Best Study Habits of Top Students (What They Actually Do Differently)
Why some students achieve more while studying less—and what cognitive science reveals about their habits.
During my first year of college, I believed top students had some secret advantage that the rest of us didn't.
Maybe they were naturally smarter.
Maybe they had better memories.
Maybe they simply spent more hours studying.
So I did what many students do: I studied longer.
Before major exams, I would spend entire afternoons rereading notes, highlighting textbooks, and reviewing slides over and over again. Some days I studied five or six hours without a break.
The strange thing was that my results didn't improve as much as I expected.
Meanwhile, a few classmates consistently earned higher grades while appearing far less stressed. They weren't living in the library. They weren't studying all night. Yet they always seemed prepared.
At first, I assumed they were exceptionally gifted.
Years later, after studying learning science research and observing high-performing students, I realized something important:
Top students are not necessarily studying more. They are studying differently.
The difference isn't usually intelligence.
It's habits.
More specifically, it's a set of evidence-based habits that align with how the brain actually learns, remembers, and retrieves information.
What surprised me most is that many of the strategies used by top students feel harder than traditional studying.
Reading notes feels easy.
Highlighting feels productive.
Watching another study video feels useful.
But according to decades of cognitive science, the methods that feel easiest are often the least effective.
In this guide, you'll learn the study habits of successful students, the science behind why they work, and how you can apply them immediately.
The Biggest Myth About Top Students
One of the most damaging myths in education is the belief that academic success comes primarily from talent.
Students often look at high achievers and assume:
- They were born smarter.
- They have naturally better memories.
- Learning comes easier to them.
Research suggests otherwise.
Psychologist Anders Ericsson spent decades studying elite performers in fields ranging from music to sports and education.
His research on deliberate practice challenged the idea that expertise is mainly the result of innate talent.
Instead, high performers tend to use more effective methods of practice.
The same principle applies to studying.
Many struggling students focus on quantity:
- More hours
- More reading
- More notes
- More effort
Top students focus on quality:
- Better recall
- Better review
- Better feedback
- Better focus
This distinction is critical.
A student who spends one hour using scientifically proven learning techniques can often outperform a student who spends three hours passively reviewing information.
The goal is not to maximize study time.
The goal is to maximize learning.
The Counterintuitive Secret: Top Students Are Better Forgetters
This idea sounds strange at first.
How can successful students be better forgetters?
The answer begins with understanding how memory works.
Most students believe forgetting is a problem.
Learning science suggests the opposite.
Forgetting is a normal and necessary function of the brain.
In fact, your brain is designed to forget information that it believes is unimportant.
More than a century ago, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted groundbreaking experiments on memory and discovered what is now known as the Forgetting Curve.
His research showed that people forget newly learned information surprisingly quickly unless they actively revisit it.
Many students respond to forgetting with frustration.
Top students respond differently.
They expect forgetting.
More importantly, they use it.
Instead of trying to keep information permanently fresh in their minds, they allow some forgetting to occur and then deliberately retrieve the information again.
This process strengthens memory.
Researchers Robert Bjork and Elizabeth Bjork call this concept desirable difficulties.
Learning becomes stronger when the brain has to work.
The act of struggling to remember something is often what creates long-term retention.
This is one of the biggest differences between average students and top students.
Average students try to avoid difficulty.
Top students understand that difficulty is often a sign of effective learning.
Habit #1: They Test Themselves Constantly
If I had to choose only one study habit that produces the biggest academic improvement, it would be this:
Top students test themselves far more often than average students.
Most students spend the majority of their study time consuming information.
They read.
They highlight.
They watch.
They review.
Top students spend much more time retrieving information.
They ask:
- Can I explain this concept without looking?
- Can I answer exam questions right now?
- What do I remember from yesterday?
This approach is known as retrieval practice or active recall.
The Research Behind Retrieval Practice
One of the most influential studies in modern learning science was conducted by psychologists Henry Roediger III and Jeffrey Karpicke.
In their famous 2006 research paper, Test-Enhanced Learning, students were divided into different groups.
One group repeatedly reread material.
Another group practiced retrieving information through testing.
Initially, rereading created greater confidence.
Students felt like they knew the material.
However, when tested later, the retrieval-practice group remembered significantly more information.
The key lesson was powerful:
Memory is strengthened by retrieval, not exposure.
Simply seeing information repeatedly is not enough.
The brain becomes stronger when it has to pull information out.
My Personal Experience with Active Recall
For years, I confused familiarity with learning.
If I read a chapter three times and everything looked familiar, I assumed I knew it.
Then exam day arrived.
Questions appeared.
My confidence disappeared.
I recognized the information when I saw it, but I couldn't produce it from memory.
That was the moment I realized recognition and recall are completely different skills.
The semester after discovering active recall, I changed my study process.
Instead of rereading chapters, I closed my notes and wrote down everything I could remember on a blank sheet of paper.
At first, it felt uncomfortable.
I missed many details.
I forgot important concepts.
Ironically, that struggle turned out to be the reason the method worked.
Every attempt to retrieve information strengthened the memory pathway.
Within weeks, I noticed a major difference in retention and exam performance despite studying fewer total hours.
Why Retrieval Practice Works
When you retrieve information, the brain treats that memory as important.
Each successful recall strengthens neural connections.
Think of it like walking through a forest.
The first time you walk a path, it's difficult.
The more often you walk it, the clearer and easier it becomes.
Memories work similarly.
Retrieval creates stronger pathways.
Rereading often does not.
How Top Students Use Retrieval Practice
Instead of reading a chapter five times, top students often:
Answer practice questions.
Use flashcards.
Write summaries from memory.
Teach concepts without notes.
Create mock exams for themselves.
Their focus is simple:
Can I retrieve this information without help?
If the answer is yes, learning is occurring.
If the answer is no, more practice is needed.
Habit #2: They Use Spaced Repetition Instead of Cramming
One of the most common mistakes students make is believing that intensive review right before an exam creates lasting learning.
It doesn't.
Cramming can improve short-term performance.
But it rarely creates durable knowledge.
Top students understand this.
Instead of concentrating all review into a single session, they spread it across time.
This strategy is called spaced repetition.
The Science of Spacing
A major review conducted by cognitive scientist Nicholas Cepeda analyzed decades of research on memory and learning.
The conclusion was remarkably consistent:
Learning distributed across multiple sessions produces better long-term retention than learning concentrated into one session.
This finding is known as the spacing effect.
The effect has been replicated across different ages, subjects, and learning environments.
In other words:
The brain prefers multiple encounters over time rather than one massive study session.
Why Spaced Repetition Works
When information is reviewed immediately after learning, retrieval is easy.
The brain doesn't need to work very hard.
When some time passes, retrieval becomes more challenging.
That challenge strengthens memory.
This is another example of desirable difficulty.
The slight struggle involved in remembering actually improves retention.
Top students intentionally create this process.
My Own Experiment with Spaced Repetition
I once prepared for a biology exam by studying intensely for two days.
I scored reasonably well.
A month later, I remembered almost nothing.
The following semester, I tried a different approach.
Instead of studying heavily right before the test, I reviewed material briefly every few days.
The total study time was similar.
The difference in retention was enormous.
Months later, I could still explain concepts without reviewing them.
That experience completely changed the way I approached learning.
A Simple Spaced Repetition Schedule
Top students often follow a review schedule similar to this:
- Day 1: Learn new material
- Day 2: First review
- Day 4: Second review
- Day 7: Third review
- Day 14: Fourth review
- Day 30: Final review
Each review can be surprisingly short.
The power comes from timing, not duration.
The goal is not to repeatedly relearn information.
The goal is to strengthen memory before it disappears completely.
Habit #3: They Protect Their Focus Like a Valuable Asset
Most students think success depends on time management.
Top students understand something deeper.
Success often depends on attention management.
In today's world, attention has become one of the most valuable academic resources.
Unfortunately, it is constantly under attack.
Notifications.
Social media.
Messages.
Videos.
Multiple browser tabs.
Constant interruptions.
The result is fragmented thinking.
And fragmented thinking produces fragmented learning.
In the next section, we'll examine why deep focus has become one of the greatest competitive advantages in education—and what top students do differently to protect it.
Most students believe they have a time management problem.
Top students know they actually have an attention management problem.
You can have five free hours to study and still accomplish very little if your attention is constantly interrupted.
Meanwhile, one hour of deep, uninterrupted focus can produce remarkable learning.
This is one of the biggest differences between average students and high achievers.
Top students don't necessarily have more time.
They simply get more value out of the time they have.
The Science of Attention
Research by Gloria Mark at the University of California found that interruptions significantly reduce productivity and increase the amount of time required to return to focused work.
This phenomenon is sometimes called attention residue.
Even a quick glance at a message or notification leaves part of your mind thinking about something else.
You may physically return to your work, but mentally, your attention is still divided.
The result is shallower thinking and weaker learning.
My Experience with Digital Distractions
I used to keep my phone beside my laptop while studying.
I rarely picked it up.
Yet I noticed something strange.
Every time the screen lit up, my concentration weakened.
I would suddenly think:
"I wonder who sent that message."
"I'll check it in a minute."
Even without touching the phone, my mind had already left the material.
Eventually, I started leaving my phone in another room.
The difference was immediate.
Study sessions felt calmer.
I could think more deeply and remember more afterward.
That small change improved my focus more than any productivity app ever did.
Why Deep Focus Works
Learning requires the brain to build connections between ideas.
This process takes mental effort.
Frequent interruptions break those connections before they can fully form.
Deep work allows your brain to:
- Process information more deeply.
- Build stronger memories.
- Solve complex problems.
- Understand difficult concepts.
This is why many top students can study less and still perform better.
Their study time is simply more concentrated.
How Top Students Protect Their Attention
Many high-performing students use simple rules:
Study with the phone out of sight.
Turn off notifications.
Close unnecessary browser tabs.
Study in quiet environments.
Schedule focused work sessions.
The goal is not perfection.
The goal is reducing unnecessary distractions.
In a world designed to steal your attention, protecting focus has become an academic superpower.
Habit #4: They Practice Deliberately
Many students spend hours studying things they already know.
Top students do the opposite.
They spend most of their time working on what they do not know.
This idea comes from the research of psychologist Anders Ericsson.
His work on expertise found that elite performers improve by deliberately targeting weaknesses and receiving feedback.
Simply repeating comfortable tasks does not lead to significant improvement.
Purposeful struggle does.
Deliberate Practice vs. Regular Practice
Regular Practice
- Reviewing easy chapters
- Solving familiar problems
- Reading notes repeatedly
- Staying inside your comfort zone
Deliberate Practice
- Solving difficult questions
- Analyzing mistakes
- Focusing on weak areas
- Seeking feedback
One method feels good.
The other produces growth.
Top students choose growth.
My Personal Example
When I was learning statistics, I had a habit of solving the same types of questions repeatedly because they made me feel confident.
Then I encountered a difficult exam.
I quickly realized my confidence had been built on easy problems.
After that experience, I changed my approach.
I began spending more time on questions that confused me.
Those sessions felt frustrating.
But they were also the sessions where I learned the most.
That is the hidden power of deliberate practice.
Why Deliberate Practice Works
The brain adapts when it encounters challenges.
Difficult tasks reveal knowledge gaps.
When those gaps are corrected, learning becomes stronger and more flexible.
This explains why top students often look uncomfortable while studying.
They intentionally put themselves in situations where learning is difficult.
Habit #5: They Learn by Teaching
One of the fastest ways to discover whether you truly understand something is to teach it.
Top students explain concepts constantly.
Sometimes they teach friends.
Sometimes they teach family members.
Sometimes they simply explain concepts to themselves out loud.
This idea became famous through physicist Richard Feynman.
Today, it is widely known as the Feynman Technique.
The Feynman Method
Step 1: Learn a topic.
Step 2: Explain it using simple language.
Step 3: Identify gaps in your understanding.
Step 4: Review and simplify again.
The process sounds simple, but it is incredibly powerful.
Why Teaching Works
Research on the Self-Explanation Effect, particularly studies by educational psychologist Michelene Chi, shows that students learn more deeply when they explain information in their own words.
Explaining forces the brain to:
- Organize information.
- Build connections.
- Detect misunderstandings.
- Simplify complex ideas.
This creates deeper learning than passive review.
My Experience with the Feynman Technique
There were many times when I thought I fully understood a concept.
Then I tried explaining it to someone else.
Suddenly, I realized I couldn't answer simple questions.
That uncomfortable moment was incredibly useful.
It showed me exactly where my understanding was weak.
I eventually started using a simple rule:
If I can't explain it simply, I don't understand it well enough yet.
This principle dramatically improved my learning.
Habit #6: They Track Their Mistakes
One habit that separates exceptional students from average students is their relationship with mistakes.
Average students often avoid mistakes because they feel discouraged.
Top students treat mistakes as data.
Every incorrect answer provides information.
Every misunderstanding reveals an opportunity to improve.
The Research Behind Metacognition
Educational psychologist John Dunlosky and his colleagues found that successful learners regularly monitor their understanding and evaluate their performance.
This ability is known as metacognition.
Simply put:
Metacognition means thinking about your own thinking.
Students who actively evaluate their mistakes often perform better academically because they can identify weaknesses earlier.
The Error Journal Method
Many top students keep an error journal.
Each time they make a mistake, they record:
- The question.
- Their incorrect answer.
- Why they got it wrong.
- The correct reasoning.
- What they should do differently next time.
Over time, patterns emerge.
You begin to notice that many mistakes come from the same few weaknesses.
Fix those weaknesses, and performance improves dramatically.
My Experience with Error Tracking
I used to finish exams and immediately move on.
I cared about the score but ignored the mistakes.
Eventually, I realized something important:
The wrong answers were teaching me more than the correct ones.
I started writing down every major mistake.
Within a few months, I noticed recurring patterns.
I rushed through questions.
I misunderstood key terms.
I made assumptions without reading carefully.
Correcting those habits improved my grades more than simply studying longer.
Habit #7: They Prioritize Sleep
Many students think sleep is the enemy of productivity.
Top students often think the opposite.
They understand that sleep is part of learning.
You do not stop learning when you go to bed.
Your brain continues working.
The Science of Sleep and Memory
Sleep researcher Matthew Walker explains in his book Why We Sleep that sleep plays a critical role in memory consolidation.
During sleep, the brain:
- Organizes information.
- Strengthens neural connections.
- Transfers memories into long-term storage.
Without adequate sleep, learning suffers.
My Experience with Sleep Deprivation
I once stayed awake until nearly three in the morning preparing for an important exam.
I felt productive.
I believed I was gaining an advantage.
The next day, I struggled to remember information that I had studied only hours earlier.
I had spent more time studying but retained less.
That experience completely changed my perspective on sleep.
I realized that sleeping is not time taken away from learning.
It is part of the learning process itself.
Why Sleep Matters So Much
Imagine trying to save a document on your computer but shutting it down before the file finishes saving.
Something similar happens when we sacrifice sleep.
Learning occurs during study sessions.
But long-term memory formation often happens later, during sleep.
This is why top students protect their sleep, especially before important exams.
Habit #8: They Mix Subjects and Problem Types
Most students study one topic for hours before moving on.
Top students often mix different topics together.
This strategy is called interleaving.
At first, it feels more difficult.
Ironically, that difficulty is exactly why it works.
The Research on Interleaving
Studies by psychologists Doug Rohrer and Kelli Taylor found that students who mixed different types of problems performed better than those who practiced one type repeatedly.
Interleaving improves:
- Problem-solving.
- Pattern recognition.
- Long-term retention.
- Knowledge transfer.
Example
Instead of studying:
- Algebra for three hours.
A top student might study:
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Statistics
- Probability
within the same session.
This forces the brain to identify differences between concepts and choose the appropriate strategy.
Why Interleaving Works
The brain learns better when it must make decisions.
Blocked practice often becomes automatic.
Interleaving requires thinking.
Thinking creates stronger learning.
A Hidden Pattern Among Top Students
After years of reading learning science research and observing successful learners, I noticed something interesting.
Nearly every effective study habit has one thing in common:
It makes learning feel harder.
- Retrieval feels harder than rereading.
- Spaced repetition feels harder than cramming.
- Deep focus feels harder than multitasking.
- Deliberate practice feels harder than easy review.
- Teaching feels harder than simply reading.
- Interleaving feels harder than blocked practice.
Yet these harder methods consistently produce better results.
This is one of the biggest secrets in education.
The methods that feel most productive are often the least effective.
The methods that feel challenging are often the ones that create lasting learning.
What Top Students Never Do
After years of studying learning science and observing high-performing students, I noticed that successful learners are defined not only by what they do, but also by what they refuse to do.
Sometimes avoiding ineffective habits is just as important as building effective ones.
1. They Never Depend on Motivation
Average students wait until they "feel like studying."
Top students don't.
They build systems and routines.
One of the simplest systems used by high-performing students is creating a realistic study schedule. Instead of deciding what to study every day, they already know exactly what subject and task comes next, reducing procrastination and decision fatigue.
Motivation is unpredictable. Some days you'll have plenty of it. Other days you'll have none.
Systems remove the need to make constant decisions.
Author James Clear explains this idea well in his book Atomic Habits:
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
Top students create routines that make studying automatic.
2. They Never Highlight Everything
I used to believe highlighting was one of the best study techniques.
Then I realized something.
Almost every page in my textbook had become yellow.
The activity felt productive, but very little learning was happening.
Research by John Dunlosky and his colleagues found that highlighting is one of the least effective learning techniques when used alone.
Highlighting creates familiarity.
Familiarity often creates an illusion of learning.
Real learning requires retrieval.
3. They Never Study With Constant Notifications
Every notification competes for your attention.
Even if you don't open your phone, your brain notices the interruption.
Top students understand that deep focus is difficult to achieve and easy to destroy.
That's why many successful students study:
- In airplane mode
- With phones in another room
- Using website blockers
- In distraction-free environments
They protect their attention because attention is the foundation of learning.
4. They Never Cram Repeatedly
Almost every student has crammed at some point.
Sometimes it's unavoidable.
But top students do not make cramming their primary strategy.
They know that long-term retention comes from:
- Retrieval practice
- Spaced repetition
- Consistency
Cramming may help you survive tomorrow's exam.
It rarely helps you remember the material next month.
5. They Never Ignore Their Mistakes
Average students celebrate correct answers.
Top students study incorrect answers.
The reason is simple.
Mistakes reveal weaknesses.
Weaknesses reveal opportunities.
A wrong answer can become one of the most valuable pieces of feedback you receive.
Top Students vs. Average Students
Here is a simple comparison that summarizes the differences.
| Area | Average Students | Top Students |
|---|---|---|
| Study Method | Reread notes repeatedly | Use active recall and self-testing |
| Review Schedule | Cram before exams | Use spaced repetition |
| Study Sessions | Long and inconsistent | Short and consistent |
| Focus | Study with distractions | Protect deep focus |
| Mistakes | Ignore them | Analyze and learn from them |
| Weak Subjects | Avoid difficult topics | Practice weaknesses deliberately |
| Understanding | Memorize facts | Teach and explain concepts |
| Sleep | Sacrifice sleep to study | Protect sleep for memory consolidation |
| Motivation | Wait to feel motivated | Rely on systems and routines |
| Learning Goal | Finish studying | Actually remember and use information |
What Science Says About Effective Study Habits
One reason these habits are so powerful is that they are supported by decades of research.
Below are some of the most influential studies in learning science.
1. Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885)
Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology
Introduced the Forgetting Curve and showed that forgetting occurs rapidly without review.
2. Roediger & Karpicke (2006)
Test-Enhanced Learning
Demonstrated that retrieval practice produces significantly better long-term retention than rereading.
3. Cepeda et al. (2008)
Spacing Effects in Learning
Confirmed that distributed learning consistently outperforms cramming.
4. Dunlosky et al. (2013)
Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques
Ranked evidence-based learning strategies and found that active recall and spaced practice are among the most effective.
5. Anders Ericsson (1993)
The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance
Showed that expertise develops through purposeful practice rather than talent alone.
6. Bjork & Bjork (2011)
Making Things Hard on Yourself, But in a Good Way
Introduced the concept of desirable difficulties.
Learning often improves when studying feels challenging.
7. Gloria Mark (University of California)
Attention and Digital Distraction Research
Showed that interruptions dramatically reduce productivity and increase recovery time after distractions.
8. Rohrer & Taylor (2007)
The Shuffling of Mathematics Problems Improves Learning
Demonstrated the effectiveness of interleaving.
9. Matthew Walker (2017)
Why We Sleep
Explained how sleep strengthens memory and supports learning.
10. Michelene Chi et al. (1994)
Self-Explanation Improves Learning
Found that students who explain concepts in their own words achieve deeper understanding.
The Hidden Pattern Shared by Top Students
At first glance, these habits appear different.
But they all share one important principle.
They force the brain to work.
- Retrieval requires effort.
- Spaced repetition requires patience.
- Deep focus requires discipline.
- Deliberate practice requires discomfort.
- Teaching requires understanding.
- Interleaving requires thinking.
The activities that create the most learning often feel the least comfortable.
This is why many students mistake easy studying for effective studying.
Reading notes feels easy.
Watching videos feels easy.
Highlighting feels easy.
But learning does not always happen when something feels easy.
Learning often happens when the brain struggles.
My Biggest Lesson About Studying
If I could go back and give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be this:
Stop measuring study success by the number of hours spent studying.
Measure it by:
- What you can remember.
- What you can explain.
- What you can solve.
- What you can retrieve without looking.
I spent years believing that working harder automatically meant learning more.
The evidence says otherwise.
Some of my most effective study sessions lasted less than an hour.
Some of my least effective sessions lasted an entire day.
The difference was never time.
The difference was method.
Final Thoughts
The study habits of successful students are not secret techniques.
Most are surprisingly simple.
The challenge is that they require more effort than passive studying.
Top students are not necessarily more intelligent.
They simply use methods that work with the brain instead of against it.
They:
✅ Test themselves frequently.
✅ Review information over time.
✅ Protect their attention.
✅ Practice difficult material deliberately.
✅ Teach what they learn.
✅ Analyze mistakes.
✅ Prioritize sleep.
✅ Build systems instead of relying on motivation.
The good news is that none of these habits require extraordinary talent.
Anyone can learn them.
Anyone can practice them.
And over time, these small habits can completely transform academic performance.
Because the biggest difference between average students and top students isn't how much they study.
It's how they study.
References
Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology.
Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Romer, C. (1993). The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance.
Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-Enhanced Learning.
Cepeda, N. J., et al. (2008). Spacing Effects in Learning.
Dunlosky, J., et al. (2013). Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques.
Bjork, R. A., & Bjork, E. L. (2011). Making Things Hard on Yourself, But in a Good Way.
Rohrer, D., & Taylor, K. (2007). The Shuffling of Mathematics Problems Improves Learning.
Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep.
Chi, M. T. H., et al. (1994). Eliciting Self-Explanations Improves Understanding.
Mark, G. (2023). Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the study habits of successful students?
Successful students regularly use active recall, spaced repetition, deep focus, deliberate practice, error analysis, and consistent study routines. They focus on studying smarter rather than simply studying longer.
Do top students study more hours than everyone else?
Not necessarily. Research shows that top students often study more efficiently by using evidence-based learning techniques instead of spending excessive hours rereading notes.
Why is active recall more effective than rereading notes?
Active recall forces your brain to retrieve information from memory, strengthening neural connections and improving long-term retention. Rereading often creates only a false sense of familiarity.
How often should I review what I learn?
A good spaced repetition schedule is to review material after 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, and 30 days. This timing helps prevent forgetting and improves long-term memory.
Why do successful students avoid multitasking?
Multitasking reduces concentration and increases cognitive load. Top students protect their focus because deep, uninterrupted study sessions produce better learning and memory formation.
Is studying every day better than cramming before an exam?
Yes. Studying consistently with spaced repetition is far more effective than cramming because it improves understanding and long-term retention while reducing stress.
How important is sleep for academic success?
Sleep plays a critical role in memory consolidation. During sleep, the brain processes and strengthens newly learned information, making it easier to recall later.
What is the biggest difference between average students and top students?
The biggest difference is not intelligence but study methods. Top students actively test themselves, analyze mistakes, protect their focus, and use scientifically proven learning strategies.