Working Smart—Strategies for Difficult Exams

Most students give away a half a letter grade by not showing all that they know on tests, particularly those requiring problem solving skills.  It’s worth a few minutes to improve the strategy to do well.  Here are some suggestions.

Just pick one or two that is appropriate for you to keep in mind.

 

 

Take a deep breath before beginning in order to calm your mind. Racing forward in the first few minutes can lead to careless errors that are difficult to identify and correct.

Preview the test before you answer anything. This gets you thinking about the material. Make sure to note the point value of each question. Quickly estimate how much time you should allow for each section according to the point value. This preview should only take a minute or two.

Read the directions Never assume that you know what the directions say.

Underline with a pencil what you are asked to do. This will force you to focus on the answer.

Keep track of the time and progress during the test.

Answer the easy questions first. This will give you the confidence and momentum to get through the rest of the test. You are sure these answers are correct.

Go back to the difficult questions. While looking over the test and doing the easy questions, your subconscious mind will have been working on the answers to the harder ones. For problems with multiple parts (i.e. a, b,c,d), and use the earlier sections for hints to solve the later parts.

Answer all questions.  

Avoid careless errors—Think before you start writing.  When the writing starts on the wrong track, it is very difficult and time consuming to rethink the problem and start over.

Review the test carefully, especially the easy questions.

Use all of the time allotted for the test.

Show all your work (especially when partial credit is awarded) and write as legibly as possible.

 

 

Finding and Hiring a Tutor—Interviewing for Value

Private tutoring is an expensive proposition for families. It’s important to select an individual who really brings value to the students. Their experience is fully dependent upon the person hired.

There is plenty of general advice about tutoring on the web. Sooner or later though, there is an interview and a decision to hire a particular person must be made. It’s important to have some ideas of value in tutoring before the selection process.

The points below can provide specific background to improve the chances of hiring an effective tutor.

1. Value Tutoring–Example.

A young woman was doing poorly in an introductory Physics course. She was clearly bright and motivated. She was having difficulty applying the mathematical equations of motion the travel path of a thrown baseball. It was clear, after a short discussion, that she had really understood the use of the mathematical equations, usually the most difficult step.

However, the young woman did not have a clear picture in her mind of a thrown ball traveling through the air. She had not used her own experience to understand the physical situation.Without this information, she could not use the mathematics properly. The instruction emphasized making diagrams of the physical situation to gain this understanding.Once made, it seemed simple and she was able to solve these problems quite readily.After a few sessions, the young woman was on her own doing well. Further, the technique of making the effort to understand the physical situation can be generalized to other subjects

2. Value Goals.

Consider these two objectives in view of the tutor’s approach to teaching.

(i) The goal of one-on-one teaching is to identify the obstacles and provide the tools to allow the student to work at his full potential independently as efficiently as possible.

(ii) Tutoring should be viewed by the student, parent and tutor as a focused short term activity.

3. Skill Levels.

Individuals have different skills. Here is one way to classify them by value.

(i) Minimum Requirements

Objective credentials in the field (formal education, test scores, training for special learning situations, experience

(ii) Value Requirements

Demonstrated perceptive abilities to precisely identify the obstacles to learning. The real value is to diagnose the problem.

The ability to teach specific methods to overcome these obstacles

(iii) High Value Requirements

The problem solving techniques are presented so that the student can gain confidence and expand their use to other subjects

4. Interview by listening for the tutors attitude.

During the interview with the prospective tutor, first confirm that the objective credentials are present. Then look for value:

Does the individual’s instruction method lead to the value goals listed above?

How has the tutor demonstrated the ability to diagnose obstacles?

It is more effective to listen to their conversation to find out if these types of value activities emerge in their own words. An effective way is to just to listen to the way they discuss their work. However, if these questions are asked directly, there will always be a positive answer.

5. Check the references against the high skills criteria.

References are only provided if they are generally positive.

Look beyond the overall results. Specifically ask about the references about the experience with the tutor in diagnosing specific issues. Ask about the length of the teaching and how the stopping point was determined.

 

In summary, tutoring selection decisions are often made quickly and without a criteria for evaluation of the tutor. Then the instruction activity begins, expenses mount, and performance is what it is. However, with just a little more attention at the beginning, the chances of have a good tutoring experience can be increased.

Getting Off Academic Probation—Looking Further for Success

So, the semester is over and a mediocre performance has led to academic probation.

There is plenty of advice and support from the academic counseling centers and the web. The focus is to understand the reasons for the dismal performance, make the adjustments, and do the work. There is often an implicit assumption that success can be achieved within the school programs.

That may not be the case. The individual may be in the wrong situation and headed in the wrong direction. Academic probation is a wake-up call to consider this option along with the academic fixes.

It may be time to move on to a new program, a new institution, or an entirely new path. It’s a big world and it’s shortsighted to limit possibilities to those that are currently known. Such searches may not be easy. One way is to look into for fields that have natural energy for you. The ultimate direction is eventually find areas that there is a natural ability and interest to do well.

A woman, a first semester junior, in an engineering college was not doing particularly well. She claimed interest in engineering, but felt that she was in the field based on advice of others.

During the meeting, she had a brace on her wrist. The woman reported that she took a “spill” while doing competitive figure skating. She became quite animated with her recount of her love of the sport, although she was by no means a champion.

How could a mild interest in engineering ever compete with this type of energy? Perhaps nothing could, but she was encouraged to look into other areas that had at least some of the resonant energy for her that she had experienced in her skating. After some searching, the energy for her was found in psychology. She left the engineering school on her own. The woman became an excellent psychologist rather than a mediocre engineer.

Some of the signs that it’s time to consider a change:

• The program to get off probation looks like drudgery and not worth the effort.
• It is a priority to avoid course work.
• The school is a stage to do lifestyle experiments at other’s expense.
• The academic program is someone else’s idea of a path to a successful life.

Look for ways to explore for energy:

Beginning at the current school, actively explore for what resonates in you. There are two important considerations:

(i) The process is based on energy and is not an intellectual search based on ideas;

(ii) It is an active process seeking out new fields, not drifting.

For example: Find some people at the school who really enjoy the experience, perhaps faculty or students, and explore it. See if anything in their experience resonates with you. If it does, it’s a clue. If not, just continue the experiment in other areas.

The earlier that the real reason behind mediocre performance is identified, the more options there to make changes and get yourself in a direction to succeed.

There are many great stories about people who radically changed directions after an academic set back and achieved great success. There are only a few about those who settled for mediocrity.

 

If the s emester is still in progress, check the post:  Academic Survival–The First College Semester

 

 

Always looking for a teacher. Sometimes asking for a boss.

At the beginning of a new school year, the good teachers of our past often come to mind. There is nothing like being in contact with a master teacher. The mark of master teachers is that they can profoundly affect an aspect of our life that changes the way we experience and live it.

During the formal education years, teachers continually pass in front of us. Sometimes we choose them, but, as often as not, they appear in courses or classes that are required. A few influential ones emerge. In some cases, they made the content come alive in a vibrant way. At other times, the content is long forgotten, but their energy, personal attention, or insights remain alive for years.

Imagine the value of having teachers like that throughout a lifetime.

Master teachers do not disappear when school is complete and the career begins. The difference is that it takes an active interest in identifying the areas of personal interest, finding such people, and getting into a position to be influenced. Over a period of years, personal and professional capabilities can grow in unexpected ways from working with a series of well-chosen teachers.

These influential people generally are not advertising themselves. Often, they are just going about their business in their own unique way and are open and available to those who have an interest in what they do. Their competence is not defined by such descriptions as job title, faculty member, mentor, role model, minister, social worker etc. Professionals with such titles provide information and guidance in respective fields, but are not de facto teachers. You don’t have to ask about a master teacher, you know it when you see it. It is an individual perception, depending upon time and conditions. However, recognition is only the first step. The decision and action to seek them out and learn from them, either formally or informally, is the next.

The special case of a teacher at work

Early in one’s career, it is essential that an individual demonstrate skills and the ability to get things done. If a person recognizes the need to develop these to a higher level, the most efficient way is to learn from other’s experience, such as a direct supervisor or a close co-worker.

The ideal situation is to select a great teacher and be paid for being instructed by that person. Who could ask for more? Realistically, the opportunity does not happen often. On occasion, however, the stars line up. There is a possibility to work with a person who has the ability, perspective, and interest to stretch those who work around them in a way that increases their abilities. It is an opportunity to seize.

Ask–When a young employee has a career development discussion, the subjects are invariably project assignments, opportunities, promotions, increased responsibility, and salary. These topics are appropriate, but do not exhaust the possibilities. If there is an opportunity to work with someone who can function as a teacher, make that request directly. Since these requests are relatively unusual, they are often accommodated, even when it is not the “logical” choice.

It may be a great investment and is a small risk to make for an encounter with a teacher.

Getting Ideas into the Discussion

It seems that many discussions, either at business meetings or in the classroom, are dominated by a few people. Their thoughts and ideas are not any better, but the others have a difficult time getting in. As a result, the discussion lacks the full range of available information. The quiet ones are very aware of the fact that they have relevant points, often different than those on the table, but the conversation goes round and round without them. As time passes, the threshold for entry appears to become higher. Contributions become more difficult to make. Often, people find themselves holding on to an idea until the moment is appropriate. Then the topic shifts, the point is obsolete, and the process begins again. The longer the discussion goes, the more unpleasant and frustrating it becomes.

It would be helpful if either there was a facilitator to engage everyone or that the participants would make space for each other, but usually these aids are not available. People have to make their own space and then use it. However, there are three tips from a college teacher that people can use to lower the entry barrier for themselves:

Get in early.

Get in cheap.

Do a little advance preparation.

Get in early.

Make a comment early in the discussion. That gets the ball rolling. The laws of physics are very clear about this: It is far easier to keep a ball in rolling than it is to get it started. Similarly, it is easier to comment a second or third time than the first. The early part of the discussion is often perfunctory, so it is a good time to make the first entry. Take advantage of the lower barrier.

Get in cheap.

The quiet ones often have a higher quality standard for their contributions than the others. That type of standard becomes restrictive. It is more important to get in and be a participant than to lay back and hope to contribute the winning approach or a unique point in a single contribution. That home run scenario is the stuff of daydreams and rarely happens at a meeting. A better strategy is to first get in at any level and then allow the quality of the ideas to surface.

Do a little advance preparation.

Have a few questions or points ready from the assigned reading or other background. Write them down and take them into the meeting. These points can be a grounding reference to make a contribution to get the ball rolling. This approach is particularly helpful for those who arrive at these discussions and find their minds go blank and they literally “have nothing to say”.

Ideas can only be used if they are on the table and evaluated.
These approaches can help all be full participants.

Academic Survival–The First College Semester

There is nothing like the first few weeks of college. It has an almost idyllic quality about it—freedom, new friends and experiences, and much less academic oversight. Then the new reality sets in. A few tests and assignments come with poor results. Then, a second round follows with the same dismal results. What to do? Each individual has his or her own response. All too often, the response is to pull back, to let the hole get deeper, until late in the semester when there are few options left. A set of failures result. For some, it’s the end of school. For others, it means a reduction in confidence and lowered expectations that take time to resolve. The first semester story does not have to play out this way.

Let’s not be simplistic about this situation. The reasons for the initial failures are individual. Some students just don’t want to do the work. However many of the others– students who are less prepared academically, students who never learned to work, those who don’t understand the requirements of college work, those who had a personal crisis at the time—can survive this initial period and go on to solid academic achievement if they recognize the problem and take appropriate action early enough.

The first semester is a like a timed reality show. It typically lasts 13-14 weeks and once it starts, there are no pauses or time-outs. During the first 3-4 weeks, there is information going in, but few milestone tests or major projects. Then at the 3 or 4 week mark, an examination or major paper provides a measure of performance. The second major performance measure comes after the midterm results, at least 7 weeks into the course by the time the grades come back.

Similar to a reality show, the stakes ramp up as the time into the term progresses. The semester work increases during the term much faster than any new student realizes. This increase in work load is even more oppressive if the student gets off to a poor start and has work to make up from earlier in the term.

For example, if a student has to make up the work from the first quarter of the semester, he has 9 weeks to do so. However, if he waits until the end of the first half of the semester, he has to make up twice as much work to make up in only 6 weeks. The intensity of the load increases by a factor of 3 required if you wait until the midterm to remediate! That’s why they call it the end of semester crunch!

Three points to help recover from a poor start:

1. Recognize that the first poor performance defines the trend. The tendency is to believe that the first result is not representative and to expect improvement in the mid-term. This belief, which is reasonable in other situations, leads to serious trouble for the first semester student.

In other situations, a trend requires at least two results in order to determine the direction that performance is moving. Only one result is needed for the new student. There is enough experience with first year college students to indicate that a poor initial performance, with only vague intentions to do better, does not lead to improvement. Continuing the same course of action and expecting an improvement just uses up some of the ticking clock of the semester. Remember the above illustration that shows how quickly the workload increases when needed remediation is put off to the end of the semester.

2. Make the effort to identify a cause of the poor performance and begin to act immediately.

The first step in addressing the problem is to have a clear statement of the cause. It is not enough to say the problem is the poor performance. The performance is the symptom. This cause of the poor performance may not be obvious initially. However, it is essential to make an effort to understand this in a more detailed way. Parents and friends can have a very helpful role in helping to specify the problem.

The most appropriate action is determined by the cause. The cause may be academic or personal. As examples, course work deficiency may mean clarifying the content and performance with the instructor; personal crisis may require contact with the counseling center; poor preparation and habits can be helped by work with an academic advisor or learning assistance programs. Further, by using available resources early, the student will also find that these resources are far more accessible before everyone else realizes the severity of their own situation.

3. The first poor result has only a minor affect on the ultimate performance outcome.

There is no need to panic or be embarrassed by a poor performance. By acting early, there is plenty of time to make the effort and get on track if you begin early. The timing details are shown below.

In a typical college course approximately one-half of the course evaluation and grade occurs in the last 4 weeks (Weeks 9-13) of the semester. The trick is to be operating at the required skill well before the last 4 weeks. Consider the two scenarios:

1) Initial poor result at Week 4. If the student begins to identify the specific cause, and takes the necessary academic or personal actions, he has 5 weeks to prepare for the critical end of term period. You can make some real changes in 5 weeks!

2) Initial poor result at Week 4. No change in plan. A second poor result at midterm Week 7. In this case, the student has only 2 weeks to take the actions to prepare for the critical period. It is much more difficult to make these changes in only 2 weeks. It’s worse than this since there is an increased work to be made up. This end of the semester crunch was discussed earlier.

So, if first semester reality hits hard, stay in the game. Taking positive control of the situation is the first step. By beginning to identify and take action as soon as a problem surfaces, the odds of resolving it are significantly increased.

If the semester did not go well, a related post is: Getting Off Academic Probation–Looking Further for Success