When it comes down to it, there’s one mark difference between grade boundaries.
Just one mark can make the difference between a D and C grade, one mark between a B and an A grade. Therefore one word can make the difference between a grade, as one word in an answer can mean getting or losing a mark. I’ve talked about this when tackling compare and contrast Qs before.
And this is why I’m a big believer in ‘every little helps’.
Because one little tip, one strategy, one minute of revision of one fact that’s asked in an exam, can make a whole grade’s difference.
I’ve been making a point lately to recommend to my personal coaching students that they do just one or two questions for practise and revision each day because many of them have Term 3 exam blocks in a few weeks.
We’ve been coming up with some specific plans for them based on their personal priority points and your teen can do this for themselves too.
For example in Maths, putting in place a daily bare minimum over the school holidays, to do just one or two Maths practise Qs on top of any other study (or on top of their relaxation!).
That’s perhaps 14 questions over two weeks of a school holiday.
Which would be approximately two or three questions per topic for a term’s worth of content.
Two questions on every topic is just about enough to keep everything fresh in their mind and not let anything become totally buried so that it has to be dug out from the depths come revision for exams.
Or… how about we make this REALLY easy and a long term plan.
How about in Y11 and 12, making one revision card per week, and doing one practise exam Q per week?
Not a whole practise paper, just one practise question. That’s maybe 15mins for the revision card, and 10 mins for the practise Q. That’s just 25 mins once a week. If they’re a morning person, that’s getting up at 6am instead of 6.30 on just one day, or that’s one less episode of a TV program just once a week.
That’s going to give them 46 revision cards if we don’t count the summer holidays, over the course of one year and 46 practise Qs completed.
And that’s a LOT of revision resources at the ready, a lot of exam practise and familiarity with exam Qs and that equals a lot of potential extra marks in an exam 🙂 #winning
I’d love for you to have a think about what one little thing could be done once per day, or once per week.
It won’t feel like a lot on it’s own, but add it up and it can make a big difference.
And then let me know in the comments below – what is the one small thing and what big result would it give?
I’ll see you next week, let’s go make this a fantastic week.
I’m sticking my neck out here and fully expecting a few unsubscribes this week.
Because I’m going to make things a bit uncomfortable for a few minutes :/
(Just warning you!)
And just so you know, this is something I’m totally guilty of as well.
So, watch or read on to join me in this awkward conversation!
Here’s the thing.
I’ve had a lot of conversations with parents over the past week while I ran my Exam Special webinar event, and while some were totally diving into the content and telling me about ways their teen has already enacted it the very next day, for others… there was some resistance.
And it may not immediately be recognisable as that, but that’s exactly what it is.
Resistance.
And I’m pretty sure there’ll be many more parents out there feeling the same thing, so I want to address it head on.
When they were talking about their teen getting the study skills they know they need, or getting the full training on exam technique, some would say things like,
“Well, we’ll just see how the rest of Year 11 goes first, and then we might look at doing something next year”
Or
“I think I’ll get him an English tutor for now and then if his confidence doesn’t improve, then maybe I’ll get him on to watch this webinar next time you run one.”
And I totally get this situation…
The concepts and training I teach go beyond the accepted traditions of learning more content and having subject-based tutors.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with either of those, if you know that understanding specific subject knowledge is the thing holding your teen back.
BUT – and here’s the part that can be challenging for ALL of us… if those
“I’ll just do this first”, or “I’ll just wait until” statements and stories we’re telling ourselves are actually,
(if we really dig deep and get really honest with ourselves), just excuses to put off what we know we really need to be doing,
or help us put off accepting the uncomfortable truth of things…
then they’re not only not helping, they’re actually holding us back.
They’re holding you back from experiencing a life of less worry or concern over your teen and their study.
And stopping your teen from finding out what they’re truly capable of and discovering that confidence and pride that’s inside but hasn’t had a chance to break free and be experienced YET…
I did this myself in a big way back at the start of this year.
I held myself back and – #confession – I held other teachers back, and students back.
Yep, I said this was uncomfortable…
Believe me, it’s not fun writing this down in public.
But I recognise it now. And that’s the thing…
It can be hard for us to really see this clearly for ourselves at the time, but on reflection, it’s SO clear to see.
But only once we’ve taken the action we’ve been avoiding.
So here’s my confession…
I had plans to create an online program for schools to deliver to their students, similar to my 10 Week Grade Transformation Program.
In fact I’d had this plan in my head for about a year before I did anything about it. Because I know that many teachers aren’t aware of the importance of exam technique – I certainly wasn’t until I became an exam marker in the UK, even though I’d already been teaching for 4 years and even won a national teaching award by that point!
Anyway, I already knew that schools needed this, teachers needed this, and although I was already training students in this in my online programs, I wanted to be able to help as many students as possible and working with schools is one way to increase the number of students I can help.
I was already delivering in-school workshops, but making the program was a big project and then putting it out there and marketing it was, psychologically, an even bigger step. It’s a lot more corporate than the way I share my knowledge and programs with parents, like I do with you, and I’m not from a corporate background.
So, I decided: I needed to read a few books to prepare and equip myself for this.
One of them was the famous ‘Dare to Lead’ by Brene Brown.
I looked up the ones I thought I wanted and needed online and added them to cart. It quickly came to over 200 bucks. And I was like, ‘hmm, that’s more than I was expecting’.
Now, of course, on reflection, for those people’s wisdom and teaching, it TOTally isn’t a lot of money; but that was the first step in me holding back, right?!
It had nothing to do with the money. What it really meant was: if I didn’t order the books, I couldn’t read them and therefore I couldn’t start on the schools project yet.
Urgh, it seems so crazy now, but yes, if I really dig deep, that’s what was going on.
I was just putting more self-inflicted hurdles in my path to delay the uncomfortable tasks I wanted to do, but also was avoiding doing. Yep, crazy alright!
#primitivebrain
So, guess what I did next…
I looked the books up on the council library database*
(so I could save myself 200 bucks of course – but ACTUALLY so I could delay the process juuuust a bit longer!).
*Positive side note – this was the start of me re-discovering how awesome libraries are! Almost all of them were on the database!
So I requested all the books and then waited for weeks, some of them for months til they became available.
One of them I was really keen to read, but when it actually came through, it sat on my shelf for the entire two weeks.
I didn’t even open it.
Why?
Because I ‘didn’t have time’.
I was working on other things, I was coaching students, I was planning and delivering monthly student seminars to my GTZ Members, I was training with the QCAA to become an examiner and panel member for the new Senior Exam System… there’s always PLENTY to fill my time with.
Of course I could’ve MADE time, but two weeks later, I returned it.
Hadn’t even opened it.
In the mean time, one of my good friends called me out on all this.
And THANKS GOODNESS she did!
That’s the kind of friendship we have.
We massively support each other but we also know when to challenge each other – in a helpful way.
I think that’s a rare type of friendship, but it’s so valuable and I feel very lucky to have it.
Anyway, she asked me what I’m really waiting for.
She’s a high school teacher herself and told me how much her school and her students needed this info and training.
We talked about my conversations with parents like you who’ve asked me in wonderment why schools don’t teach this stuff.
She told me about the money her school was already spending on a program nowhere near as good as what I had planned.
And then she asked the waitress for a pen and started writing my to-do list on a serviette.
With dates and deadlines. (You can see why we’re friends) 😉
I still have those notes.
And I agreed to, as Nike says – just do it.
Now, I still wanted to ensure things would work perfectly – or very close to – I’ve never had anything go 100% perfectly – and so my small Rock Solid team and I decided we’d launch to a small sample of schools, so we could make sure we could deliver everything at a really high level and iron out any issues easily.
And then we got to work.
A month or so into progress, guess what popped up.
Yep, the notification that the ‘Dare to Lead’ book I’d had on reservation for months was now ready for me at the library.
I collected it.
I read a few pages.
But it wasn’t really connecting or resonating.
It wasn’t what I was hoping it would be.
Although I’m actually not totally sure exactly what I WAS hoping for or expecting. Super-hero powers, unicorn glitter maybe?
So I skipped ahead and dove into a couple of chapters I liked the sound of.
Still wasn’t doing much for me.
I’m sure the book is great.
It’s had rave reviews.
It’s just not what I needed right then.
And that’s fine – because I’d already started.
I’d taken the leap (with a loving push on the backside!).
But could you imagine if I’d waited
til I’d read those books before I got started on the project?
I’d be here now, still not started.
Because I still haven’t read those books.
The schools who are running my online program right NOW (yep, it’s out there and everything’s running great!) wouldn’t have that info and training to deliver to their students.
Those students wouldn’t have the skills and strategies they’re learning and honing and their Term 3 results and Finals wouldn’t be as good as they’re going to be as a result of it.
So, if you’ve been thinking of taking action that’ll catapult your teen’s confidence or results,
or will make them more effective in their study,
but putting it off for whatever reason,
then I’d encourage you to dig deep and consider what you’re really waiting for and whether it’s really serving you or your teen.
Rather than waiting to see how things go, wanting to try something else first, or wondering whether it will actually work.
Where will they be this time next term if you did take action and took a leap?
And like I say, I know this might feel uncomfortable.
And I know this has been a longer blog than usual!
But I can tell you that waiting or filling time with unnecessary steps is NOT the answer.
It’s not going to take away the discomfort you or your teen might currently be experiencing.
So if you need a friend that’ll give you that reality check, or the ‘firm but kind’ kick in the butt, then I’m happy to be that person 🙂
If you wanna chat about it, drop me an email and we’ll set up a time for a friendly chat on the phone,
and until next week, let’s take action to make this a fantastic week!
It’s a two steps forward, one step back affair at the moment (literally!).
And we realised (after a ‘help!’ email to our dog trainer!) that we’re just trying to do too much ‘fun stuff’ without having the basics TOTALLY nailed.
Makes sense. (We’ll put the Australia’s Got Talent application away for now then) 😉
And it might be the same for your teen.
Check out the ‘basics’ they might be leaving behind in pursuit of the higher grades (and of course, how they can get any missing parts of their foundations filled in)!
I wanna share a moment in my life when I was a student.
There really was nothing stand-out, unusual or particularly special about it at all (which actually shows why it’s an issue for so many teens still today).
But now, looking back, I think it’s very telling why I remember it so clearly (and is the reason I’m sharing it!).
Here, I explain where I was going oh-so wrong!
Now, I shared this story just once or twice in the early days of Rock Solid Study.
But it’s occurred to me that most of the parents and students in our community NOW have probably never heard it.
There I was, 17 years old, sat in the study area of the library at Sixth Form College (that’s the equivalent stage in England of Year 11 and 12 here in Aus).
I was being the model, diligent student.
I’d heard more than once how good students needed to do ‘extra reading around the subject’ to get great results.
So I did just that.
Sat writing notes from a National Geographic article to add to my Geography work.
I can’t remember exactly what the article was about – something to do with rainforests I think. I can’t even remember exactly what the topic or unit was we were studying in Geography at the time. I think it might’ve been something to do with ecosystems? Or maybe it was sustainable resources, or even sustainable tourism.
But whatever it was, there I was sat writing out notes about some ‘case study example’ that had SOMEthing to do with the topic I was currently studying.
Now, that shows self-motivation, right?
No-one had made me do it.
No-one had set it for homework.
I was going over and above.
It shows independence and pro-active, positive steps to improving my results.
Right? Right?!!….
Well, no.
I’m afraid not.
Well, yes to the self-motivation, to being pro-active, to doing what I thought I had to, what I’d been TOLD I had to, to get my best possible grades.
But taking positive steps to improving my results?
Nope.
Just… no!
And here is the interesting part – or at least it’s interesting to me now.
I genuinely remember feeling even at the time, sat there, blue pen in one hand, red pen at the ready for key words, feeling like I didn’t really know how this was going to help me.
I figured that maybe I’d be able to mention it in an answer to an exam question.
I just blindly followed the very general advice.
I kinda questioned it in the sense that I wasn’t sure HOW it would help.
But I buried that uncertainty and just did it anyway!
The truth is, that advice of wider reading is one of the very LAST things students should or could do to improve their grades.
They don’t really need extra case studies. They’ll cover the ones they need within the syllabus and term planners – or at least they should be.
And they don’t need extra information beyond what’s in the syllabus dot points because it won’t and can’t be examined anyway. That’s a very strict rule of exam boards in how exams are written.
Plus, I could list a hundred other activities that would have a greater and more direct impact on building skills, knowledge and success academically.
I know them from over a decade in teaching, tutoring, exam marking and extrernal exam board training.
Which is why I’ve made it my mission to train students in the very best and most effective actions and skills in my programs, workshops and personal coaching, especially in my 10 Week Grade Transformation program.
So, my message is this:
If your teen’s doing something to extend themselves, but has no idea how it links to building their skills or performance against the syllabus criteria and exam technique elements,
then either they need to find out HOW it’s really going to help,
or,
if there IS no clear link, then they need to stop doing it and find something a LOT more effective to put their time, energy and effort into.
So they aren’t working hard for little outcome or reward.
So they aren’t wasting time and effort.
But instead:
They study and build their knowledge and skills in a way that gets results.
Or,
even use the time to relax or enjoy some time with friends and family instead.
Just don’t let them work hard without knowing exactly how that work is going to help boost their results.
So if you’d like them to have the exact steps and guidance to do things that’ll actually pay off – that’ll give them the biggest bang for their buck – then go and checkout the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program so they can be led step by step through the most effective ways to make their foundations really solid, and do the things that will really catapult their grades and confidence.
I’d love to hear your take on this.
Are there any examples of work or practise that really has or totally hasn’t paid off for you in the past, or right now for your teen? Drop a comment below this video or send me an email, – katie.price@rocksolidstudy.com.au– and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic and USEFUL week!
Ever had this conversation with your son or daughter?
They come to you with “I don’t really get it, I’m just not too sure what I’m meant to do”
And so you say: “Did you ask the teacher?”
They reply with “Yeah, but they weren’t really very helpful”
So how can your teen get better help when they need to ask for it at school?
How can they get *specific and *actionable answers?
Well, they need to… ASK BETTER Q’s.
And here’s exactly (like, word-for-word exact-ness) HOW.
Ever had this conversation with your son or daughter?
They come to you with “I don’t really get it, I’m just not too sure what I’m meant to do”
And so you say: “Did you ask the teacher?”
And they reply with “Yeah, but they weren’t really very helpful”
And then the confusion and frustration continues with whatever topic or task it is that they’re stuck on.
So how can your teen get better help when they need to ask for it at school?
How can they get *specific and *actionable answers?
Well, they need to… ASK BETTER Q’s!
I’m Katie Price, Grade Transformation Expert and I KNOW there are different types of teachers out there.
Some will happily sit down for ages with students who are stuck and discuss a task or topic until they’re all over it.
Other’s will be less likely to, and perhaps for valid reasons – they want students to be more independent or the task simply requires that,
OR perhaps a student just hasn’t caught them at a moment where they have the time.
So, here’s how your teen can ask QUALITY Q’s to get better QUALITY answers.
The key here is to turn basic, low quality statements into high quality, specific Qs.
Some examples of low use statements would be:
“I just don’t get it”. Or “I have no idea where to start”.
These give the teacher nothing to go on and no foundation to build on.
Even if your teen FEELS those statements are true for them, it’s unlikely that they’re true in reality.
They need to find elements (ANY elements) that they DO understand, and then consider the next step and why that’s got them stuck.
Like for a science inquiry:
“I’ve got my data and results, I’ve put them into tables and graphs, but how do I actually analyse them?
That positive start to the sentence shows the teacher they’ve made some progress by themselves (which will also increase that teacher’s willingness to help),
AND importantly, the student is following up with the exact skill they’re stuck on.
This gives the teacher a clear point for them to work from with the student and gives both the student AND teacher a clear success marker – because if your teen at the end of the chat understands how to analyse and has the skills or templates to go away and do so themselves, then they can make progress.
If they don’t have that then the Q hasn’t been answered.
But what if they haven’t made ANY progress?
What if they’re stuck just getting started? Well there’s still a positive progress statement that can be made AND a quality Q that can be asked.
Let’s say it’s an essay and they just don’t know where to start.
Well, if you’ve followed me for a while now, you’ll know I suggest students NEVER start with the intro – go check out my blog video ‘Write the Intro Last’ for that. And so, given that, then here’s what this scenario might sound like…
“I know that I need to find evidence that supports my argument or point for the essay” – it’s a basic requirement that everyone should know from Year 7 onwards (as evidence is one of the E’s of PEEL or TEEL paragraphs), so this is an easy way to give a positive statement. Then they could follow it with “ but I’m not sure what my argument or point IS”.
That tells the teacher that they know the basic structure they need to take to be able to start drafting the essay, but they need help deciphering the essay title or the thesis statement or the requirements of the response.
This is likely what they’re really stuck on if they don’t know where to start. And getting their focus and direction sorted and having a clear argument or point to prove is a key step in this.
A LOT of other elements can slot into place once those are clear.
Or, finally, if it’s more topic based, let’s say they’re stuck on how to solve quadratic equations in Maths, then they can change statements like “I just don’t get it” or “ I have no idea how to do any of this” to…
“I understand that quadratic equations have a squared value in them, but I don’t get why there are two solutions”.
Or
“I’m okay with some basic algebra, like collecting like terms, but how do I actually solve equations?”
Again, we’re finding ANY thing they DO know or they CAN do and then specifying a clear step that they can’t or they’re not sure of.
So, if your teen wants quality help, then they need to stay away from the low quality sweeping statements like “I don’t know where to start” or “I just don’t get it”
and dig a little deeper themselves first, to come up with a positive progress statement followed by a QUALITY question.
If you’re enjoying these videos and tips then, then please give this a like or a thumbs-up, and if you know anyone else who could benefit from this, then please go ahead and share it with them. ….. And if you have a scenario that your teen just can’t find a positive starter statement or quality question for, then drop it in the comments or send me an email and I’ll dive in and help you out! Katie.price@rocksolidstudy.com.au– and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!
Being good at something and being comfortable with it is certainly no bad thing.
However, being ‘good’ or being comfortable, can stop us from pushing ourselves and therefore prevents us from becoming GREAT. It means we won’t work harder or do more and we don’t therefore discover how brilliant we could be… How awesome things COULD be.
Being good at something can actually be the thing that stops us becoming great at something.
What on earth am I talking about? I’ll explain all in this video.
I’m Katie Price – Grade Transformation Expert, and as a student I was in the ‘good’ category pretty much across the board.
I got mostly As and Bs, in my subjects – not without a lot of work though. I was decent at sport – always made it into the B teams for the sports I played (and sometimes got a shot in the A teams – I was the one who’d get bumped up if an A team player was away) and socially, I would be the odd Vice-captain of something on the odd occasion. So generally good, never terrible, but never GREAT. Mostly ,I blended in and was totally okay with ALL of that.
If this is anything like your teen, OR if they’re kinda cruising or staying happily in their comfort zone right now, then this message is definitely for you.
Being good at something and being comfortable with it is certainly no bad thing.
However, what I’ve noticed – ONLY once I’ve gotten older and experienced moments of growth as well as moments of struggle and major challenges – is that being ‘good’ or being comfortable – can stop us from pushing ourselves and therefore prevents us from becoming GREAT.
It means we won’t work harder or do more and we don’t therefore discover how brilliant we could be. How awesome things COULD be.
Now – this isn’t any major revelation… it’s really a THING and so many coaches, authors and well, pretty much everyone who studies or teaches human behaviour and psychology in any way have laid this out clearly for years. But it’s something I’ve been hearing about more and more from parents, and like I said earlier, it’s something I can definitely relate to in my own life and decisions and in others around me.
Cruising means we’re not pushing ourselves. And I certainly wouldn’t say I was cruising as a student, but I did realise just how much more I could push myself when I once got a D in an exam…Argh!
It was my first major exam of A-Level Maths – the equivalent of Maths Methods or Advanced Mathematics depending on your state over here. And it was certainly a big jump from the GCSE level Maths I’d gotten an A in previously.
And that D freaked me out!
I started going to all the extra lunch time tutorials, did extra practise Qs for homework and basically levelled up my study. Because I was a little concerned that that could happen in my other subjects too. I pushed myself harder than I ever had before because I was suddenly uncomfortable.
And you may well have seen this happen in aspects of your own or your teen’s life. It takes something that makes us UNcomfortable to make us change or take action.
I bet you’ve had that situation in the car, where we experience a hairy moment or a near-miss when we’re driving, and suddenly we’re paying super-close attention to EVERY car, pedestrian and road sign for the rest of the journey. That dodgy moment made us uncomfortable and made us focus and concentrate harder straight afterwards.
My mum used to be a smoker and had tried giving up heaps of times, until her best friend – also a smoker – was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. One week later, my mum had given up smoking and hasn’t smoked a cigarette since.
If a situation isn’t GOOD – it FORCES us to take action, to work harder or to seek help or do something about it. To become great at whatever will help us overcome or avoid that situation.
Which is why many parents come to me or enrol their teen in my 10Wk Program, when they’re struggling in some way or with some aspect of their study and need to take action to get good or become great at the things that are holding them back.
AND it’s why I get especially excited for those students and parents who get on board when they’re NOT uncomfortable and they’re already doing pretty well – BUT they’re either keen to see how much better they could be. They know that they COULD be GREAT rather than GOOD if they just had some of the skills, techniques and know-how that I teach.
So if your teen’s currently a little uncomfortable or facing challenges in any aspect of their study – assignments, essay-writing, exams, note-taking, researching or just being organised, motivated and efficient….
It’s easy to feel like we’re just not getting anywhere sometimes.
I’m sure we all have that feeling from time to time.
I know I do!
Because I’m a real action-taker, and with that, I’m also a little impatient at times
(okay, a lot of the time) 😉
or frustrated when I don’t feel like I’m progressing with something as fast or as well as I’d hoped.
So I thought I’d share with you something that I’ve done recently that’s helped me feel better about how each day’s gone and what’s gotten #done.
When things didn’t feel like they were moving along as much as I’d like, even though I was working hard (not just because I wasn’t doing anything, cos, well… if that’s the case, then this won’t work) 😉
I had to remind myself and prove to myself that progress was actually being made and that things were indeed getting done.
So I would take 2 minutes at the end of the day, to write down all the things I’ve accomplished that day.
Whether it was a small, stand-alone simple task, or a step towards/some part of a bigger project.
For example, your teen might not have completed the whole essay they need to write, but they might’ve planned the structure and content, or written their thesis statement and the arguments or evidence they’re going to use to support it.
Or…
Perhaps they’ve done the research they need in order to get the background theory for their science investigation.
Now, this 2 minute daily review is not something I do all the time, I just do it when I feel like I need that bit of ‘proof’ to myself that things are actually happening and progressing. (Though, actually – it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep this up – so that it’s almost a preventative technique to stop me getting to the point of feeling that way in the first place!)
But I usually keep it up for about a week or two.
Just til I feel positive and back on the ‘progress train’ again 🙂
So if your teen’s feeling a bit like they’re spinning their wheels, not making as much progress as they’d like, when really they just need to be reminded of all the small steps they ARE taking in the right direction, or a bit of positive reinforcement, then have them give this a go.
I’m Katie Price Grade transformation expert and if you have a question you’d like me to answer or topic for me to address on a future blog video, then I’d love to hear from you – you can email me at katie.price@rocksolidstudy.com.au– and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!
Is your teen procrastinating over something?
Getting started on a task, finishing something they started, something small, something big?
It might be because they’re missing one of the essential resources that we ALL need to get ANY task done.
What do we need to get any task done?
There are four essential resources – key ingredients if you like –
and without any one of them, we’re likely to fall short of our goal or the required outcome.
So what are they?
Let’s see if you can work it out from this recent not-so-academic example for me…
My husband and I needed to put up a fence a couple of months ago.
Because #Bonnie #NewDogParents ??
So, we put aside a couple of days to do it and roped in a couple of DIY savvy friends of ours too,
because although I’d love to be,
we are NOT the most practical or knowledgeable when it comes to DIY beyond hammering a picture hook into a wall!
We needed their skills and we needed their tools. (Big time).
(Honestly, it more ended up like us helping and them doing the fence. And my main skills were mainly in the tea, coffee and snacks department – but those are kind of essential too, right?!)…
So, anyway – did you pick them out?
The 4 key resources?
Well, they are:
– TIME (to do the job and any prep)
– PEOPLE (who know what they’re doing!)
– SKILLS (the knowledge and the ‘how’ to do it)
and
– TOOLS. (what practical things you need to be able to do it)
Let’s use a different example that’s a bit more academic:
For any webinar I host, I need:
– time to plan the content,
– time to deliver the webinar
and I need
– people: Me to plan and deliver it, my glamorous assistant Alistair to monitor it, and sometimes the brilliant tech support people.
On that tech note, I need
– tools: I need the webinar software, plus the powerpoint software for the slides, and the laptop to do it on.
Plus I need
– skills: Skills in putting the powerpoint together and skills in running the webinar software, plus speaking and presentation skills too.
And, for your teen and their study, it’s the same.
For them, their 4 essential resources will look like this:
Time – time to get that essay written, to complete that exam, or to revise the subject matter, or simply to get those questions done for homework.
People – this includes themselves to do the work, but of course also their teachers, any tutors and perhaps their friends or you as parents for help or a practice audience maybe.
Tools – including their laptop, their stationery, and of course any other practical or subject specific gear, a graphics calculator perhaps or art equipment for example.
And finally, Skills – which I’ll come back to in a moment 😉
Because first consider the fact that really, students need to minimise the first two if they’re to study successfully, efficiently and independently.
And when it comes to official assessments and exams, then this is critical.
When it comes to the ‘people’ resource,
they won’t be able to get help from friends, parents or teachers when they’re sat in the exam hall.
And they don’t want to be wasting time seeking out that help or waiting on it during their revision.
And in general, they don’t want to be spending more time than is necessary on each and every task.
They’ll almost always feel like there’s more content to be covered than there is time available when it comes to revision, so they want to make that as efficient and effective as possible.
They want to still have time for friends, family and hobbies and so want to minimise time spent on homework whilst also ensuring it’s still of a high quality.
And this is where that fourth resource comes in: SKILLS.
Students need to know and master the techniques and strategies that’ll make them effective as well as efficient in their study.
So they don’t waste time using revision strategies that aren’t effective.
So that they don’t waste time on false start after false start on that inquiry or assignment they’ve been set.
So that they don’t have to edit and re-draft their essays more times than is necessary.
And instead, craft and construct writing that is high quality and focused on the elements that’ll gain them marks in a rubric or mark scheme.
They need a proven system that’ll get them on the right track from the very start and then have the techniques and skills to complete any task to a high level.
And they need the six elements of exam technique that enable them to tackle questions and essays with clarity and confidence, because they know exactly what the question’s really asking, and they have the knowledge and ability to get the required info from brain to paper in the way that the marking guide requires.
These skills of:
– exam technique,
– high quality written communication
and
– extended response structure and planning
are critical for students to operate independently with confidence in their study.
And it’s this resource of SKILLS that I believe to be most important.
Because with the necessary skills, your teen can reduce or make the others more efficient.
It means they’re less reliant on other people
(like you, their friends, tutor or teachers),
they can use any necessary tools more efficiently and smoothly,
and it takes less time to complete homework exam Qs or essays (AND they can do so to a higher standard).
I’d love to know, which of the four essential resources – time, people, tools or skills – does your teen have and which do you feel they are lacking?
Let me know in the comments, or send me an email 🙂
And until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!
Does your teen get overwhelmed by all the things they have to do?
Do they sometimes have a never ending to-do list that gets them down or stresses them out?
In fact, re-write that… Don’t we all have that and feel that, most of the time?!!
I’ve always got a long to-do list and am sometimes (Okay, often) guilty
of adding way too much to that list,
as I have a tendency be a bit over-ambitious or with predicting how much I can do in a day or a week.
(I prefer to call it being ‘optimistic’) 😉
But I’ve gradually developed and honed a ‘not-a-list’ to-do system/blueprint/regime/whatever-you-wanna-call-it that I now swear by and teach all my personal coaching students to do.
And I’m gonna share it with you 🙂
(Note to self – think of a cool name for this system… ideas in an email please!)
This ‘system’ is a simple (no tech-y project management software needed, nor crazy-weird special diaries you can only get online from Sweden or wherever).
way to getting everything that needs to be done, done. On time.
And without any added stress or feeling guilty when you’re not slaving away.
(Because yes, I used to be guilty of feeling guilty if I wasn’t working when there was oh-so much on that looooong to-do list. Until I got this sussed).
Now, It’s no secret to anyone who knows me or has been a part of this grade transformation community for some time, that I’m a person who likes to keep busy. I’m a do-er and a planner and I love a project.
And therefore I’ve always got a long to-do list and can often be guilty of adding way too much to that to do list as I can be a bit over ambitious with predicting how much I can do in a day or a week.
(And then moaning to my husband, Alistair, that I’m way too busy and I’ve got too much to do! He, of course, then reminds me that I was the one that gave myself those jobs in the first place, and then I sheep-ishly agree with him and go back to what I was doing, minus any sympathy I was hoping for).
The point is, there are a lot of positives to this – getting lots done, being efficient with my time, but it can also lead to feeling overloaded and overwhelmed if I’m not careful.
So, I’ve gradually developed a system that prevents these negatives and helps me stay calm and on top of life – (most of the time!!… Hey, no-one and no system is totally perfect!) 😉
And I thought I’d share it with you as it’s pretty simple and could be enacted by your teen too if they feel it might work for them.
First up: I DON’T make a to-do list.
I’ll say that again.
I NEVER write out a full to-do list.
I used to – and it was simply… overwhelming.
Plus of course I never got to the end of it, because as I’d cross things off over a few days, naturally, more things would just get added. Know the feeling??!
So I never felt like I could just relax or watch some TV or chill out, without feeling guilty or twitchy that I should be doing something more productive, something to tick off that list.
Here’s what I do instead.
There are three parts to it:
1) I break down every task into specific actions
And
2) I then write each action into a specific day in my diary.
So in my diary I have specific things on specific days.
Things like anyone has in their diary – dentist appointments, coffee dates etc.
But I also have my tasks and work to do.
Then…
3) Once I’ve completed a task, I highlight it.
And yes, I even highlight the fun stuff like the coffee dates (because, everyone loves to cross things off a list right?!)
This system means I still have a visible record of what’s been done when,
because it’s not just a piece of paper or a post-it note that’s gonna get thrown away.
I can still see any outstanding tasks AND I get the glory; that sense of satisfaction, by highlighting as a way of crossing off, the item.
(Note: pretty highlighter colours can help boost that enjoyment factor just a tad more too) 🙂
So the rules are:
– No general list.
AND
– No big projects that are going to take more than an hour or two to complete. If they are bigger than that, they need to be broken down more.
EXAMPLES:
If it’s something small, or stand alone, like a phone call I need to make, then rather than just writing it on a piece of paper or as part of a random list, I note it down on the day I plan to do it with the time and any other details.
Then, once it’s done, I highlight it.
What about a task that requires more than a short one-off action? Or, more than an hour or two of work?
I’ll give an example of my coaching sessions I do with my Gold and Platinum students.
Of course I put the actual coaching session with the timing in my diary – with a buffer either side.
But there are also other tasks associated with a coaching session, and they get broken down and written in on specific days too.
I’ll put in my diary three days before to email the student and confirm the session date and time. Plus, if we haven’t already arranged what we’ll cover, I’ll ask what they want us to work on in their session.
I also put in prep time.
That goes in my diary for the day before the session.
I don’t like to do this too far in advance as I want everything to be fresh in my mind and as up to date as possible.
And then finally, I put in a note the day after our session to write it up and send through the summary document I produce, along with any resources or other help I’ve planned to pass on to the student.
So, this keeps it clear exactly how much work is involved and doesn’t leave me struggling to fit in all those other elements beyond the coaching session itself.
ROUND-UP:
The beauty of this system is that it not only helps me stay on top of absolutely everything;
even the small things that are associated with a task that could otherwise slip through the net or be rushed, or just add to my overwhelm if they aren’t planned for and written down.
But, it also:
++ encourages the act of breaking down any project into manageable pieces,
++ helps me track my progress
++ stay motivated and positive by seeing all the tasks I’ve accomplished
++ keeps those to-do lists much smaller and more manageable each day.
Instead of seeing 20 things to do, I might have 4 or 5.
ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING!…
I’ve had to train myself to only look at one day on any particular day.
That’s a really important part of it.
I have to tell myself to “just get those things done and trust that if I do, and I do that each day, then everything will be taken care of.”
THE OTHER BIG POSITIVE:
Finally, those smaller daily lists mean I can actually relax at the end, guilt-free.
If I’ve gotten everything done for the day, I can rest easy knowing that life is under control and can take some time to chill out and do whatever else I want, without worrying about the other things left to do, because I know they are programmed in for another day. Not for today.
Ahhhhh- guilt-free relaxation!
But of course, this is just what works for me and has worked for many other students I’ve shared this with and have enacted it.
Feel free to tweak and adjust.
And of course, there might be something that works even better!
Plus, hey, everyone’s different. What works for one, may not for another, and vice-versa.
So leave me a comment and let me know what systems work for you and your teen,
and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!
