Rated 4 out of
5
by
CLemire from
Good info for all students.
I have unmotivated homeroom students & I started them on the program. They listen though they may have heard it before. Very repeatable.
Date published: 2016-02-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
SciTchr from
How To Become A Superstar Student
I am sharing this with my Middle School class 1 lecture a week and I am getting great feedback from them as they learn valuable strategies for success at school
Date published: 2016-01-29
Rated 5 out of
5
by
spbone from
From a teenager: Every parent needs to see these.
I'm a 16-year-old boy and about four months ago when I first borrowed the DVDs for this lecture series from the library, I had a limited perspective on schools, one that has been broadened thanks to these lectures.
My life is much more satisfying now due to this broadened perspective: I'm more organized and time-managed, I have better ideas, and I now know how I learn best. As a result I have better marks at school, a more balanced life both inside and outside school, and a better understanding of what I should be doing in my life during these crucial years.
Mr. Geisen's lectures were fun to watch and very interesting and informative; after only the first few minutes of the very first lecture, I knew that this was a series I would finish. I finished the twelve lectures meant for students, and they were worth my time; I then finished the six lectures meant for parents, and they were definitely worth my time.
The twelve lectures for students were informative and helped me realize a few things, but to be honest, having been through two years of high school before watching them, I had already learnt through experience most of what was to be learnt in those lectures. I really wish I'd gotten to see those lectures when I was in grade 8 or 9.
It was on the 10th of the 12 student lectures that Mr. Geisen made a joke that I really did not find all that funny. In the joke he let fall a miniature statue of a Hindu god, a statue that is really significant to the Hindu religion. Being a Hindu myself, I was hurt that he'd make such a joke, and that's the reason I gave him a 4 rather than a 5 for presentation. I almost stopped watching the lecture series right there and then.
However, that joke was a small part of the series, and I'm glad I wasn't upset enough to actually stop watching the lectures, because otherwise I'd have missed out on the six parent lectures, the ones that I most benefited from.
i'd decided to watch the parent lectures to get an idea of what it's like to be a parent. I'm grateful that I did get that idea, but I'm much more grateful for all the other things that I gained from the six lectures. These were the lectures that truly taught me about some harsh realities of life and introduced me to some really interesting ideas, and they really helped shape my perspective. At times I nearly started crying at how accurately Mr. Geisen understood us, today's teenagers, and how smoothly he managed to teach of our psychology in these six lectures.
My advice: if you don't have the 9h 54m to watch all 18 of these lectures, find at least the time to watch the six parent lectures—whether or not you are a parent.
Four months have passed since I watched the first lecture and I've observed improvements in my life both inside and outside school while and after finishing the course. This truly great course seems to be the root of many of the improvements I've experienced, and I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone, whether you're a parent, student, both, or neither.
Date published: 2016-01-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ark1836 from
Packed Full of Great Advice
My daughter is entering middle school, so I decided to watch this course with her to, hopefully, give her an advantage in her studies. The course includes twelve lectures for the students and six for the parents. The professor gives very practical advice ranging from how to handle group projects to managing homework to preparing for tests, including test-taking techniques. This course is aimed mostly at a high school audience, so my daughter was a bit young for some of the material though I still think she learned a lot that can be put into practice at her level. We will watch the course again before she enters high school—maybe even a couple more times. The teacher was enthusiastic and relatable. He gave tremendous advice. In a lot of ways, he did not say anything that I have not told my daughter many times, but there is a distinct advantage to someone else telling her the same thing—somehow it's more believable coming from the guy on TV than from dad. I asked my daughter what she thought was best from the course, and she told me it was the advice on dealing with group projects, something she hates. The group project lecture gave practical advice such as techniques for dividing up the work in a group and communicating effectively. My daughter put the advice into practice the week after seeing the lesson when a summer camp she participated in required extensive group work. I was happy when she came home after camp telling me how she used some of the techniques from this course to make the group work better. I would recommend this course to anyone with a student.
Date published: 2015-07-20
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Amelie from
Super clear and helpful for intermediate school students to prepare for higher level of education in the future. Hope they still can remember and apply those
Date published: 2015-02-26
Rated 5 out of
5
by
neverdonelearning from
inspiring
This course held the interest of my high-energy sixth grader while emphasizing good school habits. The content is immediately relevant and will be excellent to review and apply periodically throughout the next few years as well. The instructor is very creative and humorous, while covering a lot of ground in each session. The classes move quickly but cover each topic well in the allotted tome. I recommend this highly.
Date published: 2015-02-24
Rated 5 out of
5
by
MickyYounger from
Motivating
I showed this to my 11 year old daughter, and it motivated her to make some changes and organize her study and life habits. Many of the suggestions the presenter made are things that I implemented myself growing up, but it is more effective sometimes for a different person to tell your children the same thing. The presenter uses a variety of cartoons and images to help motivate kids. It is not a dry lecture. I also like the lectures for parents. It helps parents keep motivated and encourages them to consider how their own behaviors may be impacting their children's development.
Date published: 2015-01-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
ListenWhileRowing from
An Academic Life Preserver
Not being a genius or even a very good reader, I, finding myself drowning at an excellent university, was forced to discover how to stay afloat. Based on these discoveries, I've written essays and made slideshows that I have given to students who became even more successful than I was. One student even said I should laminate my slides and sell them in the book store...but after he graduated.
This course covered many of the secrets that I thought I had discovered. Accordingly, I have begun recommending it, instead of my own slides, to students who are struggling. In fact, I bought several copies (at the sale price, of course), to give as Christmas presents. The world is becoming more competitive, grades count, and there isn't time for students to learn to excel through trial and error. This course will help students avoid many predictable errors.
Future versions might include lectures on "How hard will you have to work?" (answer: harder than you thought possible), and "When do you start preparing for final exams?" (answer: as soon as you know you will be taking the course).
Date published: 2015-01-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Estee from
Learned A Lot!
As a student, I definitely learned many things from this course. It helped me realize what kind of student I was and how I can use that to my advantage when learning. Its awesome and its just like watching a movie so I would totally recommend it to anyone! I've already told all my friends and professors about it!
Date published: 2014-12-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
avoirdupois from
Strong recommendation from college student !
I bought & gave this course to a very close, dearly loved family member who's attending college in the States.
She reports that it has been of great help to her. I'm delighted !
Date published: 2014-10-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
HoltFam from
Worth every penny! Great investment!
We homeschool our three children, and they range in age from 7-14. Everyone in the family, including my husband and me, are enjoying this course. And my husband is so thrilled with the content, he wants the kids to watch them more quickly than I had planned in my scheduling. We both are anxious to get all of this course material into our kids as soon as possible.
I like that the courses come with a printed guide that gives us some structure for a discussion. If The Great Courses would like to ratchet this up just one more notch, it would be great to have some formal discussion questions, maybe some things the students could write out for their responses to help solidify the ideas in their minds. But overall, fantastic course and very entertaining teaching style that makes watching a pleasure.
(I would warn that this is not presented with a Christian worldview, and while we haven't run across anything outright offensive, there have been a few ideas that don't line up with ours and have required a little discussion. For example, there are references to keeping a boyfriend or girlfriend happy, and we don't see that as a given in every student's life. We prefer that adults not talk about boyfriend and girlfriend relationships as if they're expected at a certain age.)
Date published: 2014-08-22
Rated 5 out of
5
by
PBK63 from
Very Worthwhile Course!
My late wife was a long time high school teacher and I worked with her both with our own children but also her students and sometimes with their parents. As a member of Phi Beta Kappa and having been my college nominee for the Rhodes scholarship (alas lost out at regionals to Yale law student) and having graduated at top (well ok, number two - but remember we try harder!) of my law class at a top law school I have some idea of what is needed for success in school. As a grandparent I bought this course for my son who is a university professor and whose first born will be starting Kindergarten this year. So why did I buy this course now? I bought this course to put aside until grandchildren are ready but also for my son and his wife (both also top students) to perhaps find some helpful hints before their children become students. I have always felt there is no subject about which I could not learn more, even one that I already know something about. My wife and I were fortunate to have raised two children who were highly successful in school and who have gone on to have outstanding careers. So was there something for me to learn from this course? Absolutely, I did learn new things that I thought were useful. In fact I felt listening to the course there were ideas that would have helped me as a parent when my children were young despite how well they both succeeded in school and life.
My wife and I devoted a part of our time to helping children with learning disabilities and in that pursuit we learned a great deal about brain research. In that regard I find that this course is solid in its background when discussing studies coming out of that research.
I have to admit that while I enjoyed the enthusiasm of the presenter in the beginning I thought it over the top. But I also realized he is trying to reach students who in middle and high school are tough to reach and his style and manner of presentation I suspect is intentionally geared to trying to keep their interest and attention. And when getting to the six lectures for parents it is obvious in difference in tone and technique that this is his intent. Use of graphics is excellent as it his manner and organization of presentation.
At the time he did this course he said his own children had yet to reach middle and high school and I have a sneaky feeling he will be changing some of this course after he has gone through that process. But that said his own experience with students in middle school certainly helps him understand those years.
Strong areas in my view are his review of different types of intelligence, the discussion of multitasking, his diamond shaped analysis of different abilities (which frankly I did not understand fully until he got to the parent section) and the lessons on writing and presentation. His lesson on homework and test taking were also excellent.
Overall this is an outstanding course and should be a great benefit for parents and students. It is a course I can highly recommend.
Date published: 2014-04-14
Rated 5 out of
5
by
9thgrader from
It is so good it should be longer!
My daughter likes everything about this course. It is encouraging, and the professor is entertaining and instructive all at the same time.
Date published: 2013-12-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
VaninaDelobelle from
Very helpful and a great complement to help kids
My kid is in 6th grade and he loves this course. His school is using some principles described in the course to understand what type of learners the kids are in order to help then better. He was very interested in learning more who he is and how he can improve. He read the book and did the quiz at the end. He took notes about how to be better organized. He was very excited about this course and said that this is a great complement to what school is bringing to him. He as integrated this part of his curriculum.
Date published: 2013-10-14
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Aurius from
Love this course!!!
I was pleasantly surprised, I read some reviewer not liking the professor, I think he is quite funny and lively which is important for learning.
He jokes around and I didn't find him annoying it just makes the content more vivid and he does say nice things about him : D but he also makes funny and silly acts about himself.
I like the content and how he presents it and I like the animations and entertaining delivery. Overall fantastic!!! I really enjoyed it.
Date published: 2012-12-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Bounthong from
I have reviewed this course with my son, he likes it very much. He watches with the joy and with lots of laugh. I am glad that I got a good course of your.
Date published: 2012-12-19
Rated 2 out of
5
by
JulieCC from
Nothing like the 1st Edition!
First off, if you've watched the 1st Edition of Super Star Student, you will be surprised at this "updated" version! My husband and I watched both, alongside our son, as he prepared for his first full-time college semester (at 14 in 9th grade). While the 1st edition certainly needed a major update from the late 90s, the 2nd edition went a bit overboard.
The 1st edition was aimed squarely at high schoolers (and college students would get a lot from it) whereas the 2nd edition is geared toward middle schoolers (the instructor is a M.S. teacher). My son rolled his eyes a LOT! The graphics can be highly annoying and "cutesy". I cannot imagine even a high schooler enjoying sitting through this course!
While Mr. Geisen is nice to look at (wink), he is very obnoxious with the "I'm the best teacher in the world" statement he repeats at least once each lecture. Yeah, we get it, you won an award.
The content is good and my son did learn a few things, but not as much as he did from the 1st edition. The content of each is completely different. This is good if you watch both as they do completment one another.
There are MANY errors in the course and it needs to be updated as the errors are very distracting. There are a lot of camera miscues, spelling errors, and other annoying ones, such as the leaves on the trees being brown before they fall off (and Mr. Geisen's background is in forestry). One glaring error I remember is in a graphic where a state capital is mentioned, I believe Santa Fe (watched the course 5 months ago) and when referencing the city, it's spelled "capitOl". The word with the "O" is the building, not the city!
We actually found the companion booklet to be much better than the course as it has different information. We would have been wiser with our time to have just read through it and not watched the lectures.
So, I'd recommend this to *middle schoolers* and immature high schoolers, but no one else. I think it'd be excellent for that age group, especially for those coming out of home, or online education, as my son did, to know how to better prepare for the classroom. But get a copy of the 1st edition (our library has both - they purchased the 2nd ed. for me) and round out the lessons for a broader experience with how to study, take notes, know your learning style, etc.
The best thing my son came away with from the 1st edition was doing "pre-reading" (read and takes notes from the text before class) and from the 2nd edition was "be a confident beginner" (don't think you know it all).
Date published: 2012-12-14
Rated 5 out of
5
by
FIREWATER from
TERRIFIC COURSE FOR STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS
This is one of the best presented courses from TGC. Michael Geisen really understands that the brain needs repetition to learn. One reviewer complained of his large ego when in fact he was joking which they would have known had they listened to the lectures all the way through as he stresses the importance of humility. He has a great sense of humor and could have been an actor which will keep you involved and interested. It should be required viewing for other TGC teachers. I am also watching one on Islam right now and the teacher talks so fast, doesn't repeat, and it seems as if he is reading. It is mind numbing and I really wanted to understand what it means to be a Muslim. Sadly, I may never know. This course on the other hand is excellently presented and you can see a difference in his style when he is addressing children and in the six additional classes when he is addressing adults. I also think that Michael is a genuinely good person which is also why he is such a great teacher and he stresses that when teaching children you are also building their characters. I am a middle aged man going back to school and I wanted to see if there was anything that might help me when I go back to school and indeed there was. I also realized that I had discovered a lot of these things on my own as I love to read and learn. Again, this course is primarily geared toward educating children and how parents can help in doing that. I also think it will capture the attention of children, which I think is the point. So, if you have children and want to improve their learning I highly recommend this course!
Date published: 2012-11-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Tonia from
A must for every child moving to high school
I watched this series one episode a night with my 10 year old son and we both loved it (I particularly like the episode on creativity). He's a very bright boy who has been bored and frustrated at school. The series has inspired him to take control of his own learning. It has also helped him understand why his teacher does some of the things she does (like making the children work in groups).
Date published: 2012-10-27
Rated 4 out of
5
by
DrDan from
HIGHLY recommended - but I was bored
as a physician, I learned what I needed to do to succeed, so this course is NOT for me, but I found it VERY helpful for those who it is INTENDED -- the high school/maybe college student or parent of a high school'er.
Could it have been simplified to 10-15 bullet points? yes. but then it would not be effective -- which it is!!!!
well worth the money and time.
if a high school student can walk away with 2-3 "to do actions", this course is a success -- and it is hard to NOT walk away with some "to do "actions
and parents -- listen to the advice -- it is the kid's work, not yours!!!!
Date published: 2012-09-12
Rated 5 out of
5
by
SJMD from
A MUST for every student
This was an excellent course and one to improve every student's performance. The course is aimed at high school students with the last 6 lectures geared towards parents and how they can help their children. The professor has a great sense of humor, flawless presentation skills, and is very enjoyable to listen to. I looked forward to every lecture.
Two comments are worth considering:
First, lecture 3 on 'Working Cooperatively in Groups" which advocates the benefits of group study should be balanced against lecture 9 of Michael Roberto's "The Art of Critical Decision Making" entitled 'Groupthink'. The latter lecture warns that groups frequently make flawed decisions due to pressures of social conformity. Furthermore, in my own experience, if members of the group are not roughly equal in competence, then the sessions degenerate into one person just teaching the others.
Second, lecture 2 in the parent's guide on "Understanding How We Learn", though informative, is absolutely no substitute for Monish Pasupathi's 24 lecture course "How We Learn". The latter empahsizes experience as the most important component of learning and provides the theoretical background for this course. I strongly recommend that the two courses be taken together. It is difficult to know at times whether the recommendations of Professor Geisen are based on studies or personal experience. "How We Learn" helps clarify any such ambiguities.
Overall, I highly recommend this course. It should be in the tool kit of every parent and student!
Date published: 2012-08-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
reader123 from
Excellent
My 11-year old daughter found one of my TTC catalogs and asked me to order this course. I am glad that I did.
She quickly reviewed the course and indicated that she learned a lot of stuff that she hadn't been exposed to. For example, she seemed to have learned a lot about taking notes and becoming more organized.
The parent's sessions were also interesting. I particularly learned several new ideas about how to help my children study.
Prof. Geisen did a nice job covering the material. I agree with other reviewers that he seemed comfortable in front of the camera. He provided a nice bibliography.
I would recommend this for any student or parent of a student. It is the type of stuff that all students should see at some time. Some schools cover this material and some don't -- this format allows parents to make sure that their student is getting it (and it can be reviewed more than once).
Date published: 2012-07-31
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Joann from
Should be mandatory in our schools
I have 6 grandchildren, ages 8 years to 20 years old. I bought this for the 2 collage age ones because I saw that they never learned "how to study" properly. I find that I am seeing that in my 12 year old grandson also. I was an instructor for the company I worked for and I am a strong believer in education. So, I took this course myself, before sharing it with the grandkids and was amazed at how well it was presented and how the information was what the kids seem to be lacking.
All my grandchildren are getting excellent grades and it comes easy to them, but when they get challenged in college, they don't know how to study because they never had to.
I would make this a mandatory class for all students in the 8th grade.
Date published: 2012-06-21
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Andrew1962 from
Big Ego
The teacher has a major Ego issue and he thinks that he is the BEST--and maybe he is good but it is difficult to concentrate on the content when his EGO is stealing the show.
Date published: 2012-06-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Deadwood from
What an Improvement !
This 2nd Edition of the course is clearly an improvement over the first.
Not only is the Professor insightful and encouraging, but the 6 additional lectures directed at the teacher/parent are a real boost to the success of the pupil/teacher 'team' --- and it is a team.
Date published: 2012-05-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
CAPTAINCRNA from
Great Course
Purchased this course for my daughter who is a good student, But I feel has devolped bad study habits. I think this course will help her. Thank you
Date published: 2012-01-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
two2daze from
How to Become a SuperStar Student, 2nd Edition
The sessions presented by Prof. M. Geisen on these dvd's are great reminders for our entire family of how to learn...which we teach our boys ... is a lifelong opportunity
This is stuff they don't teach in class...life skills...a must have!
Andersons
Ontario, Canada
Date published: 2011-11-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Michelle from
A Teacher's, Student's and Parent's Guide
This is nothing like any of the other TGC courses. Professor Geisen must have taken acting lessons, because he is so comfortable in front of the camera that I thought I was watching something on the Disney Channel. With experience as a substitute teacher, I wish I had this course as guidance before. This course is "chalk full" of potential teachers' lesson plans that I would recommend to any teacher as a supplement. High School students are difficult to encourage to study for their regular classes, which makes it even more so to motivate them to study more on top of that; However, with the knowledge of this course, any student would benefit from a more advanced, easier and more efficient way to study, take tests, work in groups/individually or simply just "learn how to learn".
Date published: 2011-09-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
mandomama from
Excellet for preparing homeschool kids for school
I have an 11-year-old son who has been homeschooled since 1st grade. For various reasons, we have had to place him in public school this year. I was worried that because he hasn't developed certain skills that are largely obtained in public school (note taking, working in groups, etc), that he would have a difficult time adjusting. I am really glad I found this course. He really enjoys the lectures and I have learned a lot from the sections geared toward parents. Many of the things I have tried to teach him have been reinforced by Professor Geisen. I liked his explanation of multi tasking, which I have a problem with. I would definitely recommend to friends whose kids might be struggling in school.
Date published: 2011-09-04
Rated 1 out of
5
by
jefferson from
My kid can't stand it
My hopes were great as I watched it with my high school junior/senior. The first section was tedious with expanded explanations, over preaching, a halting presentation style with overly exaggerated hand movement. Everything possible to turn a teen off. What takes 30 minutes to present could be done in 5 minutes. The areas of content are important for teens to know but they are presented in a manner to turn people off. It has turned into a battle to get him to watch the other sections. I also have a hard time enduring the lengthy preaching. I have gone through many years of teachers to complete my doctorate and none have been as tedious as this presenter. It is especially difficult for a high school student to be motivated when the presentation style turns them off.
Date published: 2011-08-31
2: Developing Effective Habits in Class
Students explore three keys to success in the classroom: preparing, participating, and taking good notes. How can they make preparing for class quick and simple? How can they participate in class without looking "dorky"? What are the best ways to take notes while still paying attention to what's going on in class?
30 min
3: Working Cooperatively in Groups
Professor Geisen focuses on the techniques of effective group work. Students discover how to structure their group to use everyone's strengths; how to avoid the dangers of insensitivity by communicating with tact; and how to reach a consensus using a variety of methods, including dot voting and weighted voting.
32 min
4: Managing Time and Organizing Spaces
By navigating their busy lives more effectively, students can free up more time and space for true learning-and things they really like to do. First, students will bust the myth that multitasking actually works. Then, they'll develop strategies for planning and prioritizing activities. Finally, they'll learn some secrets to keeping themselves-and their work-organized.
32 min
8: Diving into Research
The ability to research effectively is a huge factor in students' success. Professor Geisen guides them through the process of pre-searching, searching, evaluating, and organizing. They'll also get tips for working with the wide range of sources available to the 21st-century student.
34 min
9: Writing Well
Whatever kind of learning style students have, all it takes to strengthen and improve their writing is following a series of guidelines and techniques. They'll discover the secrets to choosing powerful words, building effective paragraphs, organizing entire essays, spending the right amount of time drafting and editing their work, and more.
30 min
10: Delivering Dynamic Presentations
Develop an opening hook that takes advantage of a startling image or fact. Organize your speech or presentation the way you would organize a research paper. Make sure to use visual aids sparingly but effectively. These are just three of the many strategies students will find here for delivering dynamic presentations.
36 min
11: Taking Control of Tests
In this lecture, students find out what it takes to perform at their best when the stakes are high: taking tests. They'll learn how to prepare themselves for various types of tests, focus their studying on what they need to know, combat test anxiety, attack tests with a clear strategy, learn from their wrong answers, and more.
34 min
12: Finding Balance
Students learn the importance of maintaining balance in their lives. Professor Geisen's pointed advice includes getting more efficient with their time, cutting back on things that prevent them from achieving their goals, and diving deep into a couple of activities they really love to do.
34 min
13: Managing Your Child's Education
The most important teacher in a student's life: his or her parents. Professor Geisen shows you how to become a true learner, why most learning happens outside the classroom, and how you can adapt to the continually changing landscape of 21st-century education.
34 min
14: Understanding How We Learn
Approach learning with wisdom from neuroscience and educational research. How do our brains assimilate information? What can you do when your student is out of his or her comfort zone on an assignment? How can you help your student embrace his or her learning style?
31 min
17: Preparing for College and the Future
How you talk about and expose your student to college makes a huge difference in how he or she approaches this subject. Which post-high-school option is best for your child? What are colleges looking for in applicants? Find the answers to these questions and more.
30 min
Michael Geisen
Learning is a skill that your student can easily make a part of his or her everyday life and use as a powerful tool for success, both inside and outside the classroom.
ALMA MATER
Southern Oregon University
INSTITUTION
National Teacher of the Year
About Michael Geisen
Professor Michael Geisen was selected from among millions of public-school educators to serve as the National Teacher of the Year in 2008. In this position, he traveled nationally and internationally as an ambassador for the teaching profession, helping educators, policymakers, and community members meet the needs of high-school students in a rapidly changing 21st-century world. Professor Geisen was a middle-school science teacher at Crook County Middle School in Prineville, Oregon, for 10 years. He has received numerous other teaching awards and accolades. He was selected as the 2009 Outstanding Teacher in K-12 Education by the Oregon Academy of Sciences and was named the Toshiba Innovator in Education in Tokyo, Japan, and the 2007-2008 Oregon Teacher of the Year.
