Academic Care Update: Never. Eat. Soggy. Weetbix.
Cast your mind back to primary school. What do you remember about your experience?
– Sitting and listening to story time?
– Creating a poster on Bushrangers, or even farm animals?
– How about playing tips, or bull rush, or rounders?
For me, when thinking about the halcyon days of my Primary School years, I seldom consider what I was learning in the classroom. However, I recently paused to reflect on the small nuggets of knowledge that were embedded in me those many years ago. Why was it that certain facts and figures came to me with such ease, and others had been long forgotten? Enter Mnemonics.
This week I spoke to Year 10 Students about the Science of Learning, giving them a small insight into how the brain works, and how they can set up their study to best tap into its power. I discussed the use of mnemonics, and their ability to assist students in both learning and recalling key pieces of information. These devices, when adopted and deliberately practised, can enhance the capacity of studunts to recall and recruit information on cue (Dresler and Konrad, 2013), a key tool for in-class tasks and examinations.
So, what are some of these effective strategies?
- Acronyms: These are words formed from the first letters of a group of words.
- Acrostics: These are sentences or phrases where the first letter of each word stands for something you need to remember.
- Chunking: This technique involves breaking down large pieces of information into smaller, more manageable chunks.
- Method of Loci: This involves visualising a familiar place and associating each piece of information with a specific location within that place.
- Songs and Rhymes: Creating a song or rhyme can make information more memorable.
With a number of in-class tasks and examinations coming up for all cohorts, I encourage you to spend some time planning and preparing with your daughter, and perhaps come up with your own mnemonic devices.
A reminder too, the Study Hub and Study Hub+ programs are both excellent ways to maximise the efficiency of your daughters learning. I strongly recommend these for girls needing some further structure to their study programs. Further information can be found by clicking here.
This week saw a large variety of Academic Care Sessions throughout the School.
Year 7 spent time with Marianna Carlino, Director of eLearning, looking at Microsoft Word, and how to best utilise the app to enhance their assessment and learning. It is an essential and powerful tool, which they will no doubt use throughout both their school and university careers.
Year 8 were allocated time for individual study. With a number of assessments on the horizon, it was a good opportunity for them to spend some focused time completing tasks, or organising themselves for the coming weeks.
Year 9 had a highly productive session run by their peers. I am thankful for the Year 9 Middle School Leaders for running a short course on utilising Kahoot for study. They were highly organised, presented with poise, and gave some excellent tips and tricks to enhance their peers’ learning.
Year 10 spent time with me looking at the Science of Learning. We spoke about the best ways by which to prepare one’s notes, as well as a variety of mnenomic devices they could use to assist in their preparation for their upcoming tasks.
Year 11 were joined by Andrew Taylor, Deputy Head of Senior School – Wellbeing, and one of our councillors Lisa Williamson, who discussed stress, and how to overcome it. With an examination block on the horizon, it equipped the girls with several strategies to overcome high levels of stress, affording them the opportunity to achieve at their personal best.
– David Posker Hill
Academic Care Coordinator
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