For many teens, exams are just a big annoying disruption to their social life. Instead of planning their study time carefully, they find it extremely difficult to knuckle down - even when their exams are only days away. Procrastination. It gets us all. But it seems to be a particularly rampant disease amongst teenagers faced with upcoming exams. We want to share something with you that still helps us get off the couch and move to our desks when we need to study. Pain Vs. Pleasure The … [Read more...]
Is your teen destined to fail high school?
Better question: Is anyone destined to fail high school for that matter? Some students will fail high school this year. Unfortunately that is certain. Others will simply scrape through, and some will get marks their teachers are envious of. Back to the question at hand – is anyone destined to fail? Ah... no. They’re not. Whilst it may seem painfully obvious who the students that are going to fail are, they are NOT destined to do so. (Not unless their exams start tomorrow and they haven’t … [Read more...]
5 ways to destroy exam-time stress
Sitting exams isn’t fun. And preparing for them can be even worse. Sometimes a little bit of pressure can spur your child on to study, but once this pressure starts turning into stress bad things happen. Here are 5 of the most common stress-causing complaints from students leading up to exams, and our solution to each one. 1. I’m not going to fit everything in Many students feel like their head will explode when they try and figure out how they’re going to study for everything they need to … [Read more...]
The Difference Between Average And Outstanding
There’s only one difference between the average student and the kid who spends longer than anyone else up on stage at Prize Giving. One hour a day. The difference between getting straight A’s and getting B’s and C’s – one hour a day. The difference between excelling at a sport (getting to a level where your child gets a huge amount of enjoyment and satisfaction out of it) and never improving enough to become outstanding – one hour a day. The difference between your child getting a … [Read more...]
Challenged to Charmed, Hayleigh’s Story…
Hayleigh Scott, a remarkable 11 year old girl from the U.S. has kindly written the article below for us, to share her story with us. Hayleigh runs an online business (yes, she is only 11!) from which she sells jewellery and accessories for hearing aids, all of which she and her family make by hand. Hayleigh herself is hearing impaired, but as you'll find out from reading her story below, she has in no way let this get in the way of what life has to offer. In fact, she's helping people all over … [Read more...]
What Do Good Studiers Do?
When we want to get good at something, we look to those who have already achieved highly in that area. Would you take weight management advice from someone who thought cream puffs#eb were a healthy afternoon snack and hadn’t exercised since they were 10? Probably not... You want your personal trainer to look amazing in lycra and have a six-pack. In the same way, you wouldn’t want your teen to mimic the study habits of a student who gets less than stellar grades. You want your teen to adopt … [Read more...]
A Nostalgic Rant About Why School Is Awesome
There’s no time like the present. And this couldn’t be more true when it comes to your child’s time at high school. As a result of running The Study Gurus we have spent a while reflecting on our own time at school. We’ve talked a lot about how awesome it was, and how in some ways we really miss it! There were so many opportunities right at our fingertips – music, sport, field trips, productions, and community work. Plus we got to hang out with our best friends every day! Of course, we … [Read more...]
Why all teachers need sales training
“...and so, if you divide that number by this number you get x”. Wow. I don’t know about you but I’m bored. It’s human nature to not want to do something unless we have a reason to. Unless there’s something in it for us. So why are we surprised that so many students think school’s boring? At school we’re told what we have to learn, but not why it’s important. It’s not often explained to students how their subjects relate to the real world and how they’ll benefit from understanding them. … [Read more...]
Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right
Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right. Henry Ford It’s no secret that our internal beliefs determine our behaviour. And our behaviour in turn determines our results. Our beliefs about school and learning are usually formed subconsciously. It’s fantastic when these beliefs are empowering, such as: I am the best in my class at English, I like maths and I’m going to get a good mark in the test, etc. On the other hand, limiting beliefs can crush a student. I … [Read more...]
The Overlooked Secret To Acing Exams
Doing well at school and exams depends a lot on your reasons for doing well. So what motivates your teen? Why do they want to do well? I went to uni with a girl who, despite getting good grades, missed out on getting into medicine at the end of her first year. She wasn’t terribly disappointed to not be selected, but during her second year her grades dropped dramatically. She literally went from getting A’s to C’s. I don’t think that this happened because she suddenly hated her classes … [Read more...]