The only thing you need to become an A students
It’s unbelievable that a student can do poorly in school when the only distraction is video games.
I know, I know…gaming addiction is a real thing. but only when a student is under an abnormal amount of stress and video game is the only way to escape from life.
This is not about doing well since school is supposed to be easy. This is something I learned over the course of my own education and college counseling with over 50 students.
I didn't know it exists. It helps me to ace all my tests and assignments. It helps me to be a student who knows all the answers in the classroom. It gives me the confidence to tackle any schoolwork, even the novel ones. I didn’t know I need to think about it until I failed my first semester of college.
It is a process.
*from here, study and learning are interchangeable and they both mean to acquire knowledge to do well on a test or an assignment.
A student who aces everything is not smarter than a student who fails. Yet, they are fundamentally different in terms of how they study.
Learners are made, not born.
Many students who are doing well in schools might not know that they have a learning process that is serving them. Everyone learns differently and you can take advantage of yours as well.
What is your learning style?
Either you are a superstar or the last of the last or any in between. Learning is a learned behavior. If you don’t keep up your learning game and refine your process. You will fall behind sooner or later. But, if you were Elon Musk, then you could take a break and let others catch up.
The good news, you can only get better at learning because every day is another opportunity. It’s just a matter of how well you learn — how well you study.
Practice makes perfect, only if you also reflect on it.
If you are bad at studying, try to implement new steps in your studying, and see if they help.
I never really teach my students how to study but they develop it eventually. I help them reflect on the process of getting that good grade. I also help them to identify bad steps and suggest good ones for studying. Then, we discuss if the change of process results in better grades.
It doesn't really matter what steps I add to remove from their process. Some like to study in a noisy environment, some need absolute silence. What the heck do I know? It’s up to them to find out and it’s up to you too.
Metacognition is thinking about thinking
To find out your current process of studying is to ask yourself — “what are the steps in my studying?”
List them out and here are my steps:
- organize class materials for the test or assignment
- estimate how much time I need in order to finish it
- decide where I am going to study
- set criteria of completion
- go study
- reward myself if I finish on-time or early
Practice them religiously and check the result of your process.
If you get an A — you have the right process for now.
If you get anything less than expected, add or replace one of your steps.
You will continue to refine your process until you are confident that getting a good grade is just a matter of time, not a matter of ability. Because learners are made, not born.
Reference:
https://hbr.org/2018/05/learning-is-a-learned-behavior-heres-how-to-get-better-at-it