Proven Methods
With Wisdom of Learning, we eliminate the "fluff" and just give you powerful tools to build study and test taking skills to make your academic life easier and your future brighter. We base our work on solid research and years of experience helping students with test and performance anxiety.
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What we have learned
- Test anxiety hurts academic performance.
- Reducing test anxiety can significantly improve academic performance.
- Cognitive and behavioral interventions are the "gold standard" for test-taking anxiety (and many other forms of anxiety).
- Combining effective study skills, relaxation skills, and cognitive and behavioral interventions is superior to any single approach for overcoming test-taking anxiety.
- Levels of encouragement, motivation, and optimism are important predictors of academic performance and therefore important ingredients in any academic development program.
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What we provide
- We developed one of the most comprehensive, research based, on-line programs available for test-taking anxiety and academic skills development.
- We included both cognitive and behavioral skills education in our "Overcoming Anxiety" section.
- We combined research-based techniques to quickly hone study skills and overcoming anxiety skills, to offer the best opportunity for significant academic improvement.
- We adjust for each student's individual level of "readiness", and offer a variety of cognitive and behavioral tools for the development of self-encouragement, optimism and academic confidence.
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From the classic book by the well-known researcher Daniel Goleman called Emotional Intelligence.
"As with hope, optimism predicts academic success. In a study of five hundred members of the incoming freshman class of 1984 at the University of Pennsylvania, the students' scores on a test of optimism were a better predictor of their actual grades freshman year than were their SAT scores or their high-school grades" (Goleman, 1997, p. 88).
From the exhaustive study of anxiety and student performance, titled Test Anxiety, The State of the Art, by Moshe Zeidner.
"Meta-analytic data indicate that CBM (cognitive behavioral methods) raises test performance, on average, by about half a standard deviation (d = .52) in school-aged samples, and elevates grade point average by close to three quarters of a standard deviation (d = .72) in postsecondary students" (Zeidner, 1998, p. 377).
REFERENCES:
- Bradley, R. T., McCraty, R., Atkinson, M., Arguelles, L., Rees, R. A., & Tomasino, D. (2007). Reducing test anxiety and improving test performance in America's schools (p. xii). Retrieved from http://www.heartmath.org/templates/ihm/section_includes/education/pdf/tends_report.pdf
- Burns, D. D. (2006). When panic attacks (pp. 1-4). New York: Morgan Road Books.
- Goleman, D. (1997). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books (pp. 83-84, 88, 89).
- Hembree, R. (1988). Correlates, causes, effects, and treatment of test anxiety. Review of Educational Research, 58, 7-77.
- Zeidner, M. (1998). Test anxiety: The state of the art. New York: Plenum Press (pp. 215, 377, 383, 384).
Study Skills
There are many assumptions about what a "good student" needs to know for study skills. Our first step was to summarize the research on study skills, identifying which are the most essential to improve academic performance. Additionally, we have presented these skills in ways that are simple and easy to use, maximizing the chances that these skills will be learned and applied in effective ways.
Study Skills
WHAT WE PROVIDE
- Space learning over time.
- Mix learning with real-life practices.
- Present content for multiple learning styles: written, audio, video, and applied practice.
- Keep it real: immediately apply learning to personal immediate goals.
- Measure learning progress and give immediate, positive feedback.
- Help with time management: prioritization, motivation, and procrastination issues.
- Teach stress reduction as an aid to learning.
REFERENCES
- Pashler, H., Bain, P., Bottge, B., Graesser, A., Koedinger, K., McDaniel, M., and Metcalfe, J. (2007) Organizing instruction and study to improve student learning (NCER 2007-2004). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ncer.ed.gov.
- Rohrer, D., & Pashler, H. (2007). Increasing retention without increasing study time. In Current directions in psychological science. Retrieved from http://www.pashler.com/Articles/RohrerPashler2007CDPS.pdf
Overcome Anxiety
This program is not intended to replace professional counseling services or psychotherapy for an anxiety disorder or any mental health problem. However, many studies and our own personal experience have shown that "self-help" education and skill development tools, such as Wisdom of Learning, are often surprisingly effective in helping to improve academic confidence.
Overcome Anxiety
WHAT WE PROVIDE
- Help you understand your anxiety - what it is and what you can do about it.
- Teach effective methods to notice, challenge, and change your pattern of anxiety-related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
- Offer video and slide demonstrations of successful students overcoming anxiety to improve academic performance.
- Provide applied practices to reduce your anxiety and increase confidence where it matters most - test time!
REFERENCES
- Burns, D. D. (2006). When panic attacks. New York: Morgan Road Books.
- Greenberger, D., & Padesky, C.A. (1995a). The clinician's guide to mind over mood. New York: Guilford Press.
- Zeidner, M. (1998). Test anxiety: The state of the art. New York: Plenum Press.
Relax
Yes, a little stress can help capture your attention. However, too much can cause big problems. Relaxation has many important benefits - it helps you notice stress early, it feels good, calms the mind, and creates an opportunity for your best academic performance.
Relax
WHAT WE PROVIDE
- A clear description of how anxiety works in the body and what to do about it.
- Introduction to relaxation and stress-reduction skills.
- Several recorded practices to guide you in developing your skills and feeling better.
REFERENCES
- Goleman, D. (1997). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books (p. 83).
- Sapolsky, R. M. (2000). Why zebras don't get ulcers. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company (pp. 175, 320-322).
Improve Motivation
As you probably know, it is not enough to offer effective information or skills. We have found that the student needs help in developing the motivation to learn, apply the learning, and succeed. We call it "self encouragement." Much research shows that how information is presented can make a dramatic improvement in the motivation to learn. Every student differs in her or his readiness to learn. The presentation of material needs to be skillful and flexible.
Improve Motivation
WHAT WE PROVIDE
- Allow students to self-guide themselves through learning based on their needs, interests, and "readiness" to learn.
- Facilitate "curiosity" with a question/answer structure of content.
- Present content in a "stages of readiness" format.
- Provide immediate positive feedback on learning progress and motivation improvement.
- Include peer content delivery - real-life examples and success stories from other student "experts."
- Support maintenance of new learning.
REFERENCES
- Dinkmeyer, D., & Dreikurs, R. (2000). Encouraging children to learn. Philadelphia: Brunner-Routledge.
- Dinkmeyer, D., & Losoncy, L. E. (1980). The encouragement book. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
- Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing. New York: Guilford Press.
- Prochaska, J. O., Norcross, J. C., & Diclemente, C. C. (1994). Changing for good. New York: Avon Books.
Maximize Benefits
Of course, online learning is not designed to be a replacement for a person-to-person approach to learning. However, there are many unique advantages and some surprising evidence to support the effectiveness and advantages to online learning - in its most effective form.
Maximize Benefits
WHAT WE PROVIDE
- Immediate feedback.
- Interactive learning activities- easily tailored to individual interests and readiness to learn.
- Adjustment to learning styles - multimedia content.
- Content presentation and formatting based on the most proven and effective designs.
REFERENCES
- Clark, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2003). E-Learning and the science of instruction. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
- Clark, R., & Lyons, C. (2004). Graphics for learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
- Krug, S. (2006). Don't make me think. Berkeley: New Riders.
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