Study Skills Tip for November: Preparing for Senior Studies
As many senior students prepare to leave school at the end of this year and embark on further education or a new career, a whole new group of students are preparing to join the ranks of the senior students next year.
As students approach the senior years, they are expected to start taking more responsibility for their own learning. For many students part of this is a realisation that they need to do their schoolwork for their own sake, to keep options open for their own future – so they start to work for themselves, not just because their teacher or parent says they have to. Other students come to realize that in order to cope with the increased workload in the senior years, they need to work more efficiently at home and in the classroom. Small changes like changing who students sit next to can make a big difference to how much work is completed in class.
Senior girls studying in the Library
So for students who are commencing their HSC year, the final term this year is important in taking stock of your approach to school and your studies. Do you work well in the classroom? Who do you sit next to? What are your listening and research skills like? Do you have systems in place to manage your homework and assignments? Do you know how to study effectively and have you tried different study techniques? It seems many students think they will wake up Day 1 of their senior year and suddenly have become a ‘super student’ overnight. This does not happen! Habits take at least a month to change – sometimes longer if they are deeply ingrained.
So use the last weeks of school this year to:
- Reflect on how you approach your studies. What do you do well, and what do you need to work on changing? Perhaps choose the top five areas to work on and write these on a card and place it somewhere at home where you will see it regularly and be reminded.
- Complete as many units as you can of the Study Skill Handbook which is found in Destiny Discover Links section. This site can help you work out where your areas of weakness are and teach you new skills to strengthen these areas. In ‘Becoming a Senior Student’ workbook there is a great quiz within this unit that will identify how ready you are for senior studies. This is also a great way to work out where your areas of weakness lie and how you can improve. If you require assistance in accessing this resource please see the library staff or log a library help desk request.
Michelle Feely - College Librarian
