As parents and educators (and potentially as former students), we are all too familiar with cramming. Procrastination leads to late nights of frantic studying. Unfortunately, this provides more information than the brain can handle in one sitting, not unlike trying to drink water from a fire hose.. Overt cramming, like the process detailed above, is a significant issue. However, there is a second, more subtle type of cramming that most students are guilty of on a nearly daily basis: rapid-fire repetition.

Picture a student trying to memorize a Pablo Neruda Poem for Spanish class. They recite it over and over again for over an hour the night before the presentation. After about thirty minutes, the student thinks they have it down flat, meaning the last thirty minutes creates a perceived sense of mastery. But what happens during the presentation? They forget a few lines, panic sets in, and they end up with a 78 instead of a 100. I have seen this happen more times than I can count. The solution is spaced repetition.

Spaced repetition still requires the student to practice for sixty minutes, but it’s broken into smaller segments of time. This is because four fifteen-minute blocks work much better than an hour-long chunk. Adding time between study sessions forces our brains to work harder to retrieve the information, strengthening neural pathways, and preventing a presentation day fiasco. To be most effective, retrieval must be done repeatedly in spaced out sessions so that the recall, rather than becoming a mindless recitation, requires some cognitive effort. Repeated recall appears to help memories consolidate into a cohesive representation in the brain and to strengthen and multiply the neural routes by which knowledge can later be retrieved. In other words, learning is deeper and more durable when it takes effort.

Encourage your child to space out study sessions for better results. This partners well with the use of a planner, another pinnacle of our unique executive functioning skill coaching program. We love time management, we love personal responsibility, and we love planners.

If you are interested in our one-on-one coaching program for your child, please reach out today. We work with students all over the city to help them build compensatory skills like organization, time management, self-directed learning, and impression management. For more studying tips, head over to our blog page.

That being said, sometimes a slight variation of a tried and true practice really opens up its potential. As we learn more about neurochemistry and the science of learning, slight modifications of ancient study techniques can help every student unlock their academic potential. And that is what this post is all about; how can we modify an old method to make it even more effective?

The answer is interleaved practice. Most studying, besides the anemic “looking over notes,” necessitates some kind of practice. However, not all practice is equal. We can separate “practice” into two different categories: “massed practice” vs. “interleaved practice.” Massed practice is how we typically approach learning. We work through a set of similar problems until we attain a perceived level of mastery and then move on. Interleaved practice, on the other hand, provides a much better path to mastery.

Interleaved practice adds an added level of mystery to our learning by mixing up the types of challenges we face. For example, the University of California Polytechnic baseball team utilizes this idea in batting practice. Almost everyone on the team can hit a curveball if they know it will be a curveball. Therefore, practicing hitting pitch by pitch (1. curveballs, 2. fastballs, 3. sliders, etc.) becomes relatively ineffective. In a game scenario, the batter has no idea what pitch will be thrown. Practice needs to mimic this level of uncertainty if it is going to lead to true mastery.

The same is true for solving math problems, memorizing elements and ions, or learning Spanish vocabulary. We need to utilize interleaved practice to truly master the material. When studying for a math test, encourage students to practice a few problems from each section of the chapter in one sitting, mimicking what they will see on test day. For chemistry, students should practice a wide variety of questions and chemical equations, including ones from past quizzes. In this manner, they review for a cumulative exam later on and intersperse rote memorization with active recall. For Spanish, mix “curveballs” into ordinary studying by working in stem-changing verbs or vocabulary from past chapters.

Contrary to popular belief, practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Teaching students to utilize interleaved practice will lead to higher levels of mastery, better test scores, and boosted confidence. Happy studying!

For more ideas on how to help your student reach his or her academic potential, check out our other resources. For a more personalized approach, reach out to see if our unique one-on-one academic coaching program is the right fit for your family.

A flex day is an entire school day dedicated to flexible learning time for students. Typically on Wednesday, this period enables students to work independently, get extra help where they need it, and pursue enrichment projects both within and outside their school environment. Although it takes some scheduling magic, the benefits of a flex day are numerous. In fact, leading businesses like Google and Tesla have following this model for decades to great effect. While schools have experimented with shorter flex periods throughout the week before, COVID-19 is the first time we have seen a full flex day in action, and the benefits were staggering. So, why does a flex day work so well?

1. Flex days teach students essential life skills.

A flex day can teach students how to manage their time effectively. More so, it gives students an opportunity to manage their time independently. When students are in a traditional classroom, the bell tells them where to go, and when they get to their next class, the teacher tells them what to do. It’s easy to be told what to do. But when you have to decide what your priorities are and how to manage your time to meet your goals, more effort is required. First of all, to manage the free time well, students need to have goals and priorities. Students need to learn how to develop an action plan for the day, break down a project into discrete chunks, and manage the ever-present distraction of choice. A flex day allows for this type of learning in a semi-protected environment.

Sure, some students will likely need guidance and someone to hold them accountable during this time but think about the independent learner that could come out of a program like this. Sending a student to college with three or four years of once-a-week flex days under his or her belt is a recipe for success. The freedom of college and the paralysis of choice won’t be so new. These students will have practice, successes, and failures with managing their free time.

2. Flex days boost creativity.

Secondly, injecting a flex day into the schedule gives students space to explore their passions. Flex days are about depth, not breadth. Giving students an entire day to work on projects independently means they will dig deeper into subjects that interest them. A student who loves history might spend an extra hour researching for her paper over Alexander the Great. Another student might schedule extra practice time for his orchestra event this weekend. The point is flex days give students time to work on what they love without sacrificing sleep. Instead of declining the “extra work” when they get home from soccer practice at 9:30 pm, students can get ahead and stay ahead during this unstructured time.

3. Flex days improve student learning.

Flex days enable students to have more time to master a subject. Far too often, students endure a “hell week” at school, meaning they have multiple tests, projects, and essays due within a five-day period. Unfortunately, when this happens, students tend to shift from learning mode to survival mode. They study for their biology test during geometry class. They cram for their history exam instead of scheduling a conference with their English teacher. In short, students forget or abandon all of the principles we teach them because they are overwhelmed.

For some students, especially those with learning differences, survival mode is the default setting. They don’t have time to attend office hours, participate in extracurricular activities, finish their homework, work with tutors, work with academic coaches, sleep, and spend time with their family. So, they have to choose a few of these and sacrifice the rest. It’s a nightmare. Flex days inject a reset button into the school week. Students can regroup and develop a plan for attack. They can also check in with their math teacher about the confusing lesson from Monday, so a small problem doesn’t turn into a much larger one.

We believe flex days are incredibly beneficial for students, parents, and educators. Now, will they stick around as the world gets back to normal? Only time will tell. To read more about changes to the educational landscape after COVID-19 or tips to help your student during this challenging time, please check out our blog. For more information on our unique academic coaching program, please reach out.

Immediate feedback through some form of testing allows students to gauge their readiness before exam day. Not only does this improve grades, but it also increases mastery of the material by clarifying both the stakes and the standards. We tend to remember what we worked hard to learn. Testing provides a challenge, a discrete level of achievement to keep students motivated. Without some element of testing, most studying is futile at best and counterproductive at worst. However, different kinds of testing produce different results. The best students inject forms of dynamic testing into their preparation, while average students rely on static testing.

The main difference between static and dynamic testing revolves around how they treat weaknesses. Static testing, such as the SAT, measure current abilities within a limited domain. In other words, static tests are easier to beat and provide little to no value in long-term learning. Dynamic testing, on the other hand, is a progressive process. Dynamic testing involves determining the state of one’s expertise; refocusing learning on areas of low performance; follow-up testing to measure the improvement and to re-focus learning so as to keep raising expertise. This technique was pioneered by researchers Sternberg and Grigorenko in their three-part model of intelligence. In this model, students approach learning on a continuum, opting for personal mastery rather than comparative success.

Students can utilize this research in their study preparation by using innovative testing techniques such as those provided by educational technologies. Gimkit, Quizlet, Anki, and other software use unique algorithms to help students optimize for their weaknesses as they work toward mastery. Alternatively, students can work with a well-trained academic coach to help them gauge their level of understanding, adjust testing measures, improve, and re-test.

For more information on innovative learning techniques and ways to help your students succeed in school, please visit our blog page. If you’re interested in our unique one-on-one academic coaching program for your student, please reach out today.

Often students will proudly state how many times they have read a chapter or review sheet. When test results do not reflect the time spent studying, it can be a challenge to find the disconnection. Parents see their student putting effort and precious time into studying. Students are frustrated with all of their hard work going to waste. Teachers are worried they are not grasping the material.

Rereading the material or listening to the lecture again is a passive review. It is being present and hoping that something “sticks.” However, the most important aspect of studying is to reengage with the material, instead of recognizing the material. Students can reengage with material through active recall.

Using active recall is a top technique! Essentially active recall is testing yourself on the material in short bursts. Say the teacher provides a slideshow. Help your student practice active recall by asking questions about the slide, allowing time for answers to formulate, and working through the wrong answers. If your student can glance over to the screen to see the answers, the likelihood that he is tricking himself into thinking he “knows” the material is high.

Active recall can be used at all times. By trying to remember the information, new pathways are strengthened. Bursts of testing boosts memory and performance more than any other method of studying. Executive functioning skills are developed as we implement new practices and form new connections in our day to day.

The process is simple:

1. Help your student become familiar with the material through reading, watching videos, notes, looking at charts, etc.
2. Put all material away and have your student remember the information. Even if she gets stuck, do not provide hints!
3. Have your student check for accuracy.
4. Repeat during the first study session.
5. Repeat a few days later.

Space it out

When the material is fresh on your student’s mind, have her try to recall key points and ideas through reviewing notes or other class materials provided. Keep reviewing until mastery is achieved. Let the brain rest and for a day or two. During the second study session, start with actively recalling the material from memory. If your student is stuck (3-5 minutes for younger students or 10-15 minutes for older students), then review the material before testing again.

Befriend homework

Homework assignments, tailored by the teacher to reinforce the key points from the lecture, can prepare students for tests, but it all comes down to mindset! Wisely using time spent on homework assignments saves time later. Perhaps, it will be inconvenient to not rush through the work, have the book open, or copy someone’s work, but this tip will save time later on.

Encourage students to treat homework assignments as if they were the test – no notes, search engines, or textbooks until the student has tried their best to answer the questions provided. It is safe to assume that teachers created the work for a reason! A slight struggle produces great results. Active recall solidifies the information into our memory. Help your student realize that a few extra minutes on homework or projects can reduce the amount of time they have to focus on the material later. If a student is able to answer successfully complete the homework, without relying on outside resources, they are likely prepared to be tested on the material.

Pose questions

When a question is presented, our brains search for an answer. Thought-provoking questions help us become solution-seeking mode. Question can be reflective in nature or set up in a more traditional format of a practice test.

Power of notecards

Notecards are a powerful tool that utilizes active recall, though they can be time consuming. To get the best use of notecards, be sure your student is not flying through the activity. We do not want to fall into the trap of being familiar with the topic but not really knowing the information! Notice questions that can be answered immediately, and notice the answers that are correct that takes a bit more time to formulate. If time is a factor, students can close their eyes to see if they can remember the information.

In summary, there are two forms of reviewing material: passive and active. By incorporating active recall methods, students are significantly more likely to retain information, save time, and ace the test! Sometimes, resistance to new methods can be a hinderance in moving forward. If you are hoping to discover the best support for your child, check out the e-book below.

Parents can help students practice intentionally reflecting while learning, writing and studying. Such metacognitive strategies will clear the foggy lens that may cloud our students’ vision for school performance. Here are some ways to transform their school “to-do” list from a set mundane requirement to a more meaningful and purposeful understanding of themselves.

What exactly is it?

Metacognition, or thinking about one’s thinking, is something we already practice when developing personal relationships. We are built for connection and we naturally ask questions to see how to get to know others better or enjoy each others’ company by using our thinking of what went well and can be an area of growth. This process helps us become self-aware of ourselves which is transferable to our learning as well. Patient practice in this area will affect all aspects of our life. Metacognition boosts self-regulation for students to monitor their strengths and weaknesses in order to persevere in necessary skills to succeed in all subjects without becoming too frustrated.

Top 3 metacognitive strategies for school:

1. Ask questions before, during and after or “B-D-A”.

In a previous blog post related to reading strategies, those three “B-D-A” keywords matter in our thinking. Encourage students to have a transition and plan of attack when learning to better engage and connect learning to their lives. Sample questions to ask would look like:

• B – How can I start? What worked for me last time? What do I understand?
• D- Am I on the right track? What is hard or confusing about this right now?
• A – What worked well? What could I have done better? What conclusions can I make?

To personalize their learning, have students brainstorm their own questions too. Students can also practice thinking aloud these answers throughout their studying so it becomes routine as they move forward in life.

1. Use your syllabus and exam results as a road map.

Many outcomes or destinations in life involve a map. A syllabus is the useful map tool for our students to have some boundaries when studying, reading or writing for their class. Have them look at the end goal for the course. Students can ask themselves why their teacher may want to gather from reading or see any themes to how a teacher paces the class or asks questions in class or on tests. Students can keep checking in to their syllabus to make adjustments if necessary.

Exams serve as a gauge for students and teachers to have concrete evidence if they are understanding the material accurately.

Factors to examine on a test analyzer can range from wondering to oneself: How am I preparing when reading? Where am I sitting in class (is it helping)? What resources am I taking advantage of? Or could I teach someone else what I learned?

1. Reflect and strategize

Provide students with opportunities to reflect and understand that metacognition is a way to empower themselves to make sense of their life. Students can journal to the suggested questions in points #1 and #2 in an appropriate time-frame after particularly hard reading assignments or tests or quizzes. Allow them to be curious about their confusion. Model ways you reflect on work or activities to help their writing to aid in this process.

A traffic light visual can help students notice what was stopping them from learning, what was something new they learned and what they feel good about understanding. Once they do this inner work, students will be able to pinpoint certain behaviors or thinking patterns that may help them overcome mental blocks or they may even notice a certain time of day or time of week they may need a study break.  Make sure they also balance studying and rest!

In conclusion, it is important we all proceed with caution with how we think when using metacognition in our learning! Remember to commit to a growth mindset and help students be kind to themselves by focusing on the tasks one at a time and not give up at the first roadbump. The positive mindset will set a solid foundation to navigate the road of  learning alongside their personal life interactions. Students of all ages can use metacognitive strategies to promote higher order thinking and become more thoughtful of themselves and others around them. We only reach our potential when we are aware of ourselves.