Make Studying Less Boring with These Six Objects
Does studying suck for your students?!
Sorry for the direct language there, but I guarantee you the word “suck” is exactly what most students think about studying.
At the Anti-Boring Learning Lab, we are on a mission to make studying at least not sucky… and maybe even interesting…and possibly even fun.
We do this by teaching educators to teach students:
(1) the science of how we learn, so they have a “user’s manual” for their brain, and then (2) how to awaken their creativity by helping them think outside-the-box about how to put that science into practice.
It can be especially helpful, half-way through a school year, to jog students out of their study ruts. One of the ways I like to do this is modeled in this week’s video. I recommend you watch it in action, so you can see me talk directly to students about their learning. However, I’ll summarize my process below, so read on!
First, I like to show students a series of objects that don’t seem like they are study tools. In this video, I showed them:
An index card
A hole puncher
A ring that opens and closes.
A whiteboard
Blue tape, and
An assortment of stickies.
If I were actually working with students, I’d have them guess how these different objects might be great study tools. If the students already know the language of the study cycle, I’d ask them to use terms from the science of learning to explain their guesses. (By the way, if you don’t yet know the study cycle, I recommend you get on over to my free resource library where I have a free download for educators all about it).
After awakening their curiosity and getting them thinking, I would then go back and explain my perspective about how each object is a great study tool:
The index card, for example, is useful for making flashcards. That one is obvious.
The hole puncher and ring are useful for grouping flashcards together.
The whiteboard is useful for so many tasks—for example, practicing retrieval by writing everything you learned in class today…or consolidating what you just learned in a chart to help you better remember it.
The blue tape is useful for taping flashcards to the wall in your house, so you can quiz yourself when you’re walking down a hallway, looking in the mirror, sitting on the toilet, etc.
The assortment of stickies are useful for hiding information in your notes, and writing questions on the top of them, so you can quiz yourself without seeing the answer.
Once I’ve explained all the tips to students, I ask them if they have any other ideas of anti-boring study tools— objects that don’t seem like they would help you study! Then we brainstorm a nice list together.
Then, finally, I leave students with a powerful question that moves them from creativity into action: “Which one of these ideas would you like to experiment with for the next test?”
Your Turn!
Whether you’re a classroom teacher or a 1:1 academic coach or tutor, I recommend that you prioritize having this conversation before the next test with students. Keep the brainstormed list somewhere easily accessible, and, throughout the semester, add to it as new surprising study tools are discovered.
Then, take a picture of your list and send it to me! 😉
Thanks for helping make studying less sucky!
