Normally when I think about preparing for a new semester, it includes going to the office supply store or back to school section of the big box shop and stocking up on the various things one might need for a normal semester.. and I have written posts like that before. But, here we are in the middle of a pandemic with many schools starting the semester online or having committed to a full semester of online instruction. So, this time I want to focus on the various tools that I've found for making online courses work for me. Recognize the patternsHaving worked in IT project management in my past life, I found that most things can be duplicated for efficiency. Rarely is there a situation that does not have a consistent pattern. Every class and every professor tend to have a structure to the material, teaching style, and even quiz/exam formats. Personally I like to think of myself like Sherlock Holmes trying to get a feel for those patterns in the first couple of weeks. Generally, they are the best indicators of how I will not only organize my physical space but my thinking for that class. For instance, I once had a music appreciation course online and noticed that the quizzes and review questions had certain things in common. I was able to create an Excel spreadsheet filling in the various columns and found myself very successful in that class. Then, a sociology professor was good about providing key information in an unexpected but same place each week that helped me organize my thinking and in turn figuring out what would be on the quizzes and exams became a weekly game. Finding the patterns for that class and professor is a game changer. One Note by Office 365This is just my opinion, and one I am not paid for.. This is honestly a fantastic tool that I use and feel that not enough students know about. Plus, it is free to students if you visit the link at the bottom of this article. The thing I love about this program is that it is very much like the typical spiral bound notebooks that I ordinarily will use to take notes in, but I can re-arrange things, add additional information, or even paste a screenshot capture right into the notebook page. Best of all, as I'm preparing for exams or looking through to see if my notes are complete, there is a search function that makes it easier than a physical notebook to double check or find information. My school uses canvas as the online platform, so generally I will wait until the professor puts out the first module to determine whether or not I'm going to organize the virtual notebook by chapter, week, or topic. Staying flexible and finding an organization pattern that goes with the course contents has always been helpful for me. If your professor posts PDF or Word documents, they can be added to OneNote by "printing to OneNote" and inserting the document where you want to send it. Then, just take notes right there on the slides. Super helpful! Another fantastic tool that OneNote has is the dictation feature. So, oftentimes as I'm reading instead of typing I will dictate my notes then go back and just make sure that autocorrect has not run amok. Personally, I like to take my notes on the chapter or reading before lecture and then fill in while on a video class with the professor with anything that I may have missed. No matter what, I always try to make sure that key vocabulary, learning objectives, and concepts are well covered in my notes just as if it was a handwritten notebook. If I have gone on to YouTube, Pinterest, Khan academy, or other websites I make sure to bookmark and link those resources right into my notebook for future reference as well. A physical calendarIn previous posts I have talked about the importance of finding a planner and an organization method that works best for you. Personally, because I have so much on my plate and things are fluid with my husband also working from home, (6 feet away), a teenager starting his freshman year of high school this fall and being the designated errand runner for our pod, my preference is to organize by task list rather than day. Basically, I use my weekly spread to notate specific appointments or time frames that are non-negotiables. Then, I make sure that my planner always has a horizontal layout with days of the week on one side of the spread and list making space on the right page. If you are looking for something like that, click here for an instant download option An exercise trackerOkay, so maybe nobody else thinks that this relates to getting ready for this semester, but I insist that it is a necessity! I don't know about anyone else but this pandemic has given me more than a few excuses for not leaving the house and getting my body moving. So, I created a tracker for me to fill in so that I can challenge myself to get at least 20 minutes of walking in per day. Again, link below. Maintaining physical health by eating right and getting at least a few minutes of exercise per day can go a long way towards making certain that our brains are functioning at a high level and we are able to best absorb information while keeping our mental health in check. If hot yoga, Pilates, running, jump roping, underwater basket weaving, or some other activity is more up your alley then by all means make that your daily goal! Regardless of the activity it's just important that we move. Quizlet, Crowdsource, and Study BudsHere's the thing - when we're on campus we end up meeting people before or after class who are like-minded, look like us, or have similar interests. We tend to form groups and make connections easily under these circumstances. However, without being able to really see and interact with our classmates as easily with an online course or forum, we need to find new ways to bounce thoughts and ideas off of others. I have found that searching Quizlet, chegg, or other platforms allow me to see how other students think, absorb the information, or What might be relevant for an upcoming exam. If your professor provides discussion boards, a Piazza site, or other forms of communication for the class, I implore you to be open to participating in those as well. During the spring 2020 semester I paid attention to who was asking intelligent questions during the zoom lectures and reached out to those people individually on chat. They became part of my core study group and we would often spend hours discussing the course content. We were a great group in that we all brought a unique take, way of thinking, and set of strengths to the table. By working together and collaborating while doing homework and studying, we all were able to make it out of a very difficult course with an A. Tutoring OpportunitiesThis one really hits home for me because I am a peer tutor. What most people don't understand is that had I not gone to tutoring and found the value, I may have never stumbled upon this opportunity. Many schools offer tutoring services free of charge to their students. You just have to know where to look! I highly recommend that if you are school website has a search bar you type in "tutoring" and see what pops up. Chances are you can get at least a couple of sessions free per week as opposed to paying for somebody to help you in your studies. Now, I have to warn you that they may only be available during "normal business hours" so, I encourage you to be flexible and willing to see what you can do to make it work. Additionally, many professors will give extra credit for going to their recommended tutor or beacon sessions. Good LightingMy last suggestion goes back to physical health. It is important that when we are studying we have proper lighting so that we can stay engaged in the material, not strain our eyes, and help to offset some of the blue light that we will undeniably be subject to due to the increased number of hours in front of a screen. Most of the time I wear glasses, so I make sure that my lenses have a blue blocker in them. (Shout out to zenni for being awesome, cheap and stylish) If I didn't wear glasses before, I would probably wear these just to protect my eyes from the incessant blue screen viewing I do. However, I'm also keen on being sure that I have natural light as well as other light sources besides just my computer monitor with which to study by. Since we have no idea how long this pandemic will last or what changes will come technologically because of it, it is important that we take care of our eyes in the short-term so that we don't wear them out unnecessarily long-term. Hope these tips were helpful Xoxo, Michelle Other Blog Posts to Consider168 Hours - How Do You Use Yours? How to Read Your Textbook and Understand It How I Study for College Exams The Best Test Prep Advice All the linksOneNote for Students: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office How to Use OneNote Videos: https://bit.ly/3kLfCG7 Weekly Planner Option 1: https://bit.ly/3kGzqur Weekly Planner Option 2: https://etsy.me/3aBRIs3 Walk Tracker; https://bit.ly/3kEwkae Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/ Chegg: https://www.chegg.com/study StudyBlue: https://www.studyblue.com/ Blue Light Block Glasses: https://www.zennioptical.com/blokz-blue-light-glasses More Reading and Videos from CCCCalifornia Community Colleges: https://cvc.edu/keeplearning/
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168 hours That’s all there is. We can’t make more. They go by as they go by. We have only 168 hours per week to do everything that needs to get done. Like a cash only life, when there is nothing left, it’s gone - there’s no such thing as overdraft protection with our time. The other day I was feeling ragged, worn out and like I was burning the candle at both ends, That's when I realized I had NOT done my usual practice and planned out my semester like I usually do. I forgot to budget my time before adding in any extras. There are a few non-negotiable items in my life that include
However, going from working in PMOs to being a student included a HUGE pay-cut, and I still struggle with my value if I am not bringing home a regular paycheck that helps support my family. I am lucky enough to have a husband who fully supports my education and makes a decent wage but that feeling still nags at me. And, I absolutely loooooooove helping students each semester as a tutor, and may possibly be addicted to that feeling (recovering codependent here) of seeing the light come on when a student makes connections. When I have students come in for Tutor coaching, one of the first things we do is look at how they spend those 168 hours. Sleep, grooming, preparing eating and cleaning up after meals, commutes, work, and time in class. If there are family commitments, church, jobs, or other sports hobbies etc. we add those in too. The farther down the list we get, the more we realize that time is running out. The good news is that we have more control over that time than what we pretend to. I wish I could say that I made my own worksheets, but I did not. However, there are countless ways to track this time. Personally, I like to use this worksheet from University of Manitoba in Canada. If you are a student, it automatically figures out the idea amount of time to study based on the units for that semester, and for non-students, leaving the school areas blank allows for the same basic functionality and seeing concretely where we are taking out loans against relationships, interests, etc. If you want to look at how you are spending your week, click the box below to download the tracker I use. Xo,
Michelle Do you know how to utilize your $150 textbook? As a tutor, my goal is to create independent students who not only know the material, but how to learn it when I am not available for help. So, the first 2-3 minutes of every session start off with the following questions:
Now this can go for any subject, from Anthropology to Algebra and everything in between, so the questions are universal and don't really change from student to student. The thing is, when I ask what tools students are using, they rarely cite their textbook or professor as a tool. Instead, it will be YouTube videos, another student, or maybe even "nothing" that they reference. I cannot tell you how many times I have asked a student to open the book and ask if they know how to read it. Most look at me like I am nuts, but some admit that they don't know what I am talking about.. especially math students. It's baffling how many students, after teaching them how to read their textbook, look at me with tears and say thank you because nobody taught them before. Here are my tips to help students learn how to read the textbook to understand.
Here's a quick look at my notebook pages - Click on each to zoom If you are a classmate, professor, or student I tutor, you will likely see a notebook like the one above with an index in the first few pages, followed by chapter notes that follow with objectives, vocab, and key learnings written down. For me, this has many benefits - The first is that because I generally make my notes prior to class, I don't have to lug the entire textbook with me to have key information at my fingertips. Second, when I go to see my tutor, I can check for understanding on certain things that I am not 100% clear about. Finally, organization pays off - and if I have rented the textbook and the book is due 5 days before my final (like this fall), my notebook and past exams are all I really need to study. Personally, I am a proponent of writing things down because for me, reading words requires only the reading of letters, which form sentences, which have to be give meaning through a range of internal processes. However, writing things down requires reading, processing the information, and then using a different part of your brain to physically use a pencil to write those ideas down. Somewhere I read that writing it down is like reading it 7 times. Probably not true, but I can promise that the things I write (not type) I remember much better and can even visualize where in my notebook I wrote it down, which for me can help when taking a quiz of exam. The thing about tutoring.. Well, there are lots of things, but the thing I love the MOST about being a tutor is watching the evolution of students. So darned many of them walk in the first time with a giant pile of excuses as to why they won't be able to pass the class and I basically tell them that "we don't do that here", so if they wanna whine they might need to find someone else. The people that stick around are the ones that really want it! They are willing to go through the hard crap, fight through the shitty quiz and exam scores and make it to the week before the final when often times I am helping them figure out their possibilities of getting a passing grade. This past week we had a potluck where we celebrated how far they had come this semester and we talked about what was going to be on the final.
It was bittersweet. But at the end of the day I am sooooooooo beyond proud of all of my students because they TRIED! There are hundreds of their classmates who did not make it to the end of the semester because it was just "too hard"... So I will say it again.. I am proud of them for trying, because even if they fail, it is just a first attempt in learning and they made it farther than even they though that they could! CONGRATULATIONS! Xo, Michelle Test anxiety - it's a real thing. Some people even have a trauma response to quizzes and exams. When this happens their "minds go blank", they hyper-focus on something trivial, or in rare cases have panic attacks. Their brains play tricks on them and instead of being able to stay in their frontal lobes, the amygdala takes over and produces a fight, flight, or freeze response. Has that ever happened to you? Because I have received some pretty intensive therapy in my day, my understanding of this has been necessary to overcome some of my personal trauma. No, I am not a shrink. I do not have a license to give medical or psychological advice, but I do have a method that I use, have taught many students, and have found to be helpful. A SuggestionThis method only works for me and others that I know who use it because we practice it when we are NOT taking an exam. We practice it when we are doing homework and feel our bodies shifting. We start to feel our hearts racing, curse words slipping through our teeth, shoulders tightening, tingling in our arms or shoulders.. something physically happening. We practice looking for "the tell". When we feel the tell coming on, we do the method below. Then we continue what we are doing. It becomes a habit. I find myself doing it in the car while my husband is driving, or when dealing with a particularly difficult person in my life. It gets be back into the here. It brings me back to NOW! THe MethodPlace both feet on the floor in front of you. Put down anything in your hands, Place your palms on the table in front of you or on the tops of your thighs. Close your eyes. Take a big, deep breath in. Then let it out.. Repeat twice more. Silently, to yourself, say the words "I've got this." Do you believe the words? If not, take another breath in and let it out. Try the words again. Only reopen your eyes when you truly believe the words. When you reopen your eyes, things might seem a little more manageable. This is not a cure-all, and definitely takes some practice before the exam for it to work, but if it can peel me off the roof when I have all but climbed out of my skin and up the walls, maybe it can help you too. Xo, Michelle Often we make choices in life based on what the easiest thing would be, not what would be in our best interest. We avoid hard work and take the path of least resistance. We do this, and then later wonder why life is not as fulfilling as we had hoped. I guess we refused to listen when we were told that "there is no such thing as a free lunch". I know - I've been that person a number of times in my life. I stayed in relationships that were not serving me because I didn't know who I was without them. I allowed jobs that did not pay me what I was worth to have more than they paid for because the fight seemed too tough. The thing is, I also stayed stagnant and unfulfilled. I complained that life had dealt me a bad hand so that I could be the victim of my circumstances and not have to take personal responsibility for how my life was evolving or heading. I thought that doing hard things was a drag. As a student who made the choice to come back to college after nearly 20 years, I can say honestly that it is one of the hardest things I have ever done. But, it is also one of the best things I ever did because it has helped me to grow exponentially. Today I GET to do hard things! Taking risks, struggling, climbing to the top of the mountain. Those mountains were meant to be climbed! People sometimes ask what I get out of this journey, and this is what I have to say: A Second Chance - When I was a kid, I took school for granted slacking off on homework, doing great on exams and the standardized testing, but bringing home a sub-par GPA (C+ average). I made excuses and kept terrible study habits. Being in school again has allowed me to find focus and re-learn how to learn, study, and get much better grades (A- average). I'm even part of the honor society at my school which is a huge departure from my younger self. Personal Growth - Doing the work to deal with my demons so that I can be present in my life today has been suuuuuuuuper uncomfortable. I have had to look at things that had been buried deep in my soul, dust them off, explore, and then resolve the things that left me paralyzed. Those thing are the things that told me that I did not deserve to go back to school, and that leaving my husband to be responsible for our finances while I did this 'selfish' thing was totally not okay. The truth is, it has been good for both of us; we have learned more about ourselves in the process and been forced to ask for help. Fiscal Responsibility - Going from a dual income family to a single forced us to make some changes. Prior to my going back to school my husband and I had separate finances - without me bring home any bacon, we had to learn to communicate about money and get on the same page. Remarkably, both of us have better credit scores than we did when we were both working because we have more respect for the money we make. Giving Back - When I enrolled full time at the community college, I had been humbled by years of the corporate climb and was burnt out. The one thing I knew more than anything was that I had something to give mostly by way of perspective. As a tutor, I get to help students struggling with their studies and remind them of the things that really matter. Physical Health - If there is one thing that suffered the most in my former life, it was my physical health. I sat for 8+ hours a day only getting up to eat, use the washroom, or get another cup of coffee. The food I was ingesting was mostly healthy, but I often made choices of convenience, not health. Today, I bring food with me to school and am too cheap to pay for a parking permit and play the parking lot game, so I park quite a ways away and walk - most days I get north of 8k steps which is about 5k more than when I was working. Balance - This blog is all about how I have a full plate and live a life without gluten. Knowing that I have only 168 hours in a week has been one of the most freeing discoveries because it forced me to look at how I was using my time and reallocate. When I make my schedule, it is important to me that I can not only get through the semester with good academics, but without a mental breakdown as well. Every semester I try to take one elective, one tough as nails class, one online and be able to work as well. That elective and online class will have work, but because I pair them with a class that takes a lot more time, I can plan my time at home more effectively knowing that the tough as nails class takes first priority and then fill in with the other things. More Self Confidence - At the end of every single day, I get to enjoy putting my head on the pillow knowing that I tried my hardest, accomplished something (finishing that 5 page paper), and lived to tell. There is nothing like the pride of knowing that my classmates, professors, boss, friends, husband and kids can count on me to come through for them with my best effort. Doing the hard things - the things that have moved me out of my comfort zone - those are the things in my life that I look back on and have the MOST gratitude for. Xo, Michelle This semester I started something new. I began tutoring in a group setting, not just for individuals. It was something I had participated in as a student while in the same class, so I knew the general format. Working with the Chemistry Department faculty, I helped students to continue their learning via worksheets which follow the curriculum carefully. There have been a few consistent students and others who pop in before an exam or quiz. Each session seems to start with me asking what they covered in the introductory lecture to be sure we are working with the proper materials, and then I take the temperature of each student's understanding. Often, participants feel lost and confused at the beginning, but when they leave for the day have built up confidence and knowledge. We all leave feeling like the past 2 hours were productive, and I often realize how much better even I grasp the materials after the session. To say that my confidence in the subject of chemistry has improved substantially would be an understatement. Recently I took my timecard to the supervising professor for her signature and was asked for my home address. I was confused but obliged. As I was writing, she explained that it was something necessary so that I could receive proper notice of an award for which she had nominated me and which I would be receiving in the coming weeks. I was dumbfounded and speechless. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I rarely have nothing to say. However, I became so overcome with humility, surprise, and emotion that only tears were surfacing. She proceeded, with the help of another Professor to explain that the award is an acknowledgment of not only my tutoring efforts but also because of the personal obstacles I have worked to overcome as I continue my education. Today, I received that award at a luncheon along with a scholarship to apply to future courses and materials. My photo was taken and will be posted for the next year as a leader in Chemistry at my school. I am still in disbelief that I have received this honor, but find myself seeing the future much brighter as I look ahead knowing that those students are joining me in this success and are the reason I enjoyed this semester so much. I’m grateful to have my solid support system who help keep me moving forward when I want to quit.
Xo, Michelle Why do I have such an amazing forgetter? This is now at least the 2nd spring semester that I decided to load up on units thinking I was some kind of super-human and then fallen ill half way through only to fall suuuuper far behind. By now one would think that the phrase I tell plenty of my students "Remember, the TORTOISE won!!" would be a piece of wisdom that I could apply to myself, but apparently there are just days, weeks and months that I forget. Since January I have been so engrossed in my studies that I have not had much of a social life.. my husband is basically holding the house together, and when I am not at work, school, or in my home office, chances are you can find me in bed sleeping, or wishing I was.. Somewhere I still have some friends that remember my name. hahha! I have gotten little bugs here and there, but last week I got hit with a case of hay fever that basically knocked me on my butt. I went to the doctor to be certain the fire in my throat was neither strep nor tonsillitis, and was at that time told that I needed bed rest, fluids and to determine whether or not I could maintain my current stress levels. Spring break seems a million miles away, and midterms are creeping closer and closer by the hour. To say that I might be having a minor internal pity part would be pretty darn accurate. Thursday til Sunday with the exception of a couple of errands, my butt was in bed. I did nothing that required energy besides making tea and watching TV between naps. Monday morning, I rallied for the students I Beacon tutor, but by noon was worn out. Tuesday it was an all day bed day again, and then Wednesday I made a minor appearance before my voice decided it had had enough. So, here I am, contemplating my next move and wishing I had a second version of myself to remind me that if I end up dropping a class it is not the end of the world, that college is a marathon - not a race, and that the only person who says I have to finish by an imposed date is myself. The thing is, in the end, I know that this too shall pass. At some point in the future, I will forget about this moment and only remember the students that have meant so much to me this semester, the professor who said I should consider becoming a professor myself, and how I wore the same rain boots half the semester because it was such a wet winter/spring season. In the end, it was not the speedy hare that won, it was the persevering tortoise. Slow and steady is better than fast and burnt-out. Xo,
Michelle |
AuthorI'm Michelle, and I've got a full plate! As a full-time dietetics student, step-mom, wife, study coach, and tutor in my late 30's, some days I'm barely scraping by. But, no matter what is on my plate, it's always gluten free! Categories
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