Deep Work and Preparing for DP Exams

With just over two months until the Diploma Programme exams, Grade 12 students are engaging in serious preparation. Many students take advantage of the air-conditioned library spaces where they can collaborate with their friends, drink coffee, and review notes from class. Carl Newport wrote about intense work-focused time in his recent bestseller, Deep Work. "Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task" (Newport, 2016). Newport suggests calendaring time to focus on specific tasks. For DP students, this might mean scheduling three x 20-minute study sessions for Literature SL in one week, and five x 45-minute sessions for Chemistry HL for the same seven day period. During these scheduled study times, technology should be turned off, and students should sit in a comfortable, quiet space where they won't be disturbed. Newport also suggests that deep work is just like any other skill; to improve, you must practice. Two month's time is plenty for students to build on strong study skills like re-writing notes, synthesizing notes, and re-reading texts previously studied. For more of Newport's suggestions, Deep Work is available for check out in the Secondary Library.