Middle Years 

Our Year 7, 8 and 9 students are preparing for the examinations that commence in two weeks.  The exam timetable has been provided to students this week. This is the first opportunity for our Year 7 students to sit formal internal testing and we are encouraging the students to focus not only on results, but also the examination process.  We have encouraged students to thoroughly revise their notes and review past tests.  Teachers are starting to deliver revision lessons, which allow core topics and learning to be reviewed and reinforced. 

During the sitting of examinations, we are encouraging students to develop the following techniques:

• Arrive at the examination room in good time, with the appropriate equipment.
• Follow the instructions on the paper very carefully.
• Read the paper thoroughly during the allocated reading time. 
• Read the questions carefully to ensure that your answers are thorough.
• Be aware of the timing of each section of the exam and use all the time available to you.

The examinations are not only an opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning but to also gain practice performing within a limited time frame in preparation for the Senior Years and beyond.  We see this as an essential learning opportunity for our Middle Years students. I would encourage all students to approach their exams with a growth mindset, and here is a summary for parents and students

Approach your exams with a growth mindset.

Dr. Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University and author of the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, studies mindset in children. She believes children are similar to adults in that they have one of two possible mindsets—a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Growth mindset students recognise that people aren’t ‘smart’ or ‘dumb’, that there are no talented geniuses; only hard-working people who have chosen to take their abilities to the next level.

Carol Dweck’s research shows that students’ beliefs about intelligence play an important role in their school achievement, engagement, and happiness. She said “We found that students’ mindsets—how they perceive their abilities—played a key role in their motivation and achievement, and we found that if we changed students’ mindsets, we could boost their achievement. Students who believed their intelligence could be developed (a growth mindset) outperformed those who believed their intelligence was fixed (a fixed mindset).”

8 tips for promoting a growth mindset in kids:

1. Help students understand that the brain works like a muscle, that can only grow through hard work, determination, and lots and lots of practice.
2. Don’t tell students they are smart, gifted, or talented, since this implies that they were born with the knowledge and does not encourage effort and growth.
3. Let children know when they demonstrate a growth mindset.
4. Praise the process. It’s effort, hard work, and practice that allow them to achieve their true potential.
5. Don’t praise the results. Test scores and rigid ways of measuring learning and knowledge limit the growth that would otherwise be tapped.
6. Embrace failures and mis-steps. Students sometimes learn the most when they fail. Let them know that mistakes are a big part of the learning process. There is nothing like the feeling of struggling through a very difficult problem, only to finally break through and solve it! The harder the problem, the more satisfying it is to find the solution.
7. Encourage participation and collaborative group learning. You learn best when they are immersed in a topic and allowed to discuss and advance with their peers.
8. Encourage competency-based learning. Get students excited about subject matter by explaining why it is important and how it will help them in the future. The goal should never be to get the ‘correct’ answer, but to understand the topic at a fundamental, deep level, and want to learn more.

http://yourbrainhealth.com.au/8-ways-to-encourage-a-growth-mindset-in-kids/

Transition from Primary to Secondary School - Be You.

If you have a son or daughter about to start their transition, I recommend reading the information on be Be You website. 

https://beyou.edu.au/fact-sheets/development/transition-from-primary-to-secondary

Mrs Julia Winter Cooke

Head of Middle Years