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It’s Supposed to Be Hard
Students often complain about how hard it is to learn difficult content. My snarky, cryptic response is always the same: “Well, you don’t go to the gym to lift Styrofoam weights.”1 My point is simply...
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Dumbledore’s Army
It’s year five for Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts. Voldemort has returned, but The Ministry of Magic refuses to believe it. Deep in denial, the Ministry has imposed a curriculum upon the...
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Some Thoughts on Overparenting
Julie Lythcott-Haims spent over a decade serving as Dean of Freshman and Undergraduate Advising at Stanford University. She is the mother of two teenagers and the author of the excellent book How to...
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Doing More Than What is Asked
If I could only give students one piece of advice about how to do better on tests, it would be this: Do more than what is asked. If your math teacher assigns 10 math problems, do 15. If your biology...
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The Test is Always Coming
“But the test is in two days and the teacher only told us yesterday!” a student complained last April. “When did your class start this unit?” I asked. “Three weeks ago,” the student replied. “Okay,...
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Don’t Rescue
Here’s something a student once told me: “The test was today, but I got my mom to pull me out of school, so I wouldn’t have to take it.” The student in question had not done the homework, had not...
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Ask For Better Feedback
Here’s a surprisingly common conversation we have with students while looking at their grades: Coach: “What happened there?” (pointing to a low grade) Student: “I don’t know! I thought I did well on...
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Brain Dumps
One of our favorite academic techniques requires nothing more than pencil and paper. It’s called a “brain dump,” and it’s one of the simplest ways to test your knowledge and one of the most powerful...
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True Knowing
There is a classic episode of The Simpsons where the family moves to a more affluent town with a better school. On his first day of class, Bart reveals that he doesn’t know how to read or write...
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Looking Isn’t Studying
You look at things all day. In fact, you see too many things every day. If your brain remembered everything you saw, you’d be overwhelmed. So your brain does you a huge favor by deleting almost...
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“What’s on the test?”
The title of this post is a question that students ask too rarely, and when they ask it, they usually don’t ask it well. So here are some quick thoughts on why and how to ask this question. Why? If...
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Sometimes Learning is Painful
Last December, while my brother’s family was visiting for the holidays, I got to watch my then 8-month-old nephew Gray work on standing up. He would repeatedly try to stand up, grabbing at whatever he...
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A Child is Not a Jenga Tower
As discussed in our post on executive function, a parent’s job is to provide “scaffolding” – guidance, structure, and support – and gradually reduce that scaffolding as time goes on. The older...
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The Trouble With Fun
I’ve written about how we can use fun – play and games – to learn important skills. Some school subjects are fun to learn, at least for some students. And many teachers are fabulous at bringing fun...
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Remember by Using
Here’s a fundamental principle of memory formation: The brain remembers what is useful. But how does the brain determine what is useful? One answer is human nature. Our brains evolved to see certain...
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Focus is a Muscle
The ability to focus is of paramount importance for success in school and in life. Without the ability to pay attention when you need to, you’ll struggle to learn in class, study at home, listen...
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Mastery is Myelin
Wait, what the heck is myelin? Well, neurons are grey, so brain tissue is often called “grey matter.” But the brain also contains “white matter,” and that’s the myelin.1 Made of a mix of fat and...
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So You’re “Done.” Now What?
Homework is done. Projects are done. Tests are done. The school year is done. So this is as good a time as any to talk about the mentality of “done” that permeates our school culture. Many students...
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The Secret to a Higher SAT or ACT Score
People often want to know “the secret” to a higher score on the SAT or ACT, and they’re often unhappy about the answer. In the world of test prep, there are basically four categories of students:...
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Natural Consequences
What happens if you put your hand on a hot stove? What happens if you forget to pay your credit card bill? What might happen if you never exercise and only eat junk food? What might happen if you...
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