By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. Motivation is one of the trickiest subjects I cover here on the blog. That’s because motivation is complicated and is influenced by many factors. Some of these factors you have control over, and some are less controllable. Low motivation in school …
3 Signs You Don’t Understand What You’re Studying
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. It’s a crummy feeling to think you’re prepared for a test, only to realize too late that you don’t actually understand the material. Our brains have this obnoxious tendency to avoid pain, and while I suppose this is essential to our …
How to Make School Easier: 9 Tips for Struggling Students
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. School can be hard for one million different reasons beyond the obvious, which is that class content can be challenging. (AP Physics, anyone?) In a recent YouTube video, I shared 10 ways to make hard classes easier, but in this blog …
An Anti-Procrastination Secret of Students Who Aren’t Stressed Out
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. You know when your teacher assigns a huge project that’s due next week, and it’s a big deal, but you’re not that stressed out about it because it’s not due until next week … and you have plenty of time? … …
How to Study Using Mind Mapping: A Study Method for Visual Learners
By Katie Azevedo M.Ed. In this blog post, I am going to teach you how to study using mind mapping. Mind mapping is a great strategy for brainstorming, taking notes, and studying. It’s a particularly helpful study method for visual learners, or students who prefer …
How to Turn Your Quizzes into Study Guides for Tests
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. If you’re in the habit of throwing away your quizzes when the teacher hands them back, stop immediately. Quizzes can be seriously valuable study resources – and yes, even the quizzes you bomb. What you need to know is this: There’s …
What’s the Purpose of Annotating? 3 Hidden Benefits of Annotating Text
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. What’s the purpose of annotating? I’m asked this a lot because annotating text has a bad rep. Throughout a week, I hear every kind of resistance, from it takes too long, I don’t know what to annotate, I don’t know how …
How to Use the Blurting Method to Study
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. In a recent YouTube video I made about the Feynman Technique, I briefly spoke about the blurting method as a study strategy. Since then, I’ve been asked to talk more about how to use the blurting method to study. In this …
How to Study for a Test You Just Found out About
Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. In a perfect world, you’d have at least two weeks’ notice before every high school or college exam. You’d have plenty of time to study without pressure, and you’d feel calm and prepared on test day. But, for some silly reason, we …
4 Ways to Use Your Syllabus to Get Better Grades
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. So many students receive a course syllabus on the first day of class, review it for a minute, and never look at it again. Huge mistake! Your syllabus is a source of valuable information that can make your life easier — …