Episode 71: What Are You Doing Differently? 

TRANSCRIPT:

You’re listening to The Parents of Hardworking Teens Podcast, episode number 71.

And If your teen would like something about their study to change - maybe it's their results, maybe it's how long assignments are taking, maybe it's something else - then this might be a good time to ask “What Are You Doing Differently?”.

Hey there Very Important Parents. How are you? I hope you and your teens are doing great and even if things aren’t feeling great, I hope that I can pass you some positivity and energy through this podcast, because I’ve got to tell you, I’m feeling fired up for this new term. 

We set out our Term 4 behind the scenes projects a few weeks ago and so right now we’re at that super-exciting and energising stage where we’re getting into the projects and everything is kicking off. Including… our social media.

Now, I do want to keep things clean and clear, so I’m going to keep my more serious stuff, the actual tips and strategies and info here on the podcast and in my special events, like my live events, webinars, school parent info sessions, etc. So make sure you stay tuned for those. And I’m going to keep things a bit more lighthearted and fun - or even fun-ny over on Facebook and Instagram - yes, I have gone and opened an instagram account for Rock Solid Study. It’s been way too long without one. And I do have that good old English dry sense of humour, with a fair bit of sarcasm thrown in and I don’t really get to enjoy it that much with all the skills and strategy stuff, so that’s where I’m doing it. So, if you want tips and strategies and insights, then stay tuned to the podcast and my email list and online events. - And the monthly Facebook Live Open Q&A’s. And if you’d like a bit of the more lighthearted aspect to all of this then you can find us on Facebook and on Instagram - be sure to like and follow and select ‘show these posts first’ so you actually get to see them - and I’ll put the links in the show notes for this episode. Or you can just search rock solid study on those socials and you’ll find us. But I can promise the content will be different and should bring a smile to your day. 

So, that’s what I’m doing differently this term and for the future (among two other projects as well, which I can’t reveal YET, but will do soon). 

So, right NOW let’s talk about what your teen is going to do differently this term and beyond. Because that’s what I want to talk about today. Asking ‘what are you doing differently?’.

What could your teen do differently in order to increase their grades or boost their confidence in their study or have them working more efficiently and effectively so they actually spend LESS time studying and have more time for other things? Maybe have all of those happen! Yes, it’s definitely possible to have all of those happen. 

Because we likely all know the quote:
“If nothing changes, nothing changes.” 

In other words,
If you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep getting what you're getting.
And Einstein’s definition of insanity
 “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”

But sometimes, it’s hard to know either what to change, or what to do differently, or even - my favourite word: HOW to do things differently.

Even if you know you need to do better in exams - HOW do you go about making that happen?

If you know you could be studying more effectively: HOW do you do it?

How do you figure out what you need to actually do differently and how should you then actually do it?

I got the title of this episode ‘what are you doing differently’ from a previous student of the 10WGT - Maxine - or more specifically from maxine’s teacher. (And actually it was Maxine’s mum Natalie that told me about it.)

Maxine made such a significant difference to her results and how she was studying, in such a short space of time - Maxine was in Y12 and approaching her finals - that her teacher actually asked her
 “What are you doing differently?”.

I’ll include a direct link to the show notes where you can view the video of that exact conversation where Maxine and her mum and I were talking after the 10WGT.
But I’ll give you a quick overview here for context, and then share with you what some of those things were that Maxine was indeed doing differently and give a few suggestions of how your teen could do the same. 

Natalie enrolled Maxine into the 10WGT because she was studying really hard, but wasn’t really getting the results she wanted and that they both felt she was capable of. This was especially the case when it came to exams. 

Maxine had just had her SACs and wasn’t especially delighted, and in particular got a SAC result for Business Studies that she was really disappointed with. But given that she’d spent hours revising and done everything she thought she was supposed to, she didn’t know how to improve. Her mum found out about the 10WGT and Maxine completed it in - get this - August to September, in fact, it must’ve been even gone into early October of Year 12. 

As we were chatting over Zoom when she completed the program and they were telling me about their experience, Maxine was telling me about what had been most useful, what skills she was actioning and using, and that her latest marks were now coming out in the 80’s (she’d got 40-something percent for that Business SAC).  And Natalie, her mum, added after Maxine told me about that, she said “we just had parent-teacher meetings - and her business studies teacher - in that meeting asked Maxine: “What are you doing differently?”.

They’d seen the difference in Maxine’s confidence and in her marks. They’d seen the subtle but very significant changes -and in a really short time. 

Maxine had always been a hard worker. She was still doing that. Still trying hard, still doing her homework, paying attention in class. But now - her results and her grasp and her APPLICATION of her knowledge were all at a much higher level. 

So, what was she doing differently?

Well, one of the most impactful things for maxine at that time, was she learnt what it meant to be revising actively, not passively, and was using the specific strategies to actually do it for that next round of exams. 

You’ll see in the video her mum say how she’d see Maxine revising, but it wasn’t going in. That’s exactly what happens when we revise using passive revision methods, like re-writing notes or transferring info onto revision cards without transforming the info. 
Like watching tutorial videos and copying out diagrams.

When we use passive revision methods our brains aren’t having to process the information and therefore aren’t necessarily going to (a) fully understand it or (b) remember it well enough.

Another thing she was doing differently was she was now dissecting exam questions and able to understand exactly what was required, she was mark scheme savvy so she could figure out for herself what the examiner would be looking for - basically she’d learned and was applying the 6 elements of exam technique. Like identifying and responding to command words, knowing when and how to include examples or case studies, or how to analyse and integrate sources or resources provided with questions. Those are a few of them. I don’t want to go off on too much of a tangent there and I do have a plan to go more into the exam side of things on a few upcoming episodes, but all this she was not only a lot more confident when faced with any question, she was also a lot more effective in responding and answering. As shown by that jump from 40-odd to over 80 percent from one term to the next. And right in time for finals.

And one other thing that Maxine was doing differently was being a lot more strategic in how she studied. 

She wasn’t just making notes, or doing practise questions or completing homework in a do as much as possible and hope for the best kinda way. She was able to figure out what was going to give her most bang for buck, so she would use her time and focus in a way that would give her best return on effort. So she was less stressed and more effective - and more calm and collected and confident. Because she knew what she was doing, knew the best way to do it or at least had a much better idea of what that was. 

Let’s be honest I don’t think we’re all going to get everything perfect every time. I don’t think that’s how life works. But having a much clearer and strategic way to decide how to allocate her time to things (AND what things NOT to allocate time to), how to chunk down bigger tasks, how to tackle tasks and homework and assessment so she wasn’t wasting time and energy on things that weren’t going to give much pay off and could put more time and energy into doing things in a way that would or on the things that would. 

So, for Term 4, I want to put it out there - what could your teen do differently this term? 

What skills might they need to develop? 

What processes might they need to learn and put into action? 

What insights or info do they need in order to make more strategic decisions and study in a more effective way? 

You’ll be surprised at just how quickly many of them can be picked up and then actioned immediately. It might be understanding and identifying command words - the cognitive verbs or directives in the question - and not just recognising them, but truly knowing what’s required in your teen’s response.
OR it might be getting savvy with mark schemes and really digging into what the wording of the rubrics and success criteria actually mean and demand- what IS the difference between detailed and sophisticated, for example?

It might not be exam related at all.

It might be learning smarter ways to google for info when doing research. 

It might be making sure they never just copy out info but actually transform it in some way, so that they actually process the info in their brain so they better understand it, retain it and have it flow easily from brain to paper in future.

It might be understanding what ‘analysing’ truly means and requires.

It might be having a system to come up with and craft strong thesis statements. 

Or it might be as obvious as removing distractions and setting a timer for tasks to stay more focused, reduce multi-tasking and get more done to a higher quality.

(And yes, I’ve taken all of these examples from trainings and seminars and resources I’ve produced for my 10WGT students. These - and more - are all in the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program and the separate Study Vault resource library which students also currently get free bonus access to.)

And Bonus tip if your teen isn’t in the 10WGT: 
(a) come join us ;) or (b) you could check out the full list of 10WGT modules, it’s all on the website - I’ll include a direct link in the show notes - and treat this like a list of ten things your teen could work on. Pick one or two and have that as the goal for them to figure out and do differently this term. 

AND extra Hint - I know - I can’t help myself. 

My top thing to learn and do differently - for ANY student - is to develop and hone their exam technique. Because honestly, it doesn’t JUST help in exams. It helps in ANY type of task, assignment, standard textbook questions…  

So if you’re stuck on what to choose, my advice is that if they’ve never been taught exam technique - that’s the top thing: do exams differently. 

Just don’t let them expect to get a different result if they keep studying in the same way. 
Because, if nothing changes, nothing changes. (AND that’s the definition of insanity) ;)

And hey, once you decide on something, let me know what it is. I’d love to hear from you and hear about how you’re actioning the ideas or suggestions I share on this podcast. 
Email support@rocksolidstudy.com and let me know. 
 

And reminder - be sure to go find us on Facebook and Instagram - just search Rock Solid Study and then like and follow and tag or share with someone else you know who might get a smile  from them too. 
 

Have a great rest of your week - I’ll see you back here again next week!