The Master Teacher Blog

The challenge of helping students learn is great enough. However, helping them to move their learning from short-term, or working, memory to long-term memory is no less important. We accomplish little if students retain their learning only long enough to respond to our questions or perform on a near-term assessment.

The process of storing new learning and having it available for later recall is not automatic. Most of us have had the experience of our students seeming to grasp a key concept or important content only to discover later that they cannot recall or use what they have learned. We can find ourselves having to reteach or at least engage in extended review before students are ready to learn what comes next.

Fortunately, there are several strategies we can employ to increase the likelihood that what students learn will be retained once we move on to other topics and skills. Here are eight instructional practices to consider and apply.

Make it meaningful. It may seem obvious, but it is important for students to understand why what they are learning is important, useful, or meaningful. Purpose creates value in learning. We can give students examples of how what they are learning can make them more powerful, influential, or successful. The more students see value in what they learn, the easier and more likely it is that they will store it in long-term memory.

Commence with concepts. Beginning our instruction by helping students to see the big picture or learning key concepts can help students make sense of the elements and details that will complete their learning. Facts are easier to learn and recall when they fit within the context of something students already understand. Much like assembling a puzzle, when we have a picture to follow, placing pieces where they belong becomes easier.

Engage emotions. Emotions play a much more influential role in learning and recall than we might imagine. The presence of emotion often accounts for why we remember certain events or people from long ago in elaborate detail and struggle to recall something that happened only a few days ago or the name of someone we just met. Interestingly, emotions do not have to be positive to have a learning impact. It is their presence that makes the difference. We might tap students’ sense of compassion, insistence on justice, or passion for the latest trend. Introducing new content with a story that tugs at emotions, sharing an emotionally compelling experience, or setting up a conflict to be resolved can be good places to start.

Stimulate the senses. Our senses can have a powerful impact on our recall of experiences, including learning. The neurons in our brains process multiple types of stimuli simultaneously. We might ask students to rely heavily on what we tell and show them as they are learning, but their brains also store what students touch, smell, and taste. In fact, the more senses that are engaged during learning, the more likely the experience will be remembered. We might explore ways to have students feel or visualize an object with a unique texture (slimy or prickly), introduce or imagine a distinctive scent (rotten eggs or cut grass), or taste or conjure a flavor (sour grapes or chocolate fudge) to enhance their learning recall.

Construct connections. New learning and later recall are heavily influenced by how what is learned relates to what students already know. Prior learning represents the “hooks” on which new learning depends. Taking time to review and activate prior learning makes the process of new learning easier and more efficient. The existence and strength of connections between what students already know and what they learn makes the transition to long-term memory faster and more efficient.

Accelerate applications. We can be tempted to wait until students have been introduced to a complete concept before having them practice and apply what they are learning. However, waiting risks students losing portions of what we teach before we are even finished with instruction. Instead, we might have students practice partial solutions, test initial understandings, or explore potential implications. We can think about the small steps, easy lifts, and confidence builders. The adage “use it or lose it” applies to learning from initial introduction through completion.

Activate associations. The brain functions much like a sophisticated network. We can help students to remember what they learn by tapping into existing knowledge and creating new links. As examples, we might emphasize aspects of what they are learning that are familiar, memorable, or relevant. We can introduce beneficial metaphors, useful similes, and compelling examples. We also might introduce and reinforce patterns in new content to help students connect details and see relationships. The more students make sense of what they are learning, the easier the process of storing it in long-term memory becomes.

Coach creativity. Something magical often happens when students can use something they have learned to create something meaningful, important, or valuable to them. Absorbing content and applying new learning are important activities and are necessary steps in the learning process. However, when students use what they have learned for their own purposes, the transition from working memory to long-term recall is accelerated and extended, often dramatically. There is a reason that the highest level of Bloom’s taxonomy urges creation!

Obviously, some of these strategies work better for some students and content areas than for others, and some of these strategies will feel more comfortable and useful to us than others. This is why it is important to have multiple options and approaches available for our use. It is also true that these eight approaches are not the only ways to help students move new learning from short-term to long-term memory. What other strategies would you add?

There are many lessons we want and need to teach our students. Schools are designed to present students with a set of lessons, related experiences, and feedback to build their learning, and they typically have a formal curriculum that presents the learning that students are expected to gain. Consequently, we spend most of our time designing lessons and experiences that are aligned with intended outcomes and that we hope will result in learning.

However, there are times when we may also be teaching our students lessons of which we are not conscious or do not intend. We may do so by habit, neglect, or tradition. In fact, they may be lessons that we were taught as students, and we are simply passing them along. Yet, they can narrow our students’ understanding of learning, leave them with assumptions that cap their learning potential, and limit their preparation for life. Here are five lessons we need to be careful not to pass along to our students. 

Lesson #1: Learning is primarily for the purpose of getting good grades. We often tell students to study hard and practice so that they will get a good grade. However, the purpose of studying and practice should be to learn. A good grade may follow good learning, absolutely. A high grade gained by any means other than learning is not worth much. A better lesson to teach is that studying and practicing are for the purpose of learning. When study and practice are done well, good grades will typically follow.

Lesson #2: Adults are supposed to ask questions and students are to give answers. The traditional school structure features teachers questioning students to determine if they have learned. Students are to respond with expected answers. While this process has a role in the teaching and learning process, too often it focuses students’ attention on what adults want to hear, not on what students want to know. In fact, student questions are often discouraged because they take up precious time and may lead to distractions from a planned lesson or activity. Yet, meaningful learning often comes through discovering answers to questions students ask, not just the questions presented by teachers.

Lesson #3: Learning only happens when students are quiet and listening. Certainly, listening is one way to take in information and being quiet can facilitate listening. However, learning can occur through many channels, including when students discuss, debate, and engage in dialogue. Learning can happen when students try something and it does not work as they expected. Learning can result from what students wonder about and choose to explore. In fact, experience-based and curiosity-driven learning often lead to deeper understanding and longer recall than when students are only told how something works. There are times for sitting quietly and listening, but we need to be careful to balance listening with other types of learning.

Lesson #4: Compliance is of greater value than curiosity. Our schools were originally designed to prepare students to become compliant workers. Our system of education was created at the dawn of the moving assembly line; employers needed workers who would show up, do what they were told, and ask few questions. Moving assembly lines did not encourage or accommodate curiosity or creativity. Yet, the world for which we are preparing today’s students will require constant creativity, incessant curiosity, and ongoing initiative.

Lesson #5: Every problem is solved by finding one right answer. Most problems presented to students in school, in fact, have only one correct answer. The questions are designed for that to be the case. Yet, teaching students to always find the one correct answer is inconsistent with how the world works. In life, there are often multiple right answers. Some answers may be better than others. Some answers work better in one circumstance or at one time than others. While being precise has a role to play in learning, so does speculation, intuition, and suspicion. We need to be careful to avoid having students learn that problems they will encounter always have to be solved with the one right answer.

Obviously, these are only a few of the potential lessons we want students not to learn from us. What other examples of lessons not to teach might you suggest?

There is no question that artificial intelligence (AI) offers a myriad of opportunities to enrich learning for our students. With AI, learning experiences can be more personalized, resources can be more tailored and be accessed quicker, information about student learning progress can be more complete, and suggestions for next steps can be more focused. 

However, AI is not a risk-free or an infallible answer to student learning challenges. In fact, there are several potential problems and pitfalls of which we need to be aware and for which we need to be vigilant. Expecting students to rely on AI as their primary learning guide can be a mistake. Without our engagement, coaching, and direction, AI can undermine critical aspects of learning, distract from crucial elements of understanding, and even mislead students regarding what they have learned and need to retain in memory. 

Multiple studies have documented the impact of heavy reliance on AI relative to depth of understanding, temporal nature of recall, and absence of accurate information. Here are eight learning risks that AI can present for our students—and strategies we can employ to counter them. 

• Cognitive off-loading. Rather than memorizing general information or automatizing key skills, dependence on AI can lead learners to defer to digital sources to provide answers and consequently fail to develop fundamental skills such as mental math, problem identification, and critical thinking. The absence of independent thinking skills and strategies can diminish the effectiveness of students’ use of digital resources and leave them lost when technology tools are unavailable.  

Counter strategy: Identify and teach relevant foundational skills in your content area that students need to support their learning and engagement with AI. Periodically review and refresh these skills with students.  

• Short-term learning focus. A 2024 study including approximately 1000 students found that solving math problems using AI led to significant performance improvement over students using traditional tools—notes and textbooks. However, when retested without access to AI, their performance growth fell dramatically. While we want students to show short-term learning growth, little is gained when students cannot retain what they have learned.  

Counter strategy: Emphasize to students the importance of retaining what they learn. Coach students to engage in such recall-building strategies as distributed practice, retrieval practice, and other activities to strengthen their ability to recall what they learn.  

• Diminished attention span. A recent research study on attention spans found that the average attention span has decreased by approximately two-thirds since 2004! The availability of immediate information, constant switching of devices and information sources, and lack of focus have all undermined the discipline necessary to stay with a problem, issue, or topic for extended time. Yet, these are the behaviors necessary to gain full understanding, reflect, and engage in sensemaking. 

Counter strategy: Design learning activities that build and strengthen attending skills. Challenge students to gradually extend their focus and build their concentration capacity. Coach them to use approaches such as the Pomodoro Technique that intersperses short breaks following extended (typically 20-25 minute) study sessions.  

• Superficial learning. Educational games and applications often focus on success in the simulation but can actually divert attention from the intended learning. Additionally, the immediate availability of answers using AI can compromise depth of understanding and lead to overconfidence in what is learned. Lack of deep understanding can leave students able to answer surface questions but unable to apply and use what they have learned.  

Counter strategy: Design learning activities that expose students to deeper concepts and issues. Select instructional and learning strategies that position students to investigate, organize, examine, synthesize, apply, and create as they learn. 

• Reliance on biased information. Large language models are a type of AI that rely on information fed into the system to synthesize said information, compose responses, and provide solutions. To the extent that bias has been a part of the information fed into AI systems, it becomes part of what AI accesses for its processing. Several studies have documented the presence of bias in programs ranging from evaluating job applications to facial recognition.  

Counter strategy: Give students strategies for recognizing the potential presence of bias. Coach students to consider elements such as the source of information, potential motivation of the source, consistency with other sources, and so on. 

• Misled by misinformation. Just because information is generated by AI does not make it true. When AI tools rely on inaccurate data, faulty resources, and inadequate programming, they can produce results that are misleading or inaccurate. Without consulting other sources or benefiting from our guidance, students can find themselves misinformed, misled, and mistaken by the information they access from AI. 

Counter strategy: Like examining for bias, we can teach students to identify inaccuracies by consulting other sources, comparing to other known information, and being skeptical when information does not seem correct or is inconsistent with what students already know.  

AI can be a valuable resource to support learning and provide access to instant information and insight. However, without our monitoring, coaching, and teaching, AI can also undermine many of the skills and habits our students need to become successful in work and life.  

References: 

Bastani, H., Bastani, O., Sungu, A., Ge, H., Kabakcı, Ö., and Mariman, R. (2024, July 15). Generative AI can harm learning. The Wharton School Research Paper. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4895486

Mark, G., and Mills, K. (Hosts). (2023, February). Why our attention spans are shrinking. In Speaking of Psychology. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/attention-spans  

Many of our student have parents, guardians, or other caregivers who are quick to step in and advocate for them; for those students, while that resource is available now, it will not always be there. It is also true that many students do not have someone who is able or willing to stand up for them. Regardless, if students do not learn to advocate for themselves, they risk not knowing how and when to speak up for themselves when they need to. The fact is that all students do better when they learn and practice the skill of self-advocacy.

To be clear, self-advocacy is more than a person whining and complaining to get what they want. Advocacy is goal- and outcome-driven. Self-advocacy requires self-awareness and confidence. Advocacy is driven by informing those with the power to act in a situation and asking for consideration or accommodation.

In practice, self-advocacy builds agency and a sense of empowerment, fosters independence, and grows autonomy. It can be a powerful source of motivation when self-advocacy leads to a pattern of success. However, for many people, let alone our young students, self-advocacy is not easy. It requires courage, can be stressful, and is not always welcomed. Of course, self-advocacy does not always result in achieving the desired outcome.

Self-advocacy is a skill that can be taught and learned. We can create conditions that encourage students to develop and practice this skill, and we can coach students to develop adjacent skills that help them to be more effective advocates across the board. When appropriate, we should be receptive when students practice their self-advocacy skills with us. Here are ten examples of actions we can take and activities we can design to help students to develop this crucial skill:

• Nurture possibility thinking. We can help students to shift their negative thinking and language in the direction of options and possibilities. In many situations, the worst-case scenario would occur without self-advocacy and thus would be the same regardless, so when students reframe their negative outlook as an opportunity to consider and pursue what could be, they run little risk of worsening the situation.
• Allow students to own and wrestle with problems. We need to avoid stepping in with a solution or shutting down the what-if dialogue. Rather, we can focus on their goals and nudge for their solutions.
• Normalize asking for help. Students often assume that asking for help is a sign of weakness or lack of intelligence. We can help students see why asking for help is a sign of strength and expression of confidence, not evidence of weakness.
• Ask open-ended questions that give students room to think and decide. When students come to us with a circumstance that calls for self-advocacy, we can present questions that help students to think through the situation, explore options, and identify potential solutions without taking over and providing solutions prematurely.
• Coach problem-solving and decision-making skills. Self-advocacy is most effective when students have analyzed the situation, identified potential solutions, and can present least one preferred outcome.
• Explicitly teach advocacy language. Self-advocacy is a communication challenge. Students often need the words to say, ways to articulate their needs, guidance on how to present questions, and methods to ask for action in a manner that is respectful and effective.
• Consider role-playing self-advocacy scenarios. Low stakes opportunities to practice a new skill can be a powerful growth accelerator. Debriefing following role-plays can offer excellent opportunities to explore options and brainstorm additional approaches.
• Reinforce self-advocacy behaviors when students demonstrate them. Students may not always realize that they are advocating. Attempts to advocate present teachable moments that can lead to important learning.
• Model self-advocacy in interactions with students and others. Observing a skilled self-advocate can provide important examples, insights, and strategies for students to adopt and adapt.
• Encourage students to advocate for important causes. The experience of advocating for issues that involve the needs and interests of others can provide important learning experiences that give students more confidence and competence when advocating for themselves.

In parallel with our efforts to teach and nurture self-advocacy skills in our students, we might encourage and coach their parents, guardians, and/or caretakers to join our efforts, as many of the actions on this list are things they can also do. Together, we can play a key role in helping students become skilled, experienced self-advocates by allowing them to practice and learn, even when not everything turns out as they might desire.

A key secret to the success of magicians is their ability to gain, maintain, and manage our attention. They frequently direct our attention to one activity while they perform another one that we fail to notice. They often engage in elaborate stories to provide a context as they set up a trick. They surprise us, shock us, and may even leave us to question our senses.

Obviously, we are not and should not necessarily aspire to be magicians in our classrooms. After all, there is much more to the job of an educator than simply maintaining student engagement. Yet, there are lessons we can learn and strategies we can copy from magicians to set up the learning experiences we plan and better capture and retain the attention of our students. Teaching is neither magic trick nor magic show; we do not have to replicate the performance of—or go to the same performative lengths as—magicians in order to benefit from what they know and use to engage and amaze their audiences. Here are six lessons from magicians and examples of how we might apply them to gain and maintain the attention of our students.

Start with a story. People love stories, especially when they have a compelling narrative, build anticipation, ignite curiosity, or tap emotions. We might tell a story about an experience we had, draw on an interesting narrative from history, share something that happened with a former student (while maintaining their anonymity), or create a story that relates to what students will be learning or doing. We might even choose to leave out a key element or some revealing information that we hold until later in the lesson.

Invite involvement. Asking for volunteers can be a great place to start. Magicians almost always seem to have someone from the audience participate—often unwittingly—in what is about to happen. We might ask students to take a small action such as guessing an outcome or predicting what is going to happen. We could have students participate by creating an image in their mind or painting a mental picture related to the lesson. Students audiences, like audiences for magicians, are more likely to pay attention and remain engaged when they feel that they are part of the activity and contribute to the narrative.

Manufacture a mystery. Mysteries are close relatives to stories, but they invite attention by leaving a question unanswered, stirring up questions and speculation, injecting an element of unpredictability, or building anticipation for a pending solution. Mysteries build tension that is released when the mystery is solved or an answer is revealed. The magic of mysteries to hook and hold attention is that they are filled with wonder, awe, and amazement.

Inject some humor. Humor can be a powerful attention grabber and memory creator. We might relate a humorous example that demonstrates an aspect of what students are going to learn. We can share an entertaining and relevant vignette. We might choose an exaggerated illustration to which students can relate. Or we might recount a self-deprecating experience that students find entertaining and relatable. However, we need to be careful not to embarrass or otherwise leave students feeling uncomfortable.

Stage a surprise. Like mysteries, the power of surprises is often found in the anticipation that precedes the unveiling. We might preview that something is coming, hint that something unusual is about to happen, or warn students that something “unplanned” may lie ahead. The best surprises often reveal a counterintuitive outcome, unveil an unanticipated element, or disclose something shocking and memorable.

Set the scene. We might use sound, lighting, and props to create an environment that invites anticipation and promotes attention. Dramatic or themed music can create interest. Dimmed or focused lights can suggest mystery or direct attention. Posters, puppets, pictures, or other props we employ can create variety and interest in what is about to happen.  

Some of these strategies require thought and perhaps even a moderate amount of preparation and practice. However, the benefits we see in the attention and engagement of our students can be more than worth the effort.

We spend significant time thinking, exploring, planning, and preparing before we begin a new unit of study with our students. During this time, we identify key learning goals and objectives, determine key concepts to present, choose strategies for engaging students and building new skills, select resources and arrange for necessary equipment, decide how we will assess learning, and address other elements that will be key to our instruction and our students’ learning success. However, all this preparation typically happens away from the view and experience of our students.

As professionals, we have a good grasp of what we want to accomplish in any given learning cycle, but our students are largely unaware of what lies ahead until we introduce the unit. Meanwhile, the success of our instruction and the learning of our students depend heavily on their engagement in and commitment to the learning we have planned. If we want our students to be interested and ready to learn, we need to prepare them.

We can start by thinking about what students will want and need to know. They will likely have several questions about what they will be learning, and our responses will likely influence the level of learning engagement and commitment our students will demonstrate as we begin the new teaching and learning cycle. Here are five of the most likely questions our students want us to address.

What are we going to learn—and why is it important, valuable, or useful? Understanding the purpose and utility of what they will be learning can be a significant motivator for students to engage in what lies ahead. Sharing learning goals and objectives can offer clarity and reassurance for students, but, when possible, we also need to connect new learning with non-school-related, “real world” applications. The connection might be with interesting and attractive career possibilities, applications for hobbies and areas of current interest, something they have enjoyed learning in the past, or preparation for an important future challenge, such as state assessments or college entrance exams. The key is to make any connections real and relevant to our learners. Of course, there will be times when sharing a compelling connection or important application may be a stretch. When we face this challenge, we might consider ways to “gamify” the learning or consider other inviting or interesting ways to introduce and engage students that make the experience more enjoyable. Mary Poppins’ advice that “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” might apply in these circumstances.

What past learning and skills will be important to our success? Now is a good time to help students connect their past learning with future learning. When what we want students to learn next builds on what they have already learned, we may be able to get by with a quick reference and conducting a quick review. However, if significant time has passed, we will likely need to lead a more in-depth review or even do some reteaching to be certain that students are prepared to engage with what comes next.

What activities and strategies will you use to help us be successful? We might preview for students some of the activities we have planned, highlight learning strategies we will teach or reinforce, and review other learning resources available to help students find success. We might discuss the mix of individual and group work we have planned and how these strategies will contribute to what students will be learning. Now also is an opportune time to share our confidence that students will succeed and assure them that we will be ready throughout the teaching and learning cycle to provide support and offer additional tools and options. Our confidence in students and our commitment to have them succeed can provide important reassurance, especially if students anticipate that the learning will be especially challenging.

What have past students found helpful or challenging with what we are going to learn? Students can feel more confident when they learn that previous students, especially students like them, have found success with the new content and skills. We might share stories about the various approaches students found helpful, strategies they employed, and learning paths they found useful. We might also show the work of previous students as exemplars. However, we need to be sure to share multiple artifacts to avoid having students focus too narrowly on a single student’s approach or product. Our goal in responding to this question is to provide reassurance that success is within reach while also reinforcing key criteria and crucial elements to show evidence of learning.

How will my learning be assessed? Students of all ages often find it reassuring to know what type of assessment we plan to use to document their learning. If students know that their learning will be assessed through a demonstration, they are likely to approach their learning differently than if they expect a multi-question, short-answer assessment. Of course, our choice of assessment tool also needs to be guided by the nature of the learning in which students will be engaged. For example, a project-based learning activity may lend itself to a presentation or defense, while learning a set of established processes and procedures might be better assessed by analysis of a case study or demonstration of the best procedure for solving a problem or process for arriving at a solution. We might also discuss grading criteria or rubrics that we plan to apply. While we need to avoid having students focus too heavily on grades, it can be helpful for students to understand what will evaluated and how success will be judged.

We invest considerable time and energy in planning the learning we intend for our students. However, success—for our students and us—is heavily dependent on the investment and commitment of our students. Spending time at the beginning of the teaching and learning cycle to enlist the interest and grow confidence for learning in our students can pay rich dividends.

We all have experienced times when our students seemed to have learned what we expected and may even have performed well on an assessment, only for us to discover weeks and months later than they retained little of what they learned. Consequently, if what we are teaching now requires students to utilize the previous learning, we must reteach it. Obviously, this is not an efficient or effective way to build the knowledge and skills of our students and prepare them for their future.

So why does this happen, and what can we do about it? The problem is not ineffective instruction, nor is it the result of a lack of effort or poor student memories. The problem has its roots in how we use time and space to our and our students’ advantage as they learn.

Consider the typical way skills are introduced and taught in schools. Teachers provide instruction and monitor and correct while the students practice until the skill is mastered or it is time for an assessment before moving to the next unit. Despite how common this approach is, it suffers from two significant liabilities. First, some students need more time and opportunities to fully learn what is intended. Second, teaching skills in a concentrated block too often results in short-term learning followed by significant memory loss once the skill has been assessed.

Learning that is deep and lasting is more often gained through repeated exposure, regular practice, and frequent refreshing over time. We know the downsides of cramming for a test. In many ways, teaching and learning in a concentrated time block is the same; it just takes longer to experience the disappointing results. The good news is that there is a better approach that does not require more resources or effort and that is strongly supported by multiple research studies. The key is to use the time and space we have available in different ways.

We might think of this adjustment to our instruction and our students’ learning as spaced learning, spaced practice, and spaced retrieval. Let’s explore this combination of strategies and how they can support better learning and longer retention of what students learn.

Spaced learning breaks instruction into smaller pieces and spreads the introduction of new content and skills over time. Instead of a week of focused instruction and learning a topic or skill, introduction and exploration occurs over two to three weeks or longer, if needed. As a result, students have time to consolidate and digest new information. They experience less cognitive overload and lower stress. Intervals between learning sessions also often lead to more active engagement and deeper understanding.

Spaced practice occurs in tandem with spaced learning. In brief sessions, students practice what they have learned to refresh and apply it. These spaced practice sessions build students’ competence and confidence, and they reinforce what students have learned and make processes more automatic. These experiences also highlight for students where they have learning gaps or may be confused. As a result, learning barriers can be addressed and corrected before being “papered over” by the next level of learning.

Spaced retrieval follows up and reinforces the learning gained through spaced learning and practice. During brief sessions, possibly at the beginning or end of class, or during transitional periods, students are challenged to recall all that they can about a previously learned topic or skill. The activities may be as simple as making a list or concept map or as challenging as self-quizzing and using past learning to teach a classmate. The experience of recalling past learning has the effect of deepening and extending memory and making the content easier to access in the future.

Interestingly, redistributing how we use time and space for instruction and learning does not mean that we necessarily need more time. The key is to use time and space differently. We do need to rethink the organization of lessons and how we can distribute our instruction and student practice over longer periods of time. But, after a few attempts, the routine and pace become more natural, and the results can make the effort more than worthwhile.

What students believe about themselves and their learning matters. When students make unfounded negative assumptions about their potential, they are likely to give up quickly in the face of struggle, if they are even willing to try. When students assume that the lack of immediate success signals a lack of ability, they risk losing motivation and waning commitment.  

Learning is challenging enough. We should not have students fighting myths and misconceptions about learning that introduce doubts and make the work even more difficult. When we suspect that students are misinformed, are making unfounded assumptions, or hold misconceptions related to their capacity to learn, we need to act. Here are five common misconceptions about intelligence, studying, memory, assessment, and struggle that we need to dispel.  

If you do not recall information or skills learned earlier, you did not learn them. Learning and memory are related, but they are not the same. It is possible to learn and be able to demonstrate a concept or skill and not recall much about it later. The fact is that something was learned, but forgetting is less a reflection on the learning and more on how it was stored in memory. Forgetting information and skills is common when they are not reinforced or used frequently. Known as the forgetting curve, what we learn is easily forgotten unless we review, apply, and retrieve it frequently.  

If you struggle to learn something, you will never be good at it. While each of us has specific areas of interest and finds some things easier to learn than others, research studies show that we can learn almost anything if we use effective strategies, engage in repeated attempts, seek and accept feedback, and persist. Interestingly, the same research studies have found that people vary less in the rate at which they learn than most people think. The difference is found in what people already know and are interested in when they begin the learning process.  

Studying more means that you will learn more. In fact, how long students study is less predictive of what they learn than how they study. When studying, the quality of the strategies students use matters more than how long they spend doing it. As examples, self-quizzing is more effective than highlighting, reading and explaining what was read is more effective than reading the same content multiple times, and spacing study sessions over time is more effective than long, concentrated study sessions.  

Test scores are complete and accurate measures of learning. Tests, by definition, can only evaluate certain things. The number and type of questions asked, the way questions are framed, and the scope of content and skills assessed are just a few of the evaluation elements that can influence how completely learning is captured. Some students do best when questions are specific and draw heavily on memorized content, while other students excel when they can demonstrate, explain, or teach what they have learned. Few tests can measure the full scope of learning. Consequently, excessive dependence on test scores as the sole measure of learning should be avoided.  

If you do not do well in school, you are not smart. There are many reasons why students may struggle in an academic environment that are not necessarily reflections of intelligence. School performance can be influenced by numerous factors, including motivation, personal interests, time management, academic background knowledge, and emotional and psychological maturity. Consider the number of people who do not do well in school but later find exceptional success in business and other aspects of life. The key is to find learning strategies that work and allow intellectual abilities to show through.  

Myths and misconceptions can exert powerful influences on how students see themselves and the concept of learning. What students believe affects the level of motivation they feel, their willingness to persist when they struggle, and even how they see themselves as learners and people. We need to do all that we can to help students develop an informed and accurate picture of what it means to learn and how they can find learning success.  

Our students come to us with varying levels of self-management skills and understanding of the importance of self-regulation. Many students do not have good self-management models in their lives to emulate. For others, school has been a place where students wait to be told what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and what is good enough, so they have not seen the need for or been expected to build a self-management skill set. Nevertheless, building the skills necessary to manage oneself is crucial to school and life success.

The benefits associated with high levels of self-management skills are numerous. Students achieve greater academic success when they are organized and able to identify and work toward important goals. Behavior improves when students learn to self-reflect and make conscious, proactive choices rather than react. Students form better and more lasting relationships when they can regulate their emotions and navigate conflicts. Self-management skills and habits also contribute to improved mental health by enabling students to manage stress, become more resilient, and experience greater agency in life.

Regardless of the presence and strength of the self-management habits and skills our students possess, there are steps we can take and strategies we can employ to help them to become more successful academically, socially, and emotionally. Here are nine research- and experience-tested places to start:

• Coach self-reflection. Reflection is among the most powerful elements for developing the skill of self-management. Without reflection, many otherwise useful strategies may be left untapped. We can help students self-reflect by asking open-ended questions about their experiences, how they might shift their thinking, or changes they might make to their approach to achieve greater success. Having students journal about their experiences can be helpful. Interestingly, having students give advice to each other about challenges and problems they face can often stimulate reflection about their own behavior and choices.
• Teach students to set goals and develop action plans. The SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goal framework can offer a useful approach to making goals clear and attainable. Goals might relate to academic performance, behavior, or other elements on which students can focus and improve. Some students may also need strategies for breaking large tasks and projects into manageable tasks and steps. As students track their growth and improvement, they become more aware of the connection between their efforts and success and feel greater ownership for outcomes.
• Give students opportunities to make meaningful choices. We need to be certain that the choices we offer matter to students, are legitimate, and are not between clearly attractive and unattractive options. Then, we can coach students to assume ownership for what they have selected; living with a choice that is not optimal can teach an important lesson about decision making. Of course, there are times when revisiting and changing a choice may be justified.
• Teach students to motivate themselves. We often think about motivation as something we attempt to do to students. However, the most powerful form of motivation originates within students themselves. For example, we can help them to find meaning and purpose in their learning. We can encourage them to tap areas of current interest. We can have them focus on their own self-selected goals. Motivation is both a choice and a skill. Learning ways to motivate oneself is a powerful success strategy that can last a lifetime.
• Introduce strategies for recognizing and managing emotions. We can start by giving students the language to describe their emotions. If we are working with young students, we might consider using a feelings chart to help them identify what they are experiencing. As students become more aware of the complexity of their emotions, we can teach calming strategies for managing emotions such as taking a break or practicing breathing techniques.
• Teach the importance of delayed gratification. Some students are naturally better at working toward a reward or waiting for something important or attractive to them. However, delaying gratification is a learnable skill. We can have students practice the subskills associated with delayed gratification such as staying focused, remaining motivated, and demonstrating stamina. We might work with students to create a contract or identify a reward at the end of a task or project. We could have students practice techniques to manage eagerness and anxiousness associated with delayed gratification. Additionally, consider pairing delayed gratification with goal setting and progress monitoring to encourage patience and persistence.
• Praise efforts and progress over talent and innate ability. Our goal in developing self-management is to have students take greater control over themselves and assume greater ownership for their behavior. When we emphasize the talents students possess and the innate ability they demonstrate, we are focusing on elements over which students have limited control. On the other hand, students determine the type and amount of effort they invest, and the progress they achieve is a result of their investment.
• Cultivate resilience. We can remind students that setbacks and failure are opportunities to learn and improve. We can coach students to view challenges as invitations to grow new skills and develop new strategies. Further, more than simply bouncing back, we can teach students that the real goal should be to come back even stronger.
• Be a visible model. It would be a great idea to share with students some of the ways in which we practice self-management. As examples, we might share some of our goals, time-management techniques we practice, routines we follow, and organizational strategies we find useful. We might even talk with students about how we manage stress and control our emotions. Our modeling can offer a powerful example for students to follow.

Self-management skills may not be present in the formal curriculum we are responsible to teach. However, the time we invest in helping students to become skilled self-managers can pay rich dividends in improved behavior, academic progress, and higher levels of confidence.