Term 1 Week 9 - Thursday 24th March 2022
News From The Assistant Principal
The 10 Habits of Successful Learners: Wisdom To Discuss With Your Daughter
This year marks my 20th year as a teacher. Over the years I have noticed that certain 'habits' are observable amongst the most successful students - this has nothing to do with being smart, it's about positive learning behaviours and consistency much more than a high IQ or impressive Year 7 NAPLAN scores. The more of these habits a student can stack on top of one another, the more they move the needle toward successful outcomes.
1. Be an active learner
Students are taught that effective study involves reviewing class notes, which is often interpreted as simply reading them over and over. The problem with this kind of learning is that it’s passive – you’re just dragging your eyes over the same words rather than doing anything with what you’re learning. This doesn’t help you embed what you’ve learnt in your long-term memory. It’s better to do something with what you’re learning, such as answering questions (even planning an answer), rewriting quotations or teaching someone else about a topic rather than just reciting them to yourself.
2. Keep moving
Everyone knows the value of exercise, but stressed students often convince themselves that they don’t have time to do any. The truth is that even a little bit of exercise – a brisk walk around the neighbourhood is a great way to let off steam and reset your energy levels.
There’s also evidence that exercise has a very positive impact on learning. Exercise can increase the effectiveness of neurotransmitters, improving the communication between neurons in the brain. It can also combat things like depression and fatigue. Something to ponder is that our brains account for 2% of our body weight but require 20% of our total oxygen uptake to function properly - a simple way to increase the amount of oxygen-rich blood to your brain is to move more.
3. Set SMARTER goals
Rather than just sitting down to study, it’s useful to set clear goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely goals with regular Revision and Evaluation. With SMARTER goals, you’re more likely to start and finish, and what you achieve will fit into your bigger learning goals.
4. Block social media
It’s really important to avoid diluting your learning time with the distraction of social media. You might believe that you can multitask, but multitasking is a myth. The reality is that every time you turn your attention from your work to your Instagram feed, you simply lose focus. Nobody can genuinely concentrate on two things at once.
Apps like Offtime and Space will block social media during specific times if you think you don’t have the willpower.
5. Get enough sleep
Research has linked sleep with mental acuity, achievement and, of course, learning. Scientists are starting to see a strong connection between sleep and memory consolidation. There’s also a direct correlation between students getting enough sleep and their ability to perform in tests. For teenagers, this means eight hours or more each night.
In addition to impairing your ability to learn and remember, lack of sleep seems to cause a raft of health problems, including weight gain, high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease.
6. Manage your space
To be efficient, you need to treat study like a job. Have a decent set-up: enough space to spread out, tools that are fit for purpose (including your computer, calculator, textbooks) and a good chair. Make sure you have enough light to work. You want the space to feel comfortable, welcoming and yours so that when you’re there you feel calm and positive.
7. Use your calendar properly
Successful students always know when tasks are due and when to start them so there’s no last-minute panic. You can achieve this by making good use of your calendar or planner.
Mark when an assignment is due or an exam is scheduled, and then work backwards to when you need to start your prep. Some students use a colour code to prompt the appropriate sense of urgency.
8. Take advantage of feedback
Educational researchers all agree that feedback has one of the highest impacts on student learning. The best feedback is not just retrospective, it also tells you where you should focus your energy moving forward so that you learn from your mistakes and know how to replicate your successes.
Don’t just focus on the marks your teacher gives. Make sure you read the comments and advice. If you don’t receive any useful feedback, ask for it. If your teacher is happy to read drafts, take advantage of their generosity. But don’t ask them to read your essay the night before it’s due. For meaningful revision and learning, you’ll need to allow time for feedback and to make necessary changes to your drafts.
9. Read carefully
It might sound obvious, but successful students carefully read questions before they answer. It’s easy to read a question superficially and conclude you can’t answer it or substitute it in your mind with a question you’d prefer to answer. It’s surprising how often this happens.
The best way to ensure that you’ve read and understood the question is to underline the important words. Start with the verbs which tell you the kind of answer you need to provide (“discuss”, “compare”) and the main concept that you need to analyse, such as the relationship between Romeo and Juliet, or the feelings the Montagues and Capulets have towards each other.
10. Ask for help
Successful students know that they don’t have to go it alone. Finding a genuine learning partner – possibly a friend, or teacher – means that you always have someone with whom to test your ideas, and who can give you meaningful, relevant and timely advice.
When you don’t understand how to tackle those Maths problems, or you’re struggling to start that essay, they’ll listen to you carefully, help you see what’s confusing you, and patiently help you back on the right track. We all need a little bit of help to give us the confidence to keep going.
Jaie Skinner
Assistant Principal
Pray With Us
From The School Counsellor
The current circumstances have left many of us feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. The list of horrible things that is and can happen is endless.
You can help your daughter feel safe and secure right now in an unsafe world. The more they feel safe, the more they can explore the world with confidence, look to the future with hope and become independent individuals. As parents, we are feeling it ourselves too and it is up to us to continue to provide our children the safety and security they need. If we fail to follow up on these concerns, it can consume them with feelings of anxiety, fear and excessive worrying. They need our help to navigate and to manage these feelings. Remind them that the world is a beautiful place to be part of and sometimes sad things happen and that this is unusual.
Here Are Some Tips To Help Your Daughter Feel Safe
- Maintain structure and routine.
- Minimise and monitor their access to the media.
- Work through those emotions as they rise to the surface.
- Help them realise how strong and capable they are.
- Answer their questions to the best of your knowledge.
- Encourage healthy discussions.
- Recognise when they need professional help.
If you have any concerns about your daughter, please feel free to contact the School Counsellor, Mrs Suzan Boulattouf via email sboulattouf@parra.catholic.edu.au or Ph: 9849 9100 (during school hours).
Suzan Boulattouf
School Counsellor
News Articles
- Duke of Edinburgh Students Back On Track
- Year 9 STEM Club Enters Metro Minds Competition
- Recent Student Sporting Achievements
- Year 8 English Students Short Written Pieces
This Week on Social Media
Follow Catherine McAuley Westmead on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for regular updates. One of the posts from this week is shown below:
AROUND THE CLASSROOMS - Year 11 Biology students of Ms Bain were yesterday in class testing enzyme function. The students were using a potato and hydrogen peroxide to observe how enzymes like catalase work to break down other substances.
Need To Know
Upcoming Fortnight
Week 10
- Year 12 Half Yearly Exams
- Year 11 VET Business Services Workplacement
- Welcome to Year 7 Parents' Afternoon
- PDSSSC Soccer Gala Day
Week 11
- Year 12 Senior Retreat
- Year 11 VET Business Services Workplacement
- NSWCCC Swimming Championships
- House Community Day
- Duke of Edinburgh Award - Practice Journey Camp
