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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.

The Best Cramming Advice You Never Got

October 30, 2017  /  Oskar Cymerman

Learning is like playing the blues.

If you wanna get really good at it and be able to improvise, you must practice playing the blues a lot. You must also understand it. The scales, the chord progressions, the beats, the turnaround, the stories, the mood; the "how to blues."

If you wanna get really good at learning you must practice learning. You must also understand it. The brain, the habits, the strategies, what works, what doesn't; "the how to learn."

If you understand how your brain learns you might be able to hack your learning; to improvise and modify sketchy study strategies that mostly don't work and make them more effective.

Today, I attempt to do that with cramming and if you read my last post What's The Brain Deal With Cramming? you know that I don't recommend it and instead advocate for smart spaced practice. 

But today...

Just today, I AM PROMOTING CRAMMING. Not because I believe in it but because I find that many students cram, and as unfortunate as teachers find it, many will continue to cram their way through school. And, as my mission is to help everyone learn, I want to take this opportunity and attempt to make cramming more effective - perhaps effective enough that students can retain more information longer - even weeks after they cram it into their brains. 

Is this even possible?

There's only one way to find out so...

Let's Hack Cramming!

Hack Cramming To Cram Better

So there you be! Crazy? Perhaps. But just consider this:

My wife just gifted me the new Van Morrison LP. I played it yesterday for the first time. It's good. It's blues above all else this favorite poet-musician-artist of mine crammed in there.

"The thing about the blues is you don't dissect it – you just do it," said Van Morrison. That's true, but it's also a lie. The truth lives in the idea that blues is performance driven. The lie is that you can't improvise well (cram) without a whole lotta love, know-how, and practice.

You see, his dad bought him an acoustic guitar when he was 11. Starting with learning basic chords and then forming bands before playing as a solo artist, Van Morrison has done a lot of spaced practice over time. And because of this he can cram and do it well.

So, I'm not saying you should cram. I'm not saying your students should cram. But if you or your students will cram y'all might as well learn to do it good. Like the blues... I'm just sayin'

You have the power to change lives. Use it often.

Did you dig this article and infographic? It's the kind of information we don't teach in schools that I am putting in my upcoming all-in-one book, guide, and workbook Crush School Notebook: 12 Weeks To Better Learning. Sign up for my newsletter below to be informed when it comes out and to get my other cramming hack that uses spaced practice. Oxymorons? We shall see!

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Hi! I'm Oskar.          

I teach, write, speak, rant to make the world better.

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categories / Learning
tags / focus, deep work, productivity, teaching teens, parenting teens, CRAMMING, procrastination, deeper learning, learning, teaching

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