I have so many conversations with parents and students around motivation.
Mostly of them asking “Katie! How do I get (them) motivated?!”
In my experience most of the time the issue is not related to motivation,
but the issue is actually around clarity and understanding of what they really need to do, and most of all, HOW to ACTUALLY do it!
Of course we’re not gonna feel motivated to do something, when we don’t really know what we’re doing.
So that’s the key that needs to be addressed (and one which no amount of nagging or bribery is gonna fix!).
How hard is it to get motivated when you’re not really sure what you’re supposed to be doing or how you should be doing it?
Imagine deciding to go to the gym for the first time,
but when you walk in you have no idea what the equipment is,
how you’re supposed to use it
or what it’s even supposed to be doing?!
You’re not going to feel especially motivated with all these thoughts running around inside your head.
It’s the same for students.
If they don’t know exactly what they should be doing to revise,
the best strategies to do it,
how to do it,
they don’t have a plan,
and they’re not even really sure if what they are doing is going to pay off,
then it’s no wonder it’s a struggle to get motivated.
Students need to learn, practice and plan what they are going to be doing.
If you feel like your teen is in the camp just described above and you can’t honestly say they are totally clear, focused and organised
then this could be the big thing truely holding them back from feeling motivated and getting things done.
Clarity, succinctness and structure are important.
Especially for extended answers.
(Those answers worth 8 marks or more, or those with ‘graded’ marking that have multiple criteria per grade boundary.)
That’s exactly what I’m discussing in detail, with examples, in this (final!) 2019 EMVD entry.
Every year I’ve been selected to be one of the Referee Markers
(phew! That basically means you’re good)
and it’s like the grand finale *think fireworks bursting all over the sky!* when it comes to me learning what’s letting students down and possibly leading to them missing out on marks.
Because, this stage is full of the responses where both markers have judged the same answer to be worthy of two different marks.
It’s like one big, bright spotlight shining on the more complicated aspects of marking,
showing all the ways students are (inadvertently) making it difficult for the marker to award certain marks for certain criteria, or simply writing their answers in a confusing or non-succinct way!
Now, there are two ways this could go when an answer is confusing to mark:
The marker accidentally awards credit where they shouldn’t.
(Possible, but less likely as we can only mark what we read, and there are strict rules around not ‘reading in’ meaning – i.e. where we can see what they mean, but they haven’t actually conveyed it fully).
The marker misses wording that could earn credit, because it’s jumbled within another point being made,
not clearly worded or the grammar makes a clear connection difficult,
or it’s led to a random tangent that isn’t relevant. (More likely because markers are expected to mark to a time-frame and therefore cannot re-read over something more than 2, or total max. 3, times realistically. Plus, we know the key points we’re looking for and if they are ‘hidden’ amongst waffle or off-task content, then we’re simply more likely to miss it).
*Side-note: Honestly, exam marking isn’t that different to sitting the exams! 😉
So see if any of this sounds familiar for your teen, and then grasp my advice to ensure they don’t end up putting any marker on the fence or miss a mark they just maybe shoulda-coulda got.
Ever have words that mess with your mind when reading or writing?
Or should that be words which mess with your mind?
I ALWAYS have to double check on that pair of pesky words. (Though after google-ing it about a million times now, I think I’ve got it, but I still check… just to check) 😉
Well, after getting through 660 papers, by Day 3 of exam marking
I realised there was an exam-specific pair of words where students were either:
Missing out on marks by not giving the (relatively easy) info required
OR
Providing unnecessary info that wasn’t asked for.
In EMVD Part 3, I share the *specific* wording of the Q that led to this confusion.
Thing is, it’s crazy-easy to figure out ONCE students know the exact meaning of these two words and how to deal with them!
Don’t miss this one!
Katie
P.S. I also touch on how external exams are actually marked… what if a marker judges your teen’s paper incorrectly?
Does it get remarked?
How rigorous is state exam marking?
It’s all in this –just over 4mins of jam-packed- video!
The biggest challenge for students when it comes to exams is NOT:
Trying to revise all the content (that’s important, but it’s not the TOP one).
Finishing the paper in the time given without having to rush and scribble through the last few Qs (common, but, still not the biggest challenge).
And it’s NOT
!
Because, the biggest challenge is likely the thing your son or daughter isn’t even AWARE of.
(That’s what makes it so frustrating. Like wondering why the kettle hasn’t boiled, then realising it was never plugged in at the wall).
The reason so many students fail to get the grades they could in exams is because they aren’t savvy in knowing what level of cognition the Q is operating at and therefore what detail and elements are required in their response.
Watch me explain how this all works for three (well, it’s really gonna be two – you’ll see why) high level exam Qs.
> Here’s a copy of the exam Qs so you can properly follow along (copyright QCAA – not great quality photos, by me)!
Just because you’ve been doing something a certain way for so long, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should just keep going.
Recently I was working with a group of school students and had a couple who were adamant they wanted to continue making their notes in the same way they always had.
Despite the fact that I’d just been through the proven reasons why that strategy – which was basically typing them out almost word for word – was not effective both in terms of recording and remembering that info.
Just so you know – having a set of typed notes to refer to is not as useful as having a set of hand-written, colour coded summaries, condensed and ideally transformed or processed in some way. Our brains don’t take in the info in the same way and the act of actually handwriting those notes and condensing them also enhances our understanding and retention.
I see this all the time in students’ revision too.
They have always revised by reading back over and highlighting notes.
They have always written out palm cards crammed full of info for topics.
And sometimes the reason is perfectly reasonable too.
They’ve always gotten decent grades that way.
But that doesn’t mean that’s as good as it can be – as good as it’s gonna get – that you have to continue to take that slow and inefficient route to exam success. (Because – blunt but true – all those strategies I’ve just mentioned are slow and inefficient. Even if typing is faster than writing, the learning is less effective)
I remember hearing someone talking about an analogy that totally works for this situation – consider this:
If you were travelling to a destination, and you’d already walked for 2 hours to get there, but then you realised that you were going the wrong way, would you keep on walking?
It would be frustrating for sure, you’d maybe even be a bit angry.
It would certainly be understandable for you to want to question that info, the map, the GPS, or whatever it was that told you, you’re going the wrong way.
But would you be like …
aw, you know what I’ve come this far,
I’m just gonna keep going and somehow hope that it’s going to get me where I want to go.
Hopefully, you’d have someone come up to you (someone like me maybe!) and go –
‘Wait! Stop! You’re going the wrong way. Turn around. Here’s the right way.
Certainly don’t go any further in the wrong direction!
Yes, you’d be sceptical,
yes, you’d be annoyed,
but should you carry on going the wrong way?
Of course not!
Hopefully that route has taken you at least slightly in the right direction at least, and often that’s the case.
Students have been able to find some success in what they’re doing. But I want to be the GPS that sends out flashing notifications to as many students as possible and shows them the right way to go about their study. To make it as efficient and effective as possible.
So, has your teen been given advice anywhere along the way that they haven’t yet taken on board?
Is there a different path they need to get onto in terms of their research strategies for assignments,
their note-taking systems, and – the big one…
their revision techniques?
I’m a big believer in the fact that it’s never too late to get onto the more direct and faster, easier route to awesome grades.
So if you feel your teens not on the right path right now, then be sure to check out my free parent guide – the 3 huge mistakes even smart students make in exams and assignments – www.gradetransformation.com– and I’ll show you precisely where they’ve likely been going wrong and how they can easily get back on track.
You’ll also then get all my weekly videos like this one delivered straight to your inbox – (don’t know about you, but I love making life as easy as possible).
Your teen sits down with all the right intentions to study hard, but within 5 minutes ends up:
scrolling through Insta (for inspo/motivation/just because)
making a pretty title page instead (because it FEELS productive even though we all know an A-grade never got given for a brilliant research project front cover)
watching funny cat videos/makeup tutorials/minecraft demos on YouTube (because it just auto-played after the ‘How to solve quadratic equations’ video)
gazing out the window (why IS the sky blue. Like really. Why?).
offering to unload the dishwasher (okay… now it’s really getting desperate!) 😉
Familiar??!
Well, if so, they’re not alone, as this week’s video is for Panda Banda – who asked in a recent Youtube Comment: “Can you please make a video on how to focus? I know some people have to listen to music or have some sort of background noises. Thanks!”
So this week I’m sharing 3 proven and practical suggestions that work for me and work for many of the students I’ve worked with. I’ve even had parents tell me that these strategies have worked for them too!
Okay, number 1 – let’s address the music thing.
The boring truth is that most people are better off with total silence.
So if you can find a quiet place to study then that’s going to be your best bet.
Zero distractions.
But – if that’s not possible and you need something to drown out the distractions, then multiple studies have shown the most effective type of music for study and focus is baroque music – a particular style of classical music from around 1600-1750. There are hours and hours of playlists you can play for free on Youtube.
Any music with lyrics or faster beats are NOT good for focus or concentration.
So students’ fave playlists on Spotify aren’t the way to go – save those for free time, the gym or in-car sing-a-longs 😉
Tip number 2: Get a clear plan of action.
There’s nothing worse for focus and productivity than not really knowing what you’re doing or how you’re going to do it.
So before getting started on any task, make sure you have all the necessary resources or equipment AND make sure you have a clear plan of attack.
So. Many. Students feel that spending time outlining, planning and prepping is taking up time they could be spending actually getting on and writing or studying or researching or whatever the task involves.
However, the exact opposite is true.
It’s counter-intuitive, but not only does having a clear plan make the overall task a lot faster, it also makes it a lot easier and stress-free AND often results in a higher quality piece of work, therefore achieving a higher grade.
This is why I provide templates and structures in so many parts of my training in the 10Wk Grade Transformation Program and in my monthly member seminars,
and it’s why I have a whole module dedicated to showing students how to create clear and high quality plans for any extended response or essay they write in my Write Like an A-Grader Training (available to Next Level Coaching students).
Okay – Tip number 3: Chunk everything down.
Both in terms of tasks and in terms of time.
Here’s what I mean…
Never tackle an essay by sitting down to write an essay.
WHAT?
Yep, don’t tackle an essay, by sitting down to write an essay!
Here’s what to do instead…
a) First of all, sit down for 15 mins to dissect the essay title and PLAN the essay content and structure – just like I said in tip 2.
b) Then get up, have a quick break and then spend 15 mins finding the evidence, examples or quotes for each of the body paragraphs you’ve just planned.
c) Then spend 10-15 mins drafting body paragraph 1, then the same for body paragraph 2 etc etc.
And notice that I’ve given everything a time limit.
This really helps focus us and spur us into action.
I genuinely play little mind games with myself when I have a challenging job to get done, whether it’s because I don’t really want to do it, or because it’s tricky.
I set a reasonable time limit and then I get to work and see if I can get it done.
I even do it with things like doing the dishes or ironing a bunch of clothes!
And no – don’t use your phone as the timer (‘hello distracting notifications’!).
Nope. Leave it out of sight while you’re working within that time limit.
You’ll be surprised how much you can get done when you do nothing but focus on that specific little part of a task within a certain time limit.
> Recap of those 3 quick but super-practical tips…
1 – Silence is best for focus – but if you need something to listen to – then baroque music all the way.
2 – Plan exactly what you’re going to do and exactly how you’re going to be doing it. So there’s no fluffing around, no excuse to get up and go do or find something.
And captain-obvious bonus tip – none of those should involve your phone!
If you need it for accessing an email or photos or whatever, get those things up in the planning or getting organised time and then switch off the data or wifi.
Simple. #noexcuses
Leave me a comment on this page to let me know how you go, and until next week, let’s make this a brilliantly productive week! 🙂
If your teen’s ever uttered the words ‘what’s even the point of exams?’ (or maybe you have too!)
then listen in,
because if we consider exams as just a thing to be passed to get the grades for whatever lies ahead in life, then we’re missing out on some hidden opportunities.
Don’t worry – I’m not gonna try to convert you into some sort of exam board cult,
I just want to give you a positive angle to consider.
Because, yes, exams are partly a tool to judge ability in a subject or a skill,
they do test knowledge of whatever topics are being assessed.
But what if they really were more useful than that?
Because here’s what else exams are:
They’re a test of being able to decipher what people are really asking for.
The information or skills the examiners or teachers want students to show.
In fact I had a savvy parent actually say this to me a few years ago…
Her son was doing the 10Wk Grade Transformation Program and she’d watched some of Catapult 7 with him, which dives deep on one of the 6 elements of exam technique.
And she told me that it really isn’t much different to what she has to do at work.
From what her clients tell her, she has to work out what they want, exactly what they’re asking for and then translate that into what she proposes or provides for them.
So, maybe exams do have some real-world application after all.
Maybe they do actually have some purpose and skills that translate and serve us beyond the exam hall and results day.
Because if students can become masters of working out what people want from the words they use and get brilliant at giving them exactly what they want,
in a clear and efficient way,
then that’s sure to serve them well in life and their career, right?
So, here’s how I choose to see exams:
– Yes, they demand good subject knowledge.
– Yes, they require certain skills, like source analysis skills or numeracy skills for example.
– But beyond that, they require an ability to dissect the wording of questions,
– and be able to understand and act on that information,
– to provide a response that fulfils the needs and wants of each question.
This is why, as you’ll have heard me say before, all the subject knowledge in the world is useless if your teen doesn’t have the tools and strategies to do those things.
And it’s why so many hardworking and intelligent students still don’t get the results they deserve to get,
the grades they could and should be getting in their exams.
So, maybe there is more to exams than just testing subject knowledge.
Maybe they actually are useful for later life.
And maybe they’re about teaching students more than just learning and memorising facts and info.
I’d love your thoughts and feedback on this. And if you know someone else who could benefit from this perspective, then feel free to forward this to them or share the link on social.
There’s a lot of debate in the media and within education about exams and assessment.
What’s the point of it?
How can we make it more effective and less stressful for students?
Is testing and the traditional exam system even relevant for the world today?
Well, I’m not going to get into that debate as such right now, but I do want to share one point of view that I hope will be useful…
The way I see it, whether or not people are happy with it,
exams are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
And whilst there’s development in how we TEACH the subject content and understanding how students – in fact how ANYONE – learns best,
the way we test and structure exams hasn’t changed much.
And there is no realistic discussion right now about scrapping Year 12 exams for those following the academic routes and ATAR.
So, if we accept that,
then we might as well view exams in a productive and positive light.
So I want to offer a way to do that:
First we need to understand that getting great results in exams is about much more than learning and regurgitating information.
Yes, subject knowledge is important,
but what’s equally important is the ability to decipher what a question is really asking and at what cognitive level.
And by cognitive level, I mean what level of detail and depth. For example a question that asks your teen to define, say, food hygiene, is quite different to a question that asks them to explain the importance of food hygiene.
Or a question that asks for a description of a painting or artwork, requires a much lower level response than one which asks your teen to analyse that artwork.
One example where students fall into this trap is with novel or movie analyses.
They often end up simply describing the storyline or the characters, rather than analysing the techniques that have gone into these and how they relate to a certain theme or purpose.
So how does this make exams useful?
Well, it could be argued that knowing the symbolism an author has used to portray a theme in a novel isn’t going to be that relevant in later life,
it’s not going to serve students particularly well in writing a job application or carrying out there job (whatever tasks that could involve)
being able to serve clients,
or write a funding grant,
or following a set of instructions.
The actual subject content and knowledge and understanding required may not be that useful.
It can be interesting, and it can show an ability to think and operate at a certain level,
but useful in a practical sense – not really.
But the skill of being able to work out what is wanted and needed is going to be super useful.
Knowing how to figure out what people want and then how to give it to them in the most effective and efficient way is extremely useful and can serve your teen in so many ways.
Whether they work for a boss and need to fulfil their demands,
whether they are serving clients and customers,
whether they run their own business or projects and need to create products and services,
or if they’re applying for funding and grants for a charity or not-for-profit organisation.
So, I hope this waves a little sprinkle of positivity over exams.
If we’re accepting that they’re a part of most students’ lives, then we might as well consider them as positively as possible and focus on the ways they can serve and help students today.
This way, the exam technique skills they learn and hone to tackle them,
like identifying command words,
knowing exactly how to respond to them
and properly understanding mark schemes and rubrics, well, these will not only serve them amazingly well for their exams
but will also be in place for whatever lies ahead beyond those exams too.
Leave me a comment below – I’d love to know what plans or dreams has your teen got for their future
and how could the skills of getting to grips with what’s wanted and knowing how to provide it – help them succeed in that as well as their exams?
“Where do I start?” Or “I don’t know where to start.”
Ever heard anything like that from your teen?
And have you or one of their teachers ever, in a totally well-meaning way, ever replied with “Just start somewhere.”
Or, maybe been tempted to say “Try anything just to get started.” “Start with the bit you do know.”
Unfortunately, that’s not good advice.
It’s coming from a place of encouragement and action, but it can just lead to many hours of wasted time and energy. And plenty of frustration and disheartenment to boot.
So what to do instead?
Plan.
Make a clear plan of what needs to be done and what’s going into each element.
So for an essay, just having a plan that says intro, body paragraph 1, body paragraph 2, and 3 and conclusion isn’t good enough. It’s a fraction better than having zero structure, but it’s definitely not enough.
Now, I’m not going to go into all the details of what should exactly go into a plan, and HOW to do it.
I do that in my Write Like an A-Grader Training.
Instead I want to focus simply on why that plan is so essential
and why it’s such an amazing indicator of whether a student is going to complete a task smoothly and successfully,
or whether they’re heading into the dreaded waffle zone,
(or not even that far – staying stuck and frustrated with a blank screen or blank page in front of them).
Because if your teen isn’t able to make a clear and detailed plan,
then they aren’t going to be able to write a clear and cohesive, high quality response.
In other words, if they don’t know what to put in their plan,
then it’s no wonder they are feeling stuck and finding it hard to get started or make progress.
They’re likely confused or simply feeling kinda empty about what they need to do and how to do it.
To make a plan, they need two things:
They need to learn how to identify what a task or question or essay title is REALLY asking and what they need to do to respond appropriately.
And
They need to be clear on the subject content and how it links to the demands of the task.
Only THEN will they be able to devise a thesis statement or have a clear focus.
And only with THAT will they be able to pick out the evidence and examples that need to go in their body paragraphs.
These are the things that need to go into their plan.
The direction or focus or thesis
and then
the content to support that.
If they aren’t able to create a clear plan, then they have little hope of creating even a satisfactory response.
So many students want to bypass the planning stage because they feel it’s time-consuming and they want to just dive straight in.
The total.opposite. is true.
The planning stage is not only an essential part of crafting a high quality response,
but it’s a very clear indicator of whether your teen’s clear on the task, the demands of the command word (or words!) and the focus of every paragraph.
So if your teen’s feeling stuck, confused or finds themselves in the waffle zone part way through an extended response, assignment or essay task,
then they need to go back to the planning stage.
Figure that out first, use the gaps in it to guide them on getting the help and clarity they need
and the rest will become a LOT quicker, smoother and more successful.
If you know anyone else who’d benefit from this tip, then feel free to forward it or share it online,
and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!
