Successful students use the power within their creative mind to unleash their own genius.

The following strategies will help you think productively, not reproductively.

Look at problems in many different ways. Find new perspectives that no one else has taken. Leonardo Da Vinci believed that to gain knowledge about the form of a problem, he needed to begin by learning to restructure in many different ways. He felt that the first way he looked at a problem was too biased.

Visualize ! Einstein worked through problems by creating as many possibilities as he could think of. He used diagrams to help him visualize.

Produce ! Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb held 1,093 patents. Most of his patents were lemons. Most respected scientists produced great works, but also produced many bad ones. They weren’t afraid to fail, or produce mediocre inventions in order to arrive at excellence.

Make combinations! Combine, recombine ideas, images and thoughts into different combinations (no matter how unusual or unlikely they might be).

Form relationships! Make connections! Da Vinci made a connection between the sound of a bell and a stone hitting water. This enabled him to realize that sound travels in waves.

Prepare yourself for chance. When we attempt something and fail, we end up doing something else. This is creative accident. Failure can be productive if you analyze the process, its components and how you can change them to arrive at other results.

Have patience.

Successful students have the confidence to question and put forth their own observations and opinions.

They have the gumption to think critically.

STRATEGIES FOR CRITICAL THINKING

Critical thinking begins by making a statement about what is to be studied, looks at the statement with an open mind, considers all possibilities and concludes with an understanding that is based on evidence. Judgment is only made after motives, bias, prejudice from both learner and experts are compared.

 ENTER WITH AN OPEN MIND

• State your topic: Example: ‘Pros and cons of Abortion’ or the ‘Theories of the Cause of Autism’.
• Consider what you already know about this subject. How will this knowledge help you?
• What are your prejudices?
• Gather information. Keep an open mind. Ask questions. What are the prejudices of the authors of the information?
• Place facts and information in a pattern so that you can understand them. Accept or reject the source’s conclusions based upon your own experience, judgment and beliefs.

Successful students do not procrastinate.

They take charge and take action. A question you need to ask yourself is:

Is procrastination a habit of yours? If it is you must overcome your procrastination in order to SUCCEED !

To overcome procrastination you must:

1. Begin!! Do something !!! Even if it is a small modest task. Just do it !! The longest journey begins with a first step.
2. Answer the list of questions below for each project.
3. Keep referring to the answers of these questions as you move through your project.

WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO DO?

• What is the final goal of this project?
• What major steps are required to get there? Don’t give detail at this point.
• What have you done up to this point in time? ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

WRITE DOWN ANYTHING THAT BLOCKS YOUR WAY

• Do you have the power to change this block?
• What outside resources do you need? Internet, books, art supplies, etc?
  What will happen if you do not complete this project?

If the consequence is devastating and scary you will be even more motivated.

DEVELOP YOUR PLAN

• Write down major, realistic steps. Start small. A project is easier when it is built in small stages. Add detail as you achieve and grow.
• How much time will each task take?
• A schedule helps you to check in on your progress. Reward yourself at every milestone. This is extremely important !!!
• Choose a time or a day of the week to dedicate to your project. Create a comfortable environment. Proper temperature, soft music, aromatherapy, no clutter, fresh air, proper diet, bathroom breaks, no distractions from phone, other people or noise etc.
• Admit to false starts and mistakes. Accept your weaknesses, forgive yourself and move on to success.
• Avoid distractions and escapes. Avoid temptations of sweets in the fridge or friends text messaging, emailing or calling to gossip etc.
• Accept your emotions. There is always ‘stuff’ in your life. Acknowledge your emotions. Don’t deny them. Admit to frustration. Feel comfort in knowing that you have a plan to reach your goals and be successful !!! 
• Fantasize and dream. See yourself achieving remarkable goals!! It all starts with a dream.

Successful students recognize signs of stress and can recognize when their expectations are too high.

When creating your list of things to do and prioritizing tasks make sure that your goals are reachable. If your school work is unmanageable you should consider dropping other commitments. If you are in high school or college, choose courses that you enjoy mixed with difficult ones.

When tackling school assignments always do the most difficult ones first.

 Personal health is always at the top of the list. Take time to exercise. Take time to eat well. Fried food, salty and sugary foods are killers. Raw food is the best. Your energy and quality of life is at stake. Stress can cause exhaustion, loss of appetite, headaches, depression, sleeplessness or oversleeping. If stress is truly affecting your studies seek professional help. By managing your stress you will be able to control when situations, people and events make excessive demands.

Successful students take the time to understand what the assignment is asking them to do.

These students will seek clarification from the teacher before beginning the assignment. On a test this is especially crucial. Students must slow down to fully read and understand each question. Don’t be shy to ask your teacher. Also, if your teacher ever says, “this might be on the test” listen to them. Take note. They know what is on the test.

Students use their time wisely by prioritizing.

Effective time management does not happen overnight.  There is no quick fix.  It requires constant practice.The strategies below will help you become aware of your time and how to use it.

Great Strategies

1. Create an overview of your school term.

• Put a 6 month or year poster on the wall.  Write in important dates.  Plan for blocks of study time.  Place blocks of time when you are most productive ie, morning/evening.
• Pick up a copy of your school calendar. Write in as much as you know about tests, papers, readings, mid terms, final exams and all due dates. Include all holidays and breaks. Enter important dates for your outside activities, social life and family life. Write in any routines you have.
• Besides the calendar, write an overall long range list of goals (See overall list of goals). In this first list you are brainstorming. Order is not important in this first list. List all of your goals for school, work, family/social life and you personally. Then prioritize the list by putting numbers in the top left corner of each box.
• I find that doing this list every 2-3 months works well. When you rewrite your list you leave out the things you have crossed off. 

2.  Do a weekly review: (See weekly plan work sheet)

• Sunday night might be an excellent time to look at what was accomplished the previous week. 
• Plan goals for upcoming week. 
• Adapt to change and unexpected events. Prioritize assignments.
• Get in the habit of getting the most difficult tasks out of the way. 
• Do assignments long before they are due so you can get feedback, reread your assignment and edit.

3. Do a daily list: (See daily ‘to do’ list)

• Each evening organize the next day.
• Include routines, errands and appointments.
• Review the day’s schedule each morning.

You may find it useful to go through the worksheets with your tutor. If you need a tutor, contact Academic Advantage Victoria, and we will line up a great tutor for you to work with.

Successful students take the time to understand their own learning style

10 Habits of Highly Successful Students

Habit # 1

These students understand:

• Themselves
• Their capacity to learn
• The process that they have successfully used in the past
• Their own knowledge and interest in the subject they need to learn.

 Most people find certain things are easier to learn than other things.  For example, I find it easy to learn snowboarding, but find it tedious and difficult to learn computer programs.  Another person might be the opposite.

There are 4 steps necessary to learn effectively:

1. Analyse your past
2. Look at the present assignment and task
3. Do the assignment
4. Always reflect on your performance on the assignment

To help you work through these stages, we have a worksheet that you can use. It can really help to go through this worksheet with your tutor. Afterall, your tutor should be able to help you with more than just homework (one of the huge benefits of using a certified teacher). Contact Academic Advantage if you need a teacher to tutor your child.

10 Reasons Why Intelligent Students Fail

There are many reasons why intelligent students fail. Here are the top ten:

1. Students do not understand their own learning style.
2. Students make poor use of their time and waste time on unimportant tasks.
3. Students don’t keep track of assignments due and they don’t understand what the assignment is asking them to do.
4. Students become stressed, overwhelmed and stop functioning.
5. Students procrastinate.  Students are in the habit of putting off tasks until later, but later becomes later until it’s too late.
6. Students lack the confidence to think critically.
7. Students do not tap into their own genius (their own creativity).
8. Students lack self-discipline.
9. Students lack motivation.
10. Students are afraid to make decisions.

Knowing the Top 10 reasons for failure is a good first step. Knowing how to overcome these stumbling blocks can be a challenge. You can make this challenge less daunting by having a professional, certified teacher help your child.  Contact Academic Advantage  today to find out more or to set up tutoring. Look next week for the first of 10 habits that successful students possess Learning Styles.

You want a Teacher, Not a Tutor

You want a teacher not a tutor may sound strange coming from a business that is supplying tutors, but let’s be honest- not all tutors are created equal. Basically tutors come in three flavours:

1. High School Student as Tutor- someone who has taken the course your child needs help in. Could be an older sibling/friend, and they may know the content that your child needs help with. They also may have forgotten the material (even if they aced the course). If we assume that they remember the content, there is still no garantee that the way they learned the material fits with the learning style of your child. I like to put it this way: would you feel comfortable with a grade 9 student teaching your child’s Grade 8 class? I’m sure that there would be more than a few parent complaints registered with the principal. Regardless, this will be your cheapest option on a per hour basis.

2. Undergrad Student/Degree Holding Adult- many of the same issues exist here as with the high school student doing the tutoring. This type of tutor may be at an even further disadvantage because it can often be many years since they covered the course material in your child’s class, or the tutor may be so advanced in the content that they have been studying, they have a hard time simplifying down to the level of your child’s course. This is the middle of the road pricewise on a per hour basis

3. Certified Teacher- there is nothing like dealing with a trained professional. A certified teacher is the best choice for tutoring for many of the same reasons as you want a teacher instructing your child in the classroom. Certified teachers have a knowledge of the curriculum in your child’s course, plus the courses in the grades above and below. This is important because often times your child is struggling because of a gap in their knowledge from a previous course. Knowing the curriculum allows the teacher to focus on what is important. Additionally whether your child learns visually, aurally, or through manipulatives changes the methods the tutor should use to teach.Certified teachers have an understanding of these different learning styles. Teachers are in the profession because they possess the ability to connect with children. Finally, teachers have the skill to identify what your child is struggling with.  In combination with the other talents listed, this can make the biggest difference in the success of the tutoring. A certified teacher will cost the most per hour. However,  the amount of material covered and the level of understanding achieved means the value per hour of tutoring is much greater.

Ultimately, you will decide which type of tutor you will employ based on a number of factors. We think a certified teacher is your best choice. At Academic Advantage we can find a great teacher to tutor your child. Contact us today to find out more or to set up tutoring.

Want to Succeed? Change Your Attitude!

After many years of teaching I have witnessed hundreds of students who did not reach their full potential due to their lack of planning and focus. Many students never reach the level of success that they deserve.  Placement in College and University is becoming more competitive.

The biggest difference between a student who fails and a student who succeeds is their attitude towards life. Successful students understand that they are responsible for success or failure. There are certain obstacles that they can or cannot control. A successful student will recognize the difference and will eliminate the controllable obstacles. They will accept the obstacles they cannot control and find ways to work with them. Successful students stay positive by keeping their final goal in mind as they wade through the tasks.

Over the next weeks we are going to look at reasons why students fail as well as some strategies that students can use to overcome the hurdles they face . At Academic Advantage we can find your child a tutor who can  help with implementing these strategies.