People are constantly asking me “What is MASN?”, “What makes MASN different“, “What is the MASN way of studying?” and so on.  Seemingly straightforward questions one would say. The funny thing is that even though MASN is a simple and unique system, answering these questions can be quite tricky because it’s just so much, and yet so straightforward.  

So this is my attempt at a succinct two-liner:  MASN is a one-stop summary and studying solution for all students, both young and ‘old’. It’s a workbook that contains everything a student needs to understand their study material and achieve their academic goals. 

Not sure I nailed it.  Maybe let’s try to answer those seemingly straightforward questions rather!

Firstly, what is MASN?

MASN is a studying system that uses a summarising workbook which incorporates flexible studying methods.  Broken down into the physical, it is a ring-bound workbook divided up into various subject sections as determined by the student.  Each subject section is further divided up into an overview page, new terms pages and then finally the summary pages (see below for more detailed explanations).  These pages are all blank, waiting for the student to fill in as the term or semester progresses.

What makes MASN different?

MASN is different because it gives both the student and the parent (where applicable) a one-stop workbook to track and encourage regular studying and understanding.  It is also easy to use and time-saving because the work is always in one place; no more hunting for lost pieces of paper. Another benefit of MASN is that if you, the student, when summarising, realize that you don’t understand what was taught that day, you are able to go to the teacher or lecturer as soon as possible to gain clarity, as opposed to realizing that you don’t understand something the night before an exam. No more night before panic stations!

What is the MASN way of studying?

It has been proven through various studies that summarising is a highly effective method of studying.  Strangely enough, not many students use this method in its entirety. Yes, they may summarise as they’re preparing for exams, just before the exams.  But MASN encourages summarising the day that the work is actually done.  At the end of the day, once all homework is done, a quick summarising session is all that is needed.  This involves reading over the work done, asking oneself questions about what was learnt for understanding purposes, writing the summarised info into the workbook in the form of mindmaps, bullet points, diagrams etc, quickly re-checking that you have everything, and then re-teaching the info (see the 7 step masn study method).  It sounds like it takes forever, but it really is a quick process. Remember, you’re not summarising the entire term’s work, it’s just the day’s work which is WAY shorter. Will it be easy in the beginning? Possibly not, because this is a new way of doing things, but once the habit is formed, it’ll be easy-peasy!

I understand that there may be times that the summarising can’t be done on the day of the lesson/lecture due to whatever reasons. I do however encourage that all summarising should be caught up by the end of each week. That way, you’ll never fall behind!

Now that you have the basics of MASN, let’s dig into the actual composition of the workbook.

MASN is made up of the following:

1. The PLEDGE
2. The CALENDAR pages
3. The GOAL list
4. The SUBJECT list
5. The SUBJECT SECTIONS
   1. Overview page
   2. New terms and definition pages
   3. Summary pages

Now please remember:

Don’t give up if this doesn’t come naturally to you.  This is a learned skill and can take time to develop and perfect.  Just be patient with yourself, find a style that suits you best, and remember who you’re doing this for.  That’s right, it’s you.

I hope that this overview of MASN has helped you to understand more of what MASN is and how it can help you (or your child) with your studies.

Got any questions?  I’d love to hear them.  Contact Me

Keep summarising,

Natalie