From the Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning, Ms Elizabeth Watson

Term 3 Preparations for Trial Examinations

The following information was provided to students at the Year 12 meeting during Period 1 this morning:

• Approach the upcoming break with the mindset that this is three weeks of study leave, rather than three weeks of holiday
• Adam Hegedus (College Dux 2015) – Facilitating HSC tips and motivational workshop plus morning tea: Week 1, Wednesday 20 July
• Year 12 Parent Teacher interview evening: Week 1, Wednesday 20 July
• HSC Stress Management incursion: Week 1, Friday 29 July
• Year meeting: Week 1 HSC Trials Protocols, Ms Porter and Ms Knowles
• HSC Trials: Week 2, 1 – 15 August inclusive
• Post-HSC Trials Skills session with Prue Salter: Week 6, Wednesday 24 August
• College Library is open for Senior students Monday – Friday of the break (8am – 4pm)
• Dr Salter’s Study Skills 
• • https://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au
  • Username: forwaverleycollegeonly
  • Password: 94results
• Access to Edrolo and ATOMI online platforms for most subjects. The video clips are excellent guides to help revise syllabus dot points and strengthen understanding of key topics.

Active Study

• Adopt a wide range of study techniques
• One of the biggest mistakes students make is just to read their notes over and over, and hope it sticks in their head
• Read your notes out loud – verbalising responses is a high-impact strategy that helps with cognitive load
• Written summaries rather than typed
• Paraphrase concepts into your own words 
• Use of mind maps, tree diagrams and colours (not excessive)
• Do as many revision questions, quizzes and past exam papers as possible
• Reference the syllabus dot points
• Ask your parents/siblings/friends to quiz you on content using your summary notes/text/syllabus dot points

Handwriting advice

We know that Trial and HSC examinations require candidates to write quickly and legibly. An average student ought to be able to write in the vicinity of 2,500 words in a two-hour examination. It is essential that you build your handwriting capacity and stamina, if you are to produce work under examination conditions that reflects your ability and knowledge.

I recently read an article by a physiotherapist who said that attaching weights or batteries to the end of a pen in the weeks leading up to an examination, is unlikely to be efficacious, but that regularly writing using pen and paper for the next three months is the only way to develop this critical motor skill.

Lifestyle and balance

– self care – healthy eating – exercise – recreation – sleep – study

• The most successful students are those with a healthy lifestyle and good balance in their lives
• Healthy eating and access to healthy snacks, fruit/ veggies cut up ready to eat, rather than processed packet snacks
• Drinking plenty of water, rather than sugary, caffeinated drinks 
• Regular exercise, practising mindfulness, and most importantly, getting enough sleep (amount needed varies, but the average is around eight hours)
• We need solid, sufficient sleep for the brain to re-wire neural pathways, to consolidate the day’s learning – lack of sleep can lead to reduced concentration and attention span, delayed response time, and decreased short-term memory
• It is also important that you have time to do the things you enjoy, spend time with family and friends, and also have ‘down time’ just to relax

Staying Motivated

Studying can be a hard slog, sometimes a little tedious or dull. Staying motivated can be as simple as:

• going for a walk
• a change of scenery, mixing up your study environment by going to different libraries, eg State Library of NSW, our College Library, University Of NSW Library etc.
• creating a study group 
• understanding what motivates you and committing to it.

Study Guides

Students have been emailed Study Guides and holiday planners today. These are in the links below.

>>> Click here to view Study Guides Year 12 June and July 2022.

>>> Click here to view the Holiday Planner Checklist.

>>> Click here to view the Holiday Study Planner.

 

Ms Elizabeth Watson

Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning

E: ewatson@waverley.nsw.edu.au