEAR!
2. Highly Application Topics – No way you can memorise and expect to do well
3. Sure it will come out! No way to escape from it!

Details of the 2 Mastery Workshops as follows:

Mole Calculations Mastery Workshop 2009

(3rd time we are running this year due to overwhelming response)

>> Click HERE for Early Bird Price Registration by 31st Aug 09

Redox & Electrolysis Mastery Workshop 2009

(Back by popular demand and enquiry)

>> Click HERE for Early Bird Price Registration by 31st Aug 09

There is a saying that “80% of the Success is just about Taking the Necessary Actions”.
This is your last chance to help yourself towards Success!

Register early and enjoy early bird savings + bonuses!

If you need any assistance, please call 9685 7675 or 9828 7357

I look forward to seeing you at the workshops!

PS: Seats are limited! Registration will close once seats are filled!

PPS: A-Math Differentiation & Integration Mastery Workshop also available. Click HERE for more info

To Your Academic Success in Chemistry,
Sean Chua
Master Trainer for Chemistry
Winners Education Group

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How to Revise Effectively for GCE O Levels Chemistry Exams?

Written on August 22, 2009 by sean in Exam Strategies, Tips for Improvement

2 Comments

With the GCE O Level Examinations in less than 3 months time, many of you will be asking this question:

“How to Revise Effectively for GCE O Levels Chemistry Examinations?”

(Image by crazybobbles)

You might have heard the following so-called “Revision Techniques” or “Revision Tips” before:

Manage your time – develop a regular work schedule
Make a timetable! – plan your work well in advance
Your best time – revise at a time which suits you
Study in groups – encourage and motivate each other
Find a conducive study place – avoid distractions
Use prompt cards – revision notes in your pocket!
Practice more exam papers & assessment books – favourite these days in Singapore Schools

Well, all of the above are good “tips” for revision but there is one more that is neglected by students / school teachers / tutors / parents these days!

The BEST WAY to Revise Effectively is to:

“Review & Learn from Your Mistakes”

I am speaking with experience as i have several classes of Sec 3s and 4s and from the quick survey i have done with the students, close to 85% of them said they do not review their mistakes made.

So often, students are so eager to move on to the next..the next..and the next topic & new content that they neglect the fundamental principles of learning from their mistakes.

When homework assignments, test and examination papers are return to the students, many simply look at their marks, cheer over their good grades or whine over their poor grades, and then chuck their papers aside for dust-collection in the file.

When teachers (some) actually go through the corrections with the class, many students also simply use their green-ink pen and write the correct “standard” answers from the mouth of their teachers – word-by-word! And then, they simply chuck them aside.

How many of you actually look at your mistakes, find out where you had gone wrong (i.e. is it careless mistakes, or you have some misconceptions, etc) and then work towards correcting them, so that if a similar question comes out again in future, you will avoid the same error and get it right!?

To summarise:

“The BEST revision strategy is to learn from your errors and mistakes, and make sure you don’t repeat them again!”

I hope you find this post useful and motivating! I would love to hear your comments on it.

PS: Feel free to leave down your comments below.

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O Level Chemistry Questions: Acids, Bases & Salts

Written on August 18, 2009 by sean in Chemistry Guidebooks, Chemistry Notes & Tips

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Acids, Bases & Salts are very important chapter in GCE O Levels Chemistry (IB Chemistry and IP Chemistry).

In fact, there are considered heavy-weightage topics (in terms of marks as well as content) that are related to many other chemistry topics. Many students lost their interest in Chemistry as early as Sec 3 / Year 3 after their school gone through these topics – they complained that they don’t understand these topics, and no matter how well they memorise (YES! Chemistry is NOT about memorising, contrary to many beliefs), they just can’t seemed to score in it.

Starting today, i am going to share with you several questions from Up Your Chemistry Grades Now showing some of the misconceptions made by many students, year-after-year. By knowing such common errors, it allows you to be aware and avoid such mistakes at all cost. In fact, this is the one of the strategy that we used in our weekly coaching classes and topical mastery workshops.

Do you think the student’s answers are correct? Think about it before you click to see the full post that contains the Examiner’s Comments below.

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O Levels Organic Chemistry: Common Conceptual Mistakes by Students

Written on August 15, 2009 by sean in Chemistry Guidebooks, Chemistry Notes & Tips

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During the Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop 2009 in July, we noticed several misconceptions by students that surfaced again for this current batch of GCE O Levels students, just like the previous years’ batches.

Just a quick note on 2 common errors (mentioned in Up Your Chemistry Grades Now) that you would need to be aware of, so that you can avoid them at all cost.

Hope you will find this information useful to you.

PS: Do leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you.

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Successful Completion: O Level Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop 2009

Written on August 11, 2009 by sean in Announcement, Chemistry Coaching

3 Comments

Just a quick note for those that are following us closely and would like to find out how their friends / relatives / students are doing in our weekly coaching classes (Ultimate Leap Programme) as well as Topical Mastery Workshops.

We have just successfully completed the annual O Levels Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshops 2009 where a committed group of students (both Pure Chemistry as well as Combine Science – Chem) went through our intensive training for 12 hours to learn everything they need to learn about Organic Chemistry in GCE O Levels.

During the 1st hour of introduction and pre-coaching, many students lamented that their school has rushed through this important topic, with many only receiving notes from their chemistry teachers without even discussing application on organic chemistry-based exam questions. Some schools even skipped this topic!!!

The event went very well and i am excited to know that the students have learned what is required to score for questions related to Organic Chemistry. It’s always an encouragement to hear the many positive comments from them after the workshops, just like the previous group in Year 2008 (oh yar, they have have graduated from GCE O Levels and pursuing their higher education!)

(Click on images to have a clearer view)

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“Coaching the Not-So-Interested” at Association of Professional Trainers

Written on August 10, 2009 by sean in Announcement, Chemistry Phenomenon, Tips for Improvement

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From my previous blogpost, you would have realised that i have presented my talk on “Coaching the Not-So-Interested” to a group of professional trainers/speakers by now.

It was an awesome event where i get to know professional trainers / speakers from all walks of life, each a master in their own field / industry. We share alot of coaching and training tips on how to become a better trainer / coach. This means adding more value to our students and participants during training.

On my part, i shared with the group on:

The importance of taking care of the “Not-So-Interested” Participants
Importance of creating and sustaining a HIGH ENERGY Level throughout the training
Trade-secrets of TOOLS that i am using to create and sustain the HIGH ENERGY Level

I am glad to receive several positive feedback from follow professional trainers and coaches.

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