Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

 

The heart of my work is coaching VCE teachers to further develop their practice so that all of our students can achieve their personal best. Another focus of my role is to further develop the study skills of our Yr 10-12 students which is what I want the focus of my editorial to be today.

 

Year 12 Students

Our Year 12 students have only 7 weeks of content time left before they move into the revision phase of their studies in preparation for exams. This is a very stressful time for these students so checking in with them and their teachers is incredibly important, not only for their outcomes but their wellbeing. We have Parent Teacher Interviews coming up on Wednesday 28 August and taking this last chance to meet with your students’ teachers about their progress and their next steps is essential.

 

On that note, Year 12 Practice Exams will begin on  16 September. Students have recently completed an Elevate session on the best techniques to assist them in preparing for their exams. The crux of the session was that students were encouraged to complete practice exams, identify areas of weakness, seek help from their teachers, finish their study notes at least 3 weeks prior to exams, and create study groups to assist them in their understanding of the content. Study is in addition to homework that teachers are already setting, so students should be regularly reviewing their notes and beginning to complete practice exams on the content they have already covered at this stage.

 

Year 11 Students

Our Year 11 students have only 12 weeks of content left before they too move into the revision phase of their studies in preparation for their practice exams in November. This year, we have changed the format of Year 11 study periods so that each class of students has their own room and a teacher supervising them during this time. Students are expected to be completing study and homework in these four sessions per fortnight. It is an excellent opportunity for these students to have quiet focused time to complete their study. Having a quiet environment where students can study and complete practice pieces is an important element in preparing students for exams. They should replicate this at home by ensuring that they have a dedicated area for study that is quiet and distraction free. Studies have shown that students who study in a quiet environment will have better results in their exams as they are completed in a similar setting.

 

Year 10 Students

Our Year 10 students have only recently entered into their second semester and are settling into their new subjects. They also have only 12 weeks of content left before they too move into the revision phase of their studies in preparation for their practice exams in November. A compulsory element of the Year 10 course is Industry and Enterprise. So far this year students have completed Outcome 1 and 2 of their studies and have completed work experience. The participation in work experience enabled students to gain a valuable insight into what their day-to-day life might be like in a career of their choosing, which will hopefully assist them when completing Course Counselling this week.

 

This term students will be completing Outcome 3 of Industry and Enterprise which will enable them to look at issues within the workplace and how they might resolve them. Students will be completing a SAC on Wednesday 21st of August to demonstrate their understanding of this outcome. After this, we will be moving into working with students on building their study skills in the lead up to exams.

 

Finally, all students can benefit from developing good study habits and homework routines as early as possible. Talk with your students about how they are forming these habits and speak to the teachers about how they can best form these habits.

 

Amy Webber

Learning Specialist – VCE Achievement