What do top students do differently? | Douglas Barton | TEDxYouth@Tallinn

Douglas talks about the research on top students learning habits.

Douglas is the founder and Global Chairman of Elevate Education. Douglas and Elevate has spent the last 13 years benchmarking the practices of the highest performing students in order to identify exactly what drives student performance. Today, Elevate works with over 1200 schools across Australia, the UK, South Africa and the US in order to raise student and school performance. Douglas has been profiled in a series of books on Australia’s top and emerging leaders.​
Douglas on Elevate Education’i looja. Douglas ja Elevate on viimased 13 aastat uurinud heade tulemustega õpilaste harjumusi, et mõista, mis on nende edu võti. Täna töötab Elevate enam kui 1200 kooliga üle terve Austraalia, Suurbritannia, Lõuna-Aafrika Vabariigi ja Ameerika Ühendriikide, et tõsta õpilaste ja koolide taset. Douglast on mainitud ka Austraalia tõusvaid juhte tutvustavas kogumikus.

[justinsanity]

As a top student that just graduated, my advice:
Don't learn for anyone else but yourself. Knowledge is power. Even if you think you will never use it again, learn it. Always give different subjects a fair try. You might end up liking a subject you initially thought would be boring. Most importantly, have some self discipline. You don't have to give up all of your free time, but do your homework and study first. School is a job. You must treat it like one and put that at the top of your priorities. Also, don't give up. Just because you think you aren't smart doesn't mean that you cant work through it. I got way more success out of hard work than I ever did by relying solely on intellect. If you can somehow find a way to love working (i know it is hard to love that), that is the best thing. Personally i love working because its a small rush crossing to-dos off my list. In general im not a procrastinator so that makes me want to finish my work first. I encourage you to do the same. Former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink once said "discipline equals freedom". When you can discipline yourself to get work done quickly and efficiently, you will find you have more freedom than by procrastinating. Hope any of this helps. Anyone can do it. Believe in yourself and you're halfway there.

[peppernickelly]

Read this and save 15 minutes...
1. Don't worry about not being smart enough.
IQ doesn't make the grade.
2. Don't only work hard.
Have a study-life balanced.
3. Practice homework, practice exams, and a little bit more practice.
Don't spend most of your time cramming or rewriting notes.
4. Design a Time Table and keep it. Plan your life first and then plan your study time.
If you throw out your time table then make a new one or get back on it.

[Zanmato_]

Theres a big difference when you're actually interested in what you're studying as well.

[makenaw]

“They need to cut out distractions” *watches a tedx talk instead of doing my homework*

[ishuever]

Here's what I did every year in high school and it worked for me:

1) PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS
I know this seems like common sense but this is very very very important. By paying attention in class, I saved time after school and didn't have to review for the next day or study for quizzes.

2) Understand the concept before class ends
This is especially important for MATH class. I know, I know math class can be very boring. But if you understand the topic in class, you will save A LOT of time in homework and when studying for a quiz and test. Math is all about concepts, it's not something that you can cram. In school, I would usually understand the concept my teacher is saying and do extra practice in and after class. So far, I barely ever study for a math test (no joke).

3) First week matters a lot (Halo effect)
The impression you give to your teachers is VERY important. If you behave like a good student the first week or two weeks of school, teachers will treat you like a good student. Now, I'm not saying the teacher will give you grades you don't deserve. Most teachers grade fairly despite the student. But what it will do is make life easier for you in school. It will be easier for the teacher to talk to and give you tips and might even redo and test you did bad on.

4) Know how to study certain subjects
There are some subjects that you can cram (for me: bio) and some you cannot (for me: math). Knowing the difference can help a lot!

5) Study Smart
There is not "perfect" study technique. What works for me, might not work for you. For example, the first two years of high school I wasted my exam prep time by writing notes for the exam. In the end, this didn't help me at all! I didn't even go over any of the notes I wrote and it wasted my time. What I found was that I worked better by taking neat notes in class and reading the textbook. (This is for me of course). Basically, the point I'm trying to bring across is that you have four years of high school (which I'm guessing you're in). Those four years should give you enough time to try different studying methods to find the one best for you.

6) Do your homework!
Although you probably hear this all the time, but seriously just do it. And here's why:
-> gives good practice
Sometimes if I have a lot of homework for a certain subject I use the homework as study period (multitasking)
-> get on your teachers good side
If you are a study that ALWAYS does your homework, then sometimes teachers let it slide when you don't have it (depends on the teacher tho). This has happened to me many times

7) Do school work as soon as you reach home
I'm pretty sure everyone wants more free time. Don't you? What helps me in high school is doing all school related stuff ASAP (homework, study, etc). This helps a lot because after I'm done with school related stuff I'm basically free

8) Cram the right way
Don't think A+ students don't cram. Trust me, we do. We've just learnt our study habits so well that we know what subject and how to cram for it. I like to think of cramming as an art, it can be perfected for some subjects.

9) Don't pressure yourself
Yes, we all want to get good grades but don't pressure yourself. Many times when I put pressure on a test or exam, I tend to do bad in it. When I don't stress, I do well. For example, just this year I had a maths exam. I was VERY VERY sick in the exam that I dint even care what I got. I dint go over my paper, I skipped around and I felt sick. But guess what? That's the exam I get best in. I got a 99%

10) Befriend the nerds like me :)
I love helping people and most top students do too. If the teacher didn't explain something well, don't be afraid to ask someone who gets good grades. Also, if you surround yourself with smart people you'll learn what they do to pass a certain class. Also, the be time to be around smart people is during exam time or test time! We're basically overflowing with info and we need to share it with people!

Lastly, don't worry. Keep yourself motivated and fight on. Don't forget your social life and don't forget to study.

Good luck! Fighting!

[Guynextdoor]

Being the top student in my uni, I can briefly share some pointers here which I hope will be useful. Firstly, look at the bigger picture. Instead of memorising, comprehend the information or theories and think how can I apply it in real life. By doing so, you may have a better understanding. Secondly, set goals rather than just time table. Break down these goals, for instance, completing the first part of my assignment by next week and the second part two days later. Thirdly, don't aim to compete, aim to learn. Learning drives you to be curious each time and this will lead to a good habit in the long run.

[spriddlez]

I had 3.98/4 gpa and rarely did practice tests (we never were provided them). Instead I rewrote my notes but did so as if they were being used to teach someone else the course. I held myself accountable by actually distributing them my "exam" study guide to my peers (for free - I told them I had just summarized my notes from the year and was willing to share). I think it works because in order to explain a concept to someone else you need to understand it... so I spent a long time trying to comprehend content before writing it down in my study guide.

[acidcitrus]

A very simple tip my parents always told me over and over: "Don't memorize. Understand."

[Alexdaysago]

The first step to becoming a good student is wanting to learn how to study.

[houdazennadi]

My little sum up of the video :

**Work hard doing the right things**

1 - Do A LOT of Practice Tests.

2 - Work consistently across the year.

3 - Be self disciplined and able to cut out distractions.

4 - Be resilient.

5 - Do a timetable and stick to it :
Put in it the non-study and fun times first.

[weexuanneo]

Summary:
1. Don't worry about IQ - not the best predictor of scores
2. Don't JUST work hard - if your methods aren't efficient, doing more significantly does little for improvement
3. Do loads of exam questions (exams are usually about application/analysis/evaluation, not about regurgitating facts)
4. Plan study timetables, starting by blocking out time that you're NOT going to study (increases meaning and joy - sustainable)

Top students are evaluated by their performance on exams, hence practice doing well on exams!

[madelinewhite]

I am a top student and I rewrite my notes before tests. Works every time.

[itsnotme]

Don't watch ted talks while you should be studying. Just a tip

[reharm_reality]

1) take practice exams
2) self-motivation, self-discipline, resiliance, consistant/focused studying
3) don't base learning off of memorization, exams don't test memory, they test use of information. You have to really understand the concepts overall.
4) Schedule times that you AREN'T going to study (time for fun things/activities you want to do) FIRST, and then schedule studying around it.

[micahfulton]

As a top student, it is all about understanding the material. If you really understand it, you will have no trouble solving anything thrown at you. Even though my note taking is horrible, my natural ability is lower than many of my peers, and I am a slow test taker, I have gotten straight A's with the following tips:

1) Don't ever leave a class without an understanding of what you learned. The best way to do this is devote your full attention to the material you are learning and then mark the things you are uncertain of or just questions in general. After class, ask your professor about them and make sure to ask questions until you understand them.

2) Take practice exams. Knowing the material is extremely different from knowing how to use it. If you struggle with test taking speed, use a timer and slowly work down to completing practice tests with lower time. I remember doing this my first semester of college for a particularly challenging statistics class and then I was one of the only ones to finish the exam, finishing in half the time. On a side note, if you are worried about your test taking skills, this will help improve them.

3) Never leave an exam early. Too many people I know leave exams without triple checking everything. The best way you can ensure that you maximize your exam potential is by using ALL the time.

4) Form study groups. I always liked studying by myself, but a group is useful to double check answers to problem sets or to compete with on practice exams. Another thing that I found beneficial is, if you like studying alone like me, arrange a group meetup after and behave like a teaching assistant to your classmates, explaining everything carefully. It ensures that you truly understand the material.

5) Always give everything 100%. The main reason I say this is because too many students barely try on homework and lose points. Every point matters and homework is there to help you understand the material, so you may as well do a good job on it as well.

6) OFFICE HOURS! Too many people never go to office hours and that is a mistake. Professors genuinely want you to do well (despite what your peers will say) and are happy to help explain unclear concepts. The best way to keep track of them is to write a list for all the office hours for all of your classes.

7) Make a list of everything you have to complete for the week and schedule your day to start chipping away at it. Deadlines are always right when you expect them to be and you are always one step ahead with this method.

8) NEVER MEMORIZE! I once tutored a couple of my classmates and was shocked to see that they put memorization over understanding. Memorizing will always fail you in the long run, whether on an exam or if you ever have to use something in the future. The second an exam question deviates from your memorized path, you will be unable to answer it.

9) Select early classes and NEVER miss one (unless absolutely necessary). Forcing yourself to be awake and functioning early gives you more time to be productive. Too many students sleep in late and have only half a day to do a full day's work.

10) Have confidence in your abilities. If you do not believe that you can do well, you won't. On the first day of class, walk in knowing that you will get an A, and then when your last exam ends, walk out knowing you got an A. I know too many people that do not believe they have the ability to do well in a class, either avoiding difficult classes, or settling for mediocre results.

[luciatrever]

study hard but smart, thats the secret to it

[ellencorbally]

watching this video instead of studying for my test tomorrow

[hirat]

The best technique I ever applied was
1) Helped others prepare for exam by reiterating my concepts to them. This way others corrected me and I them.
2) Had a good 8 hours of sleep befote exam.
3) Told myself "now that you have dove into this own it!"

[esthergonzales]

"It is not what you remember, it is how u use your skills."

"Self-discipline is very important."

[felichiebiancalaroya]

I heard from a valedictorian that most of the students do is "work hard" but for her it's "work harder". She's my inspiration.