VCE
Pier Bourne
"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember, all things are possible for those who believe."
Gail Devers
Dedication, perseverance, and a disciplined attitude are hallmarks of a student-driven by a positive mindset. In today's technological world, it's challenging for young people to detach from social media and the internet to concentrate on their studies. With approximately 13 weeks for Year 12 and 14 weeks for Year 11, time is running out, and planning is essential.
Life in Senior School is moving quickly. Students prepare for the next stages of their lives, whether Year 12 students are getting ready for their VCE exams or Year 11 students aiming to enter their Unit 3/4 subjects. All of them need to formalise their revision. Below is a summary of ideas for parents to support their children through exams.
Create a designated study space for your child.
Does your child have a desk or workspace in your home that is conducive to focused studying? Ask yourself if it's well-lit and away from other distractions. Keep helpful study supplies in this area, like colourful Post-its, pens and pencils, highlighters, and scratch paper.
2. Keep a planner.
Time management is an essential aspect of effective study skills. So, ensure your child knows how to keep a homework planner. Have them write down important due dates for homework and assignments, especially if their teacher makes these dates known far in advance. Then, the key is to stay on top of these tasks. Prepare for important tests by helping your child break down the content and make a schedule for reviewing the material in the days leading up to the test. Break down big projects similarly by determining smaller milestones and working with your child to make a schedule for when they will have these components complete. It can offset cramming and procrastination (and build confidence in the process) by making their workload more manageable.
3. Take effective notes.
Utilising a note-taking system can help your child process information taught in class and truly retain what they've learned. Writing notes out by hand results in better retention than not taking notes or using a laptop. Teaching your child to use active reading strategies—like taking notes or highlighting key themes and passages or words—is also immensely helpful for retention.
4. Practice for tests.
Simply reviewing content before a test isn't necessarily the best method to ensure your child is prepared for an upcoming test. Instead, please encourage them to try more interactive approaches, like completing practice tests or using flash cards. Asking your child to review questions and have them provide short essay-style explanations aloud can also be a great strategy to make sure they truly understand the material. Writing drafts and having them conference by their teacher is often beneficial.
5. Avoid cramming.
Studying a subject every day is much better for long-term retention than studying for a more extended period in a single day. Help your child structure a study schedule that will allow them to space out their practice on different subjects—as little as 10 minutes of practice a day can help! Encouraging your child to break up their studying with smart breaks is also essential. Taking a 15-minute break once every hour can work wonders on keeping them focused and productive.
6. Teach your child to ask for help.
Perhaps your child is struggling to understand a specific lesson in a particular subject or doesn't quite understand the night's homework assignment. When this is the case (and it happens to everyone at some point or another), asking for help is key. Another important lesson is teaching your child how to build effective working relationships with their teachers and ask their peers for help.
7. Avoid distraction.
Teach your child to put their mobile phone away and turn off all other devices that may be distracting while studying. Listening to music can also serve as a distraction and a bad habit. Your child needs to learn to focus without noise, as their exams are completed silently. Multi-tasking also takes away from learning, so encourage your child to focus on a single subject for a sustained period before moving on to another subject.
8. Maintaining Healthy sleeping habits
Ensure that your child has healthy sleeping and eating habits to maximise their focus and make the most of time spent studying. Many adolescents are sleep-deprived, which impacts their day-to-day functioning. Inadequate sleep can affect their moods, behaviour, cognitive ability, and academic performance. Television viewing, gaming, internet usage, and chatting on the mobile are all stimulating activities that cause sleep deprivation. Monitor your child's use of technology and avoid having items in the bedroom.
For more detailed information regarding tips for parents, please follow the hyperlink provided below:
Practical tips for helping your child through exams
Raising my children has given me insight into our youth's problems. I can relate to parents' struggles and highly recommend the above-mentioned tips. The best we can offer our children is a happy, supportive home where they feel nurtured and loved.
This is a busy and stressful period for students striving to reach their ambitions and goals. Supporting them at home is crucial to their wellbeing and success, but their happiness is ultimately the most important factor. The internet is full of suggestions to help us along the journey. Here are a few more links:
https://www.goconqr.com/en/examtime/blog/12-study-tips-to-achieve-your-goals-in-2018/
I want to remind parents and students that time is moving quickly, and planning for the upcoming examinations should be well underway. Students in Year 12 or Year 11 who are completing units 3/4 subjects should be prepared by completing past examination papers. The October trial exams will be a good indication of their subject knowledge.
I wish all students every success.
Pier Bourne
VCE Programs Leader