Do you know when you are ready to take a test? When I ask my students this question most of them look at me like I am crazy. This is a complex question because it requires us to think about our own thinking. This type of thinking is called “metacognition” and it is an important skill. Individuals who can assess their own thinking have a strategic advantage in school and life. Watch the video to see how being able to…
While most of us lean towards procrastination there is a subset of the population who are pre-crastinators. These individuals feel a deep desire to finish their work as quickly as possible. For more background information please see this video on the differences between pre-crastination and procrastination. Because pre-crastinators need to finish their work they are willing to start immediately but often rush through their work they need a different type of work routine. Watch the video below to see a cleaver way pre-crastinators can use…
We talk a lot about Procrastination, specifically how it impacts our abilities to get things done. There is another set of behaviors called Pre-crastination that is less common but often has similar effects. Watch the video to find out more about Pre-crastination and how to circumvent the blind spots it creates. Like 0
Do you ever study for a test and you do not score well? We often focus on how to get information into our brains, rarely talk about how getting information out of our brains. Getting information out of our brains is important because what tests measure is how well we can get information out of our brains. This gap is puzzling because we have over 200 years or research that demonstrates the positive impact of self-testing. This study method can…
There has been a considerable spike in teen anxiety over the last few years (NYT). Anxiety and stress are complex, with a lot of interconnected events and processes. I have noticed that a lot of the stress and anxiety I see in students stems from their fear of making mistakes and no longer being perfect. I have found that parents also feel these stresses for simple things like home repairs you can get done if you hire an emergency service.…
Do you want to learn more about possible colleges? National College Fairs are a free resource for high school student. They are an excellent opportunity for students to interact with hundreds of colleges and universities, from the US, Canada, and Europe. Because there is a wide variety of schools students can get a sense of the broad options available in their future. I have found that this experience of attending a National College Fair has two main benefits for students.…
As I work with students, I have noticed that the use of planners has started to become less frequent. When I was young planners were the go-to organization tool for students. I think that the shift away from paper planners is a result of more assignments being put online. Online systems are a great way for students to track their homework, but they have limitations. There is a strategic advantage to using a planner in conjunction with online systems. Planners…