The low-hanging fruit is probably an idiom most of us know. We use it to refer to the things that are easiest to achieve or get with the least amount of effort. This idiom has its literal roots from fruit-bearing trees which often have some branches that are within our reach without much effort. The implication is that the fruits on these branches may not be as ripe as those on the higher branches but they are usually more abundant and easier to harvest. As can be seen, this idiom has both positive (easy to reach) and negative (not as ripe) elements to it.
I use this idiom a lot with my students when I am helping them prepare for their school examinations. During the examination preparation phase, I encourage my students to quickly revise the easier topics first. By doing so they are able to cover more topics easily and gain quick wins. This then gives them more time to cover the harder topics which require more time and effort.
I also use the analogy of picking the low hanging fruits to explain why, during the examination itself, they should do the easier questions first and leave the harder questions for later. Attempting to do the easier questions helps to build confidence and calms the examination jitters. This also gives them more time to attempt the harder questions later.
However, the reality when it comes to low hanging fruits is counter intuitive. In the real world, orchard workers routinely begin harvesting from the highest point of the tree, where the fruit has been exposed to the most sunlight and is therefore much riper than those lower. They pick the low hanging fruits last, hence giving them more time to ripen. Therefore, in this instance it makes sense to avoid the easiest options if a little more effort and time will result in better payoffs.
This strategy is one I use with my students as well. During regular classwork, once they have had sufficient practice, I encourage them to pick out the hardest questions from their workbook to practice as those are the ones that will stretch them and develop their ability to apply the concepts that they had just learnt.
While this dual and conflicting application of the wisdom of low-hanging fruits might seem confusing, its proper explanation will leave students wiser in strategizing the way they study and prepare for examinations.
Revising for examinations can also be made easier by picking the right e-learning platform to aid them in their preparations. At Qrius Learning Center we use TutoReels, which is a video streaming platform, to aid our students in revising quickly for their examinations. The curated content of over 800 videos and related worksheets spread across three subjects and four levels helps them get on top of their revision much more quickly than if they had used traditional methods of revision. Typically, they are able to recall concepts and ideas with less effort and much more quickly if they were watching a video than if they were revising through their textbooks and notes. The carefully organized vault of videos also meant that students were able to access the precise learning content that they were looking for. The platform gives structure to their revision and enables them to curate some of the videos to watch later.
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