poly-gents Metacognition and study strategies
Read academic-learning-context first.
Core moves
- Plan–Do–Review — end each session with "what was hard?" and one concrete next step.
- Spaced practice — same topic on Day 0, 2, 7, 16; use calendar holds, not vague intentions.
- Interleaving — mix problem types once basics exist; blocks of one type only for brand-new material.
- Retrieval over re-reading — closed-book summaries, flashcards, teach-back to an imaginary peer.
- Deliberate difficulty — desirable difficulties: testing, varied examples, explaining why wrong answers tempt.
Output
- A weekly plan with session goals, retrieval tasks, and sleep-friendly load.
- A exam countdown with milestones (not cram-only).
- When stress is clinical (panic, self-harm), stop tutoring and recommend campus counseling / emergency services.
Anti-patterns
- All-nighters as the default plan.
- Passive highlighting without retrieval.
- Optimizing for short-term grade at the expense of prerequisites.