Careers and Pathways

As Year 12s are heading into their external exams, it is an excellent time to think about study skills and habits. This is pertinent information for all students, not just Year 12s. 

Forgetting and retaining

Ebbinghaus was a German psychologist who studied memory. He discovered the forgetting curve, which looks at the decline of memory retention. It showed that forgetting occurs most rapidly shortly after you stop learning a subject. The greatest loss is within a few hours. After that, the speed you forget gradually slows down as time goes on. Click the below button for more information about the forgetting curve. 

Two strategies for memory retention are:

• Better memory representation (e.g. mnemonic techniques) – Coming up with a song is a commonly used mnemonic technique. An example is how children remember their ABCs. Other types include names, expressions, models, odes, note organisation, images, connections and spellings. An example of using a name as a mnemonic is Roy G Biv (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) to remember the colours of the rainbow.
• Repetition based on active recall (especially spaced repetition) – When learning new information, spacing out revision sessions over time makes items easier to remember. It is more effective to do your revision over many weeks rather than the night before the exam. Plan your review of material to start the first day after it is acquired, a second time about a week after that and finally a few weeks later. This is what you do in the revision part of homework. Active recall means that you test yourself following each revision session.

Study smarter, not harder

UQ has put together some study skills for their students that can be useful for Year 11 and 12 students. Check them out using the button below, including general study skills, exam tips and assignment writing.

Surviving Year 12

Beyond Blue has written a fact sheet for parents of Year 12 students. In Term 4, Year 11 students will embark on their first pieces of Year 12 assessment, so effectively, Year 12 is beginning for them. However, much of the information in the fact sheet is relevant to all students, including having a conducive workspace, finding a balance between study and other pursuits and managing expectations.