Below are two reasons why flashcards can help you study smarter

1. Active recall 

• When students study, they are attempting to remember the information from just staring at PDFs and their textbooks. Flashcards allow students to engage more with their content and allows for active recall of information they are learning.

2. Confidence in repetition

• Flashcards allow for students to continuously test their own knowledge of the content being examined. By using flashcards to stimulate the memory, students can become more confident when revising their content

Flashcards are an extremely useful and reliable method for students to recall information and become more confident when learning.

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The toughest part is actually absorbing what we hear and read and understanding it. Most people often resort to rote learning and cramming – everyone has had days before exams where they simply memorise information only to have it dissolve as soon as the teachers announce “pens down!”

The problem with this, of course, is that you don’t store the information you’re taught in an efficient way. If an exam throws you a curveball question that tests how you adapt knowledge, you can end up in trouble, as you haven’t learnt essential theory and problem solving skills. But how do you learn and retain content in a way that helps you in long run?

The obvious but difficult answer is that you need to communicate efficiently with your teachers. Here’s how:

1) Ask questions in an efficient and reasonable manner

An oft-repeated piece of advice is that you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions, which is easier said than done. A lot of the time, it’s hard to ask questions – maybe your teacher isn’t someone you get along with, or you’re feel self-conscious. Maybe you’ve missed your moment and the class discussion has moved on without you.

But the simple fact is that teachers are there to assist you in your learning; don’t be afraid to ask politely if you can turn back the discussion to address an earlier problem. If you’re shy about this, make sure to jot down all your questions in class whenever you’re unsure what your teacher is talking about. Ask after class, schedule a chat with your teacher or email them immediately.

If you find that your teachers are unhelpful and hostile (that is, they aren’t doing their job properly) then that’s what your tutor is for! No kind of learning can take place without confusion and uncertainty, and asking questions is the only way you can move forward.

2) Cross-check information with multiple teachers

Teachers can often say contradictory or unclear things. That’s why it’s important to check that information you’re learning is right by asking different teachers. As you are attending a tutoring college, you have the benefit of having a second opinion tailored to helping you succeed in school. Make sure to take advantage of that! Cross-checking is something you’ll be doing a lot of in university, and can also be done via reliable websites online and by looking through library resources. Going that extra mile will be key to your success as a student.

3) Always be on top of schedules and don’t be afraid to ask teachers for them

 This might seem like an obvious but it’s really important to know what exactly you’re learning in school. A lot of students I meet seem to have no idea what their topics are, and what they will be learning in the very near future. It’s important as a student that you know exactly what topics you will be going through in the year, in order for you to set clear goals and to be familiar with information that will definitely pop back up again in later exams.

Don’t be afraid to politely ask your teacher if they have a particular term schedule that can help you organise your studying, or any hard copies of rubrics (if not, download the PDFs from the Board of Studies website yourself).

4) Be involved in class discussions and take in what your peers say

There’s nothing that stunts learning more than an unresponsive class. Being involved in class discussion means that you can bounce your knowledge off others, and help each other reach new conclusions. This allows your teacher to guide you more smoothly, and also gives you more opportunity to ask detailed questions. It’s especially helpful in subjects that involve idea and thesis generation, like English subjects, as discussion stimulates new and unique perspectives on topics.

5) Ask teachers for personalised feedback

Don’t wait for your report card – if you ever feel like you’re struggling in class or unsure about content, go talk to your teacher about your performance. Ask what they feel like you can improve on, and what you can do to get on that level. Teachers can be really busy and won’t always have time to comment on every aspect of your work, but getting a big picture idea of what you’re struggling with, and fixing it before it’s too late is essential.

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Studying

After starting my fourth year at University I can safely say that maintaining a strict regime of study whilst balancing all other aspects of life is hard work. At University, your subjects (or units as they’re called) normally have a recommended study commitment which varies depending upon the subject’s difficulty or workload. As a rough guide, University students typically study four units per semester, each with approximately 2-6 hours of study recommended in order to ‘be successful’. If we put this together that could be anything from 8-24 hours of study thrown on top of your already busy timetable, as well as your other commitments. Talk about hectic!

Here’s a sample of a typical working week (with maximum study hours) that I had in Semester 2 of third year:

That not only excluded time spent for eating breakfast, lunch and dinner but also neglected to include spending time with loved ones. With only 4 hours remaining in my week, the time to relax was minimal, especially when working on weekends!

I cannot emphasise enough the benefits that introducing an extracurricular activity or simply organising some free time (allocating that time in a diary, a reminder in your phone or even timing your study sessions) can have on your ability to focus, learn and succeed. Breaking up study with something completely unrelated can also help cement all of the content working its way into memory. This technique doesn’t work for everyone, but I normally like to study for 40, leisure for 20 with a timer to ensure you keep to your work!

Part-time work

While it’s all well and good to give yourself a great start financially, you can be placing yourself at risk of compromising your academic success. Employment, especially in young people, is definitely something to take pride in. Whether it be to support your own endeavours or even adding another source of income to the household, working in your teenage years can give you a sense of responsibility, build a strong work ethic and also help give your mind a break from study.

However, there are limitations to this, and it all comes down to balance. A study conducted by Robinson and published by the Parliament of Australia highlighted that 75.4% of students that worked between 1 and 5 hours per week found their commitment to their study unaffected by entering the workplace. However, this is certainly an individual decision, and is also compounded by the type of job being worked. Students can often find employment in either food services, hospitality or retail, as many of these industries typically employ ‘Christmas Casuals’.  Below I’ve listed some common job sites, should you be interested in applying for a job (keep this in mind for after the HSC too, if you’re interested!):

• https://www.spotjobs.com/
• https://www.seek.com.au/
• https://au.indeed.com/
• https://studentedge.org/jobs

Working during your final year of schooling can be done quite easily but you need to be mindful of the time you have available and whether you can juggle your time accordingly! One big piece of advice is focus on the HSC during the term, then add some work hours on during the holidays (but please remember to relax!).

Extracurricular activities

Leisure

Hanging out with family and friends is certainly something that is automatically incorporated into your study schedule. Interaction and collaboration is quite an important part of life outside of school, so it is beneficial in the long run to start as soon as possible! Organising study groups can also be a way of enjoying time with a group of friends whilst also getting some study done. I would suggest writing exam questions and even testing them out on friends or trying to teach a concept to one of your friends within a study group.

Exercise

All students have been brought up playing some sort of sport, be it at school or as an extracurricular activity. Although PE is no longer compulsory, adding some form of physical activity to your study calendar can help with not only stress relief, but increasing focus. A lot of students make the very common mistake of studying for many hours without a break but forget to prioritise some form of physical activity. Research conducted by Budde and colleagues (2008) found that exercising improved cognitive performance, with localised brain activity pointing towards a further improvement in attention span. Therefore, getting out for a spot of physical activity, be it a short walk or some sport with friends can make a great addition to your study calendar. Try it today!

Daniel

Receptionist | Dux College | daniel.forwood@dc.edu.au

Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience | Year IV | University of Sydney

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“Pens down!”

A sigh of relief can be felt while you stretch your legs. Congratulations on finishing your final HSC exam and completing High School! But now, where to from here….?

A long four months ahead…

It is great to know that you finally have almost all the time in the world to do nothing and yes you earned it! However, trust me on this, doing just two weeks of nothing will definitely make you wish you have a routine again so you ask what’s the best way to spend your summer break?

University

For many of us, we dream of completing the HSC so we can progress onto university to study in our selected course that we’re so passionate and worked hard for. To prepare for this new experience, I highly recommend that you visit your selected university’s website and browse for upcoming events. In the case the advertised events don’t interest you, I suggest you follow your department’s websites or follow their social media page. Facebook, for example, will notify you of newly released events such as social gatherings or seminars.

When O-Week hits, visit every campus you can and grab many of the freebies. You would often find that there’s societies that are not available to your own campus. The great benefit about these societies is that it is a neat and convenient way to meet like-minded people. However, I highly recommend that you don’t limit yourself to just societies you’re interested in; go beyond your comfort zone and try societies that you may at first deemed not to your likening – You never know; it might change your mind. By experiencing a variety of different societies, it will allow an enriching experience to self-develop such as your character/personality and save your sanity from the upcoming routine of readings, lectures and tutorials.

Other than making great friends (often times, they are for life!), you build a network that allows you a way of hearing about new opportunities such as job vacancies.

Career

As mentioned before, doing nothing for two weeks may be fun at first but it will eventually become a bit of a drag. To make great productive use of your break, I highly recommend that you go out looking for a job. There are any great reasons on doing so. First off, you gain cash to stock up on all those Maccas run. However, when you start your university career, you’ll come to realise that you have many wants and desires but limited time to work to save up for those. It’s best to start saving now since you’re not constrained by such commitments. Secondly, you can’t expect that your compulsory work placement in your course will cut it for you to gain a job immediately. Starting now is a great way of showing that you’re a responsible person, willing to take initiative and possessing long-term thinking while others leave it to last. Now, you may ask, how do I find these jobs. Lucky for you, the time you finish your HSC is ripe with job opportunities as employers demand greater labour for the upcoming Christmas season. The obvious place to look is online job websites like Seek or if you feel like a bit of exploring, head to numerous suburb’s business centre and you’ll bound to see signs calling your name. Often times, fantastic job opportunities are not advertised in the papers but are made known by word of mouth. This is where the societies come in handy. Not only will they inform you of any vacancies, they’re also develop you to become prepared such as what to questions to expect, what to wear to the interview or how to make a lasting impression. For those who finally obtained a job or already have one, much can be gained if you’re willing to think outside the boundaries of your work duties. For example, the skills and values you inherit can be valuable for scholarship applications (More Money!!!).

So stop reading this and go out and make your move!

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