The exam …

One for you diary: the exam dates have now been released. The English exam will be on the morning of Thursday28th October. That’s only 280 days away!

What kind of English student are you going to be this year?

Just before the end of last year’s school year I gave a talk to the Year 11 English students about the Year 12 course and included a bit on ‘what kind of student are you going to be in Year 12?’ I focused a bit on getting involved in discussions in class, in choosing who you sit with, and where you sit in the classroom,but also on the kinds of technologies they might choose to begin organised and stay organised.

This Lifehacker article Use Better Tools to be a Better Student, takes up that thread.My personal favourite: OneNote, gets a mention. Now’s the time to begin.

Context texts for 2010

Getting organised, looking ahead. Here’s the official list of texts for the 2010 Context study, from the VCAA Bulletin:

Issues Book 2010

Well, the dust has barely settled on the 2009 English Exam (more posts about that particular 3 hourexperience later) and we’re already thinking of next year.

This week we saw the brand-new, pre-release, freshly minted and entirely rewritten Issues Book, which we’ve been working on for a while. It’s great to see it ready to go for the year ahead.  Contact Cengage for purchasing details.

Good luck!

Good luck to all the students doing the English exam this Friday! If you’ve prepared well, you’ll be fine.

Exam Preparation Summary

Download this short audio podcast by David Baxter as he talks through the exam preparation process for the English Exam.

DOWNLOAD

Exam stress? No worries!

The most recent issue of Teacher magzine (yes, there is such a thing) had some exam preparation advice from Su Dorland (author of Exam Stress: No Worries). A summary of that advice is here:

1. Understand the signs of stress,and recognise that they are likely to occur: irritability, procrastinating, sleepiness, ‘butterflies’ in the stomach etc.
2. Set reachable goals; set goals for revision week, and even the day. Half-hour goals are as important as larger goals
3. Manage your time, especially the demands of part-time jobs.
4. Seek support from your teacher or peer study groups if you need it.
5. Learn calming and relaxation techniques: deep breathing, calming words etc.
6. Remember the positive aspects of your previous study experience; you can do it!
7. Replace negative thinking with positive thinking.
8. Work out how to get a good night’s sleep, and try to achieve it. Basics such as a dark, quiet room, layered bedclothes to adjust temperature, turning mobile phones off etc.
9. Vary your revision methods; try summary cards,  concepts maps, group study, role play.
10. Schedule some ‘time out from worry’ sessions.

Exam Stress? No Worries is by Su Dorland and published by John Wiley and Sons