Thrivapy: Live, Learn, Have Fun

Almost every time I ask a student, "What are you going to do to improve your results?" I hear a version of, "I will work harder." as the response. This response is normal because the idea of working harder to achieve is ingrained in our culture. It should also be said that such an attitude is not a bad thing. Certainly, the value of working through challenges and having the grit to see meaningful results is an important lesson. However, simply accepting "work harder" as the answer leaves much to the imagination, especially for teachers and parents who are in position to support the student. Specifics are required. As such, you can try this process to figure out what "work harder" means. Recall the formula for work: Work = Effort x Time. Reflect on your process by answering these questions.  How much time did you spend? Was it enough? Did you feel rushed? Did you sacrifice quality for completion? How was your effort? Did you concentr

Information is simply anything we absorb through experience. It can be facts, context, opinions, anything. Information alone is not much more than a record of what is or what we believe is. Knowledge is created when we share information and elevate the collective awareness. The difference between information and knowledge is the value added by sharing. Wisdom evolves when we responsibly apply knowledge to the challenges we face in life. Information is always available. Knowledge requires social engagement. Wisdom requires time and ethics.

Episode 6 of The Thrivapy Show is now live! In this episode, I tackle procrastination - one of the more common learning obstacles. To hear the podcast and subscribe, click here . You can listen to a clip below. Many thanks, Troy

It sounds like a joke, but I really am working on an episode of The Thrivapy Show to address procrastination. As soon as it is available, I will push it out through the usual formats. Until then, remember to take time to refresh your mind, body, and soul. Here are a few suggestions. Try some yoga Meditate Take a needed nap Go for a walk Volunteer somewhere Contact an old friend just to say, "hello" Pay a stranger a compliment Take a bike ride Read a book Peace, Troy

I have heard a version of the following for years: Person 1: "Schools should be teaching students how to find answers." Person 2: "No, I think schools should be teaching students how to ask better questions." I think this debate makes little sense. Here are a few reasons why. Students need a foundational base of factual knowledge in order to more fluidly navigate deeper topics. So, yes, students need to learn "the answers." Students also need time to reflect on their understanding, identify areas for growth, and chart a logical course to better understand. Therefore, yes, students need to learn how to ask better questions. Focusing only on questions or answers is like teaching the difference between right and left by only focusing on one side. Think about that. It is impossible to fully understand what "left" means without having an equally deep understanding of "right." One makes no sense (and doesn't exist) without the

I appreciated this message that I received after one of my meditation sessions and wanted to pass along. Also, I highly rate the Calm app for anyone looking to explore mindfulness and meditation. Peace, Troy

The latest episode of my podcast, The Thrivapy Show is available. In this one, I offer 3 learning hacks that will help you find better success, satisfaction, and enchantment in your learning experiences. Check out the podcast on iTunes. Consider subscribing. If you inclined, leave a rating and a review. You can also listen to it on my Anchor.fm station . Here is a clip.

From the vault of effective strategies (I have never used that term before. I like it!), here are a couple of quick time management tips: The time to manage your time is before you begin. Not while you are taking. Think: Plan , Act , Reflect . Knowing What to do is only 1/3 of the battle. You should also have an idea of When and Where you will do it (whatever "it" is). Multi-tasking is a myth and is NOT proven to be an effective learning strategy. Schedule rest time into your plan. Add 2 to your age (up to a maximum of 25). That is your target for focused work time. Divide that by 4. That is your scheduled rest time. Use the combination of work and rest time as one work cycle. Poor time management is often linked to procrastination. One way to avoid this is to practice "and/therefore" thinking. For example, instead of: "I have to study for a test BUT I have a game tonight." try "I have to study for a test AND have a game tonight.

Some thoughts on learning, effort, focus, time management, and attention to quality: Learning is a challenge. Challenges take effort and focus to overcome. Therefore, learning takes effort and focus. Work is effort over time. Learning takes time. If learning takes effort and time, then one can conclude that learning is a type of work. Advanced work is effort over time done at a consistently high quality. Therefore, advanced learning also requires a process that includes consistently high quality. Improving learning outcomes happens when one improves the process used to learn. To improve learning, reflect on the process: How can I improve my effort? How can I improve my time management? How can I improve the quality of my work?

When we are joyful, happy, or experiencing a moment of pleasure, we feel it. It is hard to ignore. When we fell pain, sadness, or anxiety, we feel that, too. It is hard to ignore, also. What about the moments in between? Those that are not exactly moments of obvious pleasure or pain? Some may call those normal or usual. However, the act of noticing that you are not feeling obvious pain or pleasure is, in itself, much more than that. It is being present. It is allowing yourself to fully reflect and engage in what is happening now. Being present also exists in moments of obvious pain and pleasure. Presence provides space for awareness. Awareness encourages clarity. Clarity allows for purposeful engagement. Engagement creates knowledge. Peace, Troy

...and so is to learn. Mistakes are often not what defines us. Ultimately, it is how we learn from mistakes and adjust how we move forward that matter. To fixate on what we did wrong is to live in the past. We should not live in the past. Rather, we should learn from the past. We should live in today with awareness of the past and hope for the future. Be well, Troy

  Today's post is all "Roddyverse." Arsenal lost to Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday. Shocking? Yes, but not as shocking as it should be. Here are my thoughts: Depth, squad-wide, is not as solid as it should be for a "big club." This club is no closer to being a Premier League Champion today than it was a year ago - even with additions at striker and defense. The road back to being a consistent dominant force is much longer than many, including myself, thought. My thoughts are not based on one game. With distance and reflection, there is an obvious and gradual decline in performance over time. The team will not win anything this year. No FA Cup, Premier League Championship, Top 4 finish, Carabao Cup, or Euro League. If the manager cared as much as he claims about the club, he would resign. The previous point is the saddest. Arsene Wenger is a legend in soccer and will be known, hopefully, for all his outstanding accompl

Teaching and learning are complicated concepts. I say concepts because while tests, homework, assignments, etc. are concrete examples of what teaching and learning looks like to most people, teaching and learning, as entities by themselves, are not concrete. You cannot touch teaching. You cannot fell learning. You can touch a textbook. You can feel the lab equipment. However, texts and labs are not teaching and learning. They are concrete tools used to teach and learn. So, to examine teaching and learning, you could only look at the tools and improve them. We see this all the time with emerging technology and techniques. You have probably heard of some of them: project-based, inquiry-based, flipped classroom, Google classroom, etc. On the other hand, you can examine teaching and learning as concepts by diving deeper into the many forces that affect teaching and learning. By doing so, your evaluation of concrete resources is more likely to reveal what aspects involved in teaching an

A few thoughts about the holiday break that is coming to a close. Starting the blog again was a good idea. I forgot how much I enjoy doing this. I have been kicking around the idea of a podcast for some time. I am happy I decided to explore the Anchor.fm app and start the Thrivapy: Living the Learning Lifestyle show ( now available on iTunes! ). Doing the Daily Calm meditation is going to be transformative for me this year. 1000 piece puzzles are a good way to pass time at home. Podcasts at bedtime are enjoyable. Arsenal disappointed me with their results. As a fan, I love the holiday Premier League schedule. Family movie time needs to remain on our schedule. During the break, we watched: The Last Jedi Spaceballs Rogue One Searching For Bobby Fischer Justice League Justice League was much better than I thought it would be considering the mixed reviews. Star Wars Battlefront 2 is an awesome game. Santa bringing us a basketball goal for the yard helped us get outsid

Episode four of the Thrivapy: Living the Learning Lifestyle show is available . In this one, I discuss how you can increase your satisfaction and success by incorporating learning strategies before a new chapter or unit of study begins. All episodes are now also available on iTunes in the Apple Podcast Store. It would be delightful if you would consider subscribing to the podcast, give it a rating, and leave a review . Here is a part of episode four. If you wish to listen to the entire episode on my Anchor.fm station, click here .

In 2018, one of my intentions is to enhance my daily mindfulness practice. One way I am doing that is by using the Calm app . I have been using the free version for over a year, but this year, I am trying out the premium subscription. So far, I am very happy with the service. Specifically, the Daily Calm has been wonderful. Daily Calm is a 10 minute meditation exercise that focuses on a particular message. Yesterday's (January 3) was about the difference between setting resolutions and intentions. Essentially, the difference is in how you treat yourself when you fall short. With resolutions, failing to follow through usually leads to giving up. However, with intentions, falling short allows you to forgive yourself and move forward without judgment. This is very similar to the advice I offered in my previous post about flexible goals . Daily Calm message for January 3, 2018 Forgiveness is vital. The setting of intentions, or goals with flexibility built in, allows you to foc

Thank you for reading. This is the final part of a 4-part series on goal setting. In this piece, I examine flexibility. When I played college baseball, I set a goal to reach base once each game I played. This could be the result of a hit, walk, error, or hit by pitch. It didn't matter because the goal to reach base was based on a higher purpose: to help my team win. Was I always successful in reaching base every game? No, I wasn't. As a matter of fact, like all baseball players, I failed more than I succeeded. There are many ways to NOT reach base safely, but one situation highlights why I believe that good goals (ones you are more likely to stick with and achieve) are flexible. Let's take as an example the following baseball scenario. I have not reached base yet today. It is my final at bat. I have a teammate on first base. There are no outs and the game is tied. The coach gives me the signal to sacrifice bunt. For those who don't know, a sacrifice bunt is desi

Welcome to part 3 of a 4 part series on goals for the new year. If you missed part 1 and 2, you can read them by clicking here for part 1 and here for part 2 . In this third segment, I want to examine making your goals realistic. Realistic goals are important because the whole point of setting a goal is the idea of actually achieving it. If you aim for something that is not possible or practical, you set yourself up for unnecessary failure. The art of making sure your goals are realistic is relative to your current reality AND your commitment to having the right attitude and making the right effort to progress towards success. For example, let's look at this scenario. I am 5'8" tall. My kids play basketball. I want to be more active with them. I want to use basketball as a way to engage with my kids. Part of that difference between ideal and reality is that I need to improve my own basketball skills in order to have more fun with them. I could decide that I

In my previous post , I wrote about the importance of specific goals and what specific means. In addition to specific, goals need to be challenging. By challenging, I mean the goal much require two things. It must take effort to achieve it. It must require focus. Effort and focus are relative terms. For example, for a first grader, tying shoes might be a good goal because to do so probably requires a great deal of focus and effort. However, to me, tying shoes takes very little effort and focus. When you write your goal, check for these two items by asking yourself, "In order to accomplish this, does it require effort and focus?" If it is something you can do on "auto-pilot" it is probably not challenging enough. Happy New Year! With gratitude, Troy