• About Us
  • Principal's Message
  • History & Location
  • Enrolments
• Curriculum
  • Learning Areas
    • The Arts
    • Career & Voc Ed
    • English
    • Health & PE
    • LOTE
    • Mathematics
    • Science
    • Society & Environment
    • Technology & Enterprise
      • Business & Information Technology
      • Design & Technology
      • Home Economics
  • Options Program
  • Homework
  • ICT
  • Useful web sites
• School Routines
  • School Charter
  • School dress
  • School rules
  • Timetable
• Student Services
  • Student Council
• Community
  • P&C committee
    • Alumni
  • School Council
  • Student Council
  • Canteen Menu
• Student Portal
• School Events
• Complaints Policy
• Links

Homework

Questions frequently asked about study and homework…..and a few answers

Effective study routines

1.What is the difference between study and homework?

Homework:  Generally regarded as the work which is set by teachers.  As such it includes assignments, reading, completion of notes and completing examples.
Study:  This is generally regarded as learning, remembering, revising and preparing for tests and examinations.

Many students report that they have less trouble doing homework because it is set work and the directions are clear.  The job is defined and the start and finish positions are readily understood.

2.Why do teachers give homework and why should students do study?

All the homework which teachers give is designed to COMPLEMENT what is taught in the classroom.  It is an extension of the classroom and so it allows more work to be covered and to allow students to practise what they have been taught.  The amount given by individual teachers varies a lot based on the place of the subject in the curriculum.  In the compulsory core subjects of English, Science, Mathematics and Society and Environment, students can always expect more homework and they will probably put these subjects higher on the list of priorities.

In upper school, TEE subjects will probably have a higher priority than non-TEE subjects.

3.   When are the best times to study?

The biggest problem that students have is to START their homework and study.
The student should make out a timetable for when it suits him/her and the family to do schoolwork at home.  Such things to consider are sporting commitments, work commitments, when parents are home, clubs and leisure interests, TV/Radio fancies.

BUILD ALL OF THESE INTO A FUNCTIONAL TIMETABLE WHICH SUITS EVERYONE.

e.g. Timetable for ______________________________________   Date: 

Other considerations in the timetable are that the times before dinner are better than after dinner, Friday nights are not good and could be avoided, Sunday mornings are better than afternoons.  A short half hour session on Sunday evening is very handy so that the students can prepare for the week ahead.  It is also much better to do study before a treat than afterwards.

4.   What conditions are the best in which to study?

A quiet room away from the hustle and bustle of the family, a desk with a drawer or two, a small noticeboard, a seat with a straight back, a heater/cooler, a small bookshelf, a clock, a computer, a printer, tons of pens, paper, files and stationery, a blackboard or whiteboard on which the student can work examples are all handy items for the study room.

Avoid noisy places, telephone or TV noise, beds, sofas.

5.   What subjects should be studied first?

Weak subjects or unpopular subjects should be studied first, the core or TEE subjects next.  Work which does not require concentration should be left to the end.

However students should ask what MUST be done
                                                  SHOULD be done
                                                  COULD be done
and attempt subjects in that order usually in intervals or 35/45 minutes followed by a break.  STUDENTS HAVE A TENDENCY TO PUT ENGLISH INTO THE ‘CAN’T STUDY’ SECTION AND PUT IT LAST OR NOT AT ALL ON THE PROGRAM.  BE WARY OF THIS

.

6.   What is the single most important reason for a student not performing well at school?

The answer is simply not attempting enough good quality home study and preparation.

7.   What are the best ways to study?

• Keep to the hours specified in the timetable.
• Plan each evening FIRST after consulting the Homework Diary and the daily school notes.  Write down what you expect to study and how long it will take.  The student might even be able to timetable part of the next night if something jogs his/her memory.
• Keep an accurate record of the study hours.  Prepare the school bag at the end of the evening not in the morning.
• Keep lists of things that need to be done AND questions to be asked in class.
• Allow some time to prepare for assignments.  Slowly prepare your work by making  preparations some days before the due date.  Gathering information is time-consuming and may mean consulting the library, other students, the teacher or the Internet.  Rushing an assignment means that it will always look sloppy, will invariably be too short, lack tables, graphs or illustrations, be untidy, have spelling mistakes and attract low marks.

IT IS OFTEN A GOOD IDEA TO RE-WRITE AN ASSIGNMENT BEFORE HANDING IT IN TO ENSURE A GOOD PRESENTATION.  TYPED WORK OFTEN GETS BETTER GRADES.

Study is necessary for students to ABSORB, UNDERSTAND, PRACTISE AND REMEMBER INFORMATION AND PROCESSES.

Here are some ways to do it:

• Keeping all of the SENSES operating.  Students should read through the notes aloud, repeating where necessary.  If the student pretends he or she is teaching someone, knowledge will be better absorbed.
• Important points should be underlined and each sheet should be signed and dated.
• Students should make summaries of the page or pages they have read.  Important parts could be highlighted, and the page dated and signed.
• If the student is absent, he or she should arrange to get the notes from another student.
• The black or white board allows students to get physical in reiterating, repeating, practising maths, drawing cross sections, maps and charts, practising spelling and so on.  “Teaching” oneself, although a trifle noisy is very effective and does not seem like work.
• Composing objective tests and filing them away for a later study session is an excellent practice.  Answers should be listed somewhere.

8.   What part does the Homework Diary play in the study scenario?

The Homework Diary is a simple tool to allow students to be ORGANISED - nothing more.

The school’s policy on the Diary is listed elsewhere but the essence of the correct use of the Diary is:

• students list their homework, assignments and tests in the Diary.
• teachers and parents check the Diary once per week.

There are a number of useful graphs, charts and spelling lists in the Diary. 

By students treating their Diary as their prized possessions they have taken the first important step in planning.

9.   What are some common distractions hindering study?

Radio, TV, Internet and computer games, sport, part-time work, romantic connections, telephone calls, domestic upheavals and poor health.  Having friends who do not study is a real trap.

contact student
support

Student Services Co-ordinator
Alistar MacNeill
9307 0208