How can i teach

How To Become an Online Teacher

Teaching online can open up interesting opportunities. Always wanted to teach at UCLA but live in Minnesota? Teach online! Want to moonlight but want to keep your full-time job? Teach online! Don’t have your PhD yet but want teach postsecondary classes? Teach them online!

The “take it anywhere” and adjunct-friendly nature of online teaching means flexibility with where you can teach and getting started even if you’re not sure you want to be a professor full time or if you’re still working toward earning your doctorate (and we all know how long that can take).

Of course, there are some drawbacks: being able to take your job everywhere means that work tends to follow you around. And as students get used to the flexibility of logging in whenever they want, you may find yourself grading and offering feedback at odd hours.

There’s also the matter of the system learning curve. It’s not easy mastering new technology — especially when your work depends on it. But once mastered, taking your teaching skills digital can give you flexibility to travel, a great part time job option or simply a change of pace from your classroom experiences. Here’s what to know about teaching online.

What kind of technology goes into online learning? Most learning management systems (LMSs) used for online courses simply require a good Wi-Fi connection, a laptop with a webcam and keyboard, a set of earbuds and, depending on the program, a phone to dial in.

Educational technology has adapted quickly, enabling online programs to be better than ever for 21st-century learning. Built-in cameras and microphones in our computers, the ability to quickly and easily watch video, “Web 2.0” structures that allow for discussions and exams — these are all basic technologies that most people have access to, and the best online master’s degree programs should be putting these technologies to use.

A strong online program should have the following:

Virtual Live Classes

The earliest forms of online learning were fairly “static”; much of the course content was in writing, and even the few videos or other interactive content were all designed for individual use. Now, an engaging online program can and should have live classes that facilitate real-time discussions on a high-quality, easy-to-use platform.

Live classes give students the ability to:

Live classes also tend to keep class sizes limited because it’s easier for students to participate with fewer than 15 or so people per session.

Another important capability is the ability to “break out” into smaller groups for discussion. You may think group projects are relegated to in-person classrooms, but a good LMS should allow for instant, randomized creation of small groups for discussion.

A Good Learning Management System (LMS)

Online courses are made possible through LMSs, which are the software application platforms that deliver educational technology content. That content should be diverse, including videos, charts, slides or files of the professor’s live session notes and other media, like links to reading material or outside media.

Because an LMS is also used for live sessions, a good learning management system is key to making things easy for the professor, who will need to quickly and clearly share media without too many technical issues. Students, too, will want a simple, reliable system for contributing their own notes, discussion threads, and most importantly, tests and assignments.

Familiarizing yourself with the learning management system (LMS)  platform you’re using is the best way to make sure you’re taking advantage of all that online learning has to offer your students. Not only will you reduce mistakes and fumblings in working with the system, you’ll learn ways to save time, add variety to your lessons and get insight that’s just not possible in a traditional classroom. A few components to focus on:

Don’t be shy when working with your course creators: Find out the most common issues, technical or otherwise, and they can put together a list of fixes you can draw from to help students experiencing problems. You should also have tech backup to whom you can refer students—make sure you get that phone number or email address too, and save yourself a struggle with tech issues that may be someone else’s responsibility.

Ask your course creators if the system has special tools and functions. Is there a way to simultaneously poll all of the students to gauge their understanding of a topic? Can students type thoughts or questions into a chat or discussion while another student is speaking and save time on the additional verbal back and forth? You don’t want to discover special capabilities halfway through a course!

Interactive Course Content

If you’ve ever sat through hours of lectures with only a few page-turns in your textbook to entertain yourself, you’ll appreciate one advantage online learning has over brick-and-mortar classrooms: interactivity.

Online classes have evolved, and simply reading assigned content is a thing of the past. LMSs should allow for quizzes, discussion questions, and real-time features, like chat, to keep conversations lively and learning active.

The best online colleges will make content interactive whenever possible to help you learn or to recognize what you’re not quite understanding yet.

Tech Support

Navigating a technical platform may be most people’s biggest fear about online learning. If you’ve never been technically savvy (and really, most of us who aren’t IT people don’t seem to have that magic force field that compels tech to behave), computer-related issues can be a real concern.

Even beyond issues with the LMS, your own computer may act up, thwarting access to live sessions, submission of assignments or proper display of content.

Good programs understand this and provide their own tech support staff. This resource is also available to professors, who will want immediate help should their PowerPoint presentations crash during class time. Removing this burden from teachers allows them to focus on their lessons, while students can rest easy knowing there’s help for any issues they may encounter.

Mobile Access

For working people — a large percentage of online users — the ability to access content offline can make all the difference in making going back to school a real possibility. Being able to watch a lecture on a lunch break, the train ride home or even while traveling for work can be a huge benefit, and one that the best online programs should offer.

Online teaching requires special considerations. You may find that much of what you’re used to telling students verbally now needs to be translated into text. You’ll also want to know what technology options are available to make sure you’re taking advantage of your options: Are timed quizzes available? Does your learning management system (LMS) allow links to YouTube? Can students video themselves answering discussion questions, or does their homework have to be written? Beyond knowing the ins and outs of the LMS you’ll be using, here are some ways to ensure a successful adaption of your curriculum:  

Depending on the program you’re working with and the system they have in place, you may have resources available to you for adapting your in-classroom material to an online environment. You may be asked to divide what you’d normally teach in daily hour-long classes into 10 or 12 1. 5-hour live sessions with about 20 minutes of “asynchronous” material (i.e., learning materials your students engage with on their own time, like homework).  

Remember, you won’t need to pass out papers or limit reading assignments to what’s in textbooks. In an online environment, you can link students to online journals, YouTube tutorials, TED Talks, blogs — whatever you find interesting and helpful.

While communicating with course material creators, explain why you teach material the way you do. They’ll need to know the “why” just as much as the “how” to help you translate verbal lectures into interactive course content, like videos, slides and exercises.

Chances are someone’s taught this class before you, and you may be able to use their existing asynchronous content. How will you design your live sessions to coordinate? Will you use new resources or assign different homework? Make sure you’re aware of what you’ve already got to work with before wasting effort.

Few people — even online course designers — are aware of what it’s like to teach online courses the way that teachers who teach online are. Ask your burning questions and get tips and tricks from other teachers in the program, or consult with teachers at other schools who use the same LMS technology.  

With online learning, it may be more difficult to get to know students’ learning styles on an individual basis (this guide to online teaching from NEA can help). Try to include a variety of assignments and course materials to make sure every student has an opportunity to learn in the way that’s best for them. This is another area where knowing your LMS can help you track class performance on different types of assignments and gain a better understanding of how students are learning the material. Keep in mind that some demonstrations involving a whole classroom of people cannot be done when students are all in different places, but you do have the opportunity to include videos and tutorials that may not have been used in the classroom.

Just as with live classrooms, you’ll want to know how many students you’ll be teaching, as it will affect the types of lessons and assessments you’ll conduct. For example, short answer or essay tests may be challenging to grade with large classes, but technology can make things like multiple choice exams even easier to grade than in a brick-and-mortar classroom.

Class size will also shape asynchronous (homework) vs. synchronous (live) course material. Will you have time for students to individually present during live sessions if there are 20 of them in a section, or does your technology allow for breakout groups that can present as one?

Another consideration is how you’ll catch students up on missed classes. Class recordings of live sessions and comprehensive asynchronous content can help students stay abreast of class material, even if they miss a class.

Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

Higher Education Teaching Certificate

Deepen your understanding of higher-order teaching practices and broaden your skill set while creating a unique and inclusive strategy for your specific context.

All professors have office hours, and online instructors are no exception. Make sure you know how to help students reach you. Hosting a Google Hangout at the same time every week? Scheduling phone calls as needed? Staying after class with students who have questions? Find out if your program has a policy, or if it’s OK for you to develop your own system for student check-ins. 

It’s important to establish a schedule for the course and have clear expectations, especially in an online classroom where things may feel less formal so that students have an understanding of their responsibilities. It’s a good idea to keep your course in line with your program’s best practices so that you can shape your online teaching according to what has been proven to work.

There are fewer opportunities to give feedback in an online classroom, so it’s a good idea to provide feedback quickly when you can. It’s also a good idea to ask for feedback yourself on how students are doing and what they need more of, and pass that information onto course creators so that necessary changes can be made. It can be hard to anticipate just what the student experience will be like for online learners, so asking for input can go a long way in shaping great experiences for future students.

Online classes have traditionally been asynchronous, meaning students engage with the course materials on their own time. But now there are programs that feature live sessions, where the teacher and students meet online for a live-streamed lecture and/or discussion. While this can be a huge advantage for students who stand to benefit from in-class discussions with other students, live lectures and real-time interactions, it can be overwhelming for a teacher who’s conducting an online class for the first time.

If that’s you, your first step to preparing is familiarizing yourself with the technology you need to instruct the class, including all the functions you may need and actions you’ll perform. Do you know how to present a slideshow? Share your screen? Transfer controls to a student who’s giving a presentation? Check with your tech team to be sure you understand how to perform the basic functions of your class.

It can take a while to learn the steps, but eventually teaching an online class will become automatic, and you’ll be able to pull from your skill set again and again with every new class you teach.

Many programs offer support for your first class, such as a tech person sitting in on your live session in case you need help. Simply knowing there’s aid if you need it can help you relax and enjoy your first class a little more, so find out if that’s an option.

Live sessions mean the ability to teach from wherever you are while still experiencing the student-teacher interaction of a classroom. Learning new technology can be stressful, but focusing on the rewards can make it a little easier.

How to Become a Teacher

Most of us have a favorite teacher from our childhoods; maybe it was the teacher who taught you how to read or the one who taught you how to value diversity, or even the one who taught you how to play kickball. Perhaps that teacher is your inspiration for wanting to become a teacher yourself. If you’re asking yourself what degree do you need to be a teacher and are ready to learn about the steps for becoming the teacher you aspire to be, check out this How to Become a Teacher guide!

We’ve broken down the steps to becoming a teacher, including what degrees you’ll need and what exams you’ll have to pass. While there are many different paths to becoming a teacher, they all begin with a bachelor’s degree -- but they don’t all end there.

Steps to Becoming a Teacher

1. Enroll in a bachelor's degree program
2. Demonstrate your basic competence
3. Participate in student teaching
4. Take the teacher certification test

Teaching Degrees and Requirements
How Long Does it Take to Become a Teacher
Becoming a Teacher in PA
How Much Do Teachers Make
Become a Teacher at GMercyU

1. Enroll in a bachelor's degree program

What degree do you need to be a teacher?

Well, the first step to becoming the teacher you aspire to be is to enroll in an accredited bachelor’s degree program, such as the ones offered through Gwynedd Mercy University’s School of Education.

Most public school districts and other education employers require at least a bachelor’s degree in addition to state certification to teach in their schools

2. Demonstrate your basic competence
Pennsylvania requires aspiring teachers to pass state-required examinations that assess general knowledge and basic skills, along with professional knowledge and specific subject area knowledge.

At GMercyU, all first-year students who want to become a teacher begin in the Education Studies program where you’ll complete your first 45 credits. Once you’ve completed at least 45 credits with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, you’ll need to demonstrate a core competence in math, reading, and writing as required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

There are a couple of different ways to demonstrate your core competence:

• You can take the PAPA exam, which is offered through Pearson
• You can take the Core Academic Skills exam, which is offered through ETS
• However, depending on your ACT or SAT scores from high school, you might not need to take any or all of these exams
  
  • A score of 500 in any of the sections on the SAT (math, reading or writing) will exempt you from the corresponding basic skills exam
  • If you took the ACT exam after August 2016, the following scores will exempt you from the basic skills exam: Reading: 22; Math: 22; Writing: 8

(Please note: GMercyU will not require students to submit standardized test scores for Fall 2022! Learn more here. )

Once you demonstrate your core competence in math, reading, and writing, you’ll be able to enter one of GMercyU’s early childhood education degrees.

3. Participate in student teaching

Most bachelor’s in education degree programs require you to spend at least a semester in a real classroom. During your student teaching experience, you’ll have the opportunity to practice managing a classroom, while still having the support of a cooperating teacher and your college professors. This real-world experience will elevate your confidence and prepare you for a successful teaching career after graduation.

When choosing where to earn your bachelor’s in education degree, be sure to choose a school that has a strong student-teacher placement program.

At GMercyU, for example, we have a dedicated Field Placement Director who will support you throughout your student teaching experience.

4. Take the teacher certification test

In order to become a certified teacher, you’ll need to take the teacher certification exam that relates to both your course of study and the state in which you want to become certified. While passing scores may vary by state, all prospective teachers take the same exams.

When choosing where to earn your bachelor’s in education degree, you also want to choose a school that has a strong program in place to prepare you to successfully pass these exams:

• If you’re going to teach Pre-K through 4th grade, you’ll take the Pennsylvania Educator Certification Test Early Learning Modules 1,2 and 3 through Pearson.
• For Special Education Pre-K through 4th grade, you’ll take the Pennsylvania Educator Certification Test Special Education Modules 1 and 2 through Pearson.
• For a Secondary Education Certification, you’ll take the Praxis II exam through ETS in the specific content area for which you’ll be teaching.

While a bachelor’s degree in education is the minimum level of education you’ll need to become a teacher, you have many options as to what and where you’ll teach. You can specialize in special education, secondary education, middle-level education, or early childhood education. Secondary education certification prepares you to teach in a high school setting, so you also will choose a specific field, such as science, math or history.

While there is always going to be a need for competent, qualified teachers, that need is greater in some subjects areas than others. According to US News, there is a growing need in the fields of special education, math, science, and bilingual education.

In most cases, having a bachelor’s degree is just the first step to becoming a teacher. Most states and school districts require teachers have passed the teacher certification exam, called the Praxis, before beginning employment.
 
Once you land your dream job in the classroom, you may choose to continue your education and earn an advanced degree. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) found in 2011-12, 56 percent of public school teachers had a master’s degree or higher. What’s more: the NCES found that the base annual salary of those teachers who had their master’s degree was almost $11,000 more than teachers who had only a bachelor’s.

In Pennsylvania, the difference in salary between classroom teachers with a bachelor’s degree and those with a master’s degree are comparable to the differences nationally. In the chart below, you can see the average salaries of classroom teachers in Pennsylvania for the 2015-2016 school year, per openpagov.org.

In general, it will take at least four years to become a teacher. Your individual timeline depends on your course of study when you decide to take your state certification exams, which subjects and grades you want to teach, and your location.

Most school districts require at least a bachelor’s degree, which takes at least four years to complete. During that time, you’ll gain real-world experience through student teaching and classroom observations. After your four years, you’ll feel prepared and ready to inspire your future students! There are more career paths in education than just teaching. Our Careers in Education guide can help you determine your best path.

But even before beginning your bachelor’s degree, you’ll have to decide what you want to teach. Are you interested in pursuing a dual degree in a subject such as history, math or special education? You should also think about what grade level you’re interested in teaching; do you see yourself working in a preschool or elementary school, or would you rather teach high school students? These are important things to consider before enrolling in a teacher preparation program. If you’re not sure which direction is best for you, take a few minutes to complete our What Kind of Teacher Should I Be? quiz.

As part of your bachelor’s degree program, you will sit for the state certification exams. These exams will test both your specific content knowledge and your academic knowledge. Teacher certification is generally required to work in public schools and is state specific. So, if you intend to teach in Pennsylvania, for example, you should make sure your Praxis results are sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Earlier, we laid out the steps to becoming a teacher. However, teacher requirements vary on a state-by-state basis. So while the basic requirements are similar to what you read above, Pennsylvania has some specific requirements for all teachers, which are spelled out below:

1. Complete your degree program. Pennsylvania requires aspiring teachers to complete their education at one of the more than 100 teacher preparation programs approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. These programs consist of classroom work and student teaching. Pennsylvania requires a grade point average of at least 3.0 to sit for the certification exam.
2. Pass the certification. After you earn your degree, you’ll be eligible to sit for the required state exams. Required tests – as well as qualifying scores—are occasionally reviewed and updated by the PA Department of Education, so check the department’s website before you take the exam to make sure you have the most current information.
3. Get hired. Once you’ve got your teacher certification on hand, you’ll be able to interview for jobs at public and private schools in Pennsylvania.

Teacher salaries in the state of Pennsylvania will vary by region and school district, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics has compiled a list of the mean annual wage for teachers in the state:

For the 2016-2017 academic year, the state of Pennsylvania had a statewide shortage of teachers in the following academic disciplines or subject matter:

PreK-12: Special Education

Nursery-12: Hearing Impaired, Speech and Language Impaired

Secondary: Foreign Language and Literature, Life and Physical Sciences

Grades 7-12: Mathematics

All levels: EL

Vocational Subjects: Building Maintenance, Business, Carpentry, Electronic, Health-Dental, Masonry, ROTC

In addition to the degree you hold, there are some other factors that influence a teacher’s salary, including geographic location. As you can see, the mean annual wage of teachers in 2015 was higher in the Philadelphia area than nationally.

Taking Your Education Career a Degree Further

After earning your bachelor’s degree and state teacher certifications, you may decide to go on to earn a master’s degree in education. If you’ve been teaching for a few years, a master’s degree in education administration could prepare you for the role of Principal or Vice Principal, or a master’s degree in special education can prepare you to offer specialized support to students if you’re looking for another way to make a difference in your school community, you might decide to pursue a master’s degree in school counseling.
 
Master’s degrees are generally at least 30 credits and can be taken online or in a traditional classroom setting. The number of classes you take at one time can determine the amount of time it takes you to complete your master’s degree.

No matter what degree you seek, as a teacher, you’re destined to be a lifelong learner. With every new subject or lesson you teach, your perspective will change and grow. Throughout your teaching career, there are going to be new strategies to try, new regulations to implement, and new research on how to better reach students. Communicating with fellow teachers, collaborating on lessons, and checking in with students will help you become the teacher you aspire to be.

At GMercyU's School of Education, we've compiled a team of dedicated professors who are committed to helping you hone your own superpowers on your quest to become a teacher. With tools such as the Teacher Apprentice Program (TAP) and student teaching, you will gain the hands-on experience needed to transform the lives of your students.

• Through GMercyU’s Teacher Apprentice Program (TAP), undergraduate education majors participate in classroom observations beginning in their very first semester on campus and then continue to gain valuable hands-on experience through pre-student and student teaching opportunities.

Ready to apply? Submit your application for admission today!

10 ways to learn Russian

Russian is the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages ​​and the 6th in terms of the total number of speakers. Therefore, many seek to learn Russian for work and career prospects, some need it for education, and someone wants to get to know Russian culture better.

In this article we will give you 10 practical tips that will help you learn Russian and make this process interesting and exciting.

1 - Start with the simplest

The first step to learning Russian is to master its alphabet. Cyrillic, unlike Latin, is based on the Greek alphabet. Because of this, many letters, although similar, mean different sounds, and some are completely unique. So, for example, the Russian letter "Р" is similar to the English "R", and the Russian "Н" is nothing more than the English "N". If you devote enough time to the alphabet and the basics of phonetics from the very beginning, then further study of many aspects of the language will become easier and will move much faster.

Children's fairy tales are good for learning to read, a list of them can be found on Wikipedia. They are written in simple and correct language and are easy to understand. Such reading will help you feel the basics of the language, learn how to build sentences beautifully and correctly. More complex things are best left for later.

2 — Repetition is the mother of learning

So says an old Russian proverb. Glue pieces of paper with Russian names on pieces of furniture, appliances, dishes and everything that surrounds you in all places where you spend a lot of time: at home, in the office, in the car. This will help you always keep new words in front of your eyes and, over time, remember them without resorting to boring memorization.

3 - Write everything down

Don't always rely on your memory. Especially if you are in another country and everything that surrounds you is often new phenomena. Always keep a notebook or mobile phone handy in which you can quickly and conveniently take notes. At the end of each day, review your notes, among them there will certainly be something worth remembering.

We recommend using specialized notebooks for writing, in which convenient markings are pre-printed on the sheets. So your notes will always be structured and convenient for later perception.

4 - Always stay in touch

VKontakte is the Russian analogue of Facebook, which is much more popular than its older brother in many post-Soviet countries. Russian-speaking users are happy to make new acquaintances with foreigners, which can be very useful for language practice. Thanks to communication in social networks, you can quickly improve your knowledge of spoken language, and learn someone else's network culture. In addition, sometimes, friends and acquaintances during such informal communication can explain some phenomena and concepts much better than teachers.

5 - Movies and music

For many, the most interesting way to learn another language is to watch movies and listen to music. In the case of the Russian language, the official channel of the Mosfilm concern, where all old Russian films are collected, will be an excellent help. The channel has a separate playlist with movies with subtitles.

Far From Moscow is a great platform where you can find a lot of Russian music from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries. All genres and directions are represented here, and there is a lot of content that can be legally listened to and downloaded.

These resources will help you not only improve your language skills, but also find new topics to talk to your friends about.

6 - Read in Russian

Reading develops language skills very quickly. Try to read as much Russian as possible, such as news websites and Russian-language blogs. So you will improve your knowledge of the language and be able to delve deeper into the Russian mentality, culture and everyday life. In the end, it's just interesting to read how the same events are written about in different countries.

7 - Never turn down invitations

Russians sometimes seem not quite friendly and cold, but that's only until you find yourself at their house. If you were invited to a party, or just for tea, then be sure that you will be treated to the best food and the most unusual stories will be shared with you. This lively and relaxed communication is a great way to improve your speaking skills, learn about culture and make friends.

8 - Visit a Russian speaking country

Full immersion in the language environment is the surest way to start speaking Russian quickly. In the expanses of the former USSR, the Russian language is very common, it is not necessary to go directly to Russia - you can find cities in other countries where Russian will be one of the main languages ​​of communication. Such a place can be found even in the European Union. For example, the city of Daugavpils in Latvia: for 80% of its inhabitants, Russian is their native language, and 96% of the inhabitants speak Russian fluently. In Daugavpils, standard modern Russian without any accent is used as the main language for communication, which makes this city a very attractive place to study it.

If possible, it is better to stay not in a hotel, but in a family where the main language of communication is Russian. Many language training programs provide this opportunity. So you will never fall out of the language environment, and will be forced to speak Russian, which over time will definitely bear fruit.

9 — Find a companion

Finding a companion for whom Russian would be native is not so difficult. You can use social networks, but if you are in a Russian-speaking country, be sure to find someone to spend time with. This will not only help you make new friendships, but it will also help you get into language learning faster.

The main thing to remember is that if your goal is language, then you should not forget about the need to write down and memorize everything new. Analyze each time your meetings, learn new words and expressions. Thus, with each subsequent “lesson” you will feel more confident, which means you will be ready for more difficult things.

10 - Find a new hobby

Do you like to cook? Ask your friends to teach you how to cook some traditional dishes. Are you into music? Learn some traditional songs and some popular modern Russian songs. Dive deeper into Russian culture. This will make you an even more interesting conversationalist and allow you to better understand the Russian mentality. So you can quickly find a common language with Russian-speaking people and you can get a much greater conversational experience.

Russian culture and language, which is an integral part of it, are incredibly interesting and, therefore, attract many. We are sure that the tips we have given you will simplify the process of learning Russian. If you are interested in learning this language courses, which provide a unique cultural experience and practice, be sure to read the information from our website. Do not be afraid of difficulties and learn Russian!

16 tips on how to learn to study - Education on vc.ru

How to study correctly, consolidate knowledge and bring all courses to the end.

151 976 views

Hello! My name is Vlad Yakupov. I am developing my EdTech startup skillsetter.

Today I want to share an article on how to learn any skill simply and effectively. This article was written by Denis Kulkov, Head Of Content at skillsetter. Text from his face.

I used to dislike studying. It was difficult and boring for me. I dropped dozens of online courses because of this. And I'm not the only one: according to statistics, 90% of people do not finish them.

One day I decided to learn Python and started taking a course on Stepik. At first everything went fine: I watched the video, it was interesting and clear to me. But then it was time to do the project. At that moment, I realized that I did not understand what was required of me. I could not understand what is written in the condition of the assignment. As if I hadn't watched all those lectures. I never completed the course.

Then I became a part of EdTech myself. First at Maximum Education, and now at skillsetter. I learned by practice how to teach others. In this article, I have collected everything I know about effective learning. It turned out 16 tips that will help you learn correctly and bring everything to the end. They helped me complete the dropped course.

To make it easier for you to navigate the article, I divided these tips into four groups:

1. How to make your memory work. I talk about the principles of the brain and memory that affect memorization. About the forgetting curve (I hate it) and the focused state of the brain.
2. How to set goals and motivate yourself. Here about backwards planning and other ways to stay on track.
   
3. How to manage your time. Hacks about deadlines and quick reading of textbooks.
   
4. How to make complex things simple. How to maximize the benefits of any training.
   

Let's start with the brain.

How to make your memory work

1. Alternate activities and sleep

The brain has two states: focused (focused) and scattered (diffused).

Reading this text, you are in a focused state. After a couple of hours, when you rest, your brain will be in a scattered state. It is at this point that new neural connections will begin to form in your brain.

Then new knowledge in the focused mode and the formation of neural connections in the scattered mode. And so all my life.

We have been familiar with how the two states of the brain work since school. But not from biology lessons, but from literature lessons. Remember how hard it was to tell a poem perfectly on the day it was learned. You teach it, you teach it, but it never learns. But the next morning you remember him perfectly. Why is that?

When we are learning a poem, we are in focused mode. But the real memorization occurs later - in a dream. Therefore, the “study → sleep → study” model is much more effective than just “study → study → study”. Sleep is good.

skillsetter.io

2. Take regular breaks

This advice is also related to the focused and diffuse modes of the brain. Studies show that a person cannot be maximally focused for a long time. We start to get distracted and do five-minute tasks for hours. Maximum focus time: 50 minutes.

To make learning easier, you need to give your brain a rest. For most people, 50 minutes of work and 10 minutes of rest will be a good fit. In order not to stray from this mode, a regular timer or applications like Forest and Focus Booster will do.

3. Fight the Forgetting Curve

At the end of the 19th century, the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus built a forgetting curve showing how much information a person can actually remember. Ebbinghaus was very persistent, for the sake of this experiment he had to memorize sets of meaningless syllables for two years: DAX, BOK, YAT, etc.

The results of his research are disappointing:

skillsetter.io

In an hour you will remember only 44% of the information from this article - only 7 tips. A week later - less than 25%. In a month, you will remember 20% or even less - that is, a maximum of 3 tips out of 16. I hate the forgetting curve.

Most of the information is forgotten in the first hour after receipt. To avoid this, it is necessary to repeat the information. When playing the memorized material, the speed of forgetting decreases. The more repetitions, the better everything is remembered. You need to do at least 4 sets.

First approach: immediately after gaining new knowledge. To do this, the textbooks have questions at the end of the chapter, and the courses have intermediate tasks. Never do them? You lose 60% of information.

Second approach: one day after reading. Discuss new knowledge with friends or colleagues.

Third approach: after 2-3 weeks. Remember the material and repeat it in practice. Make a project within the course, if there is one. Introduce new approaches to work. It is important to transfer knowledge into practice.

Fourth set: 3 months after last rep. Go back to the original material and repeat it. At this stage, new knowledge should already be part of the daily work.

Congratulations, the forgetting curve has been broken! So she needs it.

You also need to repeat the material correctly. Research shows that simply rereading the material is not enough. Students who only re-read the new material completed the final test by 18-50%. Students who asked questions and discussed assignments showed results ranging from 30% to 75%.

Let's imagine that Lena has read our article about unit economics. How can she remember as much information as possible?

First approach: answer questions.

Second approach: Discuss new information with friends.

Third approach: Calculate the Unit Economy for your startup. Lena wants to make a To-Do List app. Lena, don't.

Fourth Approach: Calculate the Unit Economy for five more new ideas. Learn to calculate CAC and LTV in your head.

4. Don't waste time rereading information and underlining key points

It doesn't work. Emphasizing the main ideas is an unfortunate approach to learning. The work performed by the brain is not active enough to create solid knowledge. Repeated rereading has the same effect. It doesn't make the brain work.

In order to remember better, one should not reread and underline, but reproduce information from memory. Answer questions and do exercises.

5. Choose the right learning style

Learning style is how you get information. The learning style can be visual (reading, pictures) and auditory (lectures, audio books, podcasts).

We choose a learning style that we find easier. It is difficult for Lena to concentrate on audio and she always reads books or articles. And Vanya, on the contrary, does not have enough perseverance for textbooks and he watches online lectures. But you can't do that.

Cognitive psychology researchers at the University of Virginia studied all the experiments done with learning styles. And they came to the conclusion that there is no connection between the student's favorite learning style and its effectiveness. It doesn't matter if the student is auditory or visual, he still remembers information better visually.

Another study shows that 81% of students who read books did well on the exam. And of those who listened to the same information on the podcast, only 59% did it.

Synthesizing. If it is easier for you to watch an online lecture, this does not mean that this format is effective.

Teaching style should not depend on subjective “likes”, but on the subject. Foreign languages, oratory are best studied in person with a teacher or via audio and video. Management, marketing, programming do not require the supervision of a teacher. They are best studied in text format.

6. Go in for sports

Physical activity affects the ability to remember and learn better. Active exercise increases the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This is a protein that helps build new neural connections.

skillsetter.io

Even after a 20-minute walk, brain activity and memory improve significantly. Before you sit down for a couple of hours in an online course, I advise you to take a walk in the yard.

For the most productive, cycling and running.

7. Drink water while exercising

If sports are not for you, then drink water. It has been proven that if you drink at least 25 ml of water during classes, this will increase concentration and perseverance. Stay hydrated.

We are moving towards motivation.

How to set goals and motivate yourself

8. Use Backwards planning

Let's go back to Lena.

Lena bought a course on Big Data because she read in a blog that it was +30% to her salary. And in general, it’s a shame not to know what CRISP-DM is in 2020. She started studying with enthusiasm, but after a week she got bored. It turned out to be not so easy, and she did not see the application of Big Data to her profession as a project manager. She never returned to the course. Why did it happen?

Because Lena didn't have a goal.

The concept of backwards planning is very simple: you need to see the goal from the very beginning. To do this, you must immediately determine what kind of knowledge and skills you will receive at the end. Then study the headings and brief descriptions of all sections of the course. Create a clear course structure in your head. And only after that you can think about buying.

I wanted to put this tip first. But then, up to this point, no one would have read it. I am also pissed off by advice in the spirit of "set a goal and go for it. "

But this is important. You need to clearly understand why you are studying.

9. Find a study partner

According to a study by Stanford University, people working in pairs are more motivated: they were 53% more likely to return to tasks after the experiment, worked harder and did not give up longer.

This is the (only) advantage of university education - you always have a company to work and discuss. This makes it much easier to move forward, meet deadlines, and be productive.

If you are studying online, find opportunities to discuss assignments with other students. Skillsetter has closed course chats for this. If you don’t have such a chat, then try to start a dialogue in the comments on social networks, on a thematic forum. You can also take courses with friends. There will always be someone to talk to.

Time management.

How to manage your time

10. Start with easy tasks and then move on to difficult ones

Vanya heard the phrase “eat that frog” in a lecture on productivity. He realized that first he needed to complete the most unwanted task, and then proceed to the rest. Then he decided to first do the most difficult task in the project: the Customer Journey Map and the presentation for the CEO.

Vanya was so tired while making the Customer Journey Map that he had no energy left for the presentation. He made it any way. The CEO was unhappy.

Lena also watched this lecture. But she decided to do something different: start with the easy, and then take on the difficult. She first filled out the weekly report, and only then took up the Customer Journey Map. After a break, she prepared a presentation for the CEO. Lena was also tired, but it was easier for her to work.

The brain hasn't watched productivity lectures, so it's doing its best. It is difficult for him to immediately get together and complete a difficult task. It is more effective to do light exercises at first, gradually complicating the tasks.

skillsetter. io

11. Set a hard "external" deadline

People who don't have a deadline take 16% longer to complete a task than self-imposed ones, and as much as 40% longer than people with an external deadline. An external deadline is one that is given to you by other people.

This approach works well in schools and universities. The exam date is known in advance, you cannot move it. All you have to do is sit down and start working.

When you study on your own, you have to set deadlines yourself. And it's much more difficult. Research shows that people are not good at setting themselves optimal deadlines. We push them too easily. Work, birthdays of relatives, a mess on the table, an urgent trip to karaoke - all this can push study into the background.

To avoid this, external reinforcements must be found. You have to be in an impossible situation.

The first option is a financial investment. If you are planning to take an IELTS, GMAT or other paid certification exam, then set a date and pay for the exam. This will work as a motivator: if you don’t prepare on time, you will lose money.

The second option is a public statement. Write about your intentions to complete a course or pass an exam. Announce the exact date. It will be awkward to procrastinate, and you will definitely reach the end.

skillsetter.io

12. Do not read textbooks from cover to cover

Many people read textbooks like a new novel: from beginning to end, following the plot. Doing so is wrong.

When you read fiction, you do it for pleasure. When you read a textbook, you want to gain knowledge. Different goals, different approaches.

Harvard has developed an effective reading guide to make life easier for students. There are a lot of useful things, here are the most important:

Don't start reading from the first page. First, take a look at the structure of the book. Read the preface, study the sections. Read the summary of each section. Look at what the author refers to in his bibliography. So you better understand the context of the textbook.

Read actively. Take notes and constantly ask yourself questions: “What does this graph mean?”, “What was said in this paragraph?”, “Why did the author make such a conclusion?”. This will increase your engagement and close the hated forgetting curve.

Once again, the textbook does not have to be read in its entirety. You can start in the middle if the concept you need is located there. Then you can move on to other chapters. Always remember your goal - to learn something specific, and not just read a book.

13. Think in advance about the time of study, place and duration

Making decisions is hard work. The brain gets tired of it. There is already a classic study that showed that American judges make effective decisions in the morning. Then the brain gets tired and tends to simpler options that do not require thinking.

A person makes about 35,000 decisions a day. Whether you choose what to wear or which career path to choose, your brain will still spend energy on it and get tired. Plus, decisions take time. It turns out that the more routine decisions you make, the less time and energy remains for really important ones.

For this reason, many famous entrepreneurs always wear the same clothes: Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg. They don't care how they look. They simply free their time and brain from making that decision.

If you plan in advance that every Friday at 20:00 you will study for 2 hours sitting in the living room, you will be more productive. You will not spend your resources on solving these issues “in the moment”.

To the most important.

How to make complex things simple

14. Add new knowledge to the old

On Monday Vanya was reading an article about positioning. And on Friday, I developed the funnel of my product. It seems like two different themes. However, Vanya connected them mentally. He thought about how positioning would be broadcast at each stage of the funnel. I made a table and understood better in both topics.

Be like Vanya. Connect the unknown to the known.

15. Teach others what you already know

Information can seem confusing and unstructured until you try to explain it to someone. Try to teach, not just retell. So the new topic will become much clearer.

Lena started a product management course. It didn't work out with Big Data. She wants to beat the forgetting curve in order to remember all the information. Therefore, Lena decides to tell her younger brother about the must have, performance and wow features of the product.

Her brother listened to her attentively, but did not understand how performance features differ from wow. Lena realized that she herself did not understand what the difference was. Without feedback from her brother, she would never have realized that she had not learned enough about a new topic.

16. Solve Problems Yourself

Problem Solving is the skill that separates the good from the great. The better you solve problems, the more likely you are to succeed.

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