Once in high school, regular study becomes more important. Study time is completely different to doing set homework.
Students in high school should regularly review work covered in class, summarise key ideas and do additional reading and research on topics, as well as practise tasks such as essays and maths problems.
Useful Links
- Download or print a Study timetable (DOCX 52.96KB). Fill in regular activities such as school, sport, part-time jobs and so on. Don’t forget to include meal times and time to travel to activities.
- Use a term assessment planner (DOCX 53.57KB) to record when assessments and exams are scheduled so you can prepare in advance. Make to-do lists to spread out the workload.
- Save My HSC, for essay writing assistance.
- Citation Machine, for creating citations.
- Studiosity, for study help anytime, anywhere.
- WolframAlpha, for getting knowledge and answers, skip searching the web.
- Student Edge, the largest member-based organisation of high school, TAFE, VET and university students in Australia.
Suggestions for effective studies
There is no one ‘best’ way to study. Students often find different methods and times to study to suit themselves. The key is regular study, not cramming before a test or exam.
Some suggestions for effective study time include:
- no mobile device use – no social media, messaging or calls during study time
- finish any homework for the day before starting study – remember they are separate
- focus on one topic at a time
- highlight class notes or handouts
- prepare summaries in your own words to revise concepts and skills learnt in class
- draw diagrams, mind maps or brainstorms to show the main ideas and links between them
- explain a topic or key concept to someone else
- prepare glossaries of technical language for the topic or course, include examples of appropriate use
- memorise short quotes
- read summaries aloud – you can record yourself and play them back while travelling
- write key concepts on flash cards with an explanation on the back to use for quick recall testing
- read widely about topics being studied – add any new information or quotes to your summary (remember, when you use words or passages from a source such as a book, article or website you must reference them and use quotation marks).
- For help understanding terms used in English, visit English A to Z.
- For help understanding terms used in mathematics, visit Maths A to Z.
The best study is active study – not just reading pages and pages of notes. Try creating summaries and lists, drawing mind maps, practising answering questions, teaching someone else about a topic and so on. Active study helps move content from short-term to long-term memory. When reading over notes, try to read them aloud.
For more ways to support your child, visit the department’s help with homework section.