Effective Listening Skills: Listening to What You Hear (42:00)
This important lesson discusses habits and traits that keep us from being good listeners and teaches improved listening skills with the D.R.I.V.E. process. Students learn the benefits of listening and master the skill by Deciding to listen, Reading all stimuli, Investing spare time wisely, Verifying what they hear, and Expending energy. Teach your students how to process the information that goes in one ear, and that information won’t have a chance to escape through the other!
A Cambridge Educational Production.
One 42-minute video.
Business Communication: Listening (19:00)
Mark is exasperated—he has to redo a sales report because a coworker did not hear the directions—and a customer is furious because someone did not listen to his special shipping instructions. In this dramatization, Mark and his colleagues attend a seminar on listening skills and learn about the steps to good listening, emotional filters and hot buttons, and active/passive and reflective listening. A Meridian Production. (19 minutes)
Listening (15:00)
Good listening skills are an important ingredient for success. Different aspects that reinforce the value of listening as a business skill are presented, as well as tips to improve listening effectiveness. (15 minutes)
Researching, Reading, and Writing (12:00)
Faced with a mountain of research to conduct, reading to do, and papers to write, students must work both efficiently and shrewdly. This three-section program tells how to identify and cite reliable online and offline sources of information, carve textbook chapters into manageable chunks, and outline and revise papers—all elements that are essential to getting the job done well. A Cambridge Educational Production. A part of the series Academic Success: Smart Tips for Serious Students. (12 minutes)
Effective Study Skills (26:00)
Students learn how to achieve academic success by learning the study behaviors that lead to high achievement. This video illustrates the importance of developing good skills in the areas of listening, notetaking, and outlining. Emphasis is placed on preparing for classes, paying attention, and developing a positive attitude. Bad academic behaviors are illustrated by one of the worst students in history. Specific suggestions, tips, and techniques are presented to overcome bad habits. The second section shows students how to utilize time at home efficiently, how to set priorities, how to decide which subjects to study first, how long to study each subject, and how to get the most from their texts.
A Cambridge Educational Production.
One 30-minute video.
Timing is Everything ... How to Have a Productive 25-Hour Day (20:00)
Managing a schedule, like comedy, is just a matter of timing. This “how-to” program takes a look at setting priorities, assessing available time, getting organized, managing interruptions, setting a daily schedule, and more. A stand-up comedian introduces each section with his own wacky perspective on time management. The humor and information in this video are sure to please everyone. Help your students become more efficient time managers—a skill that will help them in school and in the workplace. A Meridian Production. (20 minutes)
Reading Improvement (12:00)
Reading rate and comprehension can mean the difference between success and failure to students. Three strategies for improving both are presented in this program. The first suggests reading during the day, for short periods in a quiet place, for maximum efficiency. One method demonstrates how to divide words into groups on a page as an effective way of improving reading rate. The SQ3R Strategy (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review), developed by a leading reading expert, is also examined as a strategy for improving reading comprehension. (12 minutes)
Notetaking (09:00)
The skills students need to effectively record and learn information presented in class are outlined in this program. Featured is the Cornell Notetaking Method, which stresses organization and prompt review. A notebook page format that divides information into actual notes and student comments is central to both accurate notetaking and meaningful study. Suggestions are provided on when and how often notes should be reviewed for maximum learning benefit. (9 minutes)
Overcoming Test Anxiety (04:44)
Test anxiety impedes many students' abilities to perform well on tests. Well-worn advice and tips like getting enough sleep, breathing, eat well, and being on time seem like common sense but are effective in helping students perform well.
This Is a Test...This Is Only a Test: Test-Taking Techniques (30:00)
For many students, the mere thought of taking a test sends adrenaline running throughout their bodies, brings perspiration to their brows, and causes them to suddenly forget everything they have learned. This humorous and informative video teaches students the art of stress-free test-taking. Students learn how to put test-taking into its proper perspective and realize that although tests are important, they are simply a way to measure one’s knowledge of a subject. This is a Test stresses that no gimmick or shortcut can take the place of knowledge and teaches tips for reviewing and retaining information with easy-to-implement, effective study techniques. Students learn how test scores and anxiety levels are affected by preparing, organizing, cramming, and anticipating. Students discover the most effective ways to approach common test formats (multiple choice, standardized, matching, true/false, and essay), the importance of reading questions carefully, and the benefits of preparing themselves physically as well as mentally.
A Cambridge Educational Production.
One 30-minute video and how-to-study book.
This Way to an A: Effective Study Skills (30:00)
Why do we have to learn this? When will I ever use this information once I get out of school? When students acquire the ability to answer these questions for themselves, they develop an improved understanding of their subjects along with the ability to identify and retain pertinent information. This upbeat video teaches students the Empty "V" System which stresses the importance and effectiveness of deciding the purpose of each lesson in order to better understand key information. Students learn proven techniques for studying, reviewing, and retaining information that fit into any lifestyle or class structure. Reading and taking notes becomes easier, more effective, and less time-consuming as students learn how to find key facts and ideas. Study sessions become more efficient as students learn tips for condensing information into memorable formats and the effectiveness of frequently referring to the condensed versions. This important lesson entertains busy, lazy, eager, and reluctant students as they learn to apply the skills that last a lifetime.
A Cambridge Educational Production.
One 30-minute video and how-to-study book.
10 Things You Should Know about Sleep (50:00)
Even though many experts recommend eight hours of sleep a night, getting that much rest often seems impossible. This program offers ten scientific ways to get quality sleep, and more of it. These techniques include sleep restriction programs for people with insomnia, explained by Professor Colin Espie of the University of Glasgow’s Sleep Centre; fasting to beat jet lag, presented by Harvard’s Dr. Patrick Fuller; and simple, full-body relaxation techniques, demonstrated by physiotherapist Sammy Margo. Features celebrities such as comedian Russell Kane, world-record-setting yachtswoman Dee Caffari, and British TV presenter Kate Silverton. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
Learning Strategy Design: Graphic Organizers (04:14)
An elementary teacher demonstrates the use of graphic organizers in helping her students apply critical thinking to their literature experiences. Graphic organizers help students to define problems and discover solutions.
Learning Strategy Design: Student Involvement (05:14)
An effective teacher/coach discusses the importance of listening to his students before he asks questions or directs their learning. Teachers and students share their feelings about cooperative learning environments.
Business Communication: Reading (18:00)
If Mark and his colleagues are to meet a tight research deadline, they will have to read faster—and smarter—than ever. This dramatization illustrates the value of taking a time-saving approach to reading, which includes using skimming and active reading techniques, taking advantage of reader-friendly devices designed to help pinpoint information, and diligently concentrating on the content target zone. A Meridian Production. (18 minutes)
Math in Construction Technology (10:00)
In this dramatized program, a contractor trainee prepares an exterior painting estimate for a house that has been vandalized by taking exact measurements, calculating square footage using geometry, adding cost of materials, and multiplying labor costs per hour. Afterward, a group of teens gets ready to build a bike repair shed by reading blueprints, calculating floor area, and squaring the shop’s footprint by equalizing the floor’s diagonal measurements. A Meridian Production. (10 minutes)
Learning Strategies for General Chemistry (15:00)
General chemistry—the starting point for understanding many different sciences—is a rigorous discipline. This program, filmed at Dartmouth College, will help students stay engaged with the coursework as it explains the necessity and the benefits of making a wholehearted commitment. The nine strategies presented by a mix of professors and students are: set goals, manage your time, keep up with reading, attend every lecture, take effective notes, do practice problems, apply yourself to chem lab, make use of the professor’s office hours, and prepare for exams. Very motivational! (15 minutes)
Effective Study Skills (26:00)
Students learn how to achieve academic success by learning the study behaviors that lead to high achievement. This video illustrates the importance of developing good skills in the areas of listening, notetaking, and outlining. Emphasis is placed on preparing for classes, paying attention, and developing a positive attitude. Bad academic behaviors are illustrated by one of the worst students in history. Specific suggestions, tips, and techniques are presented to overcome bad habits. The second section shows students how to utilize time at home efficiently, how to set priorities, how to decide which subjects to study first, how long to study each subject, and how to get the most from their texts.
A Cambridge Educational Production.
One 30-minute video.
This Way to an A: Effective Study Skills (30:00)
Why do we have to learn this? When will I ever use this information once I get out of school? When students acquire the ability to answer these questions for themselves, they develop an improved understanding of their subjects along with the ability to identify and retain pertinent information. This upbeat video teaches students the Empty "V" System which stresses the importance and effectiveness of deciding the purpose of each lesson in order to better understand key information. Students learn proven techniques for studying, reviewing, and retaining information that fit into any lifestyle or class structure. Reading and taking notes becomes easier, more effective, and less time-consuming as students learn how to find key facts and ideas. Study sessions become more efficient as students learn tips for condensing information into memorable formats and the effectiveness of frequently referring to the condensed versions. This important lesson entertains busy, lazy, eager, and reluctant students as they learn to apply the skills that last a lifetime.
A Cambridge Educational Production.
One 30-minute video and how-to-study book.
Get Organized! Managing School, Life, and Fun (23:00)
Lost backpacks, unfinished homework, missed carpools…disorganization isn’t just annoying—it can seriously jeopardize a student’s future. This video teaches young people the value of personal management skills, and provides tips and strategies for getting organized in several key areas: living space, school materials, study time, extracurricular activities, and social life. Dramatizing situations in which a group of teenagers have made themselves miserable through a lack of self-management, the program uses a lighthearted approach that engages young viewers, while driving home a serious message: Effective organizational tactics will be a valuable asset throughout your education and career. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide—complete with learning objectives, fast facts, vocabulary terms, discussion questions, student activities, and other features—is available online. Correlates to National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences, National Educational Technology Standards, and Standards for the English Language Arts. A Cambridge Educational Production. (23 minutes)
Career Evaluation (11:00)
This program illustrates how to relate interests, skills, education, training, values, and lifestyle to specific occupations in the world of work. Based on the commonsense notion that you do best at what you really like to do, this video shows viewers how to find an occupation with job requirements that closely match their interests. Nothing predicts high workplace satisfaction like a close match between job duties and the employee-to-be! A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. (10 minutes)
College Days, College Nights (92:00)
Sixteen students search for knowledge, fun, love, sex, and a path to a rewarding career as this documentary tracks them through one academic year at the University of British Columbia. Partying, clubs, and sports compete head-to-head with classes and sleep—but campus life is only one part of this compelling story. The other revolves around that age-old transition from child to adult known simply as growing up. College Days, College Nights is an honest look at the total college experience as seen through the cameras of Oscar-winning director John Zaritsky—and a team of eight film students who capture events that the pros could not have witnessed. An indispensable part of a high school’s guidance library or a college’s freshman orientation program. Some content may be objectionable, and some language may be offensive. (91 minutes)
Decision-Making Strategies (28:00)
This video looks at rational-linear and intuitive decision-making techniques. Personal decision-making style is featured, showing how a person’s values, willingness to take risks, and ability to be objective all influence the decision-making process. (28 minutes)
Goal-Setting and Action-Planning (28:00)
This video helps students establish criteria for attainable goals and objectives, and shows them how to evaluate goals on the basis of these criteria. Students begin to draft their own goal lists and action plans for implementing their search. (28 minutes)
Lifelong Learning (28:00)
This video offers a range of educational options for reaching career goals, including vocational training, community college, and undergraduate and graduate degrees. The benefits of experiential education, such as internships, are also presented. (28 minutes)
Study to Win! (32:00)
Tabitha is the best runner on her high school track team. She has learned both physical and mental techniques that help her win long-distance races. But this spunky runner is a mega-procrastinator when it comes to schoolwork. That’s all about to change as her best and brainy friends take a closer look at the techniques Tabitha uses to win races and then coach her to apply them academically.
Following the Seven Big C’s (COMFORT, CHARGE, CALCULATION, COMPREHENSION, CONCENTRATION, COHESION, and CONFIDENCE), Tabitha learns how to Study to Win!
This energetic and information-packed video shows students how to get Organized, Make a Study Schedule, Take Excellent Notes in class, and Prepare and Preview Material. Also covered are Chapter Summaries, Writing a Rough Draft, Writing an Outline and Thesis, Memorization Tips, How to Use Association and Visualization, and more. Jam-packed with clever and helpful information, all students will benefit from watching this video, and like Tabitha will learn how to Study to Win!
A Cambridge Educational Production.
One 30-minute video.
Writing for Results: The Winning Written Report (34:00)
This program stresses that good writing skills are critical to job success and that employers seek job applicants who have these skills. Learn how to produce a winning written report by analyzing the reader; determining the purpose; selecting and narrowing topics; gathering, recording, and filing information; and organizing the paper. Learn the benefits of concrete and specific supporting material, proofreading and revising, and a well-polished final product. Gain valuable skills for future success while acquiring the ability and confidence to put thoughts in writing.
A Cambridge Educational Production.
One 30-minute video.