Studying at home

Secondary school can be a demanding time for teenagers, especially in the lead-up to exams. As a parent/carer there are lots of practical ways you can offer support when it comes to study.

You are an important part of a team (with teachers) that can have a powerful impact by helping your teenager develop effective study habits. Remember that good study habits will be valuable for a lifetime.

Some of the areas you can provide support are:

• timetabling
• homework and revision
• exams
• study spaces
• health and fitness.

Help your teenager get organised Encourage them to:

• use a homework diary and have a timetable (turn the page for more on this)
• list tasks and cross them off when finished
• do the most difficult or least preferred work first and not to spend too long on one subject.

TIP:  DISCUSSION

Discussing news and current affairs around the home or at the dinner table will develop your teenager’s ability to talk about their ideas and opinions. These skills are important in gaining high grades in TEE subjects such as English and History. Encourage your teenager to have an opinion on different issues (most teenagers do anyway) and to be able to explain how they came to that view.

Thumbs up for the timetable

Research shows that successful students work to a timetable. Suggest your son or daughter pins their timetable in a central place like the fridge door. That way you can help encourage their progress.

It’s important for them to keep a balance between schoolwork and recreation, especially if they are in upper secondary school when the burden of study is heavier.

Help them plan their week to include time to see friends, stay fit and manage their study.

Most schools provide students with a term program that includes assessment deadlines. Knowing this in advance can help ensure that preparation in the leadup to assessments is done at a measured pace.

Keep in mind that:

• the most effective study is in sessions of up to 45 minutes
• study is best done when most mentally alert
• more time should be given to difficult and least-liked subjects
• it’s important to factor in assessment dates and allocate more time to these subjects as deadlines approach.

TIP: MOTIVATION

Teenagers are more likely to retain information if they learn it in a number of different ways.

• Ask your son or daughter to ‘give the family a lecture’ on a subject. This will help them understand the topic more thoroughly and logically.
• Get them to write up ‘flash cards’ for subjects, such as Human Biology, that require a lot of rote learning.
• Allow them to pin posters, diagrams, maps, notes or lists on their walls so the information is in front of them whenever they are in their room.

Homework vs revision

In addition to homework, regular revision is important so information registers in the long term memory.

It will be useful for your teenager to:

• revise notes taken in class on a daily basis
• review past assessments and work out areas for improvement
• read through teacher feedback and concentrate on the most difficult sections.

Every student should get a copy of the course for each subject from their school. Make sure your teenager is working through the course and its objectives. You can also download copies of courses at www.curriculum.wa.edu.au.

Study space

It’s best for your teenager to have a designated study space. Working at the kitchen table or on the bed is unlikely to be effective because these places have other uses too.

The best learning environment at home includes:

• a desk used only for study in an area free from distractions • a chair that is comfortable – but not too comfortable
• good lighting, which alleviates eyestrain from shadows
• a set of stationery that stays in the same place on the desk and is not used by other family members.

Study groups

Sometimes it can be helpful – and healthy – for teens to study in a group rather than alone. Encourage your teenager to spend time with a one or two friends in an organised study group as well as learning on their own.

Independent research shows students retain more information when they are teaching, and being taught by, their peers. You might like to offer your home as a meeting place and create a space for them to study. That way you can make sure they’re getting study done.

Exam advice

Encourage your teenager to complete as many past TEE papers as possible. It’s best for them to do this under exam conditions, using a time limit for each question. This way they can test their ability under exam conditions and improve in areas where needed.

Direct your teenager to the Curriculum Council website to view available documents or go direct to the TEE/WACE Exam papers and Solutions TEE Order form.

If needed, they can order past exam papers for all TEE subjects and WACE courses. A highly useful resource on this website is the yearly TEE Examiners’ Report (also available on the order form) which points out the strengths and weaknesses of past exams and contains suggestions for candidate improvement. The report identifies areas of poor performance by students, which are often retested the following year.

TIP: MUSIC

Many teenagers say they study best with music on but research shows this is not always the case. Teenagers used to a noisy
home may find studying with music helpful. However, they still need to be able to work under silent conditions in order to fully prepare for exams.

Beat the brain drain

A healthy, balanced and varied diet helps improve concentration, learning and memory. Try these snacks for study success:

• fruit smoothies (banana or frozen berries with milk/yoghurt and vanilla essence)
• wholemeal crackers with peanut butter
• pikelets made with mashed banana
• rice cakes with tomato and cheese
• fruit muffins (recipe opposite).

Fruit Muffins

These are packed full of fruit and will give your teenager fuel for study. This recipe makes two dozen because the rest of the family might be upset if they miss out!

½ cup canola oil	1½ cups wheat bran
½ cup honey	1½ cups oat bran
1 cup grated carrot	2 cups plain flour
2 bananas, mashed	1 tblspn baking powder
2 apples, unpeeled, grated	1 tblspn ground cinnamon
3 eggs, lightly beaten	½ cup raisins
2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 190°C. Lightly grease two 12-cup muffin tins. In a large bowl, mix oil, honey, carrot, bananas, apples, eggs
and milk. Stir through the two kinds of bran and let stand for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and
cinnamon. Fold dry ingredients, along with raisins, through the bran mixture until just mixed. Fill muffin cups two thirds full with mixture and bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins are firm to touch. Turn muffins onto a wire rack to cool. Makes 24.

Visit Smart Eating for You for more snack ideas.

Healthy bodies, healthy minds

An important part of successful study is staying physically active, according to Peter Noack, Principal at specialist sports school Darling Range Sports College.

“We have found that students who are fit, healthy and take part in physical activity perform better in the classroom. They are more goal orientated and disciplined in their studies,” he said.

Ways to keep your teenager active:

• encourage them to walk or ride to school a few times a week
• suggest a team sport or dance class they might enjoy
• ask them to take responsibility for exercising the dog (or your neighbour’s dog!).

Stressing less
When it comes to exam time, some stress is normal. However, it should never get to the point where it’s affecting your teenager’s health or ability to manage everyday tasks.

Help your teenager to reduce stress by encouraging them to take regular breaks, get plenty of sleep and eat a balanced diet.

TIP: MOTIVATION

Supporting your teenager during their studies could be as simple as showing a genuine interest in their achievement.

Sit down with them and write out goals for their studies. These could be as general as “graduating from secondary school” or as specific as “achieving a B or above average”. You might decide to reward them for achieving these objectives.

Tips for teenagers

• Take regular breaks. Reward yourself with an activity and then get back to it.
• Take notes from class discussions and make notes from written material in your own words. This way you make sense of the material as you write it down.
• If something isn’t clear, ask your teacher before you move on.
• When you get home, first list as much as you can remember from the new material you learned at school. Then check your notes and see what you need to learn.
• Skim the material, cover it and try to recall key points. Again, write your notes in your own words as if you are trying to explain it
• to someone else.
• G o over the material and summarise key points several times.
• Make sure you get a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast before an exam.

Five stress-busters

1. Put on a favourite track and dance.
2. G o for a brisk walk around the block.
3. Call up a friend and have a quick chat.
4. Take 10 deep breaths. This brings more oxygen into the blood which ‘wakes up’ the brain, relaxes muscles and quietens the mind.
5. Watch a short sitcom that you find funny.

Six steps to review class subjects

1. A llocate 10 minutes to review each subject you want to focus on.
2. Write as much as you can remember for a particular subject. (With practise, you can become brief and to the point.)
3. A fter this, look at your notes for that day and find things you have forgotten.
4. Use a different coloured pen to write these points at the end of your own remembered notes.
5. At the end of the week write down as much as you can remember from your daily notes.
6. Check what you have forgot ten and record this in a dif ferent colour.

Download a pdf version of Study skills - Years 8 to 12.