Have you ever seen the demo of filling up a jar as if it’s your life – and starting with the small things, and there’s no room left for the big important things?
I was reminded of this analogy recently and I got to thinking – What are the big rocks for happy, smart and successful students?
It struck me recently that a significant proportion of students are just not clear on what study really involves or what elements actually comprise their study.
In this video I share a few key questions that will help your teen REALLY figure out what’s holding them back and how they can get on that fast track to amazing grades and confidence!
It is so much easier to use the efforts and the experience of others, to help us get where we want to go. As a result , we can often get further and do so faster than we might’ve done by making our own way or trying to figure it all out for ourselves.
Recently I’ve been doing some unexpected Y12 Writing Test marking for state exam trials.
This wasn’t originally in my calendar for this year, but it’s been a great opportunity to get trained in another type of mark scheme and another national exam. Being an extended response Writing Test, students have a reeealllly wide choice of options of where to go with it.
Some students love that – But for most students (even those who are strong in English) this is a real challenge. I’m the same – I really struggle without guidelines, parameters and some specifics.
So, as a direct result of my marker training AND marking 142 Year 12 diagnostic tests, here is my triple A strategy for picking a focus or topic for any open-ended task – that your teen can use in ANY subject.
This week I thought I’d show that I practice what I preach!
I’ve struggled a bit recently – for time (cue inner cries of “I’ll never get this all done!”) – and to actually get my head around an external marking task.
I’ve been marking 121 Year 12 Writing Test Trials because the opportunity to get trained and get practice in marking yet another type of exam was just too good to say “no” to 🙂
But it’s shown that (as we all know really) a deadline pushes us to work harder and faster, especially when it feels like you’ll never get it all done!
Moreover, it’s proven that a clear structure and professional training can turn any task that feels a bit fuzzy or brings uncertainty and even a little confusion into a clear, simple and repeatable system.
I’m a big fan of giving students templates for top quality answers that can be applied to any subject and an infinite number of topics.
Structural templates give students a kind of skeleton to hang their knowledge on.
One of these templates is PQE and I share it here as an example of how good templates can work.
Exams have regularly come under criticism for being an unfair way to test students’ knowledge and understanding of subjects.
It’s certainly true that when it comes to ‘showing what they know’, some students find the exam style of assessment really tough.
My take on it is this:-
Rather than focusing on exams being a way to simply test KNOWLEDGE, or even getting angry at the testing system, we need to look at exams as actually assessing a range of SKILLS that are involved with successfully sitting exams (not just subject knowledge).
If we do that then we are well on our way to viewing exams more positively and constructively.
Have you had to put on ‘that’ excited face at any point recently?
When a gift wasn’t quite what you wanted.
But you don’t want to look ungrateful.
Hopefully not, but chances are many of us have at some point.
But, what’s this got to do your studying and your teen?
Well, it’s about figuring out how to give people what they *reeeallllyy* want.
For students, it’s all about what examiners want and NEED to see to award top grades…. and sussing out exactly how to give it to them EVERY time (gift-wrapped and tied in a bow)!
I’m here – in full festive spirit – and thought I’d use CHRISTMAS to produce a little summary and some of the key strategies I’ve been sharing this year.
Okay, this is definitely unofficial…
I’m not here to be controversial but I AM here to give students the best chance of getting THEIR best possible grades.
So first of all, let me explain what QWC actually stands for.
And secondly, I’ll reveal the very unofficial reason why it’s so important.
