General Tip
- I personally think that any studying, especially for geography, shouldn't be conducted for the purpose of knowledge accumulation, but for broadening of perspective. For example, if you're learning about Tourism, don't just memorize the case studies and absorb the foreign vocabularies. Actively read newspapers about popular tourist destinations, update yourself with what is going around the world, have debates with your friend etc.! High grades in IB diploma surely is important, but in the long future, it is the broadened perspective and insight to utilize these knowledge that will remain in you for a long time and guide your academic path.
Organize yourself...
- With the previous tip in mind, I will show you a 'hierarchy' that I used often when studying for geography.
- I personally think that any studying, especially for geography, shouldn't be conducted for the purpose of knowledge accumulation, but for broadening of perspective. For example, if you're learning about Tourism, don't just memorize the case studies and absorb the foreign vocabularies. Actively read newspapers about popular tourist destinations, update yourself with what is going around the world, have debates with your friend etc.! High grades in IB diploma surely is important, but in the long future, it is the broadened perspective and insight to utilize these knowledge that will remain in you for a long time and guide your academic path.
Organize yourself...
- With the previous tip in mind, I will show you a 'hierarchy' that I used often when studying for geography.
Geography is not a subject that could be crammed in a few days, most importantly because it had a lot of contents; I mean, look at the thickness of typical IB textbook and how small each words are. Therefore, wisely allocating your time reading the contents little by little is crucial.
EXPLORE THE GEOGRAPHY WORLD: read recent news, read books about geography
READ SCHOOL-RELATED CONTENTS: Take a closer look at contents that your teachers give you. When you don't understand/ want to go deeper, use the textbook too! This is important, because the teachers may not cover everything that you have to know. some good external resources are the following:
1) IB Geography (2nd Edition): by Garrett Nagle, Briony Cooke (Oxford Publication)
2) https://www.ibgeographypods.org/
3) https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-best-ib-geography-study-guide-notes-sl-hl (this actually has all the required notes for IB, but I suggest you self-direct your studies with this only as a reference.
RE-READ IMPORTANT CONTENT: Some contents might not pop on the exam, while some may be important! examine the syllabus carefully and familiarize yourself with important concepts.
ORGANIZE NOTES: You need to organize these raw knowledge clearly so that you can take them out whenever you need them! organize them into a file, or write a seperate notes (best to divide it into contents & case studies)
CHILL REVISION: Go through your notes casually, reading them precisely but not trying to actively memorize them.
FINAL REVISION:
- a few days before your exam! Check if you have memorized and familiarized with these concepts, by not simply reading off from the notes, but trying to 'explain' the whole concept to yourself. (you can also do this to your friends!)
Geography is like studying English & Science.
you need to
: have a good understanding of geography concepts
: know how to apply them in different contexts
: know how to express your ideas/knowledge in a deep, comprehensive and concise manner.
Which is a lot like both Science and English. Though not as hardcore as learning both of these subjects together, it definitely is true that it requires a variety of skills. Keep this in mind when you're studying!
EXPLORE THE GEOGRAPHY WORLD: read recent news, read books about geography
READ SCHOOL-RELATED CONTENTS: Take a closer look at contents that your teachers give you. When you don't understand/ want to go deeper, use the textbook too! This is important, because the teachers may not cover everything that you have to know. some good external resources are the following:
1) IB Geography (2nd Edition): by Garrett Nagle, Briony Cooke (Oxford Publication)
2) https://www.ibgeographypods.org/
3) https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-best-ib-geography-study-guide-notes-sl-hl (this actually has all the required notes for IB, but I suggest you self-direct your studies with this only as a reference.
RE-READ IMPORTANT CONTENT: Some contents might not pop on the exam, while some may be important! examine the syllabus carefully and familiarize yourself with important concepts.
ORGANIZE NOTES: You need to organize these raw knowledge clearly so that you can take them out whenever you need them! organize them into a file, or write a seperate notes (best to divide it into contents & case studies)
CHILL REVISION: Go through your notes casually, reading them precisely but not trying to actively memorize them.
FINAL REVISION:
- a few days before your exam! Check if you have memorized and familiarized with these concepts, by not simply reading off from the notes, but trying to 'explain' the whole concept to yourself. (you can also do this to your friends!)
Geography is like studying English & Science.
you need to
: have a good understanding of geography concepts
: know how to apply them in different contexts
: know how to express your ideas/knowledge in a deep, comprehensive and concise manner.
Which is a lot like both Science and English. Though not as hardcore as learning both of these subjects together, it definitely is true that it requires a variety of skills. Keep this in mind when you're studying!