1. Fifth Year Study

2. Introduction Two Types of Students in Sixth Year Student 1 Plays his/her sport… Socialises with friends every now and again… Achieves his potential i.e. third level course, apprenticeship or passes leaving cert…

3. Student 2 Has to give up sport… Cannot socialise with his/her friends… Has to study 24/7… Or has to lower his /her expectations…

4. The difference…? Studying in Fifth Year

5. Academic success requires several factors: -Regular attendance -Good Punctuality -Adherence to School Rules -consistent attention to homework These are the basics that are required Something extra is needed: STUDY

6. Students who perform to the best of their ability – regardless of grade achieved – are those students who consistently study throughout the school year and not just in the run up to a class or end of term exam. In order to do this a routine should be in place that involves studying topics (e.g. Topic 6) even when the teacher is focusing on something else (E.g. Topic 7).

7. Time Spent Studying The quantity of time spent studying by each student will vary considerably - should be determined by when the quality of the work starts to decline e.g. daydreaming begins. Study in blocks: -Some students may study in blocks as short as 3 x 15mins sessions with short breaks in between. -Some may do 2 x 20mins and others may do 2 x 20mins followed by 15mins depending on how busy the day has been or the amount of homework done. The moment the quality starts to decline, you should stop and have a short break.

8. The Break…

9.  If you have not done much study to date start with a 20 mins. block with a 5mins break.  Shorter time slots are particularly useful for languages especially when CDs or recordings are used. Language teachers recommend that 10mins a night be spent on vocabulary is better than 2hrs. once a week.

10. Weekend Slots… Should be more ambitious than a week day slot e.g. more subjects, more time slots. Homework must be done on Friday!!!

11. Get into a Good Routine…  Come straight home after school (if possible)...  After a small break, do the homework (written and learning!)  After dinner, STUDY!  No student can do all subjects every night. -2/3 subjects should be studied every night -All subjects should be covered at least once from Monday to Sunday.

12. Note Taking  Research shows that we remember 20% of what we read, 30% of what we hear, 40% of what we see, 50% of what we say and 60% of what we do. However, we remember 90% of what we read, hear, say and do at the same time. In other words, use as many senses as possible when learning i.e. read, think, write, say and hear.  One way of achieving quality and productive study is to make shorthand, concise, hand written notes in parallel with what is being read. (This should not be transcribing).

13. These notes can be words or phrases preferably not long and full sentences. Each new point should be written on a new line. This should result in one page of text being condensed down to about 10 to 15 lines. It is also sometimes useful to skip every second line to create space in which to add comments/notes at a later date. Once these condensed sentences have been written, the student can then say these sentences out loud and then automatically hear them. All of this has the effect of processing the information through the “cogs” in the brain, which does not happen if the student reads only.

14. Subjects like Maths, and some of the problem solving exercises in Science, should be studied by doing examples over and over again. Also, with the Maths type subjects making templates and/or spread-sheets for definitions or formulae facilitates the practice of writing out (repeatedly), this is what is needed to solve problems. Whatever method of note taking is employed, one method used to help with retention is to recite out loud the notes taken.

15. Gears

16. Gear 1: Attending school Gear 2: Attending school and doing homework Gear 3: Attending school, doing homework + some extra study. (Homework done on Friday and one day off at weekend). Gear 4: Attending school, doing homework + some extra study. (Homework done on Friday and no day off at weekend). Gear 5: 24/7! (Not sustainable, short bursts of intense work).

18. Gear 3: September to October Mid-term Gear 4: October Mid-Term to Christmas Exams Gear 3: Christmas Exams to January (no student can afford to take these weeks off). There should be pre-planned days off during Christmas. Gear 4-5: January to the Pre’s. Study should increase to 5 th gear in the few weeks before the Pre’s. Gear 3. Pre’s to Easter Holidays: May seem low but students are about to enter the most intense time. At this stage there are also oral exams and project work to complete.

19. Easter holidays  up to each student to decide if they should be in 4 th or 5 th gear. Bare in mind, after the Easter holidays, students will be in 4 th /5 th gear!! 5 th Gear  Easter to Exams. This is a long stretch so care must be taken when deciding the intensity level over Easter. Remember: This is a rough guide, the student is not a robot!!

20. Points to consider… Concept of gears varies from person to person. A good guide to follow is students should be tired from the academic work done. If they are not, then more work can be done! Venue  noise at a minimum, no distractions e.g. phones, tv’s, iPod etc. “Falling off the wagon”  going through the motions of study, lack of motivation. a.Take a week of study (not school or homework). b.Study the subjects the find easiest for a week.

21. Delaying implementing a study plan in 6 th Year is a recipe for disaster. If it is delayed until October you can deduct 10 points from potential results in August. November  20 points; January 30 points. CAO fact  50% of students who miss out on their first preference do so by 25 points or less.

22. Parents… Be lenient when your teenager is irritable… Please do not induce guilt “I told you so” or “you should have studied more last year”. Ask them what they would like done for them. On day of exam ask them “do you need a lift”, “do you need some money for lunch”, “what would you like for dinner tonight”. After exam  no post mortems, instead try and shift to focus to whats up next. Don’t tell them to relax- it won’t work! Instead listen and empathise. Being heard and understood will automatically relax them. If you are anxious, please do not let your son/daughter see it. Finally, remind them that no matter what, they will always be your child and you will love them.