Managing a difficult relationship with a teacher

It’s approaching that time of year when you’ll be finding out which classes you’ll be doing next year. This is mostly cause for excitement – new topics, new classes, new friends to make, and new teachers to meet. However, what happens if you find out that you have a teacher you clash with or you don’t learn well from?

Your first reaction might be to switch to a different class. If there are multiple classes, this could be a good idea. However, if this will result in lots of changes to your timetable, this switch may not be worth it.

If there’s only one option for the class, I would not recommend switching subjects. It’s not worth dropping a subject because of the teacher. You don’t want to miss out on a possible career path when there are ways to deal with the situation.

If you’re in a classroom with a teacher you clash with, try not to react negatively to things they say. As much as students may protest, a classroom is not a democracy, and fighting with a teacher will most likely end badly for you. Learn to take a few deep breaths and keep your mouth shut if you’re feeling irritated.

Even if you don’t like the teacher, you can still focus on the schoolwork. Throw yourself into doing work in that class – you can be the silent person at the back of the class who surprises everyone with your great work!

If you feel like your teacher isn’t teaching the subject very well, it could be a good idea to find a tutor. Tutors will explain things in different ways, and you’ll receive one-on-one attention in the areas in which you need targeted help.

You can also create a study group with your friends in a free period or after school to go over what you are learning (or think you should be learning) in class. This way everyone can contribute their own understanding of the topic, and you can collaboratively revise.

Even if you feel like your teacher isn’t teaching in a way you’d like, they have access to a lot of great resources. Ask them for different practice exams and revision questions so that you can see a variety of questions and ways the topics may be presented to you. Also remember that the VCAA website has a lot of great resources for you.

Make technology your friend!

During school, technology can be a huge distraction. It might feel like there’s always someone on your back telling you to get off your phone and go and study. A lot of us know the feeling of saying “I’ll just check Facebook” and then somehow it’s 2 hours later and you haven’t accomplished anything.

Social media isn’t inherently bad, though. It’s a great way to communicate with your friends, and maintaining good relationships when you’re studying is really important. It’s especially great for any friends you don’t go to school with. Social media can also be really fun, and a great way to relax.

If you find social media and everything else that’s out there on the internet is too much of a distraction when you’re trying to study, you’re going to need some ways to manage this.

If you think you have a certain level of self-control, you can probably switch your phone onto silent (completely silent – no vibrations!) and hide it in a cupboard for an hour or two while you do some homework.

It can also be a good idea to sit your phone in a different room while you study – maybe have it charging in the kitchen when you’re doing homework in your bedroom.

If you don’t have this level of self-control, ask someone you trust (maybe one of your parents) to keep your phone with them for an hour while you do some study.

We also need to remember that technology can be really useful when we’re studying. The internet is an amazing resource, so it’s entirely understandable if you have your laptop open while you’re doing some work. However, sometimes it feels like an automatic response to just open Facebook when you get stuck for a minute.

If you struggle to stay off social media, there are plenty of apps that can help you. They block certain websites for an amount of time that you set, so that you can get some work done. Here are some apps you could try: SelfControl, Cold Turkey, and Facebook Limiter.

There are so many useful websites out there that can help you study, as well. You could download audiobooks if you can’t quite manage to read your novel one more time, find flashcards on Quizlet, or watch some TED talks to broaden your knowledge.

Should you have a part-time job while you're studying?

There are many reasons why you might want to have a part-time job while you’re still at school. However, you should think hard about this decision and make sure it’s the right one for you. For some students, they don’t have a choice about whether they have a job while they’re studying – they might need to support themselves or their family – so read our tips on the pros and cons of having a part-time job and also managing your time effectively while you’re working and studying.

Why is it a good idea to have a job?

• Earning money of your own is really exciting! Making decisions about what to spend your own money on is a great way to increase your feeling of independence.

• Having a certain amount of money coming in each week or fortnight is also a great way to learn how to budget. It helps you make decisions about what to spend money on, and you can learn principles around responsible money management.

• Having the first job on your resume will also be great for any future job you apply for. Make sure you stay on good terms with your boss or manager when you leave so that you can ask them to be a reference!

• Even if your job is relatively unskilled, you’ll still learn really important workplace skills. You’ll certainly learn about teamwork, compromise, following instructions, taking initiative, showing leadership, and even master simple things like organising your life so you get to work on time with a clean uniform on!

Why might you not want to have a job when you’re studying?

• There is no doubt that having a job while you’re at school takes time out of other areas of your life. You’ll have less time to study and spend with your friends and family, and if you play a sport, it’s quite possible that you won’t have much extra time to work. Though this can be a challenge for some, see if you can overcome this by finding a job that will let you do just one or two shifts a week at regular times. This will make it easier to plan around your life.

• Young workers are often exploited more than older workers. This is because, if it’s your first job, you’re less likely to know all the workplace rules and regulations, and often you may be seen as ‘cheap labour.’ You can do your best to manage this issue by doing lots of research before you agree to start a job. This could be in the areas of minimum wage, the difference between part-time and casual, and the award for your industry. This website could be a good starting place.

How to manage your important study time when you’re working

• Make schedules of when you’re going to get things done. Stick to the schedule.

• Ask your manager or supervisor if it’s possible to have a set number of hours or a set time for your shifts each week. This will help you to plan your life better.

• Let your employers know that school is important to you. Most workplaces will be considerate of your desire to succeed at school, and give you shifts accordingly.

• If you’re working to support yourself during school, or you have to support your family, make sure you know what support you’re entitled to from the government. You can find out here.

Staying motivated for your last exam

When you have a number of exams spread across a couple of weeks it can be easy to get burnt out and stop studying for the last one or two. You might feel like you’ve put all your energy into your first two exams, and you don’t have enough energy to keep up your studying stamina for another week.

However, it’s quite possible your strongest subject is coincidentally at the end of the exam period. Remember that almost all your subjects are weighted equally, so all the exams are important!

Here are some tips on how you can stop yourself getting burnt out and tired during the exam period.

Make a schedule

Write up a schedule of what you want to get done every day between now and the end of exams. Be specific about what you’re going to get done, for example, “Chemistry: 2014 VCAA exam”. Make your study goals realistic, but also make sure you’re working hard. This is the last time you’ll have to study for these subjects, so put in your best effort!

In terms of making your goals realistic, don’t convince yourself that you’re going to get up at 7 am and study consistently until 8 pm, with one break for lunch. You might be able to do this for one day, but it’s not a sustainable study method.

Set yourself up for productive study

When it gets close to exams, it might feel like a good idea to go all out and start cramming and studying crazy hours. However, if you have a long exam period, this is unsustainable. When you’re studying, you need to make sure you’re taking regular short breaks, like going for a 15-minute walk, so that you can keep working.

Keep your phone away from your study area, and only check it during your breaks. This is especially true if some of your friends have finished their exams and have forgotten that you’re still in exam mode.

When you relax, really relax

It can be easy to get caught up in total exam mode and forget how to relax. However, when you’re taking a break from study, do your best to completely switch off from it. Schedule in relaxation times, which could be something like watching your favourite TV show, going for a swim, or catching up with a friend (and promising not to talk about study!)

If you have a really long break before your last exam and you’re feeling prepared, it might even be a good idea to schedule a whole day off. You could get out of the house and take yourself out for lunch or to see a movie, or stay home and chill out all day. This is a good way to recharge the batteries and feel refreshed before diving back in to studying.

Look after yourself

You’ll get burnt out even more quickly if you’re not looking after your body. Make sure you’re getting lots of sleep and eating regular meals.

It’s also a good idea to have some of your study breaks involve exercise. Exercise gives you endorphins, which will help you feel good, and it will also mean you sleep better. If you’re sitting down at a desk all day, sometimes your body isn’t tired enough to sleep well at night. Exercise can help with this problem.

The importance of resilience

Resilience is an important skill to have, but it’s one a lot of us struggle with. When something bad happens, it can feel insurmountable and prevent us concentrating on anything else for the rest of the day.

There are a number of issues you might face during school that will test your resilience, such as getting a bad mark, fighting with a friend or family member, feeling like you’re not getting anywhere in your studies, or having no idea what you want to do when you finish school.

Resilience helps us overcome the more difficult times in our life and helps us work through our problems in a reasonable way. We won’t all be successful all the time, so it’s important to be able to deal with the big or small things life throws at us.

You might say something like “I’m just not very good at dealing with my problems” or “I often overreact”. But resilience is not only based on our personality and characteristics. It’s also influenced by contextual factors, such as having a great support network and stable accommodation and finances. While you might not have the power to change these factors, there are some things you can do to improve your resilience.

Improving your resilience is not a quick fix – it requires long-term effort, and you might not improve straight away.

When something bad happens, you want to be able to think things through clearly. Try to take the time to engage with your problems rationally, rather than reacting emotionally. You can also think the problem through and analyse whether it’s really as bad as you think. If your brain immediately jumps to catastrophic situations, see if you can create an alternative scenario in your head. One thing I like to do is think, “Will this problem matter tomorrow? In one month? What about in a year?” This can help put some things into perspective.

When something unpleasant happens, you can also try to take action. Some people become paralysed by their problems, and find that when something goes wrong, they react by doing nothing. While you should certainly stop and think about what’s happened, you should also try to take some kind of action to overcome or work around the issue, and learn some strategies to boost your resilience to the situation.

You can also work on some things over a longer period of time that will help you to develop strategies for promoting resilience and developing self-awareness of your emotions and how you react. Start by reading this information page from Kids Helpline. Use the strategies listed as a starting point to digging deeper into how they might be able to help you. A great place to start is by asking someone you respect how he or she copes. Asking someone you have a strong connection with is a good place to start, because often how they deal with situations should resonate with you.

Learning to accept change as a normal part of life can help you adjust to different situations and problems more easily. Learning to become more optimistic by keeping a positive view of yourself and the world around you also helps you move on from small problems.

It’s also a good idea to practice self-care so that when something testing does happen, you are better equipped to deal with it. This includes things like sleeping well, eating healthily, getting some exercise, maintaining positive relationships, or even something small like having a bath or reading a book.

When uneasy things do happen, take the time to reflect on what happened and how you dealt with it. Even if you didn’t react in a way you would like to repeat, you can learn from that mistake. If you got a bad mark and reacted by ignoring that subject altogether, you can start fresh today by choosing to study that subject. If you had a fight with a friend, you can learn from the situation by thinking what you wouldn’t do next time you’re in a similar situation.

It’s also important to remember that even though being resilient and looking out for yourself is a great skill to have, you should also ask for help if you need it. Your family, friends and school will provide assistance if you’re struggling. Or you can seek advice from Kids Helpline by calling 1800 55 1800.

The best way to prepare for your exams

Authors: Maria & Chris

There unfortunately is no quick fix when it comes to acing your end of year exams. The simple fact is that the best way to prepare is to do lots of practice and, just as importantly, to take your practice exams seriously.

If you’re sitting practice exams at school, do not waste the opportunity to test your skills in an environment similar to what you will experience on the day. After all, you’ll be sitting your real exams at school, so try to make it a practice run for the real thing. Prepare for them as well as you can within the time remaining. Rehearsing your exam day a number of times at school is a good way to control your nerves on the big day (although a little bit of stress can give you adrenaline!) And even though it is just practice, don’t leave early – you can never read over your work too many times, and there’s always something else you can have a go at!

But to set yourself up for success you really should also be doing practice exams at home. Responding to a wide variety of questions is a great way to be prepared for whatever the exam may throw at you. Past exams are available on the VCAA website. You should also be able to access some different exams from your teacher.

When you sit practice exams at home, it’s important to practice them within the same conditions you will be under, including sticking to the time limit. It’s no use being able to answer all the questions on the exam in seven hours – you need to give it the best shot you can under a time constraint. Try not to become disheartened if it feels like you’ll never do everything under the time limit – you’ll get quicker and be able to include more detail with more practice.

Furthermore, try to complete your exam without the aid of study notes and textbooks. You won't have access to them on the day, so best you learn to wean yourself off them now. If you have done the preparation beforehand then this should be easy. If not, then you know you have a bit more work to do. The good news is that you still have time to prepare.

After you do a practice exam, it’s really important to go through it afterwards and see which bits you got wrong and which bits you can improve on. If you’re doing a VCAA exam, you absolutely should read the exam reports on the website – they not only have answers to the exam, but specific advice about what the examiners are looking for, and what a lot of students missed or consistently get wrong.

Practice makes perfect when it comes to acing your exams. By preparing to perform under exam conditions, both mentally and physically, you have the best chance to succeed on one of the biggest days of your life (no pressure of course!)

Choosing your VTAC preferences

As the date for submitting your VTAC preferences approaches, we want to give you some tips for making this choice. Selecting your VTAC preferences can feel intimidating. I think there are two main reasons why this might be scary.

1. What if I don’t get into any of the courses I choose?
2. What if I choose a course, and then when I start studying, I hate it?

But your VTAC preferences are not the last study or career choice you will ever make. If you’re still feeling unsure about your choices, don’t worry!

What if I don’t get into any of the courses I choose?

• Make sure you put a whole range of courses on your preference list. The first one or two should be your dream courses, even if you think there is no chance you’ll get into them. The body of your list should be ones you want that are realistic. Then make sure the last couple are courses you would still be happy to do, but which have entry requirements you’re pretty sure you can achieve.

• Your first round selections are not the ‘be all and end all.’ You can change your preferences once you know your ATAR. Learn about change of preference here. If you realise you did much better or much worse than you expected, you can change your course preferences so that you have some more realistic options.

• Put your courses in order of preference. This seems really obvious, but a lot of people put their preferences in order of highest ATAR to lowest ATAR, or some other method. However, the entrance score for a course can change from year to year. You never know exactly what you’ll get, so make sure you list the courses in the order you actually want them.

What if I choose a course, and then when I start studying, I hate it?

You won’t know exactly what a course is going to be like until you’re in it, but here are some things so you’ll have a better idea of what uni will be like.

• Be prepared. Find out as much as you can about all the courses you’re applying to. It’s best to be well-informed. You can tour universities to get a feel for them. You can read about courses on the university’s website. You can search the internet to see if current students are blogging or leaving reviews for their course or subjects. You can find out what subjects are offered within individual courses. You can look up what graduates from those courses are doing. Think about what’s important to you – it might be leaving university with a job, or leaving simply with an open mind.

• You can transfer between courses once you’re at university. If you hate your course, you can usually transfer to a different course at the same university. You might even get credit for the units you’ve already studied. I know someone who purposefully applied for a course she didn’t want, because she knew she would be able to get into it and then transfer to the course she did want. I also know someone who applied to a course she didn’t want, and then discovered that she loved it, and has changed her career path.

• University will be a bit difficult for at least the first semester. Once you start, try to separate your feelings about the social side of uni from your feelings about the academic side. The first semester can be lonely – you might not know many people, and you might have moved out of home for the first time. It’s harder to make friends than at school, as you don’t spend as much time with the same people. If you’re struggling to make friends, it’s totally normal, but feeling lonely doesn’t mean the same thing as hating your course.

Finally, the reality is that University isn’t for everyone. Success can often be measured in pretty confined terms – go to a “good” uni, get a “good” job, make lots of money. But your happiness is also really important. Measure success in terms of goals you set yourself, rather than ones other people set for you. Listen to people’s advice, but make up your own mind at the end of the day.

Overcoming Frustration

When you’re studying hard for a long period of time, you might start to feel burnt out and frustrated, and your workload might feel completely insurmountable.

Sometimes we may lament that “There is so much to do that I’ll never get it all done – I may as well do nothing”. This is understandable, but unhelpful in the long term. Instead, follow some of these tips so that you can find the drive to go on and overcome the frustration of feeling like you’re stuck in a rut.

• Set achievable goals. If you’re writing a list or thinking about what you want to achieve in a day, don’t expect too much from yourself. This isn’t an excuse to do one small task and call it a day, but you do need to set goals that you can reasonably achieve. Achieving every task you set yourself to do in a day gives you a great feeling of accomplishment. Setting achievable goals on a consistent basis will also prevent you from getting burnt out.

• Break work down into small chunks. If you know that you’re super behind in chemistry, try not to think about the enormous amount of work you need to do to catch up. Instead, you can break it into smaller sections and focus on completing one section at a time.

• Study in short blocks. Know the amount of time you can reasonably concentrate without a break – this might be one hour, for example. There’s no way you can concentrate for five hours straight. Schedule breaks throughout a study session, and don’t make your breaks longer than the scheduled time.

• Save your easiest tasks for the end of the day. When you’re tired after an hour or two of really good study, it can be tempting to completely switch off. But at the end of the day you could also quickly do a small task that isn’t too much of a mental strain. This could be some kind of repetitive task like revising vocabulary for your LOTE subject. The flipside to this is making sure you do your trickiest work at the beginning, when your mind is fresh.

• Make your study space a study sanctuary. I find that when I’m particularly unmotivated, it helps to make my study space as nice as possible. This makes it feel like somewhere I want to spend time. Light a scented candle. Put some flowers in a vase or move a houseplant into your space. Play some instrumental background music, if this isn’t too distracting for you. Make a special flavour of tea in your best cup.

• Look after yourself. Try to make your breaks positive. For a short break, make a fun, healthy snack, like a fruit and veggie smoothie. For a longer break, go for a walk, run or swim. If you’re studying in front of a screen, try not to take breaks in front of a screen as well.

• Remember that things will be better tomorrow. If you’re feeling frustrated or sad about your studies, remember that things will be better after a good night’s sleep. If you’re really not getting anything done, try to go to bed early.

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

If your body doesn’t stay healthy, it’s really hard to stay focused on your studies, as well as all the other things going on in your life. While we can’t prevent all illnesses coming our way, here are some tips you can follow to avoid getting sick, and looking after yourself if you do.

Before you get sick

There are some good things you can do to help build your immune system, making it less likely that you’ll get sick.

• Get enough sleep.
• Eat healthily, including lots of fruit and vegetables – they contain heaps of vitamins!
• Do regular exercise – maybe you could got for a walk, or play a team sport. Exercising will also help you sleep better.
• Avoid infections by washing your hands regularly.

There are some other things you can do that have been shown to increase immunity.

• Try not to be too stressed. This one seems counterintuitive to doing year 12, but in general, it's a really good idea to learn how to manage your stress as well as you can. You can help manage your stress by staying connected to important people in your life, practicing meditation, and getting more organised.
• Maintain strong relationships. There is some evidence that that staying connected to people can raise your immunity. Positive relationships with family and friends are good for your mind, at any rate, so try not to isolate yourself, even when you're studying hard. 

It’s also a good idea to prepare yourself for the fact that you might get sick at some point during year 12. There are some things you can do so that this will hit you less hard.

• Stay organised throughout the year where you can. If you unexpectedly get sick, you don't want this to completely throw a spanner in the works. Stay on top of everything as much as you can so that a couple of days in bed isn't going to set you back.
• Don't take on too much. It's important to learnt to say no to things – you probably won't be able to do every activity that comes your way, so choose the ones you think are the most important.
• Prioritise rest. Make sure you have scheduled times for chilling out in your week. This might mean that on Friday nights you stay home and don't study.

While you're sick

If you do get sick, there are some things you can do to try to recover.

• Rest! Get as much rest as you can. This will help you recover more quickly.
• If you feel up to it, go for a walk. You shouldn't do intense exercise, but going for a short walk to get some fresh air is a good idea. 
• Stay hydrated. This is good for you at all times, but particularly when you're sick (especially if you're taking cold and flu medication).
• Avoid making others sick! Cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze to avoid spreading germs and disease to other people. 

If being sick has affected your studies, make sure you talk to someone about it.

• Get a doctor's certificate if you miss important dates like a SAC. It's important to keep a record that you were sick so that you don't miss out on getting marks for a test.
• If you've been significantly unwell during year 12, it's possible you can apply for special consideration, which can assist you getting into uni if your illness has impacted on your studies. You can find more information about this on the VTAC website. If you have an acute or chronic illness, you might be eligible for special provision in your school-based assessments and exams.

Managing the relationship with your family during VCE

During year 12, you might be starting to feel more independent from your family, or like you want more freedom. This comes at the same time that you have to start focusing on your studies a lot more. It might feel like your family are hassling you during this time, but they can actually be your greatest allies.

If it feels like your parents are too pushy and they are more stressed by VCE than you are, firstly try to remember that they are only doing this because they care about you. However, if the pressure they’re putting on you just increases your stress, then you might want to have a conversation with them about backing off just a little. Try to approach this with kindness, because they really do just want you to be successful. Accept that they’re not going to stop caring about you, and try to think of their pushiness as a positive.

If your family mostly just leave you to do your own thing, then lucky you! However, if you know that you struggle with motivation, you can ask your family if they can help remind or encourage you to do your homework or study. Remind them that the VCE is important to you, but also try to absorb some of their chill vibes and remember that you’ll be okay.

If your family is really busy and have priorities other than your VCE, then you might need to remind them that year 12 is really important to you. This might include taking some time out from family activities to study, or setting up a quiet space designated for study at home. You can also find great support in other places. If home isn’t the best place to study, you can usually stay after school and study in the library for an hour or two. You could also go to your local public library. Your teachers really want you to succeed, so ask them for help if you need it. You might also want to think about finding a tutor.

You can use your family to your advantage during VCE. Your family want you to succeed, and they can be your best allies. You could ask them to practice flash cards with you. You could teach them the new topic you learnt in class today – teaching to someone else is one of the best ways to revise. Teach to your pet if your family is busy, as a way of reinforcing concepts learned. You could have a group study session with your siblings.

As someone who has a few years’ distance from trying to get along with my family during VCE, I know that they were my biggest allies during this time. My relationship with them has become so much better, and I appreciate them a lot more now. Try to appreciate your family now if you can. They might annoy you sometimes, but at least there’s someone around who always cares and will always laugh at your jokes.

Overcoming lack of motivation

Author: Chris Ebbs

It can be difficult to stay motivated for long periods of time, and during year 12 this can become a real problem. It’s important to maintain motivation so that you can keep studying at a consistent level throughout the year. However, when the end feels too far away, it can be tricky to push yourself to study as much as you might want or need to. Here are 5 tricks you can try in order to stay motivated throughout the school year.

The ‘just do it’ method. For some people, the hardest part is getting started. They might need a lot of convincing to get off the couch and to sit at a desk, but once they’ve got their books in front of them, the actual study part isn’t so bad. If this sounds like you, then remember to ‘just do it’ and you’ll thank yourself for it later. You might want to set a time that you promise to be at your desk every morning or ask a family member to help you get motivated to start. For best effects, remember to wear your fave Nike gear.

Work first, have fun later. This is an important trick to keep practising throughout your life. Once you start doing something fun, it can feel impossible to drag yourself away from it to get back to your desk. However, if you finish everything you were planning to first, then watching that tv show or meeting up with your friend will be so much sweeter.

The reward method. This is a similar concept to ‘have fun later’, but it’s much more defined. For some people, creating specific rewards for completing certain tasks really helps them get through it. If you study for an hour you could reward yourself with a snack. For the whole day you could watch the latest episode of your show. It’s also a good idea to have bigger rewards: for doing a SAC you could buy yourself something you’ve had your eye on for a while. And then make sure you have some kind of reward in mind for finishing year 12 – maybe your parents will take you out for dinner or you can plan a fun day with your friends.

Study with a friend. Some people can’t study well with others (I know I can’t). But some find that this helps them keep going. For this to work, you need to know that your friend isn’t going to distract you (and make sure that you’re not distracting them either!) But having a friend around can make the experience more fun, and also help you stay motivated as you learn together. If they’re studying, you might feel bad about taking a break and power through an extra hour. You can also help explain key concepts to each other if you’re studying any of the same subjects.

Go to a library. While having a consistent study space can help get you in the zone, sometimes a change of scene is just what you need. At home, there can be a lot of distractions, and if you’re alone in your study space, there is less accountability about taking extremely extended ‘breaks’. Going to a library is perfect – it’s quiet, lots of other people are studying, and you can usually turn the Internet on and off depending on whether you need to use it or you need to avoid distractions. (You could combine this one with Study with a friend.)

Dealing with stress

Author: Chris Ebbs

School can be stressful, particularly during year 12 when there are all sorts of expectations and goals you want to meet. But finding ways to manage your stress will help you be much more successful. It’ll also help you be healthier and happier!

• Sleep. I’m sure you’ve noticed that being tired seems to make everything worse. It also makes it harder to study and harder to make decisions. Sleep is an important part of the learning process, as it can help commit things you’ve learnt to memory. Teenagers need more sleep than adults, so see if you can go to bed half an hour earlier tonight. Sleep can help you cope with everything else going on in your life, and can be a simple way to improve your health.

• Exercise. Exercising is obviously good for your physical health, but it’s also good for your mental health. It can improve sleep, and if done regularly, can help you cope directly with stress. Go for a run or a swim, join a sports team, go for a walk with your friend, pet or family, or dance around your room.

• Extracurriculars. Activities outside of school aren’t just something to put on your resume. It’s a good idea to have a variety of activities going on in your life. This could be something like playing an instrument or playing a sport. Even a part-time job can be a good distraction from the other things happening in your life. It doesn’t even have to be as formal as going to a piano lesson. You could create some art or get really into looking after your pot plants. Anything that’s getting you away from study for something else positive is a good way to cope with stress.

• Say no. On the flipside of extracurricular activities, sometimes you have to cut down what’s going on in your life. If you’ve taken on too many shifts at work or you’re trying to make the Olympic team, it’ll probably be hard to stay focused on study. If succeeding at school is your goal, sometimes you’ll have to cut back on some of the other things in your life in order to manage your stress levels.

• Talk to positive people in your life. Stay connected to your friends – don’t stop hanging out with them because you need to study all the time. Positive relationships can help create a sense of belonging, increase happiness and reduce stress. Your family is also an important part of your support network. They can help you cope with all the things you have to do when you’re stressed, whether it’s being there for a chat or letting you off your chores for the week.

• Just do it. The homework that’s adding to your stress won’t provide stress once it’s done! Some of your stress could be reduced by sitting down at your desk and completing a task. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start with something you know you can do. Ticking things off your to-do list can give you a real sense of achievement.

• Get help if you need it. If stress is really taking over your life and you feel like you’re not coping or it’s affecting your health, talk to someone about it. You can start with a trusted friend, family member or teacher. You can also talk to a school counsellor or nurse, or find a professional counsellor or psychologist. Headspace is a great place to check out if you need some help with your mental health.

How many do you do?

Author: Chris Ebbs

Year 12 is a pretty big year with many life-changing events all occurring at the same time.

One thing you can guarantee in year 12 is that you’ll probably receive more than your fair share of 18th birthday party invitations, and maybe host your own. Everyone seems to decide that this year they are going to have a big party and invite everyone they know.

Sometimes it feels like there’s one every weekend, or two if you’re really popular. 18th birthdays are really important to the person whose birthday it is – it’s the most fun they’re going to have all year! And though it is important to make time for your friends and have the chance to unwind, realistically it’s nearly impossible to attend every party and still achieve your study goals in year 12.

Let’s face it, there’s always pressure to attend every single party. You might feel FOMO if you didn’t go to one party and it turned out to be the most awesome party of the year. But if you want to succeed at school this year, you’re going to need to do two very important things you won’t do at any party: study and sleep.

Someone I know made a pact with their mum that they would go to one 18th a month. If you don’t have as much self-control as you’d like, perhaps ask your family to help remind you. If your friends won’t take too much study as an excuse, you can also enlist your parents for this: “I’m so sorry, but my mum won’t let me go.”

You most likely have all your SAC and exam dates for the rest of the year. It’s important to plan your year sensibly. It may help if you remind your close friends a few months out of the important times of the school year as well. This way if they are as conscientious as you are then they will consider this when setting the big date.

Taking care of yourself during year 12 means you should definitely attend some parties, but you probably can’t attend all of them. Finding the balance between different parts of your life is tricky, so try to remember that good friends are important, but study is important too.

Top tips to mix up your study session

Author: LWD Team

Feel like you are in a bit of a rut? Are things not sinking in? Do those words on the page look like a worm pizza gone wrong? Give these three tips a go to help beat the study brain drain.

1. Flash cards. I find that flash cards are a great way to study. They work best for content-heavy subjects where you need to remember facts, like history or biology. But you can also use them to help remember quotes or formulae. The process of making them is a great way to revise content – writing things down helps you remember them more easily.

Using small cards instead of writing notes onto A4 pieces of paper is a good way to split the information into bite-size chunks. You'll remember information more easily if you single it out.

Double-sided flash cards can be used on your own or with someone else. Ask you family to get involved in your study if they have time. Teaching content to someone else is one of the best ways to learn or revise it. Involving your family can also demonstrate to them that your study is important and confirm their place as part of your support team.

2. Sticky notes. You can also make single-sided flash cards like small posters to stick up in your study space. Short and sharp facts are important here. This can be very useful for maths formulae or reminders of things you have to do.

You can put them anywhere: around your desk, inside your books, on your windows, on the fridge... You could even stick them to the outside of the shower – just remember not to stand there for too long and waste all the water!

Using multicolour sticky notes is a great way to add a splash of colour and fun to your study. There are studies that suggest our brains retain more information when it is presented to us in colour. Read more here. 

But before you go sticky mad, make sure you have somewhere at home where there are no study notes. It's important that you have a place where your mind can take a break.

3. Don't waste time practicing things you already know. When you're studying, it can be tempting to go over the same thing multiple times. You can convince yourself that it's really important to practice the same thing over and over. And it feels good to know that you're really on top of a particular part of the course. But you are actually doubling your workload by wasting precious time on something you already know.

I know that there are things you're not so good at or just don't get. So take a deep breath, get some sticky notes, choose one of the tougher topics and launch into it.

Read the chapter in the textbook. Do the textbook questions. Do a related exam question. Ask your teacher or tutor for help. Practice something you know you're not good at and you will ensure you study time is not wasted. And you'll definitely get a rush afterwards of learning something new.

What are you really doing when you’re studying?

Author: LWD Team

“Leave me alone Mum, I’m studying!”

But what are you really doing?

Firstly, we need to make a distinction between homework and studying.

Homework includes completing tasks set by your classroom teachers, such as chapter questions and assignments. The purpose is to provide extra practice in order to reinforce what you have learned at school.

In contrast, studying is the time you set aside independently to review the content and concepts you have learned. It includes reading, writing notes, and drawing up visual aids to help you understand the key knowledge in your subject/s, so that you don’t procrastinate come exam time.

Yet, It’s easy to spend three hours staring at your books and still feel like you haven’t achieved much.

You might have noticed that it is easier to stay engaged and motivated when you’re doing a set homework task than when you’re studying.

This is because there is a clear final destination: you know when you’ve completed your homework. However, when you’re revising content and practising your writing, there’s not always a clear end goal.

The best way to overcome this is to turn study into what feels like homework. Set clear tasks and objectives for yourself.

This might involve doing some of the harder questions in the textbook, doing a practice exam, or setting out the number of paragraphs you’re going to write. Making a list can be a good way to assist in this process.

Here are some additional tips that you may find effective:

1.    Choose a suitable study space – Find a quiet place, away from noisy brothers and sisters, and ensure you switch off all electronic devices or notifications on your phones and laptops.

2.    Create a study planner – Its’ really important that you set aside regular times in your routine for study. Block out certain days and/or times, so that it becomes habitual.

3.    Take short breaks and be sure to reward your efforts – there is no point trying to out stare your books because you will never win. So from time to time, get up, have a stretch and reward yourself with a quick walk around the block or a treat or two from the biscuit tin!

4.    Sleep!!! Though you can’t study when you sleep, it makes a world of difference to your performance when you are well rested and alert. Studying at 2am, or worse still, playing Warcraft at 2am will not help keep you at a peak study performance level.

Add some structure to your study, take regular breaks and sleep well at night and you’ll notice that you achieve a lot more when it comes to your 'study time.'