FOR STUDENTS:
1. Download Files from Sessions
If your school has run a session recently and has been given a PASSWORD to download a particular file, the files will be kept on this page for up to 3 weeks after the date of the session. Not every session will have a file to download, it depends on the session.
The best way to access the file is NOT to open it directly (you may receive error messages from the pdf format). Instead, right click on the link, select 'Save Target As' and save the file on your computer. Then go to where you saved the file and double-click on it to open it. If you have any problems just fill in the form on the side with your details (ie school, year level and when the session was) and I will email you the info.
Most files are in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open these files (it is a free downloadable program available at http://www.adobe.com/au/). If the files appear as gobbledygook, your computer probably doesn't have the reader installed or is using an old version.
If you are looking for slides from a recent Parent/Student Evening, click here.
Note for Teachers Downloading these slides:
Please ensure you comply with copyright law and always acknowledge/give credit to Enhanced Learning Educational Services when using any of our materials: freebies, resources or materials from sessions. We remind our students not to plagiarise....so please ensure you recognise the use of any of the intellectual property of ELES and do not use our materials without acknowledging the source. Our resources will already have the copyright information on the bottom of each page of the products. We rely on your professional integrity in this matter.
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STUDY NOTES FEEDBACK - just email your notes to info@enhanced-learning.net and I will reply with some feedback about ways you could improve your notes (in the subject line put: STUDY NOTES FEEDBACK). If you handwrite your notes you can either scan and email a few pages or photocopy and post to the address in the contacts link. It may take me a few days to get back to you but I will definitely reply to any emails I receive.
DIARY VIDEO - is on You Tube http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kp7NYavJrc
STUDY CARDS - http://www.jaconline.com.au/engine.jsp?page=booksearch
(type in study cards into the search engine)
Cheers, Prue.
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Senior School Success: FILE
St Spyridon Year 10 (14/11)
Pymble Ladies College Year 10 (16/10)
Marist Years 11/12 (1/9)
Steps to Success Session: FILE
Moorefield Girls (19/11)
SGHS (18/11)
PLC Croydon (13/11)
Reddam House (7/11)
East Hills Girls Year 11 (3/11)
Bede Polding College (30/10)
Sule College (27/10)
OLMC Parramatta Year 11 (22/10)
Marcellin College Year 11 (20/10)
Broughton Anglican College Year 11 (13/10)
Scots College Year 11 (14/10)
Braidwood Central School Year 11 (24/9)
St Caths Year 11 (20/10): FILE
Braidwood Central School Year 12 (23/9): FILE
Westfields Sports High Year 12 (17/9): FILE
Mount St Benedict College Year 12 (17/9): FILE
Cromer Year 10 (16/9): FILE
Beverly Hills High Year 12 (11/9): FILE
Monte Year 12 (11/9): FILE
Tara Year 10 (10/9): FILE
St Andrew's Cathedral School Year 12 (9/9): FILE
Oatley Year 12 (5/9): FILE
Fairvale High Year 12 (4/9): FILE
Hoxton Park Year 12 (2/9): FILE
Hurlstone High Year 12 (2/9): FILE
Scots Year 12 (1/9): FILE
Marist Year 12 (1/9): FILE
2. From the Freebies Page
You might find some of the following useful. They are from the freebies page for teachers to give to students.
The following freebies are in Word format to allow editing:
All of the freebies below are in PDF format to preserve formatting:
Start of Year Study Skills Goal Setting
End of Year Study Skills Goal Setting
Effective Examination Preparation
HSC Success Checklist - for NSW
School Cert. Preparation - for NSW
New School Year Resolutions Page
3. Questions submitted from Students to
ELES Via Website
(and replies from Prue)
Questions about:
- where to study
- motivation, sleep, number of hours study
-
study notes
- setting up a study timetable
- where to start when you are behind
- how to fit stuff in if you have lots of activities
- how to improve your concentration at home
- school certificate exams (nsw)
- how to make study fun
- sleep and improving marks after Trial HSC exams (nsw)
- making Modern History notes
- eating and study
Question:
Where is the best place to study for the HSC?
Reply:
Hi
Well it depends.
Home is best because you have all your stuff there and can spread everything out. BUT if you are easily distracted and find that you can't do hour 6-8 hours of work when you are at home, I would suggest you go to a public library in the mornng, do 3 hours, have lunch, then aother 3 hours, come home and then maybe some that night. Some students even go to their parent's office as they can sit in a room and not be disturbed.
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MOTIVATION, SLEEP, NUMBER OF HOURS STUDY
Question:
Hi, I've just finished YR11 and am soon starting YR12. im a very ambitious
girl and love the thought of learning, but find it difficult to motivate
myself to do things. i realised that through YR11 i would only study when i
had my exams coming up (like most students). i dont want to have to leave my
results for luck this time though. i could honestly say that i am one of the
most organised people i know but i struggle when it comes to doing the task.
can you please tell me a few motivating factors and some focusing tips.
thanks for the help!
A few more questions
1. do you think its a good idea to sleep when you get home from school
and then begin your work
2. and you said 12-14 hrs (on ave.) for a senior student per week thats like
2hrs a day. i kind of had the idea that a senior had to be studying for much
longer periods than that. so what is the max you'd have to study considering
that i already do 1.5hrs of math per day.
Reply:
Hi
One thing that really really helps. Get 2 pieces of cardboard. One one write
the UAI you'd like and all the emotions you'd sfeel if you go it : happy,
excited, proud etc. One the other qrite a UAI you'd hate to end up getting,
something you might get if you didn't work effectively and write on it how
you'd feel if you got that: eg disappointed, sad etc. Put them up on the
wall above your desk. Whenever you are feeling like you can't be bothered
starting, look at these numbers on the wall and it is amazing how you then
get moving.
Another few tips. Make yourself a rule that you MUST work on the task the
day you get it for 3 days in a row. Even if it is only a tiny little bit
each day. Getting started is the hard part. If you do 3 days in a row doing
a bit of work on it you will then find it easier to keep going. Also aim to
finish it a week early - cross out the due date and write in a date a week
earlier and that can also help you to get moving.
A power nap when you get home is a good idea but it should not last for more than half an hour otherwise you will have trouble sleeping that night and stuff up your sleep patterns.
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Question:
hi..just starting my final year of school, yr 12 is daunting but also exciting! i really want to do well in my final exams this year but i have a few questions to ask about studying. I have made sumaary notes for my subjects and now do i just keep reading over them or is there another few techniques? also how often should i read over the material? once a week or once month or how long? Also i am unsure how to write study notes for english? i attended one of your study skills sessions last year, our school held a study camp, and you gave sessions on study skills which were great! i am just unsure of what to do with the typed notes that i have done.
thanks so much for your time. Caitlin
Reply:
Hi Caitlin,
Most students find in Year 12 there is just enough time to keep up with the schoolwork, prepare for assessments and (hopefully) do study notes for new topics. When an exam or assessment approaches that is when they start reviewing their study notes. When you review your study notes, never ever just read through them. It is too easy for your mind to switch off and although you are reading the words nothing is going in.
USING STUDY NOTES
There are only really three choices for using your study notes.
1. Read a section, put them aside, then see what you can write out without looking at them (you don't even have to be able to read what you write - it is just seeing if you can recall it without the notes in front of you). Check what you got right and wrong and what you remembered against your notes then test yourself again on the bits you got wrong.
2. Read a section out loud, put them aside, then see what you can say out loud without looking at the notes. Check what you got right and wrong and what you remembered against your notes then test yourself again on the bits you got wrong.
3. Read a section while you pace around your room, put them aside, then see what you can type onto a blank word document without looking at the notes (only do this if you can type fast). Check what you got right and wrong and what you remembered against your notes then test yourself again on the bits you got wrong.
You can also combine these, eg pace around the room reading the notes out loud then see what you can say or see what you can write down - you can vary it and see what works best for you. In the end we have to write in exams so try and see what you can write out at least some of the time.
IF YOU ARE SUPER ORGANISED
If you are one of the lucky few who is super organised in Year 12, is up-to-date and still has time left over to review and read through past notes, then this is what I'd suggest. I wouldn't try to start memorising them yet (like in the techniques above). Instead I would work every chance I had on improving them as much as possible between now and the final exams. This means looking through your notes for a subject and seeing if you can cut them down in any way or organise them better. It means looking through study guides and seeing if you should add anything into your notes. It means coming up with mnemonics to help you remember big chunks of info. Just by doing this you are starting to learn the information anyway and move it into your long-term memory. Basically by the time you get to the exams, you want a set of notes that has been reworked a number of times so they are as brief and as organised and as visual and memorable as possible - but they still have everything in them that you need to know.
So don't worry if once Year 12 starts you don't have time to review your notes regularly, this is normal. The main thing is to keep totally up-to-date, do the best you can in your assessments along the way and ensure that when it is time to study for an exam (at least 6 weeks before!) your study notes are completely up-to-date and really useful.
But if you are going for the really high marks, then add this into your routine each afternoon. Have a subject allocated per day. Eg Mon Maths, Tues English and so on. Each afternoon, try and spend 45 minutes looking through your past notes for this subject and re-doing bits or adding things in or if they are absolutely perfect then skim them all quickly and test yourself on the bits you think you don't know as well. Maybe then even do a few questions on that past section if you are struggling to remember it properly.
MAKING ENGLISH NOTES
Firstly if you are given content on writing styles (eg reports etc) that is easy enough to summarise. Most students struggle when they are trying to do summaries for a piece of literature or one of their areas of study. What you are trying to do is think about what sort of questions you might be asked (get past questions if you are unsure) and then create some point form notes that would answer that type of question. Do a page of point form notes on themes, do a page on characters or techniques. Look at all the work you did in the topic and see what info can be grouped together. You are trying to take the huge mass of information and structure it so that when you get an essay question you can think back to sections of your notes where you have organised this info then adapt it to fit the question. Don't plan out whole essays in your study notes. Instead pick areas or themes or things that are related and bring all the info together on that area then reduce it to point form. Use the study guides available as a basis to get started and maybe give you a structure but don't rely just on them, you have to put pen to paper and make your own notes in order to really remember and understand the information. Show the notes you have done to your English teacher and get some feedback. Suggest you and your friends make copies of the study notes you each make and share them with each other as you will learn lots by looking at different styles other students have done.
Hope this all helps! Cheers, Prue.
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Question:
hi there, thanks for all your help, i really appreciate it,... just
another question, if i wanted to try my best to study all of the subjects i had in the day after school, what would be the best option?? Thanks Mina
Reply:
Hi Mina,
How many subjects do you have each day? Also, do you mean you want to
do more than homework and assessments for each subject each night? Prue
Question:
hi there, i have 6-5 subjects a day, depending whether i have study or not, I’ll give you an example of what im trying to say.... say i have maths, english, science, business studies, religion and construction for the days lessons at school, i want to now an efficient way (if possible) to study the subject that i had on the day, at home. because i was thinking to my self, that studying 6 subject at home in one hour block will take wayyy to long, so theres gotta be a solution, but as i said thanks for your time and effort
and i appreciate it, thanks, Mina
Reply:
Hi Mina,
I don't think it is realistic to try and study every subject every day. You are going to get too much homework and have too many assessments this year.
This is what I'd do.
Spend 10-30 minutes whenyou get home just doing a quick look through everything you did that day in every subject (half hour in total not per subject). Stick in any sheets, highlight important parts and just refresh your memory briefly on what you did that day.
Then do all your homework.
Then prepare for any assessments etc that are approaching.
Then IF you do have time left, do extra study for half an hour on one of your subjects. If you have a whole hour left, do 2 subjects. Keep a list of your subjects and start at the top and tick each time you do additional work on this topic.
So for example on Monday you have a spare half hour so you do extra study on subject 1. On Tuesday you have a spare hour so you do extra study for subject 2 and subject 3. On Wednesday you do subject 4 and 5. Thursday and Friday you don't have any extra time. On Saturday you have an extra hour so you do extra study for subject 6 then start again at the top of the list with an extra half hour on subject 1. And so on! That way every subject gets equal amount of extra study (unless you feel some subjects need more extra work than others).
In the last year of school there is no limit to the amount of extra work you could do so best to just set yourself a clear goal of how many hours work you want to get done each day then use that time the best you can. Homework and assessments have to be first priority but after that, if there is spare time, definitely work on extra study for each subject (and particularly on making study notes for that subject).
All the best! Prue
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WHERE TO START WHEN YOU HAVE FALLEN BEHIND
Question:
Where is the best place to start when you have fallen behind in so many things?
Reply:
The worst thing about falling behind is the stress you feel about it. It just seems overwhelming to work out where to even start and so students just avoid thinking about it – and then it gets worse. To deal with this you have to do 4 things:
- Decide to actually face it and get it all out of your head and onto a piece of paper – if you keep it in your head it just swirls around and you can’t work out where to start.
- Prioritise all the work.
- Accept that you will have to do extra work for awhile to catch up.
- Do a plan in your diary each week for what work on your list you will do that week.
So, lets take each step in turn:
- The first step is to sit down a list everything you need to do for every subject. It is a good idea to draw up a table that has three columns: URGENT, TO DO, TO PUT OFF FOR LATER and all the subjects listed down the left. Then take each subject and think of everything you have to do for that subject and put it into each of the three columns. It can be scary to do this and see how much work you have to do but unless you actually face it and come to terms with it you will never get on top of it. Do this for all of your subjects.
- Then look through everything in the URGENT list for all your subjects and prioritise it ie write down 1,2 3 etc for what needs to get done in what order.
- Work out where you will find the extra time ie will you get up earlier or sacrifice some lunch times or do extra each night or on the weekend.
- Take your diary and actually schedule in the tasks you have numbered into whatever time you can find that week.
At the end of the week, update your table of tasks and cross off what you got done then re-prioritise and do a new plan for the next week.
This is really the only way to get on top of things again. You can’t stress about how much you have to do, just face it and accept that there is only limited time available so all you can do is make the best use you can of the time that is available.
Good luck!
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HOW TO FIT STUFF IN IF YOU HAVE LOTS OF ACTIVITIES
Question:
i do dance and a few sports at school and also engage myself into cultural
functions/ceremonies. this practically takes the life out of me...! i leave
the house at 6:30 or 7:30 depending on what days i have dance and arrive
back home at 4:30. it takes me about a half hour to settle in and at around
6:30-7:30 i am flat. im in yr10 and am planning to go forth in yr 11 an 12.
all up i have 10 subjects and have no clue how to sort my time out. im doing my best to be organised but i struggle to keep to my plans. i am curious to find out how i can organise my time efficiently with out
working myself up too much?
Reply:
A school in Sydney recently asked me to come and help their Year 11 boys who do rowing. These guys have to do 20 hours a week rowing practice and they are trying to fit in around 20 hours of homework/study each week as well! I learnt lots of lessons from helping these guys out. If you have LOTS of activities then you have to accept the following:
- You cannot manufacture more time! The reality is that there is only so many hours in the week.
- You may possibly have too many activities going to do all your activities and keep up with your schoolwork in a stress-free way. Some students have to accept that either they stop some of their activities or accept that they are going to be constantly behind in their schoolwork and stressing about how to get everything done. Students starting Year 11 usually find they cannot always do all the activities they did in Year 10 due to the increased workload.
- It is all about choice. People who choose NOT to do lots of activities have lots of free time for lying around and bludging and taking it easy. Student who choose to do lots of activities have to accept that there is a trade-off with this, they have to be really organized with the time they do have and accept they do will have very little ‘spare’ time.
- You also have to ensure you use ALL the time allocated to schoolwork EACH WEEK. In Year 10 it is around 8-10 hours a week (on average) and in Year 11 around 12-14 hours a week (on average). Students who don’t do many activities can get away with ding a few hours one week the HEAPS of hours the nest week (although this certainly isn’t ideal). But students who do lots of activities can’t afford to do this as they don’t have the spare time to do lots of extra work some weeks. This means that if you have allocated 10 hours to schoolwork you need to use all of it – and if you have no homework or assignments then you should be working on study notes so when you get to the exams you have already done some of the preparation.
BUT it is not all doom and gloom. The first thing to do is to determine how much time you actually do have available and then the second thing to do is to look at how effectively you use the time you have available to you.
- Print the weekly planner that is in the section above (From the Freebies Page). Fill in all the activities you do, all your favourite TV shows, travel time, dinner time, and see how much time you have available. You should aim to be in bed by 10pm.
- In Year 10 you should be doing around 10 hours a week of homework etc outside of school. Think about when you work best and what would fit best into your life, and go through and highlight 10 hours worth of time located to schoolwork. If you can’t fit in 10 hours – then you are doing too many activities! This means you either drop some of your activities or else you keep them but get up early or work lunch times at school. It sounds from your email that you need to get straight into your schoolwork when you get home as otherwise you get too tired later on. I think maybe you should allocate 5-6pm for schoolwork (with a short break in the middle) then another half hour after dinner. But do the hard stuff or the subjects you don’t like in that first hour and leave the easy stuff or subjects you do like till after dinner when you are starting to lose momentum anyway.
- Put this timetable above your desk or somewhere visible in your room. It will be hard at first, but you need to really stick to working in the blocks allocated to schoolwork. During these times switch off all distractions and just focus on your schoolwork totally for that block of time. Each week tick off whether you did schoolwork in that time period or not – you will get better and better at sticking to it.
- Each time you are told about a piece of homework or a test or an assignment or anything that will take longer than a day, actually schedule and plan in your diary when you are going to do it. You may not always stick to it and you may have to reschedule now and then, but if you do a plan in your diary you are much more likely to stick to it.
Good luck!
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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CONCENTRATION AT HOME
Question:
hi, i like to study but find it difficult to stretch out my concentration span. i was curious to find out some ways to keep my concentration levels high. I am in Year 10.
Reply:
To improve your ability to sit and concentrate you need to get into a specific routine.
Print this out then follow these steps exactly each afternoon, at first you may not always stick to them but if you keep at it within a few weeks it will become automatic and you won’t even have to think about it – working at home then becomes much less stressful.
- When you get home, take out your homework diary and number the work you have to do from 1 (most important) through to the least important.
- Estimate how long each piece of work will take (you will get better at doing this) and write it down next to the homework.
- Get all the work out and anything you will need for the work and line it up in piles on the floor so it is all ready to go and you don’t have to spend time looking for things.
- Choose specific time blocks to work in that night and write them on a piece of paper eg 4-4.30, 5.30-6, 7-7.30pm. If you can’t focus for a solid half hour then start off in 15 or 20 minute blocks and you will get better. But you need to have specific times set aside solely for schoolwork otherwise it is really difficult to concentrate as your mind has no end time to focus on.
- A few minutes before the start of each block of time:
- physically remove or turn off all distractions
- put a clock or watch somewhere visible on your workspace
- from the piles on the floor, select what work you want to get done in that block of time and put it on your desk
- decide what ‘reward’ you will give yourself for sitting there working for the 20-30 minutes eg watching a Tv show
- Then get started and imagine you are glued to the seat for that period of time.
- At the end of the time, give yourself the reward, and set an alarm (like in your mobile phone) for a few minutes before the next block of time. Then go back to step 5 and start again!
Unfortunately there is no quick and easy fix for improving your concentration, it is all about getting into a routine so it just happens automatically for you – and it gets easier and easier.
Cheers.
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SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMS (NSW)
Question:
i am in year 10 right now, is it essential to seriously start studing for the school certificate now, because my parents haunt me that i won't do well if i don't start immediately, but the School Cert is in november!
Reply:
Sorry but I sort of agree with them!
While it is not ESSENTIAL to start now, I know it is still 5 months away, it is actually a really good idea to start now if you want to get good results. The reason is that the School Certificate exams are really a specific type of exam. They are unlike any other exam you will have done before and unlike any other exam you'll probably do again in that with most exams you have to spend an equal amount of time learning and practicing whereas with the SC exams it is really all about doing more and more practise (espcailly under exam conditions). Students who get good results have done heaps of past papers, are used to the style of questions and have had time to go over the questions they find difficult. And this is a time-consuming process.
This would be my suggestion: You have 5 SC exams. So each day, Monday to Friday, for now just do say 15-30 minutes (depends how motivated you can get yourself but at least 15 minutes) practice on one exam. Say Monday Maths, Tues English and so on. In this 15 minutes, start doing questions from the past papers for that subject and keep a list of the questions you get wrong or find difficult so you can go back and re-do them when it is closer to the exam.
Where do you get past papers? You can buy books of them from bookshops. You can ask your teacher for some. You can also download them for free (with answers) at http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/schoolcertificate/ The other really good thing on the Board of Studies website is the test yourself section (there is a link to it from the BOS main page) or go direct to http://www4.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/ This is a great way to do practice each day because you can choose a certain number of multiple choice questions and get instant feedback.
Once you start doing some of this you'll realize just how much preparation you really need to do to get good marks in the SC exams and that if you wait till just before the exams there is just no way you’d have time to do any sort of decent revision.
In a few months time, you then need to start doing practise where do you a whole paper or at least sections of the paper under exam conditions. The reason is that the SC papers aren’t difficult once you are familiar with the style of the papers, but they are quite long and so you need to then start doing practise to make sure that you can finish sections in the time limits.
Good luck!
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Question:
how can you make study fun? i am grade 8
Reply:
I would like to be able to say all you have to do is 'BLAH' and study will become fun. But of course it is not that simple. A few things we have to accept to start with:
* You are going to have to do things at school and for homework and study that you won't enjoy, this is a reality of school (and of life - when you have a job there will be things that aren't always fun that you will have to do).
* How much you enjoy it is very much up to how much effort you are prepared to put in.
There are some things you can do to make study more fun:
- Each time you start doing some work, ask yourself why you have to learn this stuff and why might this be useful later in life. If you can't see a direct application of what you are learning, ask yourself what skills you might be developing that could be useful later on (like how to communicate or problem solve or give a speech etc).
- Working together with other people always makes it more fun.
- If you have to study for a test, doing things like making flashcards, or reading info onto a tape and listening to it rather than reading it over and over can help to make it more enjoyable. The best way is to make sure you are not just sitting there reading because if you do that it will just make you bored. You need to do active things like pace around when you are reading, or explain to your mum what you are studying - just make sure you are actually doing things rather than just sitting and looking at the page.
Some students find that it is best to do their least favourite subjects first and get the work for those over and done with and then they have their more favoured subjects to look forward to. Another good thing to do is to give yourself rewards for finishing bits of work and then you get a nice sense of satisfaction when you complete things.
I hope this helps a bit! The reality is, it can't be fun all the time I'm afraid, but one of the most important skills you can learn at school is to be able to get yourself to do the things you need to do even when you don't feel like it.
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SLEEP AND IMPROVING MARKS AFTER TRIAL HSC EXAMS
Question:
Hi, you visited my school a few weeks ago, and i was wondering if you have any suggestions for getting more sleep and being able to work more efficiently. Also, my goal is to achieve a UAI in the 80's, my marks so far have just been shocking, my trials are on this week but i have a throat infection and cant attend them, is it still possible to achieve a relatively high UAI? Thanks. Regards.
Reply:
A few quick questions before I reply:
- are you not sleeping before you just can't get to sleep or because you arestaying up later working?
- did you put in any illness and misadventure forms for being sick during the Trials?
Question:
- before i use to be able to sleep very easily, since year 12 started, it seems its just normal to fall asleep around 1 or 2 no matter what time i go to bed.
- yes i called the school yesterday and my year adviser said she'd put one in for me, i have another 3 exams this week, and 2 next week, i am not able to attend this week at all, and i have a medical certificate stating this for all of last week, and all of this week, it also states that i am unable to study, which is true, which is why i am worried about the results that i may get.
Reply:
Sleep issues
Lots of people when they are stressed find it really hard to sleep. This is one of the main causes of insomnia – in the back of your mind you are worried about your marks or results. A few things you have to do: make sure that even if you aren’t tired you get to bed by 10.30pm (earlier if possible but definitely no later). Try and do something you find relaxing before you go to bed, reading a book, watching TV, give yourself some chill out time. Don’t drink coffee after 3pm. If there are things you are worried about for school or work you have to do that you are worried about, write a list down so it gets out of your head and put the list in your diary or on your desk to deal with it tomorrow. If it stays in your head it will just stress you out so get it out of your head and put it away till tomorrow. I have also attached a list of other things you can try (anyone reading this can email me if you want a copy) – the problem with insomnia is there is no quick and easy fix, you have to try different stuff and see what works for you. Sometimes seeing a doctor for a full check up and telling them you are having trouble sleeping can be helpful.
Working efficiently
Now is the time where you have to be pretty focused in your work as the HSC approaches. Before the end of term you want to spend time going through your Trial Papers (as you won’t get to do them, you should try the papers at home when you are well and see what sort of marks you would have got and see what you specifically need to go and revise), try and finish all study notes completely and if possible do some topic by topic revision. My suggestion would be (and you might need to modify it depending on your activities) to work 4-5pm, 5.30-6.30pm, dinner etc 7.30-8.30pm then shower and relax and start to unwind. That way you get 3 hours work done each night and still get the chance for a break. Each afternoon take out all your homework etc and lie it on your bed so you can see what you have to do. And then choose one other subject to work on that night eg History where you will work on study notes and do some actual revision that night for that subject. During those hour blocks, remove all distractions and get up halfway and get a drink or a snack ie a minute or two break.
Can you still get a decent UAI?
Short answer, yes you can. But it means you have to seriously work really hard the next few months so that the exam marks are so good that the average of those and your assessment marks means the end result of a good UAI. It is good that you have put in for special provisions for the Trials. No point worrying about past marks or what has been, your focus has to be what can you do from this point on to lift your marks. I would suggest that when you are back at school you make an appointment to see each of your teachers (either before school or recess and lunch) and tell them you are determined to lift your marks and how exactly would they suggest you approach revision for that subject. You should be doing 3-4 hours each night between now and the end of the term. On weekends probably a good 10 hours or so over the weekend. During the holidays before the Trials, aim to do around 7-8 hours per day. I know this sounds like a lot but you have to keep telling yourself that it is only for a month or so and the work you do at this point in time makes an enormous difference to your results in the exams.
Right now your focus should be to rest and get well completely. You need to be healthy so you can get into a full revision program over the next few months. It is definitely possible – as son as you are better, sit down and make a plan for exactly what you will do. Once you have done that and you know you have decided to do the best you can with the time that is left you will feel much better.
Best of luck!
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Question:
Hi, If I was to assemble study notes for modern history, how would I go about it? Thankyou very MUCH!
Reply:
Step 1: Choose a topic and get together ALL the material on that topic.
Step 2: Look through all your papers and notes and divide into 3 piles:
- Things you will not need to look at again (ie it was background stuff or stuff you don’t need to know for the exam). Put these away in a folder.
- Things you can reduce by summarizing them (ie classnotes that you could reduce to the important points). Make notes on these so that the volume of paper is reduced.
- Things that are really important to keep but that will be difficult to summarise (eg source material etc)
Step 3: There are then a few different approaches you could take.
- You can go through the syllabus outcomes and dot points and using your reduced notes and the textbook you can make notes on each section. Once you have finished working through the dot points and outcomes read through all your notes and textbook again to make sure you haven’t left anything out.
- Or you can just start making notes on each section as you covered it in class, using your classnotes, handouts and the textbook. The aim is you are trying to reduce and organize the information so you don’t have to look back at your textbook again and that you have reduced the information as much as possible. You will find some of the handouts from your teacher won’t be able to be reduced, they are pages you will need to keep with your study notes and review them again.
- If you are really struggling, get a study guide like Excel or Macquarie. Look at how they have structured the study notes for each topic. Use their headings and sub headings as a guide, but use your own notes and textbook to work out what should be included. Then look at what they have written and see if anything else should be included.
You will find you can’t get your Modern History notes as condensed as you might like the first time. Basically just keep going back and trying to reduce the amount you have to read through and review by summarising and re-organising the info.
It is also a good idea to show the notes you have done to your History teacher and get their feedback. I am also happy to look at any notes you make and give you feedback as to style etc.
Good luck!
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Question:
What is your outlook on eating while studying or doing homework? How about doing homework or studying while on a full stomach?
Reply:
Eating on a full stomach is never a good idea. When you have eaten a big meal, the brain releases chemicals to make you feel sleepy so the body can more easily digest the meal.
And keep the fats low as a high fat meal diminishes mental alertness as it has to divert blood from the brain to the stomach to help with digestion.
So my suggestion would be:
- Have a snack when you get home from school but make it not too large and make it healthy. Eg: a piece of fruit, muesli bar, grilled cheese toast, baked beans, rice cakes, nuts, chicken drumstick (without skin), chicken sandwich, sm can of tuna.... you get the idea.
- Probably not best to eat while you are actually doing the work as the food will just prove a distraction and you can easily lose track of how much you actually eat as yu start munching away.
- Better to let the food be a break, ie when you stop working go and get a snack between work periods. You are better to eat a few smaller snacks in the afternoon than one huge meal as soon as you get home.
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