Struggling in Biology HL

[Pathos]

Hello all,

I am currently reviewing biology for the up and coming IB diploma examinations,yet am struggling. I am not the best when it comes to biology , hence I was wondering if there were any techniques, or if anyone has any advice in regards to studying biology. I find that I initially grasp concepts, but have difficulty remembering them. What are the key topics to know for the IB papers (aside from all of them).

Thank you,

Pathos

[Sonneteer_Trombonist]

If it's just a matter of remembering concepts, then decide what type of learner you are. Do visual mnemonics help you? It might be easier to write everything out several times. Do you like making diagrams and linking everything together? There's a program called Inspirations where you can make webs that link everything together, and if that type of visual tool works for you then go for it. Also, I sometimes find that writing a song or a poem helps, especially if the subject matter is boring to me or is just a lot of memorization. It doesn't have to be great, it just has to help you remember. Of course, there are classics like the Meiosis Square Dance (youtube it!) but any little poem works if it helps you remember. Even first-letter mnemonics like IPMAT for interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase.

What I find really helps me with memory is teaching others. You'll end up repeating yourself lots of times. Even if you have a friend who knows the subject really well, ask if you can go over it with them like you're teaching them. That way, he/she can offer help at the same time and it's a good review for him/her as well.

For rote memorization, I like flashcards. This helped with things like the circulatory system.

For diagrams, I find that printing out a blank one and then colouring it in with a legend sometimes works. This helped for the nervous system, especially the brain.

For things over time, making a detailed timeline helps. This was good for the reproductive system. For the menstrual cycle, a graph with hormone levels over time was really easy to remember, and for the development of the fetus, a timeline was helpful.

Something else that's good is finding past exam papers and going over them, or any sort of quizzes or question banks, online or otherwise, that can be used for practice.

I also like searching for Biology IB websites on the web (like click4biology.info) and going through each learning requirement on the syllabus. It really helps to just take the syllabus and go over each individual point, remembering to go deeper than just taking it at face value (think about the mechanisms behind each point).

Remember that a lot of the questions are not necessarily about rote memorization, but about how to apply the facts that you know.

So in summary:

• Mnemonics (visual tools, poems, first letters)
  
• Teach others
  
• Flashcards
  
• Diagrams
  
• Timelines
  
• Practice papers/question banks
  
• Going over the syllabus
  
• Figure out ways to apply what you know
  

Good luck on your exams

Edited March 28, 2010 by Sonneteer_Trombonist

[Sandwich]

The key concepts really are all of them

I personally found there were very few actual concepts in Biology, it's just about memorising facts. What I did (and I think it's why I didn't struggle to remember stuff too badly) was relate all the facts to their biological significance and make them all into a "Why?" "Well, because..." scenario. You can do it with pretty much everything on the syllabus. Even the dreaded p'syn and resp can be learned like this. They're definitely things I'd go through with a fine tooth comb (aka a good textbook explanation like that in the Bio Course Companion).

With difficult processes, drawing them out repeatedly on bits of paper to make sure you have it all off-pat is a good plan.

Definitely revise by going through the whole syllabus point by point. That's the only way to do it -- I wouldn't even bother about doing past paper questions apart from Data Interpretation to get used to it, because in Bio they literally just ask you what's on the syllabus. No deviousness from the biologists!

And explain everything you've revised to another person as much as possible. If you hate your parents, make them sit there and listen to you list facts while they read the book/syllabus and tell you if you're wrong or missed something. All in all, Bio revision is whatever works best for you to drill things into your brain, be that being able to work backwards with the why/because thing, having a good visual conception of things or just repetition.

[masochist]

I find doing past papers extremely useful. That's why question banks are fantastic. Sometimes it isn't only about what you know its how you present it. If you get a feel for the way they want you to respond to questions you can at times, bluff your way through a few points even if you don't really know how to respond to a question - this is particularly true for non multiple choice questions.

As for memorizing, I find flash cards extremely useful. That way you can remove concepts that you know and continue to review ones you don't know until they're all crammed into your brain. x)

[Pathos]

If it's just a matter of remembering concepts, then decide what type of learner you are. Do visual mnemonics help you? It might be easier to write everything out several times. Do you like making diagrams and linking everything together? There's a program called Inspirations where you can make webs that link everything together, and if that type of visual tool works for you then go for it. Also, I sometimes find that writing a song or a poem helps, especially if the subject matter is boring to me or is just a lot of memorization. It doesn't have to be great, it just has to help you remember. Of course, there are classics like the Meiosis Square Dance (youtube it!) but any little poem works if it helps you remember. Even first-letter mnemonics like IPMAT for interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase...

Wow, thank you for all of the wonderful advice! I will certainly try a few of those techniques and hope they help!

[Pathos]

The key concepts really are all of them

I personally found there were very few actual concepts in Biology, it's just about memorising facts. What I did (and I think it's why I didn't struggle to remember stuff too badly) was relate all the facts to their biological significance and make them all into a "Why?" "Well, because..." scenario. You can do it with pretty much everything on the syllabus. Even the dreaded p'syn and resp can be learned like this. They're definitely things I'd go through with a fine tooth comb (aka a good textbook explanation like that in the Bio Course Companion).

With difficult processes, drawing them out repeatedly on bits of paper to make sure you have it all off-pat is a good plan.

I was dreading to read that!

Nevertheless, thank you for your advice. All in all, how long did you review biology for the diploma. I began revising episodically in December, and have found that I still didn't manage to get through all of the material (let alone remember it all!) Would you advise making your own notes and studying from them?

I really am useless in biology.

I find doing past papers extremely useful. That's why question banks are fantastic. Sometimes it isn't only about what you know its how you present it. If you get a feel for the way they want you to respond to questions you can at times, bluff your way through a few points even if you don't really know how to respond to a question - this is particularly true for non multiple choice questions.

As for memorizing, I find flash cards extremely useful. That way you can remove concepts that you know and continue to review ones you don't know until they're all crammed into your brain. x)

Oh, I like those ideas- thank- you!

In terms of flash cards- how on earth do you put them together? I usually end up writing huge amounts upon them, which all but serves to intimate me and reinforce how little I remembered.

Edited March 31, 2010 by sweetnsimple786

[Sonneteer_Trombonist]

I've seen them done a couple of different ways. I'm a fan of the question on one side, answer on the other method. Tt's good for quizzing myself because if I get a question right then I put the card in one pile, if I get a question wrong then I put it in a second pile, then keep going through the wrong pile until I've gone through them all. This uses lots of cards, and it's not good if you're the kind of person that likes to have everything laid out in front of you or if you like to skim over the information.

One of my friends writes the name of a concept on one side of the card and all the information about it on the other side. She Brailles her cards and it can only go on one side, so that way she saves space. This kind is better for revising rather than quizzing. It's also good for quizzing, but not as good as the question/answer method, I've found.

Another one of my friends does definitions on the cards, good for straight-up revision, all the info you ever need densely packed onto little cards.

Flashcards take forever to make, but the process of making them is also a form of revision.

I used to make them for everything, and I was daunted by the sheer amount, so I got some boxes designed for holding flashcards and dividers between different subjects, though I recommend still rubber-banding them so that nothing happens if the box falls over.

[masochist]

I find doing past papers extremely useful. That's why question banks are fantastic. Sometimes it isn't only about what you know its how you present it. If you get a feel for the way they want you to respond to questions you can at times, bluff your way through a few points even if you don't really know how to respond to a question - this is particularly true for non multiple choice questions.

As for memorizing, I find flash cards extremely useful. That way you can remove concepts that you know and continue to review ones you don't know until they're all crammed into your brain. x)

Oh, I like those ideas- thank- you!

In terms of flash cards- how on earth do you put them together? I usually end up writing huge amounts upon them, which all but serves to intimate me and reinforce how little I remembered.

Well, a flashcard should only be about 2x1 inches MAXIMUM. Yeah, all the stuff to memorize seems really daunting - so the most difficult part of that is synthesizing the information into brief points that you can fit onto the back of flash cards - making the entire process extremely manageable.

When there is a long explanation - shorten it/make it as concise as you possibly can. This goes back to what I said about understanding the IB test papers. You never need to write in super intense detail and if there is some small detail that you really need to know - put that on a separate flash card.

I hope you understand what I'm saying! Let me know if you want me to go into greater detail.

[Sandwich]

I was dreading to read that!

Nevertheless, thank you for your advice. All in all, how long did you review biology for the diploma. I began revising episodically in December, and have found that I still didn't manage to get through all of the material (let alone remember it all!) Would you advise making your own notes and studying from them?

I really am useless in biology.

Just under a week (I think it was 4 days time I had to allocate to it!) about a fortnight before exams, but it depends on how you revise as an individual. I wouldn't remember anything if I revised it in December I actually went through the whole syllabus point by point and made my own hand-written notes on absolutely everything, yep. It wasn't a very fun week, but I did have all my other subjects to do too so I found time pressure quite motivating! xP

To be honest there's not a single subject where I don't recommend making your own notes. The act of reviewing stuff and re-writing it is major revision in itself! You need to figure out what works for you.

[helpme08]

Hey!

I had a lot of trouble for a start trying to remember all of the information (after all it is a hell of a lot), but I did end up getting there, you just have to try lots of different ways of studying to find what is right for you. I also found this website a lot of help:

www.theibbiologyboard.com

Good luck! Stick at it and you will succeed

[racerocks]

There are very good suggestions already in this thread.

Get your hands on as many past papers as possible and get a feel for the scope and design of these exams. My HL Bio Paper 3 in 2001 involved interpreting tree rings, so don't feel like you are out of your depth just yet!

Another key to studying is knowing what you are responsible for. Your teacher may have been very good at sticking to the syllabus, but if you are struggling with specific examples they used, don't worry... the syllabus tells you what you need to know, you may be stressing about details and not allowing for proper reflection on the concepts.