RHS Distance Learning Troubles

rglloydjones

Hello everyone, 

I've been studying the distance learning course RHS Level 2 Cert and I may have bitten off more than I can chew.. I'm worried about finishing the course in the allotted time limit. But I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for retaining information. Reading and repeating just isn't helping as much as I'd hoped. 

Or perhaps are there any study groups near central London you might know of that I can join?

Thanks in advance!
 

pansyface

Is it anything in particular that you find hard to memorise?

I can’t remember numbers for more than a few seconds but am good with names.

For names, I make up silly games. If there’s a plant that has a name that I find hard to remember I make up some sort of silly game in my head. For example, the weed Tormentil had me struggling for quite a while until I told myself that it was going to torment me till I remembered it.

Lizzie27

I find writing things down helps me to remember things better than reading them.

Richard Hodson

What is a distance learning course ?

pansyface

Correspondence course?

AnniD

I think @LG_ may have done this course (but l could be wrong !). They may be able to give some advice. 

LG_

Hello. I did the Level 2 Diploma, though not by distance learning. There *is* a lot to learn and remember, and self-study can sometimes leave you floundering a bit, I think.

I found that using several different methods worked well - approaching the same thing in different ways. Is there any particular topic / type of information you're finding particularly hard?

I made YouTube playlists for each module, so I could hear people explain things in different ways and watch them demonstrate. I drew mind maps for the pests & diseases and the fruit & vegetables especially. If it's the botany or soil science, I found drawing out the diagrams for myself absolutely vital, alongside watching the aforementioned videos. For plant names, you could try Quizlet. But the single most useful thing for me was going through past papers. Challenging myself to actually do the tests really showed where the gaps were, and reading through the answers helped me to know what they're really looking for - it's not always obvious!

If you'd like me to send you the links to my playlists, so you don't have to seek out all the videos yourself, let me know.

rglloydjones

Hi LG

I found that using several different methods worked well - approaching the same thing in different ways. Is there any particular topic / type of information you're finding particularly hard?

At the moment it's the botany that's got me fretting - there is just so much to remember! 

For plant names, you could try Quizlet.

I've not heard of Quizlet - is it specifically horticulture related? 

But the single most useful thing for me was going through past papers. Challenging myself to actually do the tests really showed where the gaps were, and reading through the answers helped me to know what they're really looking for - it's not always obvious!

If you'd like me to send you the links to my playlists, so you don't have to seek out all the videos yourself, let me know.

This would be amazing, thank you. I've found a fair few videos but a lot of them are much more in depth than I think the syllabus really requires. I'm sure checking out past papers as well will give me more of an idea of what they're looking for. 

Thanks everyone for your help so far. Much appreciated! 

LG_

Here is my playlist for the botany module: 
There should be 33 videos - let me know if you can see it OK, otherwise I might need to change some settings. Yes, several are far more in depth than you need, but I found them useful nonetheless. The freesciencelessons and fuse school ones are the simplest, I think.

LG_

Here are the past papers, in case you hadn't found them yet: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/qualifications-and-training/rhs-qualifications/level-2/past-papers

If you find them useful, I have some older ones too. 

Quizlet is just a test website for any subject, it's not horticulture-based. We're using it for the (non-RHS) course I'm currently doing and it's really useful for learning quick facts like names. I haven't explored it thoroughly, but you might be able to find existing quizzes that people have set up, or set up your own. No promises though, it was just a suggestion!

Let me know if you have any trouble with the playlist, or if you want links to the others.

Good luck.

Allotment Boy

I did the RHS course the same as LG but I did mine at Capel Manor college 1 day a week. I also find writing things out the best way to remember them. I am afraid repetition  is often the only way I can get things to stick. 5 years on I regret I have  forgotten many of the plant names I had to learn at the time, as the old saying goes if you don't use it you loose it.  On the plus side if you read the course aims & outlines they are very specific about what they want you to know, so you can concentrate your effort.