Ep. 131

Students really dislike the planning stage of essays and extended responses.

I get it.
It feels like an extra chunk of work, when they really just want to get going with the writing.

But that would be a mistake.

Here are 3 reasons why your teen should plan EVERY extended response - whether it’s a 10 mark exam question, 2000 word essay or research inquiry or report style assignment...
so they create:
- a higher quality response
- that is easier and faster to write!

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Ep. 130

→ Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.
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It doesn’t matter how motivated you are, if don’t know what you’re doing or how you're going to do it, it's gonna be very difficult to make progress.

Overwhelm and distraction are feelings and emotions. But they are often caused by the situation at hand. And if that situation involves confusion or uncertainty about a task, then no amount of 'positive thoughts' will fix the root issue.
When we can solve for the confusion and uncertainty, and have the skills to know what to do and how to do it, then the doubt and hesitation is replaced with a clear path forward and we're usually then much more willing to start down it.

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Ep. 129

→ Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.
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Unique is not necessarily better. In fact often, it can be worse. If it means that it’s more tricky to meet the criteria or find the information needed.

Unique is not considered as more clever by marking criteria.

And yes, I’m even talking in creative tasks.

Now, yes, something like an artwork or an artistic performance may do better if it has some originality or unique ideas.

BUT - and this is a big but - only if it meets all of the other criteria as well!

→ Get the full episode transcript and syllabus excerpt here: https://www.rocksolidstudy.com/129

→ Get Brutal Study Truth #1 (More is NOT More) at: https://www.rocksolidstudy.com/127

and Brutal Study Truth #2 (Markers Don't Care) at: https://www.rocksolidstudy.com/128

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Ep. 128

→ Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.
___

→ Get the full episode transcript and syllabus excerpt here: https://www.rocksolidstudy.com/128


→ Get Brutal Study Truth #1 at: https://www.rocksolidstudy.com/127

This sounds brutal, but actually it is a HUGE source of relief for many students.

If your teen has ever felt like they had to
- come up with some sort of unique perspective on a current social issue,
or
- make a special connection between themselves and a topic they’re investigating,
or
- have an interesting opinion or personal take-away on the Shakespeare text they’re studying,
and (if they’re anything like me) struggle, panic or just have no idea… then you’re going to love this episode!


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• Syllabus Prescription example: NESA English Modules
  
  
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Ep. 127

→ Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.
___

→ Get the full episode transcript and 'Return on Effort' Graph here: https://www.rocksolidstudy.com/127

It's no good letting students carry on thinking or studying in certain ways if it means they
- end up working harder than they need to,
- missing out on marks they could be getting
or
- just find study, exams and assessment more stressful, uncertain or frustrating than it needs to be.

Even if it requires some harsh reality checks!

So let’s dive into Brutal Study Truth Number 1: More is NOT More.


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Ep. 126

→ Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.
___

→ Get the 'Evidence for the Exam Success Shortcut' resource and full episode transcript here: https://www.rocksolidstudy.com/126
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There are explicit teaching / direct instruction ways to teach subject content, and discovery / inquiry-based ways to teach subject content.

This also goes for the skills students need in order to effectively apply this subject knowledge, in the way the question demands and mark scheme requires.

However, I very rarely see any of this...
- how exams actually WORK - how they’re written and marked,
- HOW to actually analyse in an essay, in the right amount of detail,
- HOW to hit the top criteria, in the most succinct and effective way,
- HOW to actually dissect and then respond to the exact wording of any exam question,
- HOW to achieve more of the success descriptors,
... being explicitly or directly taught and trained.

And so students are left to 'discovery-learn' it all for themselves.
They’re guessing, trial and error-ing their way there, which, far from building confidence or resilience, for most, is denting and depleting it.

If we’re assessing students using these methods, then then getting direct teaching and explicit training in the skills, strategies and concepts is the number one shortcut to tackling them and performing in them confidently and successfully.

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• One page resource download: Evidence for the Exam Success Shortcut
  
  
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• Get your teen trained by Katie to excel in exams and assessment, using the most effective study strategies in the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Have Katie speak at your school: Parent-Student 'Exam Mastery' Information Evenings for Schools

Ep. 125

Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.
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If your teen is constantly doing their best, and sometimes you’re concerned about them burning out
OR
if your teen is NOT putting in their best and you’re concerned about that - then this episode is for you.

I believe your teen is taking a 'risk' when they put their best effort (and a ton of time) into a task.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The 3 things they're risking
• What happens when that risk pays off AND what happens when it doesn’t
• and
• How to reduce the level of effort-risk, so that they’re INVESTING their time and effort, rather than gambling with it.

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Ep. 124

Click to get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.
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So many students THINK they're studying hard, when actually they're just staying busy and FEELING productive.

This is a recipe for disappointment when the results just don't seem to match their hopes or expectations,
and potentially - if that disappointment means they then believe they need to study even harder - burn out, disillusion, or defeat.

In this episode you will learn:

• The oxymoron that will save your teen from wasted time and effort.
• How to turn energy-sapping 'activity' into effective active learning.
• The productivity illusion that creates a false sense of security.
• When it might be better to take a break - and how this can actually contribute positively to your teen's life balance AND results.

FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• Article: The Myth of Passive Learning, by Blake Harvard
  
  
• Ep. 52: Active Vs. Passive Revision
  
  
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