Episode 100: How Rock Solid is YOUR Teen's Study?

TRANSCRIPT:

You’re listening to The Parents of Hardworking Teens Podcast, episode 100!
How to help your teen become a Rock Solid Student, who’s happy, smart and successful in their study - BINGO quiz style!

Hello VIP’s. I hope you and your teens are doing FANTASTICALLY.
I cannot tell you how totally delighted I am to be recording this episode today. 
I have felt like a 7 year old waiting for their birthday party the past few weeks.
You know I’m a planner and so I was starting to think about episode 100 when we were at like 87 or something. Knowing that I wanted to do something a bit special for it. And here we are.

So, if you’re just joining me for the first time, welcome. I’m so glad you’re here and aside from starting at episode 1 - which you should totally do right after this - then this is a great episode to be joining on. 

If you have been with me since the start, then an extra special shout out and huge thank you to you. That is amazing work from you and thank you for letting me share your car journey’s, dog walks and meal prep time. I know we all have a million ways we could be spending our time and places we could be putting our attention, so I don’t take that lightly at all.

Now, here’s how this episode is going to work:

I have been requesting and collating over the past few weeks feedback from parents and students about what info, advice or strategies I’ve shared have been most useful or impactful. Something small that just made you think about or see something differently, or something that made a big difference in some way - to results, to your teen’s confidence, HOW they approach their study, how to talk to each other when it comes to school stuff, whatever it might be.

And I’ve taken all of that on board so that I can create a kind of ‘best of collection’ here for episode 100.

I was very conscious that I wanted it to be useful for everyone. Parents and students, and both for those of you whose teens have AND haven’t been through the 10WGT or Next Level Coaching.

Plus, I wanted it to be more than just a simple repeat of things I’ve already said or delivered. And I wanted to create something that would be actually practical, actionable and tangible.  Something that could actually be USED, not just listened to passively. And finally, I wanted it to be FUN and kinda interactive. Something that is actually more of an ‘event’. As much as that is possible on a podcast.

And so after much brainstorming, a couple of slightly crazy - hmm- maybe not ideas - and many hours of putting everything together, I bring you Rock Solid Bingo!
16 ways to become a Rock Solid Student - game show style.

I did not come up with this idea. I used to use a key word bingo as a teaching activity when we were learning key words and subject-specific terminology, so that’s where I got the idea from and hopefully you like it.

So, team up with your teen and let’s play.

Okay, so first up, you’ll want to ideally download and print or - option B screenshot on your phone and then check off with your finger the bingo card resource. 
It’s at www.rocksolidstudy.com/100.
Pause this now and go grab it. 

Okay, now the aim of the game is to work towards getting a line and even a full house on your teen’s bingo card. If you have more than one teen in Y9-12 or Y10 - 13 high school right now then they can even make this a little bit of a healthy competition if you like. 

Now there are 16 squares , one for each letter of ROCK SOLID STUDENT - and each one has a corresponding skill that will make them a Rock Solid Student when it comes to studying efficiently and effectively and have them become happy, smart and successful in their study.

And here, right now, I’m going to describe or define each and every one. 
If your teen can do it and IS doing it - is SKILLED in it - you check it off.

If they can’t YET or aren’t YET, then this can be your action plan. Because I have also added, with each box, with each skill, exactly where I train your teen in it, in the 10WGT - the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program . 

So, if they’ve completed the program, you know where to go back and find it - to review and recap it OR where they’ll be trained in it if you choose to enrol them in future. 

So, just before we begin, let me just say this:

The more of these skills and strategies that your teen has in their tool belt the better. 
But so often, just one or two can make a huge difference. So many of you have told me exactly that in your feedback.

So, heads down, let’s play rock solid bingo.

Okay, - R of Rock Solid Student - R is for Revises Actively. 
So many students are using passive revision techniques like re-writing notes, reading over information, or making copious palm cards, rather than active revision techniques, where they actually process the information from one format to another. If your teen is revising Actively for every test and exam, then check this box off on your card. And if not, or if they need a recap, then full training on Revision that Actually Works is in Catapult 5 of the 10WGT.

Next O - O is for Optimising time and effort. A Rock Solid Student spends their time and puts in effort into the things that will give the biggest ROE - return on Effort and really move the needle. They know that confidence is dented when their results don’t reflect their time, effort and ability, and have built the skills and tools to therefore optimise that time and effort. More on that in The final item - number 16 on the list, so stay tuned for that.

Okay C. C is for - can you guess it - yes, it’s command words. This is one of the 6 elements of exam technique and being able to identify and then respond accurately to all the different command words is one of the most common things parents and students tell me has made the biggest difference to how they approach assignments and exam questions, their confidence in answering them and for sure in their results as well. 

That’s why I have a WHOLE module dedicated to command words in the 10WGT - it’s catapult 7 and it really is a critical skill for any student in Y9 upwards who needs to work out how to ‘actually answer the question’ and giving the right amount of detail in their answers. 

K - K is for Knowing that Knowledge does not directly equal marks or grades. This is the foundation of everything I teach and train students in. Knowledge by itself is almost useless in an academic sense if your teen doesn’t know how to APPLY that knowledge to the way a question asks or a mark scheme requires. Hence why the study success formula - knowledge plus application equals success was the very first episode of this podcast - episode 1. So go check that out if you haven’t - or give it a second listen if it’s been a while because I’m certain you’ll now hear something differently or pick up something extra from it second time around.

Okay - so that's our top line. R.O.C.K.

Did you get some checked off? If so, that is AWESOME. Those are some really critical skills and concepts for your teen to grasp and be able to DO.

So, next line down: 

Let’s start with the S of Solid - S is for Stopping the Spaghetti Throwing. Aka they no longer end up writing everything they know in response to a question or for an essay, hoping that some of it will stick and get them some marks. 

This is linked to those command words. If your teen isn’t sure of exactly what the question is asking then they might well end up feeling like they just want to or need to write everything they know about the topic. And this is a far from optimal strategy because it means a) they’ll likely run out of time in an exam or go way over the word count in an essay because they’re writing more than they need to AND they likely won’t hit the top marks because their response won’t be as clear or focused as it could be. 

Next - another O - This O is for being Outcome Orientated. In other words they plan according to tasks and outcomes rather than just time. They don’t just say I’m going to work on my essay this evening, or I’m going to do 1 hour of Business Studies Revision. There are SO many benefits to this. It reduces overwhelm, makes them more productive, links back to making things active rather than passive, like I talked about earlier, and ALSO highlights any gaps or uncertainty. For example, if they are having to specify exactly what sub-tasks they need to complete for an assignment, then they need to know exactly what they need to do and HOW to do it at every step. This system will immediately show up any gaps that they can then pro-actively solve for, rather than realising they’re stuck at 10pm at night and it’s due the next day- cue the meltdown.

Okay, L. L is for Levels of response, in relation to mark schemes and success criteria. In particular for extended tasks and extended response or essay style exam questions.
Does your teen know the difference between explaining and analysing? Do they know what makes their evidence appropriate vs discerning on a mark scheme? What about detailed versus comprehensive research. This is where I see so many students being unwittingly held back through the descriptors in a mark scheme. 

I - I is for identifying the root cause of any procrastination. Most students want to get their work done, and even the most committed and motivated of us have times when we just can’t seem to get a particular task or item on our to-do list crossed off and complete. Want to know the secret? It’s not about motivation. Here’s what one parent, Allison, said in her feedback to me for this episode:   She said that it’s been useful to discover that procrastination for her teen is actually not to do with motivation, but instead  likely down to: I don't know WHAT I'm doing, Or I don't know HOW to do it, OR i don't really see the point of it (why). You nailed it Allison - exactly that. She said “We both found it so very helpful to know that.”

D - D is for Doing it anyway. Just a few days ago I was covering a Y7 Religion class and when I asked a student why she wasn’t doing the thing she was supposed to be in that moment, she said, I just don’t like Religion.

My answer?

That’s okay, you don’t have to like it. 

Rather than trying to convince teenagers as to why it’s actually useful, or here’s why they should find it interesting, these days I spin it as an opportunity to practice doing things even when we don’t want to or like them. I think that is one of the more useful life skills we can develop. I hate cleaning the bathroom, but I do it. Sometimes I really don’t want to go do a work out, but I do it. I’m all for doing more of what you love in life, but if we don’t build the skill mental toughness of doing things we don’t love as well, then I actually think life is going to feel a heck of a lot harder along the way or have as much success. Bit of a soap box moment there, let’s do our final section!

That’s ROCK - SOLID. Next and finally: Student.  
Ready? 

S - yep, we couldn’t have an S without the word Stress. A Rock Solid Student does NOT have ZERO stress. Instead, they have some manageable moments of stress and they accept that they will experience SOME stress along the way BUT they minimise unnecessary stress using all of the skills and strategies here. For example, they are less stressed for exams because they know they can quickly and accurately dissect any question they’re faced with. But they also turn the stress they are feeling to their advantage. I did a whole episode about this episode 73 -titled  Not all stress is bad. because whilst long and intense stress is damaging, the adrenaline and focus that short term low to moderate stress generates can actually serve your teen when it comes to performing in exams and to deadlines their study.

Next up T: Topic Traps are avoided. Now half of Catapult 9 in the 10WGT is dedicated to this, because it’s so important, especially for essays and extended responses and inquiry tasks. But in a nutshell I can sum this up as this: A rock solid student will RESPOND TO the exact focus of a question, rather than writing about whatever topic is covered in the question.  This overlaps for sure with the spaghetti-throwing. And so I teach a 2 step Topic and Focus system is how to avoid topic traps and stop the spaghetti-throwing, the waffle, the vague kinda essays and discussion-writing and have your teen identify the exact focus of the question and how to construct a focused, relevant and well-structured response.

U - U is for Universal use of strategies. Because everything I share is strategy and skill-based it can be applied across any and every subject, and all different syllabus curricula and exam boards. For example the 3 steps of analysis that I train students in are the exact same 3 steps of what to look for and include whether they are analysing data from a Science experiment, or analysing a quote from Shakespeare. This universal nature of strategic study is why students see such an improvement across all of their study and subjects and parents often save a lot of money because they’re not having to hire multiple tutors for different subjects.

Onto D - D is for Different formats. Converting information into a different format is what ensures your teen actually understands what they are learning. One student, Lily - who shared her feedback as a 10WGT graduate said one of the most important things she learned was that: just reading text doesn't help us, but it gives the sense we know it when we don't.

And that is the issue. When your teen is studying in ineffective ways, it lulls them into a false sense of security that they think they know and understand the content. This is when students tell me ‘they go blank’ in exams. They didn’t go blank, they never truly processed and understood the information in the first place. Harsh, but almost always true.

3 to go!  -You with me?

E - this is my favourite. E is for Exam Technique.  (Will talk more about this in ep.101)
Literally what is responsible for students thinking they did well, but then getting a disappointing result. Whatever disappointing is for them. 
There are 6 elements of exam technique - all delivered in Catapult 6 of the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program , from time management, to the exact system for reading the question carefully, to being able to ‘predict the mark scheme’. This is a huge one.
 

N - Note taking. I’m not sure if I’ve said this on the podcast before, I’ve definitely said it before, but maybe not here. But I almost didn’t put note-taking into the 10WGT. But my goodness, I’m so glad I did. Because I didn't realise just how much students value and don’t already have the skills of effective note-taking. They’re spending way too long on taking notes. They’re taking notes that are almost word for word, because they aren’t sure which parts are importance and aren’t, they aren’t condensing notes, because they don’t have the how-to to do it, and they are so often typing their notes instead of handwriting them. - Which I get why - it’s faster, it’s easier, and so they think they’re getting more done. BUT thats why, in the program I give a whole 9 reasons why (unless they have a specific diagnosis that states they should type) they need to be handwriting them. I would say that well over half of all 10WGT grads mention in their review or feedback that note-taking was one of their favourite or most useful trainings in the program. So, I had to put it in here.

And finally…. 

Last bingo box: T. T is for Tactical study. Using specific systems, steps or techniques in different tasks that will maximise that ROE - return on effort. Pro-actively prioritising specific practise questions or topics for tactical revision when there is limited time. 
Knowing what will get marks and what won’t. Using the ‘reading with purpose’ method when reading a novel for English. Making a tactical choice of topic in an open task, rather than just the one that sounds most interesting.  Being willing to critique a completed task to understand WHY they got a certain result. So T is for being tactical.

So… 16 boxes, 16 ways to become a Rock Solid Student. 

How many can your teen tick?

Definitely let me know! 

Email through your score or a photo of your card. I promise to reply and will give you a pointer for anything not ticked.

If your teen’s been through the 10WGT and is feeling a little rusty on anything, then have them use their work books to review anything they need to, or enrol them into Next Level Coaching in our next enrolment.

And of course, if your teen is in Y9 - 12 or Y10-13 and you’d love for them to become fully trained in all of these and more, then enrol them into the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program at www.gradetransformation.com/join.

Finally, I want to ask one thing of you. 

If you have found anything from this podcast helpful, anything from any of my webinars or free resources - or paid trainings - helpful, then I would really appreciate it if you’d share this so that others can benefit as well. 

I really do think that students are basically on the back foot when it comes to their confidence and ability to perform to their potential in education and so I’m working hard to be able to reach more parents and students with this information and insight. 

I’d LOVE your help. 

Please share this podcast (tag a friend in the comments) in whatever way you feel comfortable - as a post on your social media, in a whatsapp group or as a text or even a chat with a friend. 

I promise I won’t let you down and that I’ll continue to do my best to serve them and you and your teens in the best ways I can.

So happy bingo playing, thank you for being here for episode 100 - and here’s to 100 more!