You’re listening to The Parents of Hardworking Teens Podcast, episode 133 - The three R’s that create the two things that parents and students have been telling me they want most. Why this happens and how to make it happen for your teen.
Hey VIP’s.
How are you doing? I am… doing!
I have just yesterday dropped my mum at the airport to fly back to the UK.
Turned the second bedroom back into an office. And on that note - been going through all the steps with all the people - engineer, builder, building certifier, council - as we get the final plans done for our small extension and not so small reno on our new place. Which - it turns out I need to stop calling new - as I realised we’ve been in here a whole year now - which has just flown by.
Now, those are a couple of the reasons why I haven’t made a new podcast for a few weeks. The main one, really just being having my mum out staying. When you have someone fly to the other side of the world, you want to try to give them plenty of your time and attention, and I have still spent a fair amount of time working while she’s been here, because, this is the other main reason - I’ve been setting up and running and working really hard on some new coaching groups - small groups of students who I’ve been working with personally to guide, and help and support in their study - in building their skills, their strategy, their performance.
These have been going SO well. I am almost certainly going to continue with this style of training and support. I could spend the whole episode sharing takeaways and impacts from these students and the groups, but I won’t. But if you want more information just drop me an email with your teen’s year group - or groups - if you have more than one - I do have a sibling discount - and I’ll send you the relevant info.
I do limit numbers for these groups. But, I’m also adapting to demand and have already started additional groups to accommodate this. So, right now, I have the Y7-8 Study Smart Blueprint. Then we have Next Level Coaching for students in Y9 -11. And then we have Finish Strong for Y12’s in their final year - of course, with a strong focus on exam technique and the lead up to finals right now.
Speaking of which… we have the Exam Mastery Workshop coming up on Sunday 3rd August. The Exam Mastery Workshop is a special - exam technique and exam prep - aka revision - focused half day workshop.
The aim is very clearly and simply to give the skills, techniques and strategies to:
TACKLE ANY EXAM QUESTION successfully (WITHOUT the need for ‘HOPING’ or guessing.) No hoping this question comes up - or hoping this topic DOESN’T come up!
And not needing to guess what the question is asking, or what’s required in the response, or guessing at how much detail is needed or how many quotes or examples you’re supposed to give. Urgh. There is so much guesswork happening for so many students and I want to eradicate that as much as possible.
Anyway, tickets are available NOW at www.gradetransformation.com/EMW25
You’ll also see that there are some big bonuses I’m including with every ticket and you’ll get the full recording and workbook - so no worries if your teen can’t make it live.
And this brings us nicely to the topic I want to share with you today, because it’s a perfect combo of a couple of things I’ve picked up from the coaching consults I’ve been leading and the aims of the exam mastery workshop.
And that is - the overlap between increased results - and increased confidence. Because with every student who joins a coaching program we kick things off with a private consult with me - usually with both the student and their parent - or sometimes just with the student. And the thing I do with everyone at the end is some specific outcomes we want to achieve in 10-12 weeks’ time. I say to them - both the student and their parent - if we were to sit down again together in 10-12 weeks from now, and you as the parent invested your money, and you as the student have invested your time and effort, what would make it feel absolutely, totally worth it?
What would make you SO glad you put in that time, money, effort? What would make you feel like you’d still be happy if it’d cost double the money or effort?
And of course the answers vary depending on where things are at currently and what we’ve discussed they need to change or work on or develop. But it almost always comes down to 2 things:
Number 1: Confidence
Where the student will say something like: I just want to know what I need to write. OR I want to be able to work out what the question is asking. OR I want to feel confident that I’m studying in the best ways. And the parent will say something like - I want them to feel confident in their abilities. I want them to not be stressing so much in the lead up to exams. - and of course, a major cause of exam stress is uncertainty. And the opposite of uncertainty is clarity and confidence.
So the number 1 thing is confidence.
And the Number 2 is an increase in results.
The student will say I want to be getting above X percentage in Y subject.
Or I want to get results that I feel match my effort or the subject knowledge I have. Or I want to get a certain ATAR so that I can get into the uni course I want.
And of course, often the parent will want that too, but more often, it’s not the parent putting pressure on for specific results, it’s more that they want their teen to achieve the results that actually show their ability. They’ll say this as ‘I want them to experience success.’ Or I want them to be able to have maximum opportunities.
But most of all, they really want them to see the results because they want them to have their effort rewarded. And - they want the realisation of their capability to raise their self confidence and self esteem. And so, we cycle back around to confidence.
So, there’s a clear overlap between emotional, personal outcomes and on-paper, academic results outcomes. And the best part of this is that it’s the same skills, strategies and techniques that will make BOTH of these happen.
Which mean it’s a double-whammy problem if students don’t have these as it impacts both their confidence and results but it’s also a double-whammy positive when they do.
All the things they want to happen - more marks, more confidence - are created by the same thing. And this has become so apparent that I’ve simplified it into the 3 Rs to hopefully make this easy to remember and come back to in your mind.
For a student to feel confident in tackling a new assignment, in writing an essay, in answering an exam question they need to:
1) Know what the question is asking - or what the question REQUIRES.
2) They need to know how the marks will be allocated or what the success criteria demand - in other words how they will be REWARDED. How they’ll move up the criteria, or how they’ll be awarded marks on the mark scheme.
And
3) They then need to have the skills and know HOW to write an answer that RESPONDS to the REQUIREMENTS and will earn maximum possible REWARD.
So the first R is REQUIREMENT - what does the question REQUIRE?
The next is REWARD - how will they earn marks or tick criteria on the mark scheme and the third is RESPONSE - how will they write a response that meets those in the most efficient, clear and sophisticated way?
When your teen knows and has those three R’s - if they know how to dissect any question to figure out what it’s actually, really asking. If they can predict the mark scheme in an exam or accurately decipher the success criteria on a rubric. If they have the skills and strategies and know-how to craft a succinct, high quality response - then they’re going to feel confident. They know that they could be thrown any question and will have the skills and knowledge to deal with it. They know the steps to take and have systems to follow. They aren’t guessing at things. They aren’t hoping they’ve done it right.
And also - if they know how to dissect the task or question. If they know exactly what it and the mark scheme requires. If they have the skills, steps, systems and techniques to craft a clear, high quality response - then they’re going to do exactly that - produce a high quality response and meet more of the top criteria and get their best possible result.
Those concepts, insights, skills, and techniques - like clarity on command words - identifying them and appropriately responding to them - like decoding the wording of mark scheme criteria - like explaining in the right amount of detail - like effectively integrating and analysing quotes and evidence with the 3 steps for analysis.
These produce BOTH of those most-wanted outcomes.
Results and confidence.
As long as they are done accurately. As long as they are done effectively. Of course. If you feel confident, but you actually aren’t doing it right, then of course, that’s not going to translate into results.
But - If you know what to do and how to do it accurately, effectively, reliably, you’re going to feel confident and create responses, write answers, execute assignments to a high level - and do it in the smoothest possible way. With least stress, maximum efficiency.
These 3Rs - Requirement, reward, response - are the exact skills we’re going to be focusing on in relation to exams specifically in the Exam Mastery Workshop.
And they’re what we train in, practice, hone and uplevel, with personal guidance, feedback and direction across all aspects of study and assessment in the coaching programs I’m now running.
Tip: Coaching group members get a ticket included with their membership.
I hope that this gives some really positive and productive vibes into your day.
The fact that learning, becoming skilful and developing mastery over these 3Rs are what produce the two most desirable outcomes that students and their parents have been telling me they want.
That a few key skills, a few key concepts and strategies will create the clarity and certainty that give the feeling of confidence. And will mean that better quality answers, essays, reports, responses are created as well.
Double-whammy outcomes - anything where you get more bang for buck, more outcome for input - that’s the key to strategic study.
Have a brilliant rest of your week - I‘ll catch you back here next time.
