Academic Counsellor News

The Importance of Term Three

This term, it’s all about making the most of your time left at school!

The reality of being so close to the end of your Year 12 subjects has hit and you find yourself looking for ways to increase the likelihood of meeting your goal/s for the year. (Have you recorded these in your diary during Form Group this week?)

Fact: It’s going to be super busy. Art of Smart visualises a student’s possible stress levels during Term 3 as increasing over time, as seen below. They highlight the growing workload that comes from studying content, completing work requirements and SACs as the key factors of this, but notice that once these are done, stress levels will ease again. 

Consistency is key, so let’s focus on what you can do to maximise your time.

Reflect on the Past and Plan for the Future

Your goal is your drive and motivation. It is your ‘why’ for this year. Is it to get a certain ATAR score? Is it to finish your work so you can get into the work force? Focus on it! 

Content wise you are only halfway through, so small changes to your studying can have a big impact on your results. It’s not too late to start!

What can you do to achieve this goal? By now you know what study techniques are working (and those that aren’t!), so take a moment to guide your path forward. 

Be Accountable and Form Good Habits

Do you need to make a weekly planner to find time for study AND play AND rest? 

Have you listed the homework you have and broken it down into manageable steps? 

Are you incorporating some practice exams into your study schedule? 

Will you use the Pomodoro technique to get work done? 

What are you using to help hold yourself accountable? Rewards / positive reinforcement from others are good forms of encouragement.

Go Back and Plug the Gaps

To improve the most for exams, you will want to find out your areas of weaknesses. This means going back over what you have done. Try this idea. Print out your syllabus and use the traffic light system to highlight your level of understanding - red (struggling), orange (okay but still needs attention) and green (confident). This will show you the areas to focus on.