Be A Top Student

The ‘Top Student’ Programme

Between the year 1997 – 2002, Jackson founded and ran three successful tuition centres under the flagship brand Sri Bintang. From having one student when he began, he managed to grow his class to 1, 600 students. He worked closely with students and guided them in their studies and helped them excel academically.

In his years of teaching, he found out that there are a few types of students. The first type of student would be the ‘ordinary’ student. Students that fall under this category are the ones that set small goals, which is to just pass school exams. They do not expect to get straight A’s in their exam. They have the tendency to study last minute and do not possess the best study skills. They usually study hard, but get average results.

The second type of student is the ‘bookworm’. Most teachers love this type of student because they will not have to worry about the student’s studies and performance. This type of student do not need to be pushed to study. They are the studious type, highly disciplined and are organised. They have a good habit to study and excel in exams. This group of students are usually the top performers in school with straight A’s.

Another type of student would be the ‘monkey’. Well, this type of students attend school as normal but have little or no interest to study and have the tendency to break rules. Students from this category usually come from broken families that contribute to a poor environment leading to their rebellious behaviour. On the bright side, they are good in social skills and are usually the street smart ones.

The last category of student is the ultimate type of student every parent or teacher could ask for. This would be the ‘top student’. According to Jackson, the ‘top student’ is the hybrid of the ‘bookworm’ and the ‘monkey’. The ‘top student’ knows how to behave accordingly according to situation. They are the ones, who does well academically as well in other areas of their life.

However, many of our students are a far cry from reaching the standards set for them and exams are getting tougher and tougher. Back in 2016, there were 50% fewer straight A’s students in UPSR compared to SPM. ((Penang), 2016) It is a depressing sight to see students working very hard, yet not achieving the results that they are supposed to.

The performance by students can be improved greatly if the method and approach employed is right. But first, let us identify what are the three common area to tackle in order to allow students to reach their full potential.

1. Mindset

Most students do not have a clear sense of direction of who they want to be when they grow up. They are clueless about their future and are oblivious of their talent. They certainly are not able to see the need to excel in school. As a result, this will contribute to their nonchalant attitude. Going to tuition just like anybody else is the normal thing to do. However, having no proper goal or a small goal will affect a student’s performance. They will study at the last hour and aim to just pass. This behaviour could be attributed to the fact that students are not able to connect the dots as to how studying can impact their future. They become disengaged and the more homework they receive, the lesser interest they have to complete it.

2. Study Skill

One major question educators need to ask when dealing with students would be – “Are students trained to study?” “Are students equipped with the art of learning?” Learning itself is an issue. It is crucial to groom students and teach them not only to study hard but smart. They must be taught to process information and question the information that they receive. This will help boost their understanding and make the learning process more effective.

3. Communication

In the quest for knowledge, one most not shy away from asking questions. However, it is a common phenomenon in most schools where students avoid asking questions. This could be due to their fear of standing out and because it is not popular to ask question. Some students have the habit to delay asking questions and accumulate all their questions from day to day. Instead of asking help from teachers, they prefer to turn to their buddy or peers who are much clever than them for answers.

In the ‘Top Student’ transformation programme, master trainer Jackson Ng will zoom into four key areas that will help students to perform better at school. The first one would be to build a solid mindset amongst students on the importance of education. This part of the training will enlighten students on how education can provide a better solution for the future. The emphasis would be on how education is able to help them sharpen their mind and decision making skills.

The second area of the training will cover on how to study with less time and get better results. This part of the training will harness student’s ability to remember information through excellent note-taking tips. Students will also be exposed to the concept of input and output learning. Additionally, they will learn to understand the left and right brain and how to use both in learning. Mind-mapping techniques will also be taught in the training.

Master trainer Jackson Ng will also share with students how examiners think and guide them on managing their speed in answering questions. Last but not least, the ‘Top Student’ transformation programme will educate students on how to enhance communication skills with parents, teachers and peers. Students will be taught how to find answers by asking the right question.

Jackson Ng has helped many schools in Malaysia to achieve excellent results in the past. Among the students that Jackson has helped trained were from Kolej Tunku Kurshiah, Seremban (3 years consecutively), Convent Bukit Nenas and the Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur.

A fully engaged crowd

Students receiving a token from master trainer Jackson Ng