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High performance study
New book draws on the science of learning for study success .
Scott Francis interviewed by Wade Zaglas
Knowing how to study most
effectively could mean the difference between strong and outstanding grades . A new book titled Your High Performance Guide to Study and Learning has been released which might offer some practical guidance .
Intended for teachers and students , it is a collaboration between secondary school teacher Scott Francis and Dr Michael Nagel from the University of the Sunshine Coast .
The book is heavily informed by the science of learning : that is " learning about how we learn ".
After becoming fascinated by his work , Francis approached Nagel ( his former lecturer ) to co-author a book on study strategies when he realised how the area of neuroscience " could have real practical applications for students in the classroom " in terms of how they approached learning and study .
The book comprises 20 key study strategies for success , all prefaced with a foreword by Nagel . Some of the strategies included in the book are goal setting , having the right mindset and practising questions . The importance of sleep is also included , something Francis says " consolidates memories ".
A huge sports fan , Francis also believes high performance sporting teams are not so different from high performing students . Both require the creation of a high performance environment to thrive and be your best .
CR : Tell us how you met Dr Mark Nagel . SF : I was a student of his about 10 years ago . He was teaching at the University of the Sunshine Coast where I was doing my degree and he was teaching a subject on learning about how we learn which incorporated some of his interest in neuroscience . And that really triggered my interest in that subject .
Once I had left USC , I attended some of his professional development presentations that he ran and kept that interest . He talked a lot about Eric Jensen who had written widely on the topic and I ' d gone over to the US and attended some of his seminars . So really , it was an interest that had started when I was a student of his on the Sunshine Coast .
You say that you ' re drawn to the science of learning . How would you describe it ? And what interested you so much about it ? I think the interest came from this idea that things around neuroscience , as an area that seems to have quite a lot of research like brain scan technology and is becoming
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