Teacher and Student Feedback from Sessions
"ELES provides new strategies, improves study skills and builds confidence for success. Students come away from the sessions motivated and ready to implement the ideas and practical steps from the program."
Jump to comments below from TEACHERS who have organised and/or supervised their students at an ELES session for:
Year 12 Year 11 Year 10 Year 9 Year 8 Year 7
Jump to comments below from STUDENTS
FROM YEAR 12 TEACHERS
Ravenswood School for Girls Year 12
Speaker very relevant and engaging. Excellent powerpoint, eg with slides of highlighted and crossed out diary entries etc. Great examples, clearly set out and at a good level. Some new and different, but very practical approaches. Thank you so much - I enjoyed it and benefited from it! Many students around me were writing furiously - I think they found it worthwhile as well.
Loreto Kirribilli Year 12
Focused, relevant, well paced. Best seen thus far. Good visuals and enough writing to keep all focused.
Macarthur Anglican School Year 12
Fantastic - good ideas. Enthusiastic presentation. Most beneficial, very useful. Everything was worthwhile, I always learn something new. Thank you for being so organised and presenting such cutting edge, interesting techniques.
Killarney Heights High School Year 12
Broken up into small sections, listening, doing.... not just a long lecture. Lots of self-evaluation done by students and lots of activities. A very useful session.
Loreto Normanhurst Year 12
As you can see from the evaluations - an overwhelming success. We will be booking again - student response overwhelmingly excellent and all say they will implement some aspect. You told them exactly what they needed to know at the right time. Thank you for your help - a new face is often just what they need.
Beverly Hills High School Year 12
Students were engaged. Handout excellent for students. Impressive. Information very valuable to improve most students study habits. Variety of activities. Students participated because they were kept engaged. Statistics and 'real' reasons for all the strategies we've always known are effective. Good use of visuals to present clear, concise information. An engaging and interesting presentation - which I'm sure was beneficial for all participants.
Oxford Falls Grammar School Year 12
The presenter was excellent. I am pushing for all grades to do your course now.
Figtree High School Year 12
Very clear, concise and applicable. One girl was so excited, she couldn't wait to get home and organise her study programme.
Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College Year 12
Students had active involvement. Dynamic, interactive presentation. Great strategies to enhance success in the HSC.
International Grammar School Year 12
Clear and concise, valuable material, excellent examples.
FROM YEAR 11 TEACHERS
Roseville College Year 11
Excellent throughout. I think that there is so much information here for the girls to use - no matter what their ability level. Very thorough and appropriate for the target audience. Very interactive with the students, practical advice, appropriate resources/material, great handouts/use of powerpoint. Clear speech, engaging delivery, concise instructions and relaxed conversational manner. Fantastic - very practical as well as inspiring because I imagine students will feel able to make a difference despite 'brain power' by using particular study habits. Brilliant - thankyou!
Hurlstone Agricultural High School Year 11
Frequent changes in method of delivery. No wasted time. Relevant and very practical. Engaging, presenter easy to listen to and very knowledgeable, knew her material so well. Well structured and presented with clarity and confidence. Was great how you got the students involved - it wasn't just powerpointing them to death. Practical advice with real world examples and personal experience. Presentation was very clear and gave concrete and achievable strategies for studying effectively. Not preaching but encouraging. Visual presentation very engaging. Ideas on exactly how to do things - note-taking, filing, time management. Encouraged students to think. Loved the brain research and life style stuff - our students' parents need to hear this too! Excellent handout and very well received by all students. Taught me a lot of new ideas! Best explanation I've heard of different types of learning.
St Columba's School Year 11
Fantastic. Well supported by booklets - enjoyable and useful. Well presented. Very relevant and practical. Plenty of variety of tasks/segments. Entertaining -pitched at the level of the students.
St Clare's College Year 11
Variety of presentation methods. Links to research/studies. Practical and easy to follow guidelines and tips. Booklet great to keep and refer to. Interactive, organised, steps to follow. Very worthwhile session - it really helped focus the girls at this important time.
Wollongong High School Year 11
Really great content. Kids spellbound. Great presentation. Good inspiration, good research material. Great range of study techniques. This was a very useful session that I would like to expand to other years. Well done!
St Ursula's College Year 11
User pointers that made sense and were based on research. Good engagement with the students. Practical and varied advice. Group work for the girls. High achiever inspires high achievement. Practical, interesting, good rapport with students.
Holy Cross College Ryde Year 11
This session captured the attention of the boys from the start and was able to deliver quality information to unlock some of the perceived secrets of successful study. Boys were able to walk away with an action plan on what needed to be changed to achieve better marks. The presenter really connected with the boys and this made the session very effective.
Jamison High School Year 11
The study skills session 'Getting it right from the start' was an excellent introduction to senior years of school and the differences to junior school ideas. Excellent background on how to prepare themselves to study and to get the most out of their efforts.
Marrickville High School Year 11
I found all sessions interesting and relevant for the needs of our students. The slides were straight to the point and concise. It was excellent to see the session broken up with interactive tasks. Prue your presentation was fabulous. The notes and lecture were perfectly aimed at our students who are almost 99%NESB. The students were interested and focused from the very beginning (which is a major plus). Without your presentation I don't think that it would have had as powerful an effect than if we did it ourselves.
Roseville College Year 11
I thought it was a terrific presentation. Video clips kept them interested and on task. Started at their level - where many of them were up to. I wouldn't change any part of your presentation.
Catherine McAuley College Year 11
The handout is easy to read and the information is presented in an interesting way. Effective presentation, students listening and writing and participating. Discussion on multiple intelligences - finding best way for you to study, this section was really good. The handout is excellent - very extensive and useful. A good "wake-up" call for Year 11 going into Year 12. Clear and pleasant voice. Technology worked - clear and interesting. Didn't oversell! Positive and encouraging. Balance of input and student participation worked well. Speaking to the girls on their level, not down to them. Very worthwhile to our students.
Pennant Hills High School Year 10/11
The link between the discussion and the notes was effective. The comments were realistic and encouraged self-reflection for the students. Enthusiastic, well-organised, good variety of techniques. Snappy, at the kids level. Activities that were interactive - ie the students were not merely 'lectured' but rather had to engage.
OLMC Parramatta Year 11
Dynamic, enthusiastic presentation. Very relevant and useful ideas on study and learning - to reinforce things done in our Pastoral Care Classes. Interesting presentation delivered in a stimulating manner. The information is presented in a way that makes students listen attentively. The information is not new, but students believed they were hearing something new - that's the trick!
All Saints Catholic Senior College Year 11
Organised, worthwhile information. Speaker was clear and connected with students. I think the presenter should be commended on how she managed the groups considering the size.
Caroline Chisholm College Year 11
The session was informative, interesting and very worthwhile, and many of the students benefited from it. The information you presented to students was relevant to them at this stage of their education. At all times, it was easy to contact you and to work collaboratively on the information you were presenting.
Strathfield Girls High School Year 11
One of the best presentations I've heard - covered a great range of topics. Good to have someone from outside staff to give the advice. I liked the mix of talk/visual and some activities. Clear presentation which moves along. Good ideas - some realistic and fresh ideas for study techniques. Friendly, clear presentation. Enjoyed it.
Galston High School Year 11
Verbal feedback from students was very positive. Many have adopted ideas from the presentation. Varied activities kept students focused.
Strathfield Girls High School Year 11
Clips were at student level which traps their interest, mention of balance. Excellent talk, well-structured. Exactly what we were looking for.
OLMC (Our Lady of Mercy College) Year 11
I learnt a lot from this session! Excellent session. Well presented. Presented in a creative, innovative manner that maintained interest and motivation. It was an interesting session that presented relevant study tips that students seemed to take on board. Really worthwhile. Wish I’d had it in Year 11!
OLSH (Our Lady of Sacred Heart) College Year 11
Wonderful practical ideas, particularly for organizational skills. A much more powerful approach than we have done with the girls in the past.. the power of getting another’s perspective, skills, knowledge.
Holsworthy High Year 11
Information was clear and interesting as well as relevant and well presented.
James Meehan High School Year 11
I watched students who wouldn’t normally study, acknowledge the fact that they should.
Bede Polding Year 11
Students attention captured from the beginning. Information delivered was very useful.
FROM YEAR 10 TEACHERS
St Paul’s Catholic College Year 10
Students responded well and found all aspects of the workshop worthwhile. Easy to read worksheets. Good step-by-step guide to managing the students workload. Communication of ideas and theories to the students was excellent.
Pymble Ladies College Year 10
The demonstration of how to apply the skills mentioned was good. I think the girls got a lot out of it and it was good to see that they remained focused for the majority of the session. A potentially boring subject well handled - a variety of advice..how to improve in many different areas. Well paced and lively. This topic can be done very dry in the wrong hands. These were not the wrong hands. It was very well pitched and held their interest well. Good variety of approaches, student involvement. The right level for Year 10/11 students. Clear speaker, easy to follow.
Clare Catholic High School Year 10
Hands on examples, gets students to think about studying. An enthusiastic lecturer - engaged students. Kept the students focused, covered a lot of info but didn't overload students. Kids were engaged in the presentation. Helped students determine what their best technique for studying is.
Youth off the Streets Year 9/10
Prue was great as a presenter. Friendly, encouraging and up to speed with the language of the young people. Made our kids feel less scared about facing exams - made them feel it was possible to succeed right off the bat. Showed how individual students learn. Lots of practical tasks and application of techniques.
Kogarah High School Year 9/10
Fantastic. Kept students attention. Clear, easy to understand. Well pitched at the students. Liked the way the students were made part of the session - ensured interest of others. Excellent. I have not heard some of these ideas before - thought provoking. Some very interesting ideas about how memory works. Good insights for students and how to improve study skills. Good clarity of direction. Pleasant and friendly attitude towards info. An outstanding presentation of excellent ideas, strategies and methods.
St Maroun's College Year 10
This was the first time we have used ELES, but it certainly won't be the last. A thoroughly engaging and informative presentation with some great study tips for staff and students alike. I only wish I had used ELES sooner!
Macarthur Anglican School Year 10
An excellent session which was supported by some entertaining and relevant visual material. The students were exposed to many worthwhile ideas to improve their study techniques and the presentation was appropriately pitched at their level. Worthwhile for future years. Related well to students. Kept students interested with some interactive activities. Clear, simple and well organised. Strategies that students relate to and would be able to achieve.
Figtree High School Year 10
An excellent presentation! Relevant information presented in short segments. Very worthwhile. Excellent presenter (young and related to students). Well paced.
Mary McKillop College Year 10
Well presented. Variety of things for girls to listen to and be part of. Very informative and helpful. Lots of practical tips. Very relevant. Involved students from the very beginning - kept their interest going.
Mercy College Year 10
Got students involved in the activities and to speak about their experiences. Relevant to students. Year 10 explained as “training” and “preparation” for next year. Worthwhile, interesting and highly beneficial to the students.
Bethany College Year 10
An excellent session Prue. The girls responded really well and I am sure gained some excellent tips as they enter senior study. Thank you and well done! Good balance of presenter centred and student centred activities. Practical information that all students will use.
King George V School Year 10
Student feed back very positive. And felt they learnt something. Presenter very slick. Excellent content: variety, fast pace, huge range of activities. New approaches to study (students agree with this). Material excellent, well presented. Very informative and very useful.
Tyndale Christian College Year 10
Managed to engage a diverse group of students for a significant amount of time. Good tempo, good solid content tailored to their needs. Affirmations ‘you’re doing well guys’. Good management of the students. This is one of the best I’ve seen (visual), heard (auditory) and experienced (kinaesthetic)!
Holsworthy High School Year 10
Friendly presentation/professional - students responded well. Gave students hands on strategies that they could take away and use. Interactive.
Pennant Hills High School Year 10
Fantastic to work with someone who was so flexible, well organized and self-sufficient. Student involvement excellent. Good to have info on memory – I haven’t seen this in previous programs. Examples about organising/grouping provided good audience involvement. Pace of presentation was good. Activities were relevant and well done by students.
Catherine McAuley College Year 10
This is an excellent presentation for students going on to senior studies. Students came away from the day with practical skills and techniques for the rigors of senior study. It was made interesting by involving girls in various aspects of the presentation.
Bede Polding Year 10
Hands on – not just listening!
FROM YEAR 9 TEACHERS
Abbotsleigh Year 9
It was a valuable experience for the students and me! (as a teacher). Interactive activities, enthusiastic tone of presenter, engaging and appealed to students. Content of session relevant and helpful. Very confident and well spoken presenter. Gave students practical suggestions and solutions to studying. Involved students in the discussions, individually and in groups. Spoke to the girls, not at the girls. Well presented and delivered, good mix of listening and group work. Really good feeling for where this group is at - treating them like adults - putting the responsibility back on them.
Brigidine College Randwick Year 9
Presented in an interesting way for students. Students remained focused and interested during the whole session. Students would have definitely seen the relevance of the presentation. The speaker gives great advice to students and keeps their attention at all times. Students are always working and practising what is suggested by the speaker - great student involvement. Speaker interacted and connected well with the students. Broken up into short 'bites'. Time for students to convene/share ideas. Very practical ideas that have been tried by others. Very hands on.
Kincoppal Year 9
Engaging and very useful! Presenter had experience in schools, spoke well. The powerpoint presentation and exercise demonstrating how to organise a school diary was worthwhile.
Marsden High School Year 9
Good use of powerpoint presentation - catering for all learning styles. Down to earth approach, good rapport with students. Relevant to all types of students. Use of video clips appropriate. A good overview. Great food for thought for many students. Great strategies. Thank you so much Prue for your flexibility and a wonderfully fresh approach with the students.
Macarthur Girls' High School Year 9
Well done - great presentation with consideration of all styles of learning. Presentation was very clear and involved student interaction. One of the best study skills sessions I have seen in 20 years of teaching. Simple, practical advice. Great presentation with a mixture of listening and small group activities. Kept the students focused. Language used was clear specific and simple enough for Year 9 students to relate to. Kept students active with practical activities throughout the hour. Loved it!
Fairvale High School Year 9
Very active and well organised. Interaction, engagement, illustrations, students activities and responses. Excellent - this program should be done with other years. Obviously you have put much effort and thought into the presentation and have an excellent understanding of the level of the students. Good pace and good use of technology. Aimed at level of students. Easily understandable and accessible. Connected with students immediately. Very interactive - connectiveness to such a large audience. A very valuable workshop, the students' response and interest in the session was indicative of an awesome presentation.
St Maroun's College Year 9
This was the first time we have used ELES, but it certainly won't be the last. A thoroughly engaging and informative presentation with some great study tips for staff and students alike. I only wished I had used ELES sooner! The session was entertaining, kept the students interested, and looking at their faces, a lot of learning styles were learnt. Learnt some techniques that I could use to enhance my students' knowledge of my subject area. A fantastic session - I believe students learned and identified their preferred learning styles.
Illawarra Grammar School Year 9
Presenter thorough, knowledgeable. Delivery clear with good tempo with interaction maintained throughout. Information pitched at the right level. The presenter did an excellent job given the x-section of the group. If 50% of the information was absorbed it will be of benefit to the group. The presenter had developed good rapport with the students.
Mercy Catholic College Year 9
Excellent way of getting students thinking about organisation-especially the timetable part (it's very realistic!). Very practical. Girls realise they have to plan ahead and get organised. Message is clear. Can raise the awareness of the girls to time management.
SCECGS Redlands Year 9
She had an engaging manner. Used a range of techniques to keep them interested. Liked the quiz - always entertains but led to some good understanding for students. Gave time to ask questions. Kept students participating. Lots of ideas for students to think about. Made students aware of what they should be doing. A good reality check that exams are very close.
Kellyville High School Year 9
A good timely reminder to students of Year 9. Most sections were well organised and blended well. Speaker was passionate and concise, motivated students and controlled them well. Very informative- used examples students can relate to. Interesting information, got students involved - excellent. Good development of content: relevant, related well to students, good situational examples. Good effort to control listening and talking of students, good range of activities. Great powerpoint work/notes. Speaker had good modulation and presentation style.
Bethany College Year 9
Overall, an excellent presentation. The girls seemed very receptive. Two weeks on, I am aware that some students have already adopted method of diary organisation which is pleasing. Good use of stimulus material. I have already seen students using the techniques suggested during the session.
Mercy College Year 9
Thoroughly prepared and well presented. Student worksheets very practical. Got students involved – actually planning tasks and organising time. It’s fantastic that the session could be tailored to the individual year’s weaknesses (time management and planning). Encouraged students to reflect on current methods. Involved a lot of student participation. They remained engaged throughout the session.
FROM YEAR 8 TEACHERS
Hurlstone Agricultural High School Year 8
Very practical. Spoke their language. Excellent presentation, kept the students involved in a variety of different ways. Excellent information and strategies. Very positive and achievable for Year 8 students. Very effective use of powerpoint and visuals. Outstanding - inspirational for the students and staff. I will change the way I have my students use their diary. Related well to students. Very well prepared.
Loreto Kirribilli Year 8
Range of activities. Not all lecture-style. Very visual: mind maps, images. Students actively involved-volunteers, practical activities. Presenter very positive and encouraging, responding. Current examples relevant to target audience. Very enjoyable, an upbeat way of dealing with a serious issue.
St Ives High School Year 8
A good variety of activities. Based around video etc that they like and recognise so got their attention. Kept things moving, didn't give them too long so they didn't become unsettled. Visual back up to what was being said is good.
Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College Year 8
Good that topics are being covered - they are needed. Very relevant to this age group. I liked the interactive nature of the presentation and the enthusiasm of presenter. Students were actively involved.
Arden Anglican School Year 7/8
Pitched at children’s level. Lots of different strategies to keep children interested. Presenter able to interpret children’s ideas – always positive. It is clear, concise and interesting – appealing to the audience. Wonderful analogies. Scientific workings of the brain well-explained. Excellent use of audio-visuals. Terrific strategies used to teach students about study. Good understanding of where students are at and school’s general structures. Excellent in giving students a system and ideas to implement it
Mater Maria College Year 8
Very good organizational skills, concrete ways to organize study. Speaker supported teachers eg listening in class, homework. Good relationship to the crowd eg asked questions of the students relevant to their lives. Students were engaged as they had worksheets to fill in. Good to see their peers up and talking in front of the crowd, students could relate to each other and their personal study tips. Engagement of students through question/answer, peer discussion, quizzes. Interesting, students seemed to learn well and take info in. Very interactive and made the students think.
Mercy College Year 8
Related well to the girls and their ‘weaknesses’ (didn’t judge but recognised them).
FROM YEAR 7 TEACHERS
International Grammar School Year 7
Excellent presentation. Good interactivity with students, good self-reflection by students. Well presented and useful material - good getting the kids up and moving. I liked that the content was spot on. Students got to do something and it wasn't just listening, they actively participated. Students worked out their strengths and weaknesses. Very appropriate presentation for year group. Very hands on with things that can be put into action right away, especially with the upcoming exams. The organisation of the session is quite good. Ask students to answer or think about their problems and then tips to solve. Prompts the students to think - they are involved in the session. Good management of students to keep focus. Easy to remember techniques and good worksheet. Good timing of session.
Oxford Falls Grammar School Year 7
Thank you for your presentation, the students response was excellent. They all appear to have learnt a significant amount about how to study. I look forward to be working with you in the future.
Galston High School Year 7
Informal, easy style of presentation, made students feel at ease. Prue made 'it' all seem possible.
Mercy College Year 7
Good balance between lecturing, writing and interaction with others during the session. Focus on listening and participation was good for Yr 7 students at this stage of the year combined with organisation skills that can be carried through their high school years.
Marist College North Shore Year 7
This is a wonderful program to help students organise themselves and plan ahead for examinations. The information provided was very valuable for the students.
Oxford Falls Grammar School Year 7
Material was perfect for Year 7 level. Prue had an excellent manner and rapport with the students. Timed perfectly. Was extremely relevant, well paced and interesting.
Responses from STUDENTS who have attended ELES sessions.
STUDY TECHNIQUES/SKILLS
- It made me think about how effective my study was. It provided me with new study techniques.
- Explained techniques we could use.
- Most useful things I learnt was: How to study. Study techniques. It was a different presentation. It wasn’t boring.
- It was interesting and made me want to listen. It was useful because I didn’t know all of the ways to study and she showed us different techniques.
- Learning new skills and techniques to help myself study more effectively.
- I find many of the study skills sessions we’ve had have suggested a set way of studying but Prue recognized that everyone needs to study differently.
- I liked how she spoke about techniques and made us get involved to prove it. Also, how she didn’t tell us what was right or wrong.
- Doing practical activities and tests to find out more about how we study best and techniques. Finding out whether we are visual etc and how to use that well. It told us kind of what we need to do individually to study.
- It provided me with many different ways of studying I had never thought of that I feel would work for me.
- The thing I liked most was that we were presented with not just one way or skill but a very wide variety of skills to help myself accomplish study success. It made me aware of how well I can organize my time and belongings, to achieve my very best.
- They didn’t just tell you to study they showed you how to study. And showed us some techniques.
- Told how to study not just to study.
- I learnt new ways in studying and doing homework. The most useful thing is writing out a homework plan for each night.
- The way the teacher explained to us about the studying, and how now it made me feel to start studying and do more work.
- I learned heaps of valuable information about how to improve my studying.
- It made me realize that I can study differently and that there are lots of different ways to approach study.
- New study techniques – I didn’t realize my lack of sleep meant so much.
- I learnt many new approaches to study which will improve my study.
- Advanced study skills/techniques and how well they worked.
- It has made me think more about organization and study skills.
- Gave me an opportunity to think about my study techniques and how I could change them to better more productive ones.
- I learnt HOW to study properly. It was really good.
- Made me realize what I need to fix in my study skills.
- It taught methods of study and made us realize that if we spend time concentrating on a piece of work we will end up having more free time for ourselves.
- Skills she told us. I liked the way she emphasized the importance of Year 11/12 but didn’t stress us out.
- Methods of how to study faster and more effectively – we have so much work this will be useful.
- I liked this session because I learnt good study skills and learnt how to organize myself. The most useful thing was the diary scheduling bit.
- I liked the different ways she showed us to study and the tricks that we learnt with the eyes and the brain.
- Effective unboring methods of study.
- It was overall very educational. I learnt the do’s and don’ts of studying and new approaches to studying. The lady was also very friendly.
- Her explanations were straightforward and clear. The methods of studying are excellent, as it actually works.
- Teaches you how to improve learning skills, to be more efficient and to save time and energy.
- New skills. Made me more confident.
- How to organise my study and prepare for exams – awesome.
TIME MANAGEMENT
- Learnt how to prioritise my time.
- How to use time efficiently and that dragging things through the afternoon will not help you learn.
- I understood it. Fun. Helped me organize my time and workload.
- Learning to plan time.
- Organisation of time and how to effectively use the day and make it productive without burning out.
- I liked doing the organize my time bit – when to do each step.
- Being given sample study guide with realistic time allocations for study made me realize that I can actually spend time studying effectively.
- How to space out your time without being stressed.
- The thing I liked most is how she explained how we can make time for schoolwork in a good way. The most useful thing that I learnt was about the time structure for schoolwork.
- The simplicity and concrete-ness of the items covered, particularly time management.
- It was interesting, wasn’t boring. I learnt how to study efficiently and make the most of the time I have.
- I like how they explained in order or steps of brain development. I’ve learnt to work out a time management system and making notes at least two/three topics per day.
- Mind maps and timetables and allocating my time.
- Working out study times and how to study properly.
- How to have time to do personal things and how to study.
- I liked how the speaker aimed questions at the audience too and helped us come up with strategies to manage time with our study/homework.
- How to help us study without distractions.
- Strategies to cut down study time and increase info learnt.
- Things to prevent leaving assignment to the last minute.
- The best thing was the tip about managing your assignments and homework in your diary.
- I liked learning how to break things down and to manage the workload.
- Learning how to set out time properly.
- The way Prue made her techniques seem realistic and not so hard. I always thought timetables would be harder.
- I learnt how to control my time and how to study for the first time.
- The most useful thing I learnt from this lesson was not to leave my assignments to the last minute and to take breaks when doing homework.
- Learning how to set out time properly.
- The strategies to avoid distractions and procrastination.
- How to set my study out and do it in litle bits not all at once.
ORGANIZATION
- How to organize notes and how to approach study to get the most out of it.
- How to organize work and get it done on time.
- I learnt many more organization skills to help me with sorting out what is important.
- How to organize work is the thing I found most useful.
- How to organize homework into my diary.
- How to organize myself and my schoolwork. Also how to keep my social life with all the school workload.
- Got different ideas about how to organize and study.
- How she explained everything and gave us time to think about organization. She gave me courage to be organized.
- It gave me ideas to organize my work so I am not doing it the night before.
- I liked it as I have had no idea how to organize my work.
- It motivated me to be more prepared and organized. I’m not as nervous about trying to cope as a senior student.
- I learnt how to get organized, now I’m doing homework for longer.
- I learnt really how to be organized and to always make time and schedule your work. It was all very worthwhile.
- The most useful thing I learnt was organizing my time and studying for tests. I really enjoyed this session. I liked everything and didn’t even realize the time had passed. Thanks.
- It motivated me to get organized and complete my work.
- I learnt how to be more organized.
- I felt very organized and think I am going to do it all the time.
- I learnt how to be more organized with assignments and homework and get better marks.
- I learnt about how to organize my work better so I am able to revise without having to go through piles of work.
- Helped to get me more motivated and organized.
- I liked how we covered everything that I’m not doing well in. It will help me to become more organized.
- The most useful thing I’ve learnt is how to organize my own schedule.
- That it made me think. It didn’t make studying seem so scary, you only need to be organized and focused.
- The study notes and organization aspects will help me a lot.
- I really liked the filing bit, I think if I do this it will help.
- How to organise my study and prepare for exams – awesome.
- I learnt how to use my diary a lot better which really benefited me because I am quite an unorganized person.
- It was good for me because I was very messy and unorganised before the session. After Study Skills I fixed up all my work and now study in a very well organised environment.
- How to organise myself, organise notes for studying, help to prepare for upcoming assignments, homework and tests.
PLANNING
- The strategies will help me plan out my time better.
- How to plan out work and assignments gradually over a period of time and how to allocate time for homework.
- Planning what you need to do most, and then if you can’t move it to the next day.
- The session broke down everything about study and made it sound easier. Most useful was how to plan your time.
- How to plan out when to start assignments so it isn’t a last minute rush.
- I learnt more about planning and study/action techniques.
- It showed a good way of planning your homework out. It was all good.
- I learnt how I could start to do my assignments and how to do a plan.
- The calendar/planner – it was really effective and useful.
- How to spread out doing assignments.
- I think using diaries as a planner was most useful. I liked the session a lot.
MEMORY SKILLS
- The most useful thing was definitely learning what to do every day to help remember things. I thought it was excellent. I could really relate to it and take home valuable information from it.
- Learning alternate ways to manage time and study techniques. The most useful thing I learnt was about long term and short term memory.
- The short term memory and long term memory skills. How to take notes and keep them all ready to study. How to plan out the diary to make it useful.
- The learning about how revising increases the chances of remembering
- Memory can be trained – gave me hope!
- I learnt how to memorise notes and improve my study methods.
- Learning better ways to retain information.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
- Learning about stress management.
- Not to stress and how to manage stress.
- Helped me become less stressed/worried about next year.
BRAIN INFORMATION
- Learning the brain has a system and what to do to help it remember. Eg: study in intervals, be categorically organized, etc.
- The stuff on the brain and sleeping was the most useful info.
- Learning about the brain and how it works.
- About our brain and how it works when studying. I liked the fact that we learnt how to make time for study.
- I thought it was good to learn how the brain works, not just to cram.
- I liked the facts about the brain, studying and memorizing, I will definitely try them.
- All the information about your brain process, memory, and how to make sure you’re doing all you can to achieve your very best in the end.
- I liked everything. It was very helpful and easy to understand what is necessary in order to achieve the best result. The most useful thing was the summary. Notes and what to do and how the brain functions, short and long term memory, sleep etc. The speaker is very encouraging and enthusiastic.
- I enjoyed how she described our brain and how longer things are stored and where the lady also interacted with us which was good. The most useful tip I received was how long we should be doing our homework, different ways to study, how to plan afternoons and what we should do when not completing something/homework in our diary.
- The psychological aspects of the capacity of the brain in terms of learning and study.
INTERACTION/INVOLVEMENT – STUDENTS
- We were (audience) involved with the session, instead of just sitting and listening.
- Group work/interaction with other students.
- Interaction of students. She’s a great speaker also.
- It wasn’t boring. We interacted with each other, and things were explained so we could understand better.
- It was interactive and we weren’t just listening to long lecture.
- I liked how she was more interactive with the students rather than just loading all the info on us.
- We weren’t just sitting there listening.
- The facts and how she got students involved.
- The interactions, it wasn’t just a long speech.
- I liked the visual stimulus (movies) and active participation (group work).
- I loved the way that we were involved, and that we were able to learn new things.
- Entertaining as well as informative and lots of involvement/interaction for us.
- It wasn’t just like a lecture. Games. Being involved.
- It had a good level of participation with the students.
- I liked the worksheet because everyone got involved.
- Provided opportunity to ask questions.
- How we got to interact with people.
- It was interactive, groupwork was good.
- It was interesting and interactive. It was not just like a lecture and we were given notes to keep.
PRESENTER
- Friendly talker, not condescending, just helpful.
- The speaker was great, not annoying like most speakers. I learnt about definitions of key words.
- The way the speaker explained everything.
- Liked the fact that the way she was teaching us was a laid back atmosphere, we all felt comfortable therefore were able to concentrate and focus more on the study session.
- The way the speaker spoke, in an understanding and wise manner.
- The speaker was interesting and not monotone. It was all cut down, brief and straight to the point.
- Prue was very articulate and succinct, gave useful advice.
- I would like to say that her presentation was just excellent which really did make me listen to her.
- She knows from experience. We know the most effective techniques. She is a good talker.
- The lady spoke to us like real people not like a teacher.
- Speaker was an excellent speaker: engaging and clear.
- The way Prue communicated with the audience. She really engaged with us.
- Prue knew exactly what she was talking about and adressed us directly, related directly to our needs.
- The speaker could relate to us and make it interesting. She simply explained different methods and gave realistic advice and tactics.
- Engaging. Prue is a good speaker and is motivating.
STUDY COMMENTS/TIPS/METHODS
- How to study much easier and I’m more confident.
- Best ways to study and get the best marks.
- I learnt that I need to do more study to improve my marks.
- It inspired me to make changes to my study.
- Interactive style. Wide range of techniques for a wide range of people. Really helpful!
- The way she set out everything, it made it really easy to understand and I am going to change way I study.
- The fact that we had a good speaker. There was good interaction with the speaker and students, this kept us interested. I learnt how to space study periods in 30 minute time periods
- The way it was all explained. It was easy and simple to explain. It made you think about what you could do to change the way you study.
- How to concentrate more with all the workload.
- In order to do good you have to study on a regular basis.
- That I need to change the way I study, or do not study and make regular summaries. I thought everything was valuable and worthwhile.
- The content was great and I now know how to get the best from myself in terms of studying.
- The most useful thing was finding out how much other people study and finding out I don’t study nearly enough.
- It makes you realize that studying isn’t too hard and is so worthwhile.
- It raised a bit of awareness to what I do and don’t do for study at the moment.
- It gave me great and new ideas of how I can successfully study. The most useful thing was knowing what new things will help me to study.
- I liked how the lady said you didn’t have to be really smart to benefit from studying. The most useful thing I learnt was how to break up my time to study.
- Prue made it really interesting that studying isn’t hard. Anyone can do it.
- The whole session was useful in examining my study habits and making positive changes.
- Made me realize how important school is and that I should be studying on a regular basis to help me get to where I want to be.
- I liked the session because it was interesting and kept my attention. I learnt that there is heaps more to studying than I thought.
- It wasn’t boring and I learnt a lot more about studying when I thought I knew everything.
- To realize what easy things can be done to change my study and make it more effective.
- How to break up work and study effectively.
- I liked learning how to maximize my studying experience.
- I learnt a lot about how I am going to set out my study.
- By attending this session I learnt that smart way of studying is not just long hours in my room but much more than that.
- The fact that I actually learnt new and better ways to study and the fact that I can try other things to improve. My way is not the only way.
- I am able to take what I learnt today and use it to change my study habits to do well next year.
- Maximise my studying experience.
- The ways that I know how to study. Made you think about how to study.
- Brief but handy, worthwhile tips that are easy to put into practice.
- I learnt that I need to study more regularly before tests. I need to get folders and books to be more organized.
- Divide work, don’t leave things till the last minute and do notes for a topic before you even know of a test.
- The advice was realistic and achievable. Good tips.
LEARNING STYLES
- I liked how the speaker explained different learning styles and how each different style has specific study tips. The first box we filled in showed areas we need to improve on.
- What type of learning I belong to. How to study if I belong to that group.
- I liked the tips and advice that we were given to improve study. The most useful thing was learning which type of learner I was and the advice I got from that.
- How you determined what type of learner each student was! A very helpful topic. I had no ideas what type of learner I was before. This will help me. Thank you.
- I’ve learnt I was a visual learner, and her tips on it are really working! Everything she said I’ve taken into account and it’s been motivating me. I’ve already started to apply some of her techniques when studying.
- I liked the test near the end of the session which told me that I was a visual worker. I found the most useful thing was how to avoid distractions and allocating time for schoolwork.
- I liked finding out what type of a learner I am as I had always wondered.
- The talking and experimenting with new ways to learn and study. I learnt that I’m a kinesthetic learner and I now know what I can do to help me revise and study.
- I liked how she recognized different learning styles and that not everyone learns the same way.
- Finding out what helps me study best.
- I thought the identifying what type of learner helped me most as it allowed me to see what will help me study most effectively. It mainly helped me to become more motivated, thinking about where I am now and what I need to do.
STUDY NOTES / SUMMARISING
- Learning how to write proper study notes.
- It’s told me how to become more organized with my study notes (now I’m starting to do them).
- The different ways to write out study notes eg. form as a mindmap, use picture.
- To make folders for each subject and writing notes after each topic has finished.
- Learning about how to organize notes and also seeing what attitude I have ie which style of study suits me most.
- Improve study notes continually. Organise notes into subjects. Take breaks from studying. The standing up and stretching and massages! Excellent idea.
- Notes were good and comprehensive, there was little we had to write.
- The most useful thing I learnt was to study in small periods every night and improve notes – to help stimulate learning.
- Makes me motivated to write notes and put them in folders.
- The session got me motivated to do well and change my bad habits. The most useful thing I learnt was how to write study notes.
- How to make notes and keep distractions away to a minimum.
- I learnt that you should take a break after memorizing or studying after an hour. I realized that I do use a lot of techniques but there is a better way to summarise etc. Very entertaining guest speaker, loud, funny and clear.
- Most useful thing I learnt was to summarise after each topic. This session was very helpful, in making study notes gradually.
- The most useful thing is the technique of writing a summary at the end of each topic.
- Summarising: I thought of it but now I’ll DO it.
- This lesson made me decide to write summaries for each topic. I think this is a great way to revise for a test. - How she explained to have a folder for each subject filled with notes so that when you do study the notes are already there.
- The difference between good study notes and bad study notes.
- I liked that she showed different ways to do your study notes and ways you can remember things easier.
- It had good ideas about study. NLP and eye position was the most useful thing.
MOTIVATION
- It motivated me and helped me realize that I CAN do it.
- It made me want to do more homework each night and don’t leave work to the last minute.
- It woke me up that I need to start studying now!
- It made me have a different outlook on my schoolwork and has changed my attitude towards learning.
- The most useful thing I learnt was that there is always more than one way to attempt/achieve your goal.
- It was interesting, realistic and made me realize what I do and don’t do. Now I can improve my study.
- It made me realize what I was doing wrong and how I could improve in the future. It was a ‘wake up call’ for me.
- It put things in perspective and motivated me despite trial’s results.
- It put things in perspective, I feel like I need to do more work.
- I liked the session because it made me be more determined to be completely focused for all exams and assignments.
- I discovered there are actual ways to overcome the workload and to motivate myself to do work in the future.
- There is not that much between success and where you are now. Just need to step up with confidence.
- All of it was good and I will make changes.
YEAR 12 HSC SPECIFIC
- Reduced my stress, as no longer big unknown space. Gave me good knowledge and a plan!
- Excellent way of approaching study, it all seemed too much to think about until the session. Forced me to think about what I need to do!
- The strategies in making the most of the trials and to succeed in our exams. Managing the time 6 weeks before the exam.
- The reality of the HSC and to make a timetable.
- I can still improve in next 3 weeks.
- That we should start studying now and if we haven’t it’s not too late.
- It helped me to identify areas that I need to be stronger in.
- It was a realistic situation and very well set out for us to see ideas for study.
- Opened my eyes about what I need to do to update and summarise notes. Motivation, organisation, commitment.
- Got me thinking that I feel like I know what I have to do from now to the HSC.
- Detailed explanation about how to plan study time during STUVAC.
- Advice: helpful, not just going over things we already know.
- Good routine and structure and explanations on what we should be doing now and how to make the most of our time.
- Makes studying seem a lot easier than I thought.
- The planning of STUVAC as I had no idea what I was planning to do.
- Put things into perspective, realised that it will be really helpful and worthwhile to create some type of study timetable.
- It motivated me to make the most of the time I have left.
- How to organise and make an efficient plan of study in the last two weeks before the HSC.
- It told us how to study as opposed to just trying to scare us into studying! Offered a different perspective. Very motivational.
- I could relate to everything.
- The speaker spoke at our level, she talked to us with hope. Built up our self-esteem to study.
- Very supportive. Relieved stress at the right time.
- Made me realise what type of a learner I am – Thank you!
- All the ideas you can do to make things easier to study for the HSC.
- She was easy to listen to – not too intense.
- The most useful thing I learnt is strategies to use to limit the bulk of notes and how to organise subjects to study in hours per day.
- Realising that it is the HSC and it’s time to work better. Not just talk, but listen and ask the teacher for help if I didn’t understand.
- It put everything into perspective and helped me to realize what I should be doing to prepare for the HSC.
- It was all good! Thank you so much. I think my HSC mark will be better cos of you.
- It put everything in perspective and helped me realize what I should be doing for the HSC.
- Learning about our own learning capacity and the human brain. How to approach the work in the HSC and organize and prioritize.
- Got me motivated to actually do something! And gave good ideas for starting.
MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS
- Best thing ever!
- This was the best one we have been to all year. You had facts, tips and personal insight. You related to us without trying too hard like others have.
- Fantastic ways to learn – really helpful to me because I had no idea what I was doing!
- I had the time of my life. Really meant a lot.
- Most useful: why should I try to do my best in next two years.
- Knowing what I could change because I had no ideas where to start.
- The steps we needed to take – it made me realize what I need to fix.
- How informative the session was – the insightful messages that were put across.
- How everything she said was true and honest – I found what she said was helping.
- The information explained was relevant and I needed to know the info.
- She showed us the reality of how we are, and ways to help change.
- That in order to do well we must change the attitude and implement this.
- The sleeping notes part.
- It was aimed at what we do as individuals.
- Everything very fun. New skills. Discovering what I’m good and bad at.
- I liked that the format was simple, easy to understand and not boring.
- To work at your optimum you need to be working in a distraction-free environment.
- Everything was in colour and in point form which was easier to take in.
- Everything. I really tried to take in all that was said.
- It gave very clear and logical steps to help you do well in your exam.
- Having activities and movie clips to break up the information thrown at us. Having the booklet so we didn’t have to write our own notes from scratch.
- The snippets of film explained things well. It wasn’t hard to understand. Asked us what we thought about things.
- I learnt that I need to take school more seriously and that it doesn’t have to be stressful. It doesn’t have to be boring. Colour code!
- That I could admit to myself that the stuff I was doing could be improved.
- I like actually doing things so that we understand the point while learning.
- It wasn’t a narky – do more study ie it was realistic.
- It helped me think about how I work.
- I learnt how to handle my work.
- Doing homework straight away when you get home.
- The content was excellent and concise. Easy to relate to. Easy ideas, easy to put into practise.
- I liked it because we got ideas on what exactly we can do to be successful in work. I think the most useful thing was learning to set out work in my diary. I liked everything.
- I feel it will really help me.
- Work through everything in steps, really easy to understand.
- Everything was clear and well explained.
- I liked the whole session, it was really good.
- She didn’t make us feel like losers. She just made us think.
- Showed me exactly what I need to change to be a better student.
- I think I learnt far more than I have ever learnt before.
- Informative. Reasons why instead of just telling us what to do.
- The info handed out was helpful, it provided ideas for overcoming being burnt out.
- I know what I should do from now on. It was very useful.
- It got straight to the point and didn’t beat around the bush which would have made it boring.
- That I can do the things I felt stupid doing before – everyone does it.
- I learnt that I need to do more than just homework.
- Breaking down the tasks and evaluating myself and learning about mind maps.
- It was clear, straightforward and realistic. She helped put it in perspective and gave a good idea of what we should be doing.
- Being told the truth and that we don’t have much time and need to prioritise.
- It was interesting and worthwhile. I really enjoyed listening to what was said. I learnt lots.
- That it wasn’t just a lecture, there were visual aids and it was easier to keep concentrating.
- It dawned on me how much I have to do! And now I know how to go about it too!
- It was an eye opener. Saw how slack I’ve been.
- It answered all the things that I had doubts about.
- I thought filling out the little booklet was very useful because I can take it home and look back when exams come around. Also, the speaker was very good at relating to our age group.
- The amount of ideas I now have to think about.
- It helped show me what I need to work on.
- What I need to do to improve my studies.
- Clearly explained in simple terms with examples.
- Concise and comprehensive. Basic principles outlined. Not repetitive.
- Need to change your habits to change your mark.
- The scientific facts made it more realistic. Helped me realize that there’s a reason behind it all.
- Made me realize I have to take Year 11 seriously.
- Delving into process behind learning.
- Has convinced me to change study habits.
- Helped me determine study approach for exams.
- It made me realise my faults.
- I learnt how to organise myself and what different types of study techniques are useful for me.
- I also liked how everything was presented so it was easy to understand.
- It had lots of different ways to study.
- How we found what study type we are to know how to improve.
- I learnt about the technical side of things, such as how the brain works and things I should do to make it most effective.
- How to study and tell my mum on how I can study.
- It told me how to study because before I had no idea and I was so bad at it.
- That you should plan out your work. That you can do anything you put your mind to.
- It was very helpful and I learnt a lot from it and it did make me think about the way I approach school.
- It puts things into perspective and gave good ideas on how to study. They were worthwhile and you found out what kind of study person you were.
- If you keep practising you’ll achieve your goal.
- Just getting the knowledge that I am on the right track.
- Group activities – helped us receive insight on other people’s views and opinions.
- I learnt great things, will be using these in Year 11 to have better study routine.
- I could relate to it exactly so I could see what could be improved.
- It was informative and engaging. We were able to actively participate in the session.
- I’m glad that I had this session as my studying is more effective and I found it fun and useful.
- I liked the way that we were taken through lots of things and ways that we could improve.
- I liked it because it helped me figure out a way to study well for tests. It was very encouraging.
- All the useful info given to us. That we should start studying now and make summaries of all our notes. Also the minimum number of hours we should be studying.
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