«Anyone can write top marks!»

Raman Mehrzad set a school grade record as a child of refugees in Sweden. Today, he is a doctor and genetic researcher in the USA. And he has written a book in which he passes on his learning tips to today's pupils . He claims that everyone can write sixes. In every subject. A bold thesis, we think, and ask him about it.

Mr Mehrzad, while reading your book, I wondered a bit who you wrote it for. Presumably for schoolgirls or schoolchildren who are already ambitious anyway...

During my time at school, I realised that school grades have surprisingly little to do with intelligence. There were very intelligent classmates with poor grades and others who seemed rather normal or even less intelligent to me, but still got very good grades. That bothered me. So I first asked those around me and then more and more people: How do you learn? And I realised: Those with good grades learnt systematically. What is written on your report card afterwards is therefore less a question of intelligence. How you learn is much more important. My book is aimed at all pupils who want to improve their performance in order to be more successful at school and in life. The initial grade doesn't really matter.

Raman Mehrzad knows how to write good notes. Picture: zVg

It's not important for everyone to get sixes. What motivated you as a pupil not just to be good, but to be the best?

I grew up in very poor circumstances. My parents came to Sweden as refugees from Iran. For a very long time, we didn't even have our own flat. In the beginning, I knew above all that I wanted to do better than them one day. Then I realised that good grades meant that I could choose freely after school - and that was very important to me. I also had my eye on a particular university in the last few years before my A-levels. I needed top grades for this.

Did you have friends?

I already know what you're getting at: If you read my learning programme, it sounds like an incredible amount of work. As if you had no free time at all. But I can assure you: If you make a structured study plan and stick to it, you'll actually have more free time and less stress. When I was at school, I had an old Nokia mobile phone that could only store 100 numbers. That was never enough for me. So I had enough friends.

You write that you should compete with your classmates and be friendly to the teacher. Normally you don't make many friends that way...

Being friendly to the teacher doesn't mean complimenting her and carrying her bag. I am friendly to the people around me. That includes the teachers. They are also older and teach you important things. So you should treat them with respect and courtesy. That includes greeting them and smiling, for example. And as far as competition is concerned: yes, you should look left and right and orientate yourself on others. Comparison helps you to assess your own performance.

«School is not a doctoral thesis or rocket science. If you study diligently and systematically, you will get good grades - it's as simple as that.»

Raman Mehrzad

Can you still help your classmates if you want to be the best?

When I was at school, I paid particular attention to myself and my grades. But if someone asked me to explain something to them, I always did. And lo and behold, I usually learnt something myself. Or I was able to remove a repetition from my study plan.

It can't be that really EVERYONE can get top marks in every subject, as you claim.

Yes, I fully support that. Intelligence only plays a role in how often you have to repeat something or how long it takes to read and understand something. After all, school doesn't require us to perform particularly well. It's not a doctoral thesis or rocket science. If you study diligently and systematically, you will get good grades - it's as simple as that. The only problem is that we don't learn to learn at school. Which teacher breaks down the learning objectives with the pupils so far and so individually that they know at the end how many pages they have to read per day and how often they have to repeat an exercise?

And what do you say to parents whose children don't work out?

When the students are in one of my learning programmes, I look for the error with them. There are actually only three sources of error. The first is motivation, which must be directed towards a learning goal that is a long way off. Even if this means foregoing short-term pleasures. Secondly: the attitude. Yes, learning is hard. Yes, you have to put in the time and really stick at it. You have to give a few years of your life to school so that you are free to do what you want afterwards. And thirdly: the learning system. It has to be internalised and done properly.

I still have my doubts. They even say that every child can get an F in PE.

I added this chapter later, yes. Because sport is so important, also for the brain. And because everyone becomes good through training. Especially children who get good grades often get caught up in sport.

What about children who have a disability or learning disorder?

My statements actually refer mainly to children without a disability. However, I would like to emphasise that children with a disability can also perform very well - if they receive the right support. There are also pupils with ADHD and autism disorders on my learning programme and they have improved enormously. By constantly working on themselves.

Is it desirable for a society that everyone graduates from school with top marks?

Imagine a world in which everyone knows how to acquire knowledge better and faster. Imagine how well the world could develop if people had more education and broader knowledge than they do today. Society, science and every other aspect of our lives would improve faster and faster, and we would all benefit from that.

However, some new achievements also make it more difficult to gain new knowledge. They mention how important it is to put the mobile phone away when studying. However, many children talk about their homework on WhatsApp and answer each other's questions in class chats. What do you suggest?

Nevertheless, I recommend clearly separating these phases: Firstly, the phase in which you read or study something, and later the phase in which you discuss the material on your mobile phone. You can't do everything at the same time and still concentrate well. If something is unclear, you should make a note of it and then discuss it afterwards. The only exception is if you need to understand something in order to be able to continue working.

Image: Pexels.com

TIPS FOR THE WRITTEN TEST:

Well learnt is half the battle. But how do you apply what you have learnt in the exam?
Raman Mehrzad's tips on how to proceed during a written exam from the book Eins plus. Der ultimative Guide für den Lernerfolg (edition a, 2016. 176 pages, approx. 25 francs):

Schliesse zunächst kurz die Augen und atme tief durch.
Beginne am Anfang und beantworte eine Frage nach der anderen – wenn du zuerst alle Fragen durchliest, kann dich das verunsichern.
Lies jede Fragen zweimal durch, bevor du sie beantwortest.
Wenn etwas unverständlich formuliert ist: frag nach!
Wenn du eine Antwort nicht weisst, lies dir die Frage noch einige Male durch und vergleiche sie im Kopf mit dem, was du gelernt hast.
Immer noch keine Antwort? Noch einmal durchatmen und dann schreib hin, was auch immer zum Thema passen könnte. Eine Zusammenfassung deines Wissens. Meistens gibt das noch ein paar Punkte.
Lies nach deiner Antwort die Frage noch einmal durch und ergänze evtl. Punkte, die auch noch passen könnten.
Verlasse den Raum nie vor Ende der Zeit, lies lieber alles wieder und wieder durch, bessere Fehler aus und achte auf Lesbarkeit. Diese letzten Minuten lohnen sich immer, egal, wie müde du schon bist.