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Take Twenty Seconds to Make Someone’s Day and Maybe Change a Life

What if investing less than five minutes per day could change our outlook, help us to become more optimistic, and make us feel better about ourselves? And what if this same set of activities could also leave others with whom we interact wanting to be around and spend more time with us? It may seem fantastical, but it might be easier than we assume.

The power behind this shift resides in two fundamental truths. First, we tend to find what we look for. When we seek and expect to find good in others, we see more of it. Discovering more good leads us to being more positive and optimistic. Second, when we share with others what we notice about the positive behaviors and characteristics they demonstrate and the difference they make, they feel better about themselves and us. The more that we notice the good around us, the better we feel. The more we share with others the good they bring, the better they feel.

The good news is that we do not have to allocate significant new time or add demanding tasks to our daily routines to experience such a shift. What is important is where we focus and what we prioritize. We need to look for specific actions, interactions, and impacts to collect and share. In fact, noticing as few as two or three things a day and sharing our observations with others is enough to get started.

How we share our observations also matters. Mentioning what we notice is good, but for real impact and staying power, we need to spend at least twenty seconds adding details, examples, and context, and describing their impact. In fact, the twenty seconds we spend acknowledging a person’s strengths and impact can make their day or week—and maybe even shift the direction of their life.

So, what should we look for? Here are five areas to begin:

Note someone’s area of strength and tell them. Everyone has strengths, including some of which we may not even be conscious. Hearing about them—and how they impact others—matters. Even when someone notices and calls attention to what we already consider our strengths, that makes us feel good, and we may be inspired to invest even more.
Look for someone’s contribution and mention it. Every day, people do things that make life and work better for others. The action may be something with a high profile, or it may be barely noticed. Regardless, our world works best when people are willing to act in ways that benefit others. Having these behaviors noticed can make practicing them feel more significant and often encourages even more contributions.
Listen for a good question and reinforce it. Schools are places where questions abound. Of course, not all questions lead to inquiry and insight and initiate action. When we hear a good question, regardless of the status of the source, we need to treasure it. We also do well to share our gratitude for the question, why we believe it to be important, and where it might lead. Our reinforcement can provide their reinforcement to build the courage to ask even more important questions.
Watch for a unique insight and capture it. Like good questions, insights are not always easily recognized. Our attention and support might be the stimulus needed for someone to continue to examine important challenges and uncover important knowledge.
Reflect on what we appreciate in others and share it. Even during trying times, there are people around us whose care, support, and general presence we appreciate. However, we may not take the time to tell these people what they mean to us and why. Hearing that they are valued and make a difference can easily make their day and more.

We may be surprised to find that others are often not conscious of the power of their actions and the difference they make. Our willingness to observe and share the impact they have costs us little beyond our attention and a few minutes, if even that, of our time. However, our pointing out that difference lifts its significance and amplifies its impact. Best of all, we will have made the lives of others better while also enriching ours.

Kick-Start Learning Momentum by Test Driving These Study Skills

In Your Corner, Planning, Student Learning

January 11, 2024

Kick-Start Learning Momentum by Test Driving These Study Skills

By this time of year, students often fall into a pattern of using a familiar yet narrow set of study strategies. While some of their go-to approaches may seem to be working well enough, exposure to and use of a wider array of strategies can break up tired routines, add novelty to study experiences, increase the amount of learning students gain, and lengthen the time they retain it.

Students may be unaware of additional effective ways to study and need instruction and support to try them out. Some students may know additional strategies, but they have gradually migrated away from them and need a reminder. Students may also be reluctant to try new study techniques, assuming that the strategies they are using are good enough.

Regardless, we want students to know and be able to apply the best study strategies for the content or skill they are learning. We also know that when students play an active role in exploring, practicing, and deciding the best strategies for themselves, they are more likely to engage with and ultimately adopt the tools that meet their needs.

Consider dedicating time during a coming week or unit to introducing and having students try out a variety of study strategies. Each day might feature a different study strategy for students to apply and evaluate. The curriculum content and skills you already have planned for the week or unit can be a useful area of application for a set of study strategies that are research-based and experience-proven. We might even choose a fun title for the series such as Put-Study-Strategies-to-the-Test Week or Five-Days-of-Study-Tool Tryouts. The key is to position students to try, reflect, and assess the impact of each study strategy on their learning and recall.

Each day of the week might feature a different study strategy for students to test. Once we have introduced a piece of content, a new skill, or a learning challenge, we might teach or review the learning strategy to be tested that day or evening. We can begin class the following day with feedback from students about their study strategy experience and invite recommendations for how and when the strategy might be used.

Here is a potential line-up of strategies students could test over the course of a week. Of course, you might spread the tryout period out and address one study tool each week throughout a unit. The key is to plan for the intentional application of these strategies, however that best fits your particular schedule, curriculum, and students.

Skill 1/Monday—Self-Quizzing

Advise students to create questions and pre-assess themselves on the topic or content before they begin to study. Even incorrect answers help to focus attention and look for key information as their study period unfolds. When finished studying, students can self-test again, using questions from the pre-assessment and developing other questions that seem relevant from the study session. The time spent pre- and post-testing themselves will generate more learning than additional time they might have spent simply rereading or reviewing highlighted content.

Skill 2/Tuesday—Interleaving

Coach students to include multiple skills or concepts within the same learning or study session. For example, students might study math and chemistry in the same session, mix new information with review of past learning, or address content out of chronological order. The process of addressing multiple concepts or skills in the same session keeps the brain alert and improves its ability to differentiate elements and aspects of the content students are learning.

Skill 3/Wednesday—Drawing/Visual Organizers

Drawing pictures of what we want to remember has been shown to be more than twice as powerful as writing down new content. It is important to note that the artistic talent displayed, or the quality of drawing students produce, does not appear to influence the benefits gained from the drawing activity. Further, the amount of time invested in drawing pictures for this purpose also does not appear to be a significant factor in the strategy's effectiveness. Even a few minutes spent drawing what students read and hear can generate significant advantages in later recall.

Skill 4/Thursday—Retrieval Practice

This strategy can fit well later in the week or unit when we want students to recall what was learned earlier or access background information in order to prepare them for new learning. Students begin with a “brain dump” by recounting, verbally or in writing, everything they can recall from prior learning related to the recall target. Students can quickly refresh their memories while identifying areas that may need reinforcement. Interestingly, this approach has been shown to be more efficient and effective than reteaching. Of course, we can encourage students to repeat this process on their own as they prepare for exams individually or in small groups. A key benefit associated with this activity is its ability to extend recall well beyond the completion of a unit of study or an exam.

Skill 5/Friday—Teach a Friend

Have students develop a mini lesson to teach the content or skill they are learning and share their lesson with a family member, friend, or classmate. The process of organizing information and sharing with others helps to deepen understanding, clear up confusion, and fill learning gaps. In addition, teaching consolidates new learning and extends learning retention.

We want to give our students access to the best and widest set of study strategies possible. The more options they have, the more likely they will be to choose an option that works for them. When we involve students in exploring and testing study tool options, we also increase the likelihood that they will remember and continue to use a wider array of tools after they leave us.

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