Teaching and Learning

SEAL & High Achievers

Model students at the Model U.N. 

Our enthusiastic Year 9 SEAL class headed off to Dromana College on Friday 1st September to participate in the Model United Nations Program. This is a simulation of the United Nations, where students assume the roles of delegates and are asked to represent a country and the country's interest in a specific topic. This year the topic was the Responsibility to Protect.

This cross-curricular initiative enabled our cohort to draw upon their knowledge from humanities and sharpen their speaking and listening skills in English classes to prepare for this challenging excursion. It was so wonderful to hear about the enrichment opportunities provided to students as they developed their abilities in conducting research, thinking critically, and extending their literacy skills. Congratulations to all of the delegates and a big thank you to Ms. Julia Vogel and Ms. Amy Hirth who went on the excursion and supported our students to achieve such wonderful outcomes. 

Victorian High Ability Program - Term 4

Selected students and their parents/carers have been contacted about the upcoming VHAP course. This enrichment program is offered in Term 4 to students who have been selected by the Department of Education based on data that indicated high ability in the domains of English and Mathematics. This program will focus on tasks that stimulate students’ critical thinking, problem solving and creativity – enriching their understanding of these subject areas. Invited Year 7 and 8 students will receive more information about this shortly. 

Any questions should be directed to laura.washington@education.vic.gov.au   

Ms Laura Washington - Gifted Education

                             It's that time of the Year!

Exam Revision and Study Tips

Note Taking Strategy – the 50% Rule

The 50% rule involves re-writing your notes by halving the number of pages each time. Through repetition and being forced to ‘chunk’ ideas together, you will begin to remember the content better. An added benefit is that you will produce a set of summary notes. 

• Copy 1 – Your first set of notes for a unit or topic.
• Copy 2 – Summarise your notes to be half (50%) as long. Keep all the main ideas but be concise.
• Copy 3 – Summarise Copy 2 to be half (50%) as long. Focus on just the absolute most important points, you may have key terms, definitions and examples.
• Copy 4 – Summarise Copy 3 to be half (50%) as long. At this stage you may just have a CONCEPT MAP - key words, symbols, pictures and colours. 

How Should I Use My Revision Time?

• Revise the content
  • Complete your Notes Tables
  • Use the 50 % rule to create summary notes
    • Aim to create a 1-page summary for each Area of Study!
  • Create flashcards/ quizzlets / booklets or have a friend test your knowledge
• Practice exam questions
  • Aim to complete the practice question for each key knowledge 
  • Complete at least 1 whole practice exam open book, with no time limit
  • Repeat if you are still not confident with the content
  • Complete at least 1 whole practice exam closed book, with strict time limit (even if you have to break the exam into manageable time parts)
• Any exam is good practice but the BEST ones are past VCAA exams. You will be able to access examiner reports and high scoring responses:

    https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/vce-assessment/past-examinations/Pages/index.aspx

• Get feedback from the teacher!
  • Schedule at least one session to get feedback 1:1 from the teacher

General Study Tips

• Use the Pomodoro Technique – 1) pick a task 2) set a 25-minute timer 3) work until time’s up 4) set a timer and take a 5-minute break 5) every 4 pomodoros, take a longer break
• Set up your study space – quiet, comfortable, well lit. Try using walls to put up mindmaps and other visual aids
• Create a study calendar and daily study schedule
• Connect with peers, make study groups
• Eat right, sleep right, exercise regularly

Goal Setting

Setting goals for your study is an important way to keep yourself accountable. Your goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound).

Example Goals: 

• I will complete a 1-page summary sheet for each Area of Study (4x pages total)
• I will complete one practice question for each dot point in U3 AOS1
• I will email the teacher with practice questions twice.

Set a goal now for each subject on how you will use your 2-week study break before Term 4:

Study Timetable

Exam Tips

Reading time

• Identify task words and any ‘tricky” parts of the question eg.  Look for plurals
• Identify which questions have Source material. Read the Source material for paragraphs that relate to the questions
• Practice reading time under timed conditions by reading and planning for 15 minutes each time you first look at a practice exam

Planning for most exams

• Spend 1 minute dot point planning your structure & ideas for extended (8-10 mark) questions

Time Management

• Manage your time. For example, in Business Management you have 1.6 minutes per mark. Keep an eye on the clock when you start each question. When the time runs out, MOVE ON. 
  • Come back later if you have time at the end
• If you aren’t sure about a question MOVE ON to one you can answer confidently
  • Come back later if you have time at the end
• Develop a strategy for how you will approach the exam
  • Do you prefer to start on the 10 mark? Or the Part B questions? Or go start to finish?
  • Find a strategy that works for you, by trialing different strategies in timed practice exams

Writing

• Use PARAGRAPHS to make it easy for the examiner to see the structure of your answer
• Use topic sentence and sentence starters like “Firstly”, “On the other hand”, “Overall” etc. 
• If there is Source Material then you MUST refer (LINK) to the Source Material in your answer
• The line allocation is a guide for how much space you should need
• If you use the extra space, label it clearly.

Mr Mark Fernandez - PLC and Professional Learning Leader