CRUSH SCHOOL

5644 1st Avenue South Minneapolis, MN, 55419

I blog on Brain-Based Learning, Metacognition, EdTech, and Social-Emotional Learning. I am the author of the Crush School Series of Books, which help students understand how their brains process information and learn. I also wrote The Power of Three: How to Simplify Your Life to Amplify Your Personal and Professional Success, but be warned that it's meant for adults who want to thrive and are comfortable with four letter words.

Filtering by Category: Learning

3 Resources for Learning New Skills Faster (for Teens, Teachers, and Other Pros)

August 01, 2018  /  Oskar Cymerman

3 Resources for Learning New Skills Faster

School or work can be a grind. This is true if you’re just starting out a new journey or if you’re a seasoned pro. It’s rare to be able to automate whatever you do, spend 4 hours a week working, and make a decent living doing so. But while you have to put in the time, it’s important to learn how to put in smart time, not more time into your school, job, or business.

One of the most effective ways to do that is to learn. Learn about learning, learn about working, learn about the business, the trends, the people… Learn and apply what you learn constantly and you will get ahead of the curve.

Here are the three learning resources that will help you learn quicker and make your grind easier.

1. Videos on Steroids

You know YouTube and other video platforms offer a lot of learning in the area you are currently developing more expertise in, but chances are you don’t always have the time to watch thirty, forty, or fifty-minute films. Check out the hack below you might not have thought of to save you time and speed your learning up.

Your Time-Saving, Faster-Learning Hack

Click on the Gear icon next to the CC button on the bottom right of the YouTube video you’re about to watch. Change the speed from “Normal” to 1.5x. You will still easily understand the content but receive it 50% faster. A 30-minute video just became a 20-minute one.

But if you increase the speed to 2x and really focus, you will be able to make 1-hour long videos into 30-minute learning sessions. It will sound like you’re being taught by Alvin and the Chipmunks at first and might require some getting used to, but you will reach a point at which listening at twice the speed is seamless. This is because the human brain is capable of absorbing information much faster than it usually receives it.

2. Blinkist

“Big ideas in small packages.”

Blinkist is a company that takes the best nonfiction books on all topics imaginable and turns them into “blinks” or short chapters filled with only the key content of each book. All you have to do is download the Blinkist app, subscribe, and start reading text or listening to audio that summarizes books in your field of interest in 15-minutes. Try it free for 7 days here.

Blinkist is my secret super weapon - this is how I learn about a variety of topics (but mostly the brain and learning) faster.

Listen to these quick devoid-of-fluff audiobooks in your car or while doing chores and increase the speed to supercharge your learning.

3. The Kwik Brain Podcast

Jim Kwik is a guy who survived two brain injuries, learned to read 2 years after his peers did, and struggled in school. Then, he discovered accelerated learning and started teaching his college peers how to learn faster. Now, he teaches everyone to read faster, remember better, and many other accelerated learning techniques via his website and podcast Kwik Brain.

Give it a listen at 1.5x to 2x the speed and get a little smarter in under 10 minutes for free. 

Jim is a hero of mine. I learned many of the things I teach my students and write about to help their teachers and parents from him. In fact, I use several Kwik Brain episodes to teach teens how to learn more effectively in my book Crush School Student Guide: Learn Faster, Study Smarter, Remember More, and Make School Easier. 

And if you buy my book here before midnight Friday, August 3rd I will give you an extra copy and a gift that supports your child's learning further for FREE. Just pay $7 for shipping. This offer is gone in less than 2 days.

And if you already purchased one, or simply value the work I do, you can help me get the word out about the Crush School Student Guide to other teachers and parents of teens.

Here are the 3 easy ways you can help:

  1. Simply tell others who can benefit from the book about it - teachers who need lessons to teach study skills and parents of teens.

  2. Tweet. Super easy - just click: Share on Twitter below.

  3. Share on Facebook. Easy. Click on Share on Facebook below and Copy/Paste this text: Check out this book to help teach teens how to crush it in high school. Free Bonuses Inside.

  4. Do all three! You will have my gratitude forever :)

Thank you and I appreciate you!

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so they can change the world.

Hi! I'm Oskar.          I teach, write, and speak to make learning better.

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BOOKS & TOOLS

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categories / Learning, Parenting
tags / teaching teens, parenting teens, deeper learning, independence, lifelong learning, simplicity, skills, success skills, learning, making life easier, kids

How to Read 50% Faster [Free Lesson for Teens]

July 31, 2018  /  Oskar Cymerman

How fast do you read?

read faster

read faster

Fast?

Medium?

Slow?

Chances are you never measured your reading speed. Experts say we read 200-250 words per minute on average. But whatever your reading speed is you probably learned to read at the speed you read at now before you entered middle school.

Unless you intentionally tried to increase your reading speed in between then and now, it hasn't changed since you were a pre-teen.

Typically, we get instructed on how to read in elementary school, and once we're fluent and most of us can go through a reading without major stumbles, it is deemed that we know how to read.

And we do.

But guess what? You can read much faster.

All you have to do is know how to train. And fear not - this does not involve some sketchy skimming (and not understanding or remembering anything) tactics.

Don't believe me?

Fine.

Pick up a book you're currently reading and a timer. Read it for 60 seconds. Count the number of lines you read. Write it down.

Now, start where you left off. This time, read faster.

It sounds really weird, I know. Trust me. Start the timer and read at a pace that is faster than your usual pace. Make yourself read faster! Do it! 

Now, count the number of lines you read. Write it down.

If you did this without the skepticism I sometimes get from students I do this presentation with, you read faster. What happened is that you just realized that you always read slower than you're capable of.

The title says 50% faster but it's an underestimation. I did not want to overpromise. I wanted to overdeliver. 

From experience, I know there were several readers out there who read 50% faster than normal just now with the same or better comprehension and memory. 

You see, the human brain is capable of processing information at a much higher rate than most of us feed it at when reading. In fact, when we read faster we tend to focus and engage more, which improves comprehension and memory.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, to make sure you keep reading at your new, faster pace, you must do it every time you read until you internalize it. For some, it will become a habit in 2 weeks, while it will take more like 2 months for others.

Reading just 50% faster will allow you to read 3 books in the same amount of time it took you to read 2 before.

But you can do better. Much better.

Just do the lesson I developed for my new book Crush School Student Guide: Learn Faster, Study Smarter, Remember More, and Make School Easier.

It involves using a visual pacer, which is a fairly basic speed-reading technique.

But it works.

Here's Read Faster #1.

There are 2 more lessons on fast reading in the book.

Just a quick reminder that Crush School Student Guide, my new learning how to learn book for teens, is now available on Amazon.

If you buy it here before Friday, August 3rd I will give you an extra copy and a gift that supports your child's learning further for FREE. Just pay $7 for shipping.

And if you already purchased one or simply value the work I do, you can help me get the word out about the Crush School Student Guide to other teachers and parents of teens.

Here are the 3 easy ways you can help:

  1. Simply tell others who can benefit from the book about it - teachers who need lessons to teach study skills and parents of teens.

  2. Tweet. Super easy - just click: Share on Twitter below.

  3. Share on Facebook. Easy. Click on Share on Facebook below and Copy/Paste this text: Check out this book to help teach teens how to crush it in high school. Free Bonuses Inside.

  4. Do all three! You will have my gratitude forever :)

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so they can change the world.

Hi! I'm Oskar.          I teach, write, and speak to make learning better.

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BOOKS & TOOLS

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categories / Learning
tags / teaching teens, parenting teens, deeper learning, independence, lifelong learning, simplicity, skills, success skills, learning, making life easier, kids

3 Smart Back to School Items for Teens You Haven’t Thought Of

July 30, 2018  /  Oskar Cymerman

Smart Back to school items

Pens? Check.

Pencils? Check.

Paper? Check.

Notebooks? Check. Backpack? Check.

Ruler, glue, highlighter? Check. Check. Check. 

If you’re a parent of school age kids, you know THE LIST contains many other “standard” items you have to get ASAP because it’s Back to School time and you want your kids prepared. But while all of those items are necessary, I bet you haven’t considered at least 2 out of the 3 items below that should be but are rarely “standard” on our back to school lists.

These items have one thing in common. They support the very thing that makes the biggest difference in your children’s learning – their brain.

The following is a list of items that improve things inhaling glue and marker fumes never will - focus, productivity, and sanity of kids when doing school work. For each item, I explain the science, how it helps, how to use it, and give you an inexpensive but effective recommendation.

1. Adjustable Standing Desk

Chances are your children will more than fulfill their daily sitting quota in school. I’m not sure if “sitting is the new smoking” but most of us spend too much time with our buns flattened, which is linked to health concerns such as high blood pressure, sugar level, and cholesterol and increases our chances of dying from heart conditions and cancer.

While a full-size standing desk will cost hundreds of dollars, you can find desk risers you can place on top of a regular desk or work stations that won't break your Back 2 School budget.

Equipping your child’s room or family work space with an adjustable desk promotes focus and productivity while preventing fatigue. As movement stimulates blood circulation, every time the child stands up, the brain receives an increased dose of fresh oxygen. Most such desks are quickly adjustable to the desired position promoting work flow.

Check out these examples:

This 28in x 20in top has room for a laptop, notebook, and a water bottle. I like it because it's stylish, allows quick and easy height adjustment, and comes in 3 colors. It costs $180 on Amazon here. 

This standalone work station adjusts and can be placed next to a desk. I like it because you can roll it around to take advantage of natural light during the day. It costs $125 on Amazon here.

If you think the work surface isn't big enough, consider that a smaller surface accommodates fewer items. Having less stuff removes distractions from your teen's field of view promoting greater focus and productivity.

For free shipping, you can do a 30-day Amazon Prime trial here. Just use it for your Back 2 School shopping to get free shipping and then cancel.

2. A Productivity App

Zero. Flipping. Dollars.

Tracking your work time in real time is an effective way to stay focused and get more done. Your teen already has a smartphone so why not use it to prevent distractions and promote productivity?

Find the simplest productivity phone app. Generally, the more complicated something is the more useless it proves. Avoid “productivity” apps with “extra” features as they distract, not focus. An ideal app is one that keeps track of work sessions and brain breaks with timers.

Focus Keeper

Try Focus Keeper which I use or a similar app. The idea is to hear the subtle ticks that remind your teen to keep going for 25-30 minutes straight and then get alerted to take a 5-minute break to stand up, walk around, get a drink etc. Get the app here.

Pro Tip: Encourage your teens to put their phone in “airplane” mode while working. 

3. A Learning How to Learn Book

A book by learning experts Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski is set to be released on Amazon on August 7th. Oakley and Sejnowski are learning experts who teach the all-time most popular Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects. 

Their new book Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens is available for pre-order here. 

I took their course and highly recommend the book as a summer reading for teens.

If your teens prefer "hands-on" learning, consider the book I wrote Crush School Student Guide: Learn Faster, Study Smarter, Remember More, and make School Easier which is a series of lessons designed for teens to help them become better students by using the concepts they learn immediately.

The Oakley/Sejnowski book is cheaper at $12.80 and is a great description of effective learning strategies. Get it here.

My book is more expensive at $29.95 but is hands-on and contains many more effective learning strategies as well as project templates, test checklists, and success plans. Get it here.

If you get my book before Friday, August 3rd I will give you an extra copy and a gift that supports your child's learning further for FREE. Just pay $7 for shipping.

But whichever book you get - it will make your teen's school experience better.

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so they can change the world.

Hi! I'm Oskar.          I teach, write, and speak to make learning better.

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BOOKS & TOOLS

Comment
categories / Learning
tags / teaching teens, parenting teens, deeper learning, independence, lifelong learning, simplicity, skills, success skills, learning, making life easier, kids

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