Why are so many Year 9-12 students still stuck with disorganisation and demotivation?
You’d think that by the time your child hits Years 10 or 11, they would already know everything there is to know about getting ideal marks, a high ATAR and how to get into university.
After all, there are so many other wonderful people supporting them: teachers, year coordinators, tutors, careers advisors, and the list goes on.
Years 11 and 12 should just be smooth sailing, and getting straight into their first preference of university course should come naturally.
Yet, this is simply not the case for many.
The reality of high school is much closer to chaos. Students struggle to barely start assignments, the late-night cramming, not feeling motivated, choosing distractions over study and not really being sure about the future…
It all becomes too overwhelming to untangle.
When parents see their child stuck or trapped in a vicious cycle of poor study habits, most will step right up to help and protect their child. But that first step falters a little bit.
Because parents don’t know where to begin, and it can be daunting to find the right place to start.
In this article, we’ll share Melinda and Brodie’s story and a simple checklist for parents of disorganised and unmotivated students. If you don’t know where to start or which study habits your child needs to develop, this six-point checklist can help in building good study skills and pulling up your child’s marks for Term 3.
How Melinda Helped Brodie Overcome Poor Study Habits
We met Melinda in our live session last June. She was worried about her son, Brodie, who struggled with overwhelm.
Melinda was concerned that even when Brodie studied hard, he was barely hitting the class average and was at risk of missing Year 11 subject selections. Brodie’s study habits didn’t match the kind of results they were aiming for. It also hurt his self-esteem and overall wellbeing.
Melinda wanted to help him get higher marks, so Brodie can be more confident in his own abilities. However, she didn’t know where to begin.
After Melinda joined the live session on ‘Education Tipping Points’, she took home a list of actionable tips that will help Brodie prepare for Year 11. Then, Melinda and our team developed a Term 3 plan to support Brodie and equip him with the necessary study skills to gain the quickest wins. That way, Brodie can improve his marks and his confidence fast.
Now, Brodie is off to Term 3 with a positive mindset, a better set of study skills and a more confident footing this new term.
What we loved about Melinda is how she was able to take tangible ways from the session and push it further to create a plan for her son. She recognised that Brodie needed positive change, and she saw that it starts with building Brodie’s effective study skills so he can improve his marks.
Effective Study Skills Over Poor Study Habits
If Melinda hadn’t stepped in to support Brodie, he would have remained overwhelmed and burned out before the middle of Term 3.
Effective study skills lead to improved marks with less effort, and poor study skills kill your child’s study effectiveness.
So, what are the study skills we used to amplify Brodie’s study effectiveness and boost their marks?
- Note-taking Hacks: Structures and handy shortcuts for taking effective and organised notes.
- Weekly Consolidation of Notes: Turn class notes into organized study materials that cover all angles.
- Creating Strategic Exam Notes: Concise notes that are optimised for retention and recall.
- Time Management: Be in control and effectively manage their study and other responsibilities. (Check out our free guides on effective time management here.)
- Organisation: Scan and pre-plan for assessment with effective prioritisation. Not just what’s urgent or important — but what’s leveraged?
- Proactive Approach to Studying: For the times things don’t go to plan, cognitive adaptors for handling blockers and unexpected challenges.
When your child has effective study skills, their marks will naturally improve. They’re also able to proactively plan their study sessions and are ready for any unforeseen disruptions. The ability to predict and preplan are essential for any parent who wants to improve their child’s results, particularly in Years 11 and 12.
If you want to learn more about how to develop these study skills for your child and ensure they get the best future university and career opportunities, we’re having another live session on 28th August, at 7:30 PM on Zoom.
Get your free ticket here.
