Another area that needs attention is 'independent thinking', the desire to think for oneself. One of the biggest problems plaguing our community is 'herd mentality'. Students are afraid to think differently from others and that affects their quality of thought, speech and action.

Students go through the Study and Life Skills program as an induction program to prepare them not only for the course but also for their career. The program will focus on study techniques, time management, goal setting, critical thinking and creativity.

Study techniques
Studying any subject must begin with a clear objective as to what needs to be achieved at the end. Once this is clearly defined then the techniques become apparent. As we know, most courses are highly exam oriented which tends to compromise on the real value of education. Therefore it is important that studying techniques incorporate skills in extracting the knowledge needed not just to pass exams but also to better prepare them for their future.


Time management
Students generally have a difficult time juggling their studies and other distractions they deem a 'necessity'. This particular module will help them to prioritize their daily activities accordingly. They will learn to determine what is urgent or important and be alert to 'time wasters'. This enables them to optimize their time by zeroing in on activities that will help them reach their potential and increase their personal productivity.

Goal setting
Research shows that most students do not have clear and well defined goals. Consequently their activities are not focused and they lose sight of what is important. Their daily distractions take over and this eventually leads to failure in exams. Setting clear goals and the method to achieve them is a very important skill for students. They need to understand how the mind functions in order to utilize its full potential.

Critical thinking
Critical thinking and independent thinking are necessary for creativity and innovation. Critical thinking requires curiosity, a questioning attitude, a demand for adequate evidence before accepting or acting on a claim and a suspicion of extreme points of view. Independent thinkers tend to make sense of the world based on personal observations and experiences rather than just going along with the thoughts of others. Without critical and independent thinking there can be no personal progress.

In this particular module students will become aware of their own comfort zone and how it can limit them. They are taught that questioning the norm is encouraged and that the right type of questions will bring them to the breakthrough they seek.

Creativity
As much as we all know that creativity is important, we must know what the obstacles to creativity are. One of these major obstacles is routine. Routine causes one to limit oneself to a set range of responses to a question or situation. Here the students will be introduced to characteristics of the right brain and the left brain as well as methods to incorporate right brain thinking. These characteristics being, the left side of the brain controlling logical thought and the right side controlling creative thought.

Tudor Rickards - "At the moment of insight creativity may well be the result of both sides the brain working together."

Learning will become much more interesting and fun when it is done in a creative way. Here again it is all about breaking the existing mould and moving on in search of a more effective way of doing things. This module will also include mind mapping which is a very useful tool to comprehend highly complicated subjects.