Christina Topping Transformation Coach BSc PGCE

Every teen in last night's Study Lab had a different best time to study.

Morning. After school. Before dinner. After dinner. After sport.

Then we used a traffic light:
🟢 What gives you energy?
🟡 What sits in the middle?
🔴 What drains it?

Most, if not all, said school and homework were reds.

So the next question: can you pair a green with a red?

As they talked it through, they agreed on two greens that help:
→ Movement, to get into the right headspace
→ A small academic warm-up, to build energy for the harder work

It builds on Cherilyn Orr's Stoplight Approach for big emotions and Siscar's 2026 classroom study, where a colour system raised students' awareness of their own behaviour. Here the student holds the light, and a red isn't failure. It's information.

Next: testing their pairings in real life.

What green do you pair with your reds?

"Why do I forget everything I wrote in class?"

That was the question behind yesterday's Core Lesson with Carla John Nagel: how the brain learns, and which note-taking style fits yours.

Teenagers aren't bad at studying. Often they just haven't been shown how their brain works yet.

And we're off. Session one of my year-long Thinking, Organisation & Study Skills Programme for 13–17 year olds is done.

We tell young people what to do — get organised, manage your time, ask for help. This year, we're teaching how.

Calm, not chaos. Progress, not perfection.

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Did you know? Research shows that the brain's prefrontal cortex, responsible for executive functions like planning and organization, develops more slowly in teenagers with ADHD compared to their peers. This impacts how they manage time, focus, and prioritize tasks—challenges that are completely unrelated to intelligence or effort. Understanding these neurological differences can help reshape how we support young learners in academic settings.

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Did you know students now have access to a year-long programme focused on mastering essential learning skills? Our new Executive Function & Study Skills Programme helps students aged 13–18 build organization, planning, time management, and confidence through personalized online coaching. Running from September to June, it's designed for all learners—including those with ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning differences. No diagnosis needed. 📩 Message to request the programme brochure and help your student thrive.