Student Sessions
Other FAQs
How do I know this session will be genuinely useful (and not boring) for my students?
The ELES sessions were designed by Prue Salter, a Year Coordinator who was unable to find the sorts of study sessions she wanted for her students. As a pastoral care coordinator, she was sick of the dull and dry study skills presentations where students simply switched off. Nor did she want a flashy presentation that kept the students entertained, but taught them nothing. ELES sessions are designed with a solid core of content brought to life by entertaining multimedia and clever teaching techniques. You can read about the content of the sessions by clicking on the Student Sessions link on the left. To keep students engaged, some of the things ELES does/uses are: video clips, activities in pairs, whole group activities where the students move around, quizzes and games. The students are actively involved in the presentation, writing, discussing and trying the techniques outlined. The main aim is that students walk out with their specific action plan completed of what they individually need to focus on improving. So how can you know the session will be genuinely useful? Some of the things you can do to ensure you are convinced that the session will be worthwhile:
1. read the information about the content of the session (click on the Student Sessions link on the left)
2. look through the list of schools we have presented to (particularly the number of repeat bookings)
3. request to see the handout that would be used in the session (we can email it to you in pdf form)
4. if you would like to talk to a teacher who has used our services, we can arrage for you to speak to a teacher from one of our past customers so you can ask about the session
5. read through the evaluation comments from the feedback link on the left
6. arrange for us to come along to your pastoral care meeting to show you the type of presentation we do
7. read about Prue Salter, the ELES Session Presenter
8. ring and have a chat with us and ask us as many questions as you like!
Why do your sessions work?
1. DYNAMIC & MOTIVATING WITH ACTION OUTCOME
Traditional study skills programs tend to be lecture based and students generally switch off in boredom. They receive copious notes faithfully documenting all the skills but students rarely read or refer to these again.
ELES sessions are designed to be stimulating, dynamic and very interactive in order to engage the minds of students and give them a sense of ownership of the strategies introduced. Each student leaves the session having developed an action plan to help them specifically target their areas to improve.
2. PROMOTE EFFECTIVE STUDY & EXAMINATION SKILLS
The simplest strategies are often the most effective. By providing the students with a range of effective study techniques and strategies, there is an improvement in overall attitude towards assignments, homework and examinations.
ELES focuses on motivating students to start putting these effective learning skills in place or to improve their existing current skills. We break these skills down into specific steps students can follow to ensure ease of implementation.
3. ENHANCE & ADD DEPTH TO PASTORAL PROGRAMS
Most students are aware of these basic skills, but they sometimes don’t know how to, or are not motivated to, employ them in their school life. They can be resistant to advice from their teachers and an outside consultant in a different situation and environment that students may be more receptive to, can help to present that vital information.
ELES gives you the opportunity to showcase these messages for success at school. Students may be more open to hearing these ideas from outside presenters. Follow-up activities implemented by their teachers ensure that students stay on track. We reinforce, enhance and build upon the learning skills taught in your school’s existing study skills program.
How does it work?
The whole year group is assembled together at your school. ELES can work with any sized group. All that is needed is a space that has a background or screen, a data projector and a microphone. Using multimedia and interactive activities, students are guided through an examination of the current status of their learning skills, make decisions on what needs changing and learn new techniques. Materials for student use during the session will be sent via email to your school at least 2 weeks prior for photocopying and students only need to bring along a pen and perhaps a book to lean their sheets on.
Our available session times do tend to book out quickly, so if you decide this could be valuable for your students it is best to make a booking with tentative dates (at least the week you are thinking of) as soon as possible.
What does it cost?
The price is $7.70 per student including GST with a minimum charge of 50 students for schools in the Sydney region or 100 for schools outside of Sydney. For groups over 100 (in one session) and / or for multiple bookings for a year group, the price is reduced to $6.60 per student. We email the handouts for the session (usually a double-sided A3 page - greater number of pages for senior students) to the school to be photocopied for the students at least two weeks prior to the session. View our full Pricing Policy for full details. Additional charges may apply for schools outside of the Sydney metropolitan area.
Are there minimum or maximum numbers?
Minimum: The minimum group size is 50 for schools in the Sydney region or 100 for schools outside of Sydney. Smaller schools tend to combine Year Groups and run a combined session eg for Year 9 and 10 together. Alternatively they split the minimum charge ($385 Sydney /$660 outside Sydney) between the attending students or for small year groups the school may subsidize part of the costs.
Maximum: There is no maximum number. The largest group we have worked with was close to 400. Provided you have a venue large enough to hold the group so they can all see and hear, there is no limit to the group size. Some schools choose to split large groups and run one session with ELES while the other half of the group attends a school based session. The groups then swap over to attend the alternative session.
Are there discounts for larger groups?
For groups over 100 (and/or for multiple bookings eg booking 2 sessions for your year group), the price is reduced to $6.60 per student. We can also negotiate package prices for schools that book a large number of sessions.
Why don't you do sessions in smaller groups?
There are companies that offer this service, but this is not the type of session we provide. When you want something for your whole year group, and perhaps you have limited time or space available, the types of sessions we run will be what you are looking for. We like to tap into the large group dynamic, you get a buzz and energy in a large group that is not generated by smaller groups. After attending many seminars with hundreds of attendees, we realised that you can make large group sessions both interactive and personal by having students do guided discussions with a partner or small group and by having students complete action plans for the steps they personally need to take. The small group seminars run by other organisations and the large group sessions run by ELES are simply two different approaches to addressing the same issue - helping students develop their study skills. Both are valid and have their advantages and disadvantages, it just somes down to what type of session best fits in your school program and with your student body.
How far will you travel and are there additional costs?
Our availability for schools outside the Sydney Metropolitan area is decided on a case by case basis. If the travel time is greater than one hour from the city centre, additional travel costs may be applicable.
Are there cancellation charges?
For cancellations 3 weeks before the session cancellation charges do not apply. If you then cancel up to a week before the session and do not book in an alternative date for later that year a third of the estimated session fee will be applicable. For sessions cancelled (and not rescheduled for later that year) less than a week prior to the session, half of the estimated session fee is applicable.
How long are the sessions?
Each session is 45-60 minutes long although we prefer 75-90 minutes for sessions with Year 11 and 12. Sessions can be tailored to the time you have available.
Can we do just one session?
Yes. The sessions are independent of each other.
(Note: Our availability for schools outside the Sydney Metropolitan area is decided on a case by case basis. If the travel time is greater than one hour from the city centre, additional travel costs may be applicable.)
What type of room/equipment is needed?
We simply need a space like a lecture theatre, assembly hall, drama studio that has a background or large screen to project onto. It is important that the room can be slightly darkened to aid visibility. You provide the room, a screen, a small table, a data projector and a microphone and we bring a laptop. Although chairs are preferable for comfort, students can sit on the floor. They need only bring a pen and perhaps a book to lean on.
What sort of handouts do the students receive?
The handout used for the session is usually a double-sided A3 page that folds into a booklet. We email this to the school at least a week before the session to be photocopied for the students. It is our experience that copious notes are rarely ever referred to after the session by junior students. Instead, our handout is used by the students during the session and also contains the essential information we want them to remember. ELES sessions are designed to be stimulating, dynamic and very interactive in order to engage the minds of students and give them a sense of ownership of the strategies introduced. Each student leaves the session having developed an action plan to help them specifically target their areas to improve. We also provide you with follow-up summary sheets for you to copy and issue to students a week after the session.
Why does the school have to photocopy the handouts?
To keep the cost per student down! If ELES did the photocopying for the session this would translate into additional costs per student. Schools can photocopy at a much more cost-effective rate therefore it works out cheaper if schools do the copying. Also, it is often difficult to finalise numbers until close to the date and it would not be practical for ELES to have to do last minute photocopying if the numbers change.
What if our students have done one of your sessions before?
Excellent news - it means we can progress to more advanced material with them! Study skills work is cumulative, there are certain basics that we need to ensure students are competent in before progressing to the more advanced material. ELES keeps a file on each group we work with and will take previous content covered into account when preparing for another session with the group. The sessions then become tailored specifically to the needs and level of that particular year group as opposed to simply following the published year level session content.
What is the process to organise a session?
- It is a good idea to check availability for the time you are interested in. Either call, fax or email (see contacts page) with your details and you will be contacted asap to discuss suitable session content for your particular year group.
- Once the date and session content is decided, you will then receive a fax with the session details confirmed. We will also email you a sample parent letter you can modify to suit your school.
- At least two weeks prior to the session, you will receive via email the handouts to be photocopied for the session and the invoice for the session.
- After the session you can complete the invoice with your numbers and post a cheque to ELES within 3 weeks after the session date. We will then email you a sample newsletter item if you would like to inform parents about the session. You will also receive via email the follow-up summary material to give to students a week or so after the session.