How Can I Improve My Test Scores?
Whatever scores you or your child have recently earned on important tests, you probably want to see improvement. Honestly, just about everyone–from the testing elite to those barely scraping by–aspires to greater achievement. Unfortunately, the path to next level performance doesn’t always look that appetizing. How can a test taker who fell short of his or her score goals improve those scores? How does anyone get better at anything challenging and worthwhile? How does a pianist improve speed, timing, and precision on difficult pieces? COACHING AND PRACTICE How does a runner increase speed while building endurance? COACHING AND PRACTICE How does a baker create more consistently elaborate and delicious confections? COACHING AND PRACTICE How does a baseball player improve batting average? COACHING AND PRACTICE How does a potter expand the size and volume of pots thrown while maintaining quality? COACHING AND PRACTICE How does an actor master all of the…
The Power of Incremental Improvement
What if you could go to the gym once and be fit for the rest of your life? Or you could have one conversation in a foreign language and be entirely fluent? The sad truth is you can’t. There just aren’t shortcuts to success. What’s more, imagining the possibility of such outcomes might, in fact, be the thing that holds you back from actually accomplishing these sorts of goals. When you look around at successful people—in any discipline—what you don’t see is the months, years, even decades of hard work and incremental improvement that brought them to where they are. Mastery, it turns out, is not so much about innate ability (though that helps) or sudden revelation (even if artists sometimes depend on this) but something more akin to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule. But, what’s going on in those 10,000 hours exactly? Hard work, a little luck, and trust in…
How to Make The Most of Your School Breaks
Happy Holidays! Gifts are nice, but everyone knows that the best present is having a break from school! You might feel like throwing your school books into a closet and watching TV for a week, but why not find an activity that’s fun AND educational? Consider these amazing ways to stimulate your brain, while also taking full advantage of vacation: Read for fun. Reading is truly fundamental. Not only is reading the best way to improve your vocabulary, but this essential practice is also a killer way to improve your brain. Find a fun fiction or nonfiction book in a topic that interests you, and spend your free time indoors with a blanket and a great book. Listen to a podcast. There are so many interesting podcasts out there, you’re bound to find one that interests you. Whether you’re interested in crime, fashion, languages, or history, podcasts bring stories and…
12 Days of Time Management: Take Small Bites
Philip Stanhope famously recommended that we take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves. Considering how much the 4th Earl of Chesterfield was able to accomplish in his time, he may have been on to something. Follow the industrious example of each era’s movers and shakers by applying our 12 Days of Time Management for Teens: Take Small Bites An old, familiar saying begins with the appalling yet intriguing question, “How do you eat an elephant?” The glib answer, “One bite at a time,” establishes that the issue on the table, so to speak, is not pachyderm pot pie but rather an insight into how to approach any large, daunting task. We often ask students this admittedly distasteful question when addressing just how challenging earning one’s very best scores on the SAT and ACT can be. Breaking down all the challenges arrayed against a…