Monthly Archive for February, 2010

Getting Better Grades Is A System

Published on February 27, 2010 in Better Grades, Note Taking, Speed Learning, Speed Reading, Study Less and Study Tips. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

If you’ve been subscribed to my blog for a while, you’ve come to realise that my study book is a system that teaches how to think like an A student without having to spend hours and hours studying, becoming a nerd or a geek. The best way to explain what I do for students is to hear from them directly, like David Fisher below:

Hello Marc

I have been reading your study ebook and have only once listened to your speed reading video once.

The extra emails you send after I bought your study book are great as they keep me on track, otherwise I would wonder a bit.

I am working on a better format for my notes with more drawings and mindmaps as this is a better form of learning for me and audio tapes. (Now that I know
this thanks to your book!)

Exams start end of the month so the next stage is to compile my class notes into A3 mindmap layouts (any extra tips on this technique) would be good and then
the exams.

I am now in a study room not the office which had too many distractions and getting into the mind zone more quickly – it’s the little suggestions like this that make all the difference.

I don’t cold read my study guide and text anymore so I pre-read first to get a general understanding then highlight and compose the notes and now I
comprehend and remember a lot more. I can afford to do this because I can do speed reading, even though I still need to improve and increase my reading speed.

My assignment grades have increased from about 60-80% to the last one which I got 88%!!! This was my highest grade. :-)

My studies are extramural so no lecturers only Webct, study guide and textbooks.

I am practicing my speed reading and using on my first read but need to work on this more. When you speed read a page when do you highlight the text? I read the paragraph then go back and highlight?

So lots more to learn!

Thanking you very much for you help.

David Fisher

Stay tuned for the answers to David’s questions about MindMapping and highlighting while or after Speed Reading…


Speed Reading Is Easy…

Published on February 21, 2010 in Speed Reading. 0 Comments Tags: .

Today’s post is from yet another graduate of my Speed Reading Video Program.

Dear Dr. Marc Dussault,

I want to thank u 4 ur help with studyin and reading fasta… It is actually something dat has really bothered me cuz I know I’m smart but findin da right study type dat fits me has been my challenge. It’s like u said something is trying to bust out of me, that genius in me. I just left secondary school and u know b4 dat my teachers were tellin me dat I could do it cuz dey knew what I waz capable of but as one teacher likened me to the Ntherlands football team “exellent team (players) but low performance”. I know I can do it.

I can be that GENIUS that I was made to be. Thanks 4 ur help sir and I hope to know u physically in the nearest future, I even see myself talking about u and ur work, how it tranformed me on TV, u know interviewing me… . I am in the sciences (aeronautical engineering) like all science, robotics, rc stuffs. C u soon

Onward and Upward YEAH!

Moboluwarin Maku

Isn’t that amazing? You too can learn speed reading and get better grades… Many graduates are not native English Speakers, which means if you are English speaking, you have an adavantage… But y’know what? Speed Reading works in ALL languages!

Don’t be a TWIT!

Published on February 13, 2010 in Study Mistakes To Avoid. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Yeah, you heard me, don’t be a twit! Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace… They’re GREAT, but don’t be a twit and waste your life surfing and playing on the net when life is lived in the REAL WORLD. Your school grades are determined in a CLASSROOM.

Students And Media (Over) Use

Students And Media (Over) Use

The number of media options available to kids today is having an impact on their grades – but not in a good way. If study material was as addictive as Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, straight A’s would be rampant – but they’re not.

Ohio University conducted a study in which researchers determined college students who use Facebook spend less time studying and score lower grades than those who don’t waste time ‘poking’ their friends.

It’s not called social NOTworking for nothing…

Perhaps even more disturbing was a study done by the Straits Times that found those who were addicted to online games generally did worse in school than those who were not addicted. In fact, 14 percent of addicts reported scoring Cs  or worse, while only 6 percent of their non-addicted counterparts scored just as low. [1]

While it would be easy to quickly blame the social networking craze and even Facebook for the students’ performance, distractions from school work are nothing new. Students bent on ignoring their responsibilities don’t need Facebook or Twitter to produce poor performance; these platforms simply provide an easy excuse.

Multitask your way to Bs, Cs and Ds.

One Fox News report suggests this problem could be related to continuous partial attention, which is the state in which you multitask, but continue to be motivated by the desire to not miss anything. Studies continue to show that those who multitask do each of their tasks worse. If multitasking for students includes interacting via Facebook while studying, it’s safe to assume rote memory and concentration will be noticeably affected. [2]

Just in case you might think I’m anti social networking, I’m not. In fact, in the UK, some are taking a different approach to these latest media sensations. School curricula have been altered to include instruction for Twitter and Wikipedia. While some traditional focus will remain, students will be expected to know how to use and manipulate different sources of information and forms of communication. [3] Let’s face it, if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it efficiently and effectively!

I wonder if a university was to implement a Facebook 101 class, what would the homework actually be? How could you get an A+ if you’re on Facebook 24/7?!?!

That’s a conundrum and dilemma wrapped up in a paradox isn’t it?

Hmmmmm…. Something to tweet about!

[1] http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_460196.html?vgnmr=1

[2] http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/fox_news_says_facebook_will_ruin_your_grades.php

[3] http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/25/primary-schools-twitter-curriculum

Personal Development Books For Students

Published on February 7, 2010 in General, Speed Reading and Study Psychology. 2 Comments Tags: , .

Quite a few students have asked me which books I recommend after they’ve read my study book. I post my top book recommendations on my Linked In Profile. It includes all the books I recommend for Business, Professional and Career Development. If you’re athletic, you’ll want to subscribe to my Mindset Of A Champion Blog, which lists a different collection of books that I recommend for serious (elite) athletes – focused on Mental Toughness. With these two book lists, you can learn the foundations of an Exponential Mindset. If you are not English Speaking, I am sure most of the classics have been translated into your language.