Day 1 | Art of Motivating Students

Encoding Strategies

According to cognitive scientists, before learning can be stored in our memory banks, our brains must “encode” new information and skills. The following speakers share strategies to help students fill their study toolbox with creative ways to learn and remember.

Enjoy the presentations below for the next 48 hours!

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Learning Hard? Don't Give Up. Grapple | Susannah Cole

How do we teach students to stick with the process when learning feels hard? We teach them to grapple! Student Success Consultant Susannah Cole presents a 7-point checklist that she also teaches her clients to help them be willing to wrestle with new material until they truly “get it”. This presentation is first up because it serves as a foundation for the other study skills we'll discuss today.

After you watch, click here to grab Susannah’s free “5 Steps to Grapple Checklist” you can use with your students.

  • I'm Susannah, the co-author of Flexible Mindsets in Schools: Channelling Brain Power for Critical Thinking, Complex Problem-Solving and Creativity. I'm on a mission to rethink how we educate students to ignite a deeper love of learning in order to future-proof them for the world of tomorrow.

    As a Student Success Coach and Trainer, I work with students and educators to create cultures of learning that centre responsiveness, relevance and curiosity and where we can bring all of ourselves to our learning.

    I hold an MEd in developmental psychology and I've grown my expertise throughout the past 25 years working in the field of education. I've taught at all levels from preschool through college. For decades, I worked in educational settings as an early childhood educator, middle school teacher, autism therapist, learning support teacher and college professor.

    To find out more about Susannah, visit her website at https://flexiblemindsets.com/

  • Ready to watch Susannah's Deep Dive interview? Click here to find out more and purchase your All-Access Pass.

Sketch It Out with Visual Note-Taking | Doug Neill

Traditional education often over-emphasizes verbal skills, neglecting the brain’s extraordinary visual processing prowess. Former teacher and visual thinking expert Doug Neill shatters the myth that visual note-taking is only for artists, offering three key tips to inspire all students (and their educators!) to embrace this learning tool.

Enjoy the presentation, and don’t forget to click here to grab Doug’s free gift, “The Verbal to Visual Notebook”.

  • Doug Neill helps people make sense of the wold by making marks on the page. He’s the founder of Verbal to Visual, an education company that teaches the skill of sketching out ideas as a learning, problem-solving, and communication tool. Through a YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers, online courses with thousands of participants, and live workshops and talks, he’s on a mission to spread the word about the power of visual thinking.

    In his free time he enjoys hanging out with his wife and twin toddlers, as well as escaping those responsibilities to go on long trail runs.

    Find out more at Doug's website: www.verbaltovisual.com

  • Ready to watch Doug's Deep Dive interview? Click here to find out more and purchase your All-Access Pass.

Motivate "Visual Learners" Using Canva | Edward Coronado III

How do you motivate creative students to take notes, study, and start their papers on time when those activities can feel anything but visual? We teach them how to visualize their ideas in Canva. Join Edward Coronado III, founder of Alma Modern and Educational Multimedia Designer, as he shows us three simple ways to use digital whiteboards to inspire your students to take action.

Want a copy of Edward’s cheat sheets to share with your students? After the presentation, click here to download your cards.

  • EVERY student deserves to earn a life-changing college education, whether they are first-gen, from underrepresented communities, or learn differently than others.

    Unfortunately, research shows far too many students are underequipped with the strategies they need to reach their college goals.

    Once upon a time, that was me...

    I was a first-gen, low-income, minority, transfer student and I spent (way too many) years fumbling through college, even dropping out of UCLA because of unchecked imposter syndrome. It wasn’t until I learned HOW to learn, be more productive, and have a positive mindset around school that I found my way to a master’s degree and a career leading university learning centers.

    I loved my work training and sharing academic skills with thousands of students, faculty, and staff, but I reached a point where I needed to use my education and experience in student success and digital media to reach more people. 

    So, I left my career in higher ed and started Alma Modern to equip college success professionals, like coaches, tutors, advisors, and coordinators, with the training and resources to empower their students to not just survive college but THRIVE.

    When I'm not busy working or learning at Alma Modern, you'll find me wandering a local So Cal theme park with my family or in front of some window sipping an espresso.

    Find out more at Edward's website at https://almamodern.com/

  • Ready to watch Edward's Deep Dive interview? Click here to find out more and purchase your All-Access Pass.

Glean: An AI-Powered Notetaking & Study Tool | Joan Green

Joan Green, a speech pathologist and assistive technology specialist, introduces Glean, an innovative note-taking tool designed to help college students, particularly those with learning differences or attention issues, take effective notes during lectures. This technology reduces cognitive load, enabling students to focus on learning and engage more actively with lecture content.

Enjoy the presentation, and then click here to grab your copy of Assistive Tech for Communication. You might also like to explore Glean’s free educator login.

  • Joan Green is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist with over 35 years of experience in the field. As the founder of Innovative Speech Therapy, she has dedicated her career to helping families, educators, caregivers, and therapists address a wide variety of communication, cognitive, literacy, and learning challenges. Joan's unique approach combines cutting-edge assistive technology, online tools, engaging apps, evidence-based techniques, and family-centered communication training. Her expertise has earned her recognition, including the "Most Outstanding Contribution to the Field" award from the Maryland Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the "Technovator Award" from the Maryland Assistive Technology Network.

    Throughout her career, Joan has been at the forefront of integrating technology into speech therapy and rehabilitation. She has authored books on assistive technology, developed online courses, and provides free webinars to share her knowledge. In recent years, Joan has focused on addressing the technological needs of aging adults, forming the ElderTech Advisor Network in 2022 and the Assistive Technology Network of Greater Washington in 2023. Based in the Washington, DC area, Joan offers both in-person and online sessions, empowering individuals to achieve their communication and learning goals through affordable, cutting-edge technologies.

    Find out more at https://innovativespeech.com/

  • Ready to watch Joan's Deep Dive interview? Click here to find out more and purchase your All-Access Pass.

Remember Multi-Step Processes with a Memory Book | Laura Webb

Laura Webb tackles the challenge of math memory with an innovative solution! Students often struggle to recall crucial math concepts and processes, especially as they advance through school, and even more accutely if they have a learning difference such as dyslexia. Webb's math memory binder, packed with visual aids and interactive elements, helps students of all ages master multi-step procedures and overcome directional issues.

Enjoy the presentation, and be sure to click here to pick up your copy of “Supplies List and Links for the Math Notebook”


  • Laura graduated from the highly rated University of Tulsa with a degree in Speech Language Pathology. Early in her career, while working at a Literacy Center in Aptos, California, she realized how much she had struggled with reading and learning over the years. It seemed like she had to work three times as hard to succeed academically. Getting diagnosed with Dyslexia as an adult was a turning point. Working one on one with neurodivergent students and helping them to succeed, became her passion and purpose. Wanting to learn more about reading education, Laura went on to earn an Educational Therapy degree from UCSC. Teaching others to read healed a part of her and helped her to understand her own brain and how it worked.

    She opened her own Educational Therapy practice and extended her services to include stroke victims and TBI patients. The Stroke and Disability Center presented new educational challenges and diversified Laura's teaching methods and understanding of the brain. She also trained teachers in the Orton-Gillingham reading method and Lindamood Bell phoneme sequencing programs, among other programs. She was able to supervise and mentor them as they managed their caseloads, helping them become successful Educational Specialists.

    In 2020, Laura founded Learning Beyond Letters, a company dedicated to helping neurodiverse students and families radically accept their beautiful brains. In addition to one on one student services now serving the Tulsa, Oklahoma community, Laura offers virtual parent classes and groups for neurodivergent adults. Laura understands that every brain is unique and now practices radical brain acceptance in her own life. Her students learn to accept their own brain and take control of their own daily study routines, thus gaining confidence and self-reliance.

  • Ready to watch Laura's Deep Dive interview? Click here to find out more and purchase your All-Access Pass.

Trick Your Brain to Memorize Anything | Yulia Rafailova

Executive function coach Yulia Rafailova solves a key challenges students face when studying: they find it scary and boring and hate having to memorize material they don't care about. She offers a compelling strategy to make memorizing more fun and playful by engaging our right-brains in a multi-modal approach.

Watch the presentation, and then click here to grab your copy of ”Good Kids, Bad Habits Guide”.

  • Yulia Rafailova is an ADHD coach and speaker who loves helping people to discover their own awareness and design practical solutions to common executive function challenges. She founded MindFull Education in 2017 after a decade of academic consulting with over a thousand students and their families. Her coaching focuses on creating empowering and fun learning experiences for adolescents and their parents, through collaboration, creative problem-solving, and mindfulness.

    In addition to coaching, Yulia serves on the Board of Directors for the award-winning Greater Los Angeles CHADD, where she facilitates a weekly peer support groups for adults and young women with ADHD. Her involvement with CHADD began six years ago when she was seeking support for her own ADHD.

    Find out more at www.mindfulleducation.com

  • Ready to watch Yulia's Deep Dive interview? Click here to find out more and purchase your All-Access Pass.

How to Study Using "Thinking Styles” | John Andrew Williams

Students experience stress and frustration around their grades and anxiety about their futures. Additionally, they struggle with understanding how to effectively study and learn and may have difficulty connecting their academic experiences to their personal growth and self-understanding. John proposes using the "What, Why, How" framework as a tool to help students understand their academic thinking styles, improve their learning processes, and gain deeper insights into themselves as learners (and their teachers too!).

Sit back, enjoy the presentation, and don't forget to click here to grab your copy of the Academic Life Coaching workbook.

  • John Andrew Williams taught high school Latin for six years after graduating from Brown University with a degree in Classics. He earned his coaching certificate in 2005 and started working with high school and college students, launching his company Academic Life Coaching in 2005. He’s an author of 5 books, a former writer for Newsweek’s Education blog, and speaker at coaching and education conferences from New York to Dubai.

    Find out more at https://www.academiclifecoaching.com/

  • Ready to watch John's Deep Dive interview? Click here to find out more and purchase your All-Access Pass.

Done Watching? Here’s What’s Next:

  • 👉 Want to discuss what you’re learning? Head over to the FREE Summit Chat Lounge.

  • 👉 Running out of time? Purchase the All-Access Pass to watch the videos later.

  • 👉 Ready for more? Head back to the Day 1 schedule to keep on learning. 👇

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