Student Resources

Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.

 Tips on surviving year 12 for Parents

Concentration Tips

Note Taking Techniques

Some Good Study Links

Stress Reduction Tips

Test Taking Strategies

Writing Research Paper Guide

Tips on Surviving Year 12 for Parents 

Here are some simple and effective hints and tips you can do that will help your teenager move through Year 12 more smoothly.

You don't need to be an expert on education to help them through, you just need to be involved and support them.

What can you do?

• Have a contact at the school who knows your child - let them know you care about your child's progress.
• Know what options your child realistically has.
• Feed them plenty of fresh, nutritious meals.
• Monitor their health, both physical and emotional.
• Help them organise their time.
• Get extra academic support if they need it.
• Keep the home as harmonious as practical.
• Allow them to opt out of home duties when they need to.
• Keep the communication channels open all year.

Encourage your child to:

• Keep up to date with assignments.
• Seek help when they need it - that's what teachers are for!
• Change subjects early if the need arises.
• Be organised and to draw up a study timetable.
• Eat sensibly and keep playing sport.
• Get enough sleep.
• Have realistic goals.
• Have a fallback option if the first choice of course or university isn't possible.

Create a study plan

• List all the activities your child is involved in.
• Work out how much study time is needed - some kids need more than others.
• Break the day into appropriate time spans.
• Include sleep, meals and travel time.
• Schedule in free time for watching TV or socialising.
• Allow for breaks and exercise.
• Expect differences for weekdays and weekends.
• Make sure the plan is flexible and workable.

Tips on planning

• Students should aim to get up and go to bed at about the same time all week.
• Time slots are flexible and will depend on the activities and priorities of the week, for example, allow for music concerts, movies, other sport or school commitments. Socialising can still be part of life!

We have provided study plan timetable templates to help get you started!

• Template 1 (BLANK)
• Template 2
  
• Template 3

Published in Notebook Magazine

Issue: February 2007

Concentration Tips

The art or practice of concentration is to eliminate distraction and focus on the task at hand. If you find that you read through material and suddenly discover that you have no idea about what you've just read, or if you attend lectures and have difficulty paying attention to what is being said, these tips may help:

• Stick to a routine, efficient study schedule
• Study in a quiet environment
• For a study break, do something different from what you've been doing (e.g., walk around if you've been sitting), and in a different area
• Avoid daydreaming by asking yourself questions about the material as you study it
• Before lectures, look over the notes of the previous lecture and read the course material pertaining to the lecture so that you can anticipate the main ideas that the instructor will cover
• Show outward interest during lectures (attentive expression and posture) to self-motivate internal interest
• Resist distractions by sitting in front of the room away from disruptive classmates and by focusing on the instructor through listening and note taking

J. R. Hayes, The Complete Problem Solver, Franklin Institute Press, 1981

Note Taking Techniques

The most comprehensive note taking systems require attention on your part. You must be alert enough in class to take legible, meaningful notes. You can't rely on "writing everything down" because a lot of information in a given lecture won't help you actually learn the material. If you have problems determining the specific relevant points in a particular class, you can always ask the professor to clarify them for you.

The 2-6 Method: The 2-6 refers to the way you divide the space on your notepaper. Make two columns, using the red line on the left of the page as your border. Then, when you take notes in class, use the 6 column for the notes and the smaller 2 column on the left as a highlighting system. Write main headings and important points on the left, including material you think you will be tested on. When you're finished, you should have a comprehensive page of information that you can quickly scan for important points. Studying is 99% perspiration; if you give it a real, concentrated effort over the course of a semester you will see an improvement. Your academic success is entirely up to you.

By George Mason University

• Split Page Method
  Class lectures and your textbook--they're the primary sources of course content and you need to learn both. So combine them with the split page method of taking notes. Just divide your notebook page in half lengthwise. Draw a line down the middle of the page. Take class notes on one side of the page and outline the text on the other side. When you study you'll have both. Class notes and text together, integrated. Some students find it helpful to add a third column for questions they need to ask the professor.

By Sherry Reynolds

• Using Group Notes
  Are you tired of struggling to keep up with a lecture while copying page after page of notes in class? My advice? Don't take the notes -- at least not every day. Instead, form a group with some of your classmates and take turns taking good class notes. When it's not your day to be the note-taker, really concentrate on what is being said in class. You might want to jot down a few particularly important points, but mostly try to participate in class. Ask questions when you can't understand the point your teacher is trying to get across, and score points by answering questions your teacher asks. After class you can either photocopy the notes from your classmate, or better yet, copy them over by hand while reviewing in your mind what happened in class.

By Fred Weening

• Secrets to Taking Better Notes
  As a writer for Edinboro University and its Alumni News magazine, I spend a lot of time interviewing people. A key interviewing skill is taking good notes--a skill that is just as valuable in the classroom. There is no magic to taking good notes, just common sense. It's simply a matter of being thorough and accurate. Now, not many people can write fast enough to capture everything their professor says in class, so it is a good idea to also use a tape recorder. That way you won't miss something while you write, and you can double-check the tape for accuracy. Whether you use a recorder or not, it's important to transcribe your notes as soon as possible while the subject is still fresh in your mind. By re-writing or re-typing your notes, you become more familiar with the material. You mentally reinforce what was said in class. And you get practice writing the information, making it easier to write the material a second time whether it be for a test or a term paper.

By Brian Pitzer

• Noteworthy Notes
  Are your grades as good as you want them to be? Are your notes worth reviewing? Notes are phrases and abbreviations that we hurriedly jot down while trying to follow a lecture. Later, when we go back to review our notes, there are times when we can't seem to understand or remember what those key words and phrases meant; sometimes we can't even read our own handwriting. Here is a note-taking study tip that has proven to be effective. After you have finished class, immediately rush to the nearest computer lab and retype your notes. You need to rewrite those phrases as complete thoughts and sentences; dot your I's, cross your T's and use "cut and paste" to put your notes into some type of a logical sequence. While retyping your notes you are using several modalities: you review as you read your notes aloud, you use your hand to type, and you reread again as you proof read what you have typed. Research indicates that 80% of new material can be recalled if you review notes within the first 24 hours of presentation. Also, clean typed notes are easier to read and highlight as you study. If you retype your notes daily, you will keep the task from becoming overwhelming, you will learn good study habits that aid in memory retention and, at the same time, improve your grades.

By Janet Jenkins

• Attend Class
  The most important advice I can give to you is to make sure you attend your classes. Attendance in class enhances the chance you'll get a passing grade in a course. In addition to attending class, it is important to brush up on your note-taking skills to really achieve optimum success. Some general recommendations for improving note-taking skills are to:
  • Read all textbook material relevant to the topic being covered prior to attending class.
  • Make sure you take notes in class. If you fail to take notes, much of what you learn from the lecture will be forgotten in a few days. If you have something written down on paper, you can always refer to the material later.
  • Ask professors who lecture too fast if you can tape record their lecture. You'll generally find that many professors are willing to assist you in your efforts to gain as much from their lecture as possible.

By attending class and utilizing the note-taking techniques just described, your chances for success in college will increase significantly.

By Kiran Misra

• Prepare for the lecture
  The greatest advantage is that

1.       you are familiar with the subject

2.       you know what to ask

3.       you are not going to waste time by writing down stuff that is already there in your study material. Rather, you know what to write, where to pick links and to clear your concepts.

By the time the lecture is over, you are in a much clearer state of mind. This way, taking down notes becomes more meaningful and worth the time you spent doing it.

By Ms. Sreelatha Anand

• Use Colors
  This may take a little bit longer but it will work. Just give it a chance. When you are taking notes change the color of your pen! Don't write in blue or black ink. Writing in color will help you retain 50% - 80% more of the infomation without reading it a second time (also highlight in purple). I am a teacher of adult education and this is the rule for my class room

Some Good Study Links