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What it's all about
- The key to success
- Success check-list

All in the mind
- Motivation
- Goals
- Attitude
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Getting organised
- Where you study
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Learning about learning
- How your brain learns
- How memory works
- Learning styles

Using a Learning Cycle
- How to use learning cycles
- Testing yourself

Learning activities
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Making great notes
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Preparing for exams
- Revision planning
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Bristol information

Success check-list

Success means different things to different people. At school, success usually means doing well in your studies, and that is what this website is all about.

Remember - you are unique; nobody is quite like you. So the idea is that you experiment with everything on this list and find those ideas and strategies that work best for you.

Here is my list of ways to be successful:

A successful student:

Is motivated and has a list of reasons for wanting to do well at school.
Is curious about the world and interested in finding things out.
Believes in their ability to learn and feels good about learning.
Knows about the habits that get in their way, and what to do about them.
Knows how to get into a good mental state for learning.
Knows how to be healthy.
Knows how to relax and have fun.
Knows what they have to learn.
Is not afraid of asking for help and advice.
Has a good place to study at home.
Knows how to deal with distractions.
Understands at least a little about how the brain learns and remembers.
Knows how to plan and manage their study time.
Knows the importance of understanding, as opposed to memorising.
Knows the basic principles of how to learn, understand and remember.
Uses a variety or learning activities to make learning interesting and memories strong.
Understands the point of creating notes and uses a variety of ways to create notes for each subject and topic.
Knows the importance of self-testing and how to do it.
Can learn alone as well as with others.
Makes good use of their time at school.
Is not afraid of exams.

I'm sure there are other things I could add to the list - maybe you can think of some?

Here is a quick summary of the key facts:

1. All in the mind
2. Learning about learning
3. Getting organised
4. Using a learning cycle
5. Learning activities
6. Making notes
7. Planning for revision and exams

Here are some key facts and links to more information:

1. All in the mind.

QUESTIONS:

What is different about successful people?
What does success mean to you?
Why do you want to be successful?
How successful are you?
If you wish that you were more successful, what do you think is holding you back?

FACTS:

Most people have blocks that prevent them from being as successful as they could be. Your chances of being successful are much greater if you know how to boost your self-belief, get rid of success blocks and really decide to succeed. It sounds simple, but takes practice.
You have lots of habits; some are good, but many that hold you back. To deal with them, you've got to know what they are and how they affect you.
No matter what your results have been in the past and no matter how 'clever' you think you are or are not, you will be successful if you have the right attitude.
A successful person knows how to take care of themselves, body and mind.
Your ability to focus - to single-mindedly pay 100% attention to what you're doing, with no distractions - is a key factor is success.

WHAT THEY SAY: There's a famous saying by Henry Ford, who was the first to mass produce the car. He said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right."

Goals and Motivation

2. Learning about learning

QUESTION: How much do you know about the brain - how it learns and remembers best?

FACT: To become successful, you must know how to learn. Most people don't think about this; learning skills are not taught very well, if at all, in school.
See the sections on how the brain learns and remembers

FACT: You can learn anything - trust me! But you are unique, so the way you learn best may be different from someone else. It's probably different from how your teachers learn best.

WHAT THEY SAY: This is what Bill Gates, owner of Microsoft (Windows, Word, etc) says about learning, "We all learn best in our own ways. Some people do better studying one subject at a time, while some do better studying three things at once. Some people do best studying in a structured, linear way, while others do best jumping around, surrounding a subject rather than traversing it. Some people prefer to learn by manipulating models, and others by reading."

QUESTION: Do you know how you learn best? Everyone has their own learning style.
See the section on learning styles

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3. Getting organised

QUESTIONS:

How organised are you?
Do you have a good place to study at home?
Do you have all your textbooks, study guides, subject notes and other materials neatly organised?
Do you have copies of the syllabus for each of your subjects?
Do you have regular study times during which you are not disturbed?

OK, I could go on a bit...

FACT: Getting organised is essential, and it's not difficult!

In the section on getting organised I describe ways to organise your learning materials, your learning spaceand your time, so that they fit in with your home environment, the rest of the family and your social life.

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4. Using a learning cycle

QUESTION: When you sit down to start learning something, do you have a learning plan?

FACT: A learning cycle is a plan that you can use for organising your time while learning. It can help you to learn most effectively, and remember more.

Using cycles will powerfully accelerate your learning. They are especially good to use for subjects that you are not so keen on.
See the learning cycles section.

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5. Learning activities

QUESTION: how many different activities do you use when you are studying?

Most people learn by just sitting still and reading. Maybe they write a few notes. Maybe this works for you, but usually it's a good way to send the brain to sleep!

FACT: if you use a variety of learning activities for each topic, using as many of your senses as possible, your brain will take the facts in and remember them much more effectively. You will also enjoy learning more.
I describe many learning activities which I suggest you try out.

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6. Making great notes

QUESTION: Why do you make notes?

Most students make notes so that they can revise from them later. This can be a BIG time-waster! It often means that the topic is not learnt effectively - facts are just copied from one place (textbook, teachers, notes, etc) to another place. Revision should be a time for going over what you've already learnt, so that you can better remember it in an exam.

FACT: There are two purposes to taking notes; the main purpose should be to help you understand something - right now. The second is to have material you can use for reviewing what you know and for revising.

I describe many interesting ways to use note-making to help you understand facts and ideas as you go, as well as for creating a resource for revision.

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7. Preparing for exams

QUESTION: Do you have a detailed plan for revising and exam preparation?

FACT: Having a revision plan that you can stick to is a GOOD THING!

In a perfect world, you might start your revision a couple of months before an exam. It can be stressful unless you have a definite plan.

I say more about this in revision planning and preparing for exams

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