Pedagogy and Academics

Practical Strategies for this Assessment Season and Beyond

When we speak with young people, we often ask, “What are you worried about?” or “What’s making you anxious?” But perhaps a more useful question is: “What are you being challenged by?”

There’s an important difference. Worry can make young people feel as though something is wrong with them. Challenge reminds them that they are capable of growth. 

Our role as adults is not to remove every obstacle from a young person’s path. It is to help them build the confidence, perspective and strength to move through those obstacles.

As we approach a busy exam and assessment period, I urge you to help reframe this pinch point for your daughters. Rather than asking only how stressed they are feeling, perhaps ask what they are being stretched by, what they are learning about themselves, and what this challenge might be teaching them. Because while success matters, so too does developing the capacity to face difficulty with courage and perspective.

Anxiety thrives on emotion; challenge responds to strategy.

As students look for practical ways to manage distractions, maintain focus and build healthier study habits, below are a few popular apps and tools that families may find helpful, including some used by our College Dux, Lyla, last year:

• Forest App A focus app that encourages students to stay off their phones by “growing” virtual trees during uninterrupted study time.
• Flora App Similar to Forest, Flora allows students to set collaborative focus sessions with friends and reduces phone distractions.
• Freedom Blocks distracting apps and websites across devices for scheduled study periods.
• Opal Helps students reduce screen time by blocking distracting apps and creating structured focus sessions.
• Focus Keeper Uses the Pomodoro technique to break study into manageable chunks with structured breaks.

Mel Pedavoli

Assistant Principal: Pedagogy and Academic Leadership