Good morning and happy Monday!
Today, the Motivation Monday article I am sharing with my classes is "Studying with Quizzes Helps Make Sure the Material Sticks." As always, please read it when you get a chance. In discussing the article with students, it surprises me how few pick up on the main reason I shared the article with them. They tend to see the parts that discuss how teachers and college professors need to use the research. However, there is some powerful information that can help students manage their OWN learning!
DID YOU KNOW...that Bellevue East offers a Guided Study Hall after school Monday through Thursday in the Library? I bring this up because a number of my students have fallen or are falling behind on practice assignments. There are ways that as parents, teacher and student we can use this.
Hope you find this information as useful as I do. As always, you are encouraged to comment below or on twitter, and feel free to email or call with any specific questions.
Have a great week!
R. Mason
Today, the Motivation Monday article I am sharing with my classes is "Studying with Quizzes Helps Make Sure the Material Sticks." As always, please read it when you get a chance. In discussing the article with students, it surprises me how few pick up on the main reason I shared the article with them. They tend to see the parts that discuss how teachers and college professors need to use the research. However, there is some powerful information that can help students manage their OWN learning!
- The act of retrieving information over and over helps make it "stick" in the brain. Each time the brain makes new connections to that information that help you retrieve it quicker the next time.
- Based on this research, teachers should be quizzing students more often. Not only as a way to assess, but as a way to force the information retrieval, and therefore assist learning. Each of my classes gets a quiz almost weekly as a way to assess how they are doing with new information. Now I know that those quizzes are helping them learn too! Another way I do this is by asking a lot of questions to students in our class discussions. Instead of "lectures", they are constantly being quizzed.
- Based on this research, students can use this information to learn more effectively. Instead of just reading or watching a video, students should stop and quiz themselves on the material that they are reading or watching. This is actually supported in the Cornell Notes format of note-taking that I advocate for my students. They should reserve a margin on the left side of their notes. Later, after taking those notes, they go back, re-read the notes, and come up with questions to write on the left side that match the notes on the right side.
- My favorite section of the reading: "Studying using these methods requires a lot of work. Rather than just reading, students have to create little quizzes for themselves. It can feel uncomfortable and inefficient. “This is a difficult way to study,” McDaniel admitted. “I think most people want learning to be easy and effortless. They want a magic bullet for it. And learning is not easy and effortless. It takes work, and it takes effort and time and dedication.”
DID YOU KNOW...that Bellevue East offers a Guided Study Hall after school Monday through Thursday in the Library? I bring this up because a number of my students have fallen or are falling behind on practice assignments. There are ways that as parents, teacher and student we can use this.
- I can assign Guided Study to students who are missing work (or come see me after school if I am available) until they get it done. Sort of an "academic detention".
- You can request or send your student to Guided Study too! Just contact me (if it's about Physics), a dean or a counselor, and we'll get them on the list.
- Students can report to Guided Study on their own! It is a controlled, teacher supervised environment with computers available if needed. It's a great way for a student to schedule a time and place to get stuff done. I have been encouraging physics students to meet each other there when I am not available after school to form study groups to help each other.
Hope you find this information as useful as I do. As always, you are encouraged to comment below or on twitter, and feel free to email or call with any specific questions.
Have a great week!
R. Mason