Third Year Parents’ Meeting
2. JUNIOR CERTIFICATE
Planning the year …

Where are we now academically?


Four major academic reports (Christmas & Summer)
Strengths / Weaknesses should be clear



Where do we want to be?





Group subject types together:
Languages? Logic? Creative?
Set Goals for Junior Cert – LT goal 10 months away – Wednesday June
5th 2013
Specific goal for each subject
Agreed between pupil & parents
Realistic – capable of being achieved
How to get there?



Plan to get there
Interim Major exams: Christmas, Mocks = Interim goals
Hard to improve everything all at once – be selective
Third Years Parents’ Meeting
3. THIRD YEAR WORK
Work in Third Year

Minimum 2 hours each night




= 10 hours per week
Parental expectations are extremely important
Monitor Homework Journal and quality of
homework
Study

Revise within 1 day of what was learnt in class


75% of material will be recalled in 9 weeks
If no revision within 1 day of new material:


< 50% recalled after 2nd day
< 20% recalled after 9 weeks
Homework (learning & written)




Not a punishment, but an integral part of
learning
Consolidates and reinforces a pupil’s skills &
understanding from the classroom
Develops skills outside the classroom
Encourages pupil confidence
Homework Credits


Every pupil began 3rd year with 100 credits
Credits are lost for:



Credits are gained for:



Extra academic work
Agreed in advance with any of their subject teachers
If below 30 credits, then liable to be put in Detention
(Saturdays 8.45 – 10.45am)



No homework presented (on time) = -10 credits
Incomplete / poorly attempted = -5 credits
At the very least … must stop losing credits
Then must gain credits to rise above 30 to avoid Detention
Homework credit report emailed home weekly (Tuesday)

Sent last week (make sure correct email address)
Supervised Study - Details




Forms already given to the pupils and emailed out to
parents
Students contact Ms.C Mcguire
Study group no larger than 30 pupils
Times:


4.15 – 6.15pm OR 7- 9pm
Wednesdays: 1.30 – 3.30pm, Fridays: no 7pm session
Supervised Study


Complete silence & work atmosphere maintained
at all times.
Students must manage their time.



Bring enough work for homework & revision
No music. No mobile phone usage. No bathroom
breaks*
Arriving late, leaving early … very exceptional
please.
Third Year Parents’ Meeting
4. STUDY SKILLS
I’ll never get
all this work
done in time !
I’ve got so much
work to do that I
don’t know
where to start !
How am I going
to learn all this
for the exams?
I have ready this
page twice and still
can’t remember a
thing !
Study conditions

Research shows it takes 15min on average for a person to
get to peak concentration levels.


Make sure study area does not have:







If you are being interrupted then you will never be at your most
efficient at studying
a distracting view of other activities
a mobile phone
a TV
a family member who wants to talk a lot …
Facebook, Twitter, etc
Bedrooms are probably not a good location …(parental
supervision very important)
Issue of music ?
Taking breaks…




Regular breaks are required to prevent too great a drop
in your concentration and bring you back to a new peak
Maximum length of time = 45min
Ideally change every 30-40min
Break must be short ! (e.g. 10mins)
Study Plans for pupils


A guideline revision plan from today to Christmas
(parental involvement/supervision is key!)
Only spend 1 evening preparing this information!

1. Weekly study timetable


2. Topics to be studied



Will probably include 1 day of the weekend
Get a list of all topics/chapter done so far
Cross them off as they are studied = control
3. Study Schedule


Allocate each topic to the Revision Schedule
Avoids wasting time
Study Sessions

Develop realistic, small short-range goals
e.g. Not “I am going to spend all day Saturday studying!”
e.g. Instead: “Finish reading 3 sections of chapter 7”, “I will complete
1 maths problem”

Decide the order to complete tasks


Begin with boring/difficult subjects. Your ability to concentrate is
highest when you begin studying.
Plan a reward for the end of study!


T.V., phone, movie, Facebook, …
Probably when you turn on TV, etc. you won’t go back to study
again that night.
Your mind wanders …



If your mind wanders, stand up and face away
from your books.
Don’t sit at your desk staring into a book &
mumbling about your poor willpower.
Don’t leave the room. Just stand by your desk
and allow some day-dreaming.
Remembering …


The MOST important thing is to understand what is to be
remembered & memorised.
Spot what is to be memorised verbatim, “off by heart”


Use a special marking symbol in text
Go over / repeat at odd times (e.g. on way to school)
Key words & phrases






Underline important points once, and very
important points twice.
Use CAPITAL LETTERS
Put the key words in boxes
Draw an asterisk next to the main idea*
Going over the important points with a
highlighter pen
Use a different colour pen
Studying is not the same as
reading a novel!



Some people read textbooks as if they were novels.
They begin with the first page of the chapter and read to
the end of the chapter, without stopping.
This is not the way to study most textbooks.
“Pretend” learning … just turning pages.
Stress Busters






Get organised
Positive attitude
Exercise
Caffeine levels – drink water
Diet and rest
Fight or flight