Study Skills 101: Metacognitive Learning Strategies
This podcast helps students learn how to study using scientific-based methods and evidence. It is designed for those struggling in university or high school courses. The host, Charlie C., provides metacognitive learning strategies to improve academic performance.
Episodes
Study Skills 101: Focus forward and final exams!
Final exams are never easy, and usually students are suffering burnout by the time they roll around. The key is to remember that you are in a marathon, not a sprint. You need to start prepping early, pace yourself, and remember why you are here. Whether the reason is a career, a good job, or just to learn, you need to make sure you don't burn out and that you are ready to perform your best!
Study kills 101: Eliminating Distractions
We are constantly distracted in today's world, and this is not an accident. Companies spend millions of dollars trying to get your attention, and in reality they are winning. However, as you learn to focus and study for exams, you must learn how to manage your distractions so you can pay attention to the material you need to learn to be successful, not what the companies want you to remember.
Study Skills 101: What is burnout and how do we avoid it?
In academics (or even in the workplace), you may have heard the word "senioritis" or "burnout." It turns out that both of these are real things, and they both impact how our brain functions and how efficient we are in the long run. This week. we will focus on what this is, what it causes, and how you can overcome it and become productive again!
Study Skills 101: Mind Hacks: Read Faster, Remember More
It would be nice to be able to peruse our reading assignments and take our time. However, even the best of us can lose track of time and then need to gain a few precious hours back as we try and prepare for exams. Today we will talk about speed reading, how it works, and its benefits and limitations.
Study Skills 101: The Art of Effective Listening in Lectures
Believe it or not listening is a skill and differs greatly from hearing. Think about it, you hear sounds every day, but you don't necessarily focus on them or remember them. When you go to lecture, chances are you are paying an in ordinate amount of money to attend University. Therefore, you will want to make the most of lecture and improve on your listening skills to get the most out of your e
Study Skills 101: The Power of Elaboration
We often try to learn material in the exact same working as it was given to us. Well, it turns out that there is a much better way to do this, to learn it well enough to elaborate on it. This means that you put things in your own words, break things down, and are able to explain even the most difficult concepts to anyone around you. This episode will focus on this, as well as other useful tools
Study Skills 101: Mastering Exams, The Ultimate Study Plan Guide
We have all been there, we have spent out time somewhat unwisely and now we have a huge exam to take and we don't feel we know the material. Well, it turns out that if you plan for your exam ahead of time and design an Ultimate Study Plan Guide, you can avoid this and increase your performance drastically on the next exam. Although this involves some preparation, once you begin to do well on you
Study Skills 101: Using Mnemonics to improve your memory in life and on University Exams!
We might not know it, but using mnemonic devises to improve human memory has been around for hundreds of years! We might try and use a few of these techniques, now, but why not learn more about the different types of devices and when and where you can use them to help you get that much more out of your exams.
Study Skills 101: Procrastination, what it is and how to defeat it!
We have all been there, we have a list of tasks to complete and we feel overwhelmed and buried. Then we Binge Netflix until dawn and realize we wasted the entire day. This is known as "procrastination." By learning what procrastination is, where it comes from, and how to defeat it, we can become more productive in our lives and develop some new skills along the way.
Study Skills 101: Using AI as a study tool
We have discussed the good and bad of using AI/Chat GPT on assignments. Now let's talk ab out using it as a study tool!
Study Skills 101: The Use of Chat GPT and AI in school.
Technology these days is growing leaps and bounds. The most recent large advancement came with open source AI, or Chat GPT. These days it comes in many forms, and students are learning to use it, which they should. However, as they learn to use it ethically, there are some things students need to consider which we will cover in this episode.
Study Skills 101: Imposter Syndrome, what it is and how to deal with it
Most of us have had it at one time or another, and the key is to not let it impact your success or your future. This week, we will be discussing imposter syndrome (IS) and how you can learn what it is an maneuver around it to not let it destroy or negatively impact your grades or your future.
Study Skills 101: The benefits of creating your own study guide
These days, AI is being used for a variety of tasks with regards to learning. I do think this can be a great benefit to students, however I also think that there are certain tasks that students should do for themselves including creating their own study guide. As we will discuss in this episode, many of the same techniques we use to learn new material are also used to create study guides. Why n
Study Skills 101: To multitask or not to multitask?
The idea of multitasking might seem appealing when you have spent a long day focusing on a few topics for exam preparation. However, according to the science, when it comes to how we learn best, multitasking is not helpful and in fact, hinders our progress when it comes to learning.
Study Skills 101: Picking your study spot
As you are working to learn and repeat the information for class and your exams, you may want to first determine what environment works best for you. Some people say background music is a must, while other people say "Silence is golden." In today's podcast, we let the science solve this controversy which will hopefully help you determine what is best for you.
Using your external resources (and they are free)!
Unlike when I was a student, decades ago, the internet is a wonderful resource for learning as long as you use reliable resources. Normally .edu, .gov and resources written by the experts are reliable. In this episode, we will discuss some of the resources I have found over the years, and even a few new ones that I am excited to share with you.
Picking the best major, and how this impacts your grades
As a faculty member, we see many students who are unsure of what they want in life. This is perfectly normal. As you take more classes, you will figure out what you do and don't like. Take a variety of classes, and learn about yourself and what makes you happy. Most importantly, pick a major based on what you like and then explore careers that are available to you if you have this major.
Study Skills 101: the PLRS study plan, putting this all together
This week we will discuss the PLRS system, which puts together many of the topics we have covered this term into one cohesive study plan. P stands for preview your lectures and reading material, L stands for going to lecture, R stands for review and S stands for studying. We have discussed many of these ideas separately, but now we can put them together as you learn the most effective big study
Study Skills 101: The essence of time management
We have discussed in previous podcasts ways to be more efficient as we study. Today we will focus on how to use those skills to stick to our schedule and complete all of our tasks, even if that means a B+ rather than an A+. As you go through the different stages of life, you will realize that mastering those skills when you are younger will be beneficial to your no matter where you are at in lif
Study Skills 101: Asking for help
It might be intimidating to ask for help in a lecture hall of hundreds of students. However, you should know that if you are having problems in a class, most likely many other students are as well. When you ask for help from a professor or a classmate, this is a normal process and it is how we learn and learn to work together. You can then find a "study buddy" whereby you take notes together, a
Study Skills 101: Concept mapping
For those of us who are visual learners, having an image that links everything together can really help us. In this episode, we will focus on concept mapping, and how we can use these to study and learn difficult topics while we transfer the material from short-term to long-term memory.
Study Skills 101: The Pomodoro Technqiue
Although it might seem overwhelming to realize the material you need to learn for that next exam, using the Pomodoro technique can help you break things up and make things more manageable. The idea is you use intense 25-minute study sessions interspaced with short breaks to keep your mind focused and not distracted. By using this technique, combined with other techniques we have talked about, yo
Study Skills 101: The power and purpose of forgetting
As we are trying to learn new information to perform well in class, we may not realize that there is an active part of our brain that is trying to make us forget. This might seem like a useless service, but the reality is that when we forget unimportant information, we are better able to make good decisions and function in society. This is very important to know as we try to learn and make new m
Study Skills 101: The importance of Study Groups
Schools have long recognized that study groups are important for doing well in those difficult classes. Today we will talk about how to start your own study group, and how this can give you an advantage as you prepare for those tough exams!
Study Skills 101: The benefits of a study shedule.
When we are super busy, we might not be that organized and it may be difficult to meet all of your demands. By setting a schedule, and sticking to it, you can find a way to budget your time to make those deadlines as well as take care of yourself.
Study Skills 101: Test anxiety
We have al been there, we are ready to take an exam and we are stressed out and very anxious. It turns out that this is very common, and there is even a term for it "test anxiety." Today we will discuss what this is, and how to work around this so you can perform well on your exams.
Study Skills 101: How to take good notes
Part of the challenge in University can be learning to actively take notes in class. In this episode we will discuss several different methods that have worked for students over the years. Ultimately it is up to you to choose what works best for you, but if you try a new method it might help give you that competitive "edge" for that higher grade in class.
Study Skills 101: Learning to maneuver in the culture of academia
Faculty have all different personality types, and they can range from "student hostile" to "student friendly." It can be hard to figure out how to talk to them and ask them for help when you need it. This episode, we will focus on how to talk to and address professors. There is a "good" way to do so, and this can save you a lot of headaches as you learn it.
Study Skills 101: Grit and the power of perseverance
Have you ever been told that you were stubborn? Well, it turns out that this can be a very useful trait in academics. Being stubborn is akin to being 'gritty.' Being gritty means that no matter the challenge, you keep working and keep trying. This is very related to success in academics and can be a great trait as you go after your degree.
Study Skills 101: Change your attitude, and change your grade!
If we realize it or not, our attitude plays a large part in our success in a class. If we avoid a difficult topic, and we decide we hate it, this will not help us conquer it. However when we embrace a challenge, take criticism well, and work hard to have a positive attitude, this can help us to do better in that challenging topic.
Study Skills 101: Chunking and building neural networks in your brain
We may not know it, but a memory is a series of connections between our neurons called synapses that ultimately build networks in our brain. We build these networks through repetition and learning, and the more you use or review the information, the stronger the links and synapses become and the more likely you will remember it. Chunking is a way to link related new and old ideas together in tho
Study Skills 101: Spread out your study time, and interleave your topics
This week we will discuss how important it is to spread out your study time in small blocks rather than one big chunk. We will also discuss what order you should study your topics as we introduce a new concept of interleaving. Finally we will discuss the importance of frequent quizzes (even if you need to administer them for yourself).
Study Skills 101: Go to office hours!
Today we will be talking about the importance of office hours. Many times students do not feel they will benefit. However, going to office hours is like an investment. We get to know you, and we can then give you the help you need to do well in our class. I hope to see you soon!
Study Skills 101: The benefits of sitting up front!
Although there is no magic formula to getting top marks in University, research has shown that for people who sit up front, there is a potential pattern for higher success in their classes. This week we will discuss the benefits of sitting up front in your large lecture classes. This will once again be based on the research. Happy studying everyone!
Study Skills 101: Get a good night's sleep before an exam! The science says so.
In this episode, we will discuss the importance of getting a good night's sleep before an exam. Scientific evidence has revealed that sleep and memory performance are tightly linked, which means in order to do well on your exams, you need to keep your brain healthy and well-rested.
Study Skills 101: Why you should attend class IN PERSON
This week, we will be discussing the scientific evidence as to why attending class live (in person) in addition to listening to recording will give you the best results.
Why you should read the textbook BEFORE you go to class!
Textbooks are incredibly expensive, and seem like a huge waste of resources and time. But according to the scientific evidence, reading them BEFORE you go to lecture can drastically increase your test scores! Join Charlie as we talk about the benefits (and evidence) of reading the book.
Study Skills 101: How to actively read a textbook
Have you ever read a paragraph in your textbook like 5 different times and you still don't know what it says? Today's episode will focus on how to turn textbook reading into an active learning tool so you can remember what you read the FIRST time around!
Study Skills 101: How to take a multiple choice exam
This episode, we will discuss the best strategies to succeed on a multiple choice exam. Once again, this is based on the science, and I hope you find this helpful.
Recommended
10 Minutes with Jesus
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
10 to Life
1128 MINISTRY
11 O'Clock Comics Podcast
1211 Podcast
123 GO! Food
1-2-3 Learn Spanish with Me!
128 Civics Questions for U.S. Citizenship Test
12 Hour Sound Machines for Sleep (no loops or fades)
#12minconvos
12 Minute Meditation
