Our fabulous wordsmith Martina, who researches and writes our feature articles and blog posts, is currently recovering from surgery. Fortunately she is recovering well and will return shortly. If you are a regular reader here, please wish her well in a comment. I’m sure she would like to see it.

In the meantime, we will post a short video about Oxford Learning and highlight some podcasts and videocasts you might enjoy.

the IT guys

Our last article ’Why can’t kids concentrate?’ was very popular. Check it out.

Did you know that studies show that in a single classroom more than 70% of children will have difficulties with focusing and paying attention? Seven out of ten; that’s an awfully high number.

Do all these kids truly have ADD or is there something else going on?

Consider our modern lifestyle and the role it plays in the lifestyle of today’s kids. Kids live in a world that moves at a faster pace than ever. They are exposed to more media images, faster sound bites, and can use multiple media outlets simultaneously. They can text message, type, use video controllers, cell phones, iPods, MP3 players, and Blackberries. They learn faster, adapt better, and multiprocess at a rate that no other generation before has ever been able to, or ever had to do.

Not sure about this? Watch some shows that are popular with kids—MTV for instance. Play a few video games. Use chat programs.

In a fast-paced world

The world of today’s kids is fast-paced and ever-changing. It jumps around from image to image, sound to sound, never lingering long in one place or on a single idea image or thought. There is no break in the stream of sound, images, or conversation. There is no breathing room.

On average, the typical TV program changes cuts (the time that the camera stays on the same focus or viewpoint) every 3-4 seconds. Video games, music videos, cartoons and even movies all move at this break-neck speed. These short sound bites do little to help develop a child’s attention span.

So these same kids who live a fast-moving, multiprocessing life are, on a daily basis, put in a classroom where they are expected to sit still and focus on a single thought, person, or image for a long stretch of time. That’s a major downshift for the child.

Is it any wonder that 70% of them are having difficulty staying on task, focusing, and paying attention? When are we actually taking the time to teach children how to pay attention? Just like reading, spelling, and writing, paying attention is a skill that children need to learn, practice and perfect.

Is the education system not doing enough to keep up with how quickly kids live their lives? Are we asking too much of today’s kids to sit still and singularly focus? Or is there really an epidemic of kids with symptoms like ADD/ADHD?

There are no real answers—only a good starting point. Let’s begin by asking some important questions about children’s attention spans, the media environment, and the state of the education.

We welcome your feedback!

If your High School is on the semester system then most likely you have just finished, or are soon to be finished your final exams.

I can remember cramming on my back porch for my Grade 10 Biology finals. (This is going back a while now; Quite a while.) I remember that I spent the better part of an entire day reading over every note, scribble, and comment that I had ever made. This particular cram-a-thon stands out in my memory, not because of what I studied, or how well I did on the exam, but because of the spectacular sunburn that I got as I sat immobilized for hours on the back porch. In fact, by the weekend after the exam, I had totally forgotten every word that I so diligently crammed.

I know this because to this day, I don’t remember a single thing about grade 10 Biology; Nothing. Only the memory of the sunburn remains.

It seems to me now, looking back, that perhaps the technique of gorging myself on Biology was not the most effective study technique. In fact, I know now that it wasn’t.

But what could I have done differently with my study habits to make how I studied more effective?

Well, for starters, I should not have tried to study everything in one afternoon session. I’m guilty of procrastination. I admit it. By the time I entered university, I learned my lesson: Cramming Doesn’t Work. It just doesn’t.

Once I finally grasped this concept, I started to develop better study habits. Habits like reading over the notes that I took during the day, and paraphrasing the teacher’s notes using my own words. When it came time for a midterm or a final, I’d look over my own notes and ask myself, “Do I know what this is about? Can I talk about this unit in my own words?” When I answered myself with “maybe,” or a “not really,” I would read the unit carefully, then cover up my notes and recite them back in my own words.

Why would you want to recite stuff back in your own words? The answer is simple. When you recite and paraphrase, it means that you understand. And, understanding is better than memorizing. When you memorize, you only remember the stuff that you just read for a short time. When you understand, it sticks.

Another great tip that I learned was giving myself plenty of time. You know when the teacher tells you that a test is coming up? That’s the day to start reviewing your notes. It seems simple enough, right? When you are told that a test is coming up, don’t wait until the last minute to start studying. It’s one of the most basic rules of effective studying: Give yourself plenty of time.

Now put these tips all together:

• Give yourself plenty of time
• Read over your notes every night
• Paraphrase the text book and the teacher’s notes
• Read something, cover it up, and recite it back until you know it.
• Don’t memorize it. Understand it.

There is also one other important tip. If you are unsure about a concept, or don’t understand something, make sure that you ask for extra help. Talk to the teacher. Get another student to help you. Just like the golden rule for studying, (give yourself plenty of time), don’t wait until the last minute to let your teacher know that you need help.

That’s it. These are the best tips to help you not only to study, but to study effectively.

If only I had figured this stuff out back in High School, I might have been able to tell you something about my Grade 10 Biology.