Parents of Hardworking Teens

Ep. 56 - How can your teen write with sophistication, but without being verbose? How do they give detail, whilst also being succinct? Is it better for your teen's writing to be clear but more basic, or all professional and fancy-sounding? And how can they get the perfect combination of detailed AND concise, withOUT the waffle? In this episode, I'm dishing the details on why - 'Clear...

Ep. 55 I love task 'reflections', also called ‘critical reflections’. I know that to many students, a critical reflection can just feel like an added piece of work bolted onto the main assessment and therefore they might be tempted to just dash it off. But these small but mighty critical reflections are a golden opportunity to boost marks not just in the reflection itself, but also in th...

Ep. 54 It's harder than ever to stay focused and on task. With notifications flashing up on screen, phones pulling us away from the task at hand and a thousand other things at our fingertips that are more exciting than the thing we're supposed to be doing. If you have a teen who wants to reduce their susceptibility to distractions and stay more focused on each of their study tasks, then...

Ep. 53 This motivation mindset hack is a small but mighty reverse psychology trick that can be super-helpful when your teen has a task that they just don’t want to do. It'll help them turn it into something they DO want to do, so they finally get it done - minus the moaning! FEATURED ON THE SHOW: Episode 2: Why Your Teen Procrastinates (even though they want to get it done). The 10WGT: 10 Wee...

Ep. 52 If your teen has ever: - gone blank or 'frozen' in an exam, or -wished they could better memorise information, OR if you've seen them revising BUT... - doing it in ways that are taking for.ev.er ​​​​​​​(like writing out pages upon pages of notes, or stacks and stacks of revision cards) or - in a way that just isn’t really very effective ​​​​​​​(like just watching tutorial vid...

Ep. 51 There's ONE question that no exam has EVER asked (and never will). WHY are we talking about a question your teen will never be asked? Because so many students still try to answer it. Argh! Listen in to make sure your teen doesn't fall into this trap! FEATURED ON THE SHOW: LIVE Parent webinar - Tue 30th May: The Exam Success Framework: What's required for ULTIMATE EXAM PERFORM...

Ep. 50 Exam technique is what turns your teen's knowledge into marks. From marking tens of thousands of exam papers, I've distilled the overall skill of exam technique into 6 elements: Q - Quality of  written communication U - Using resources provided explicitly E - Examples and case studies S - Structure T - Time C - Command words  In this episode you'll discover why they’re import...

Ep. 49 We know that 'teaching to the test' is not a good thing. It's sometimes likened to 'giving a man a fish'. A quick fix, with little to no long term benefit. In this episode we explore more about why this is and what to do instead to increase the likelihood of success in exams, tests and assessments. In this episode you will learn: -  what exactly 'teaching to th...

Ep. 48 Is your teen cycling on the long, hard path to reach their study goals? (Because they don't know any other way.) What if they were handed the keys to a car that means they can get to places they never realised they could reach? Those are Phases one and two. The next is to learn to drive the car. That's Phase 3. And then they have an option to become a master of 'driving'...

Ep. 47 What's required for the top criteria in extended response exam questions, essays and assignments? In this Quick Tips episode taken from my recent Facebook Live Q&A + Bonus Tips session, you will learn: The difference between what's deemed 'Effective' and what's considered 'Skillful' according to marking criteria for assignments, > PLUS - the nitty-g...

Ep. 46 Whether your teen's aiming for top marks in English, or hates reading and just wants to 'get through English', this episode if for you. Gemma Toms is our English-Focus Coach, Shakespeare ninja, literature lover and examination extraordinaire. As well as being an in-demand high school teacher in the UK, she's also an external examiner, lead marker, senior examiner, modera...

Ep. 45 Confidence is a feeling created by thoughts  like 'I can do this' or 'I'm good at this sort of thing' or 'I'll be able to figure it out'. Confidence varies over time and also between different situations. It can be dented or it can be built and when it comes to your teen's study, some of the best ways I've found to build their confidence is...

Ep. 44 There's a lot of talk and media spotlight on artificial intelligence at the moment. I’m pragmatic about things. I don’t think that the education system and exams and assessment are changing any time soon. Not within my lifetime and therefore not within your teen’s education. I’m working with the system we’ve got to make education as successful, positive and enjoyable as possible for st...

Ep. 43 What are some of the best skills and tips to set your teen up for success as they start high school? I'm not talking about the basics like organising their pencil case or laying out their uniform the night before. Listen in for my top three study habits I recommend setting up in the early years of high school, the overall purpose of instilling them AND what to do if your teen’s further...

Ep. 42 Does your teen wish they had more time? More time to prep for their exams. More time to hang with friends. More time for whatever they want in life. Do you wish they had more time so they have a better life balance?  Or,  so they could do the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program to become more efficient and effective in their study so they spend LESS time studying and get MORE marks along t...

Ep. 41 Today we’re talking strategies. I’m going to tell you some of my top study strategies that I train students in AND the strategy that I see many students using (and that they and their parents are in fact sometimes relying on), that isn’t a strategy at all. FEATURED ON THE SHOW: Episode 29: The Two Words I NEVER Say (Anymore) The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program Next Level Coachin...

Ep. 40 Exams and tests where students have a prompt to respond to, either a text statement or an image, and have to produce an extended piece of original writing (like the NAPLAN Writing Test, the GAT Writing Task and Module C of HSC Advanced English) often have students agonising over things that, in terms of the mark scheme, don't matter. Writing tests are simply vehicles for your teen to s...

Ep. 39 Get the most out of parents' evenings. Here are three questions you can ask your teen’s teachers that’ll help you get tangible take-aways and feel like you actually know what’s going on, without feeling like you’re grilling the teacher. (Or maybe you’d love to grill the teacher, in which case these will also work. Just ask them with your best 'stern face') ;) FEATURED ON THE...

Ep. 38 If the skills of 'application' - dissecting questions, responding to specific commands, note-taking, active revision and more - are so critical to students' success, why aren’t they being taught in schools? AND - a less common question, but one I got recently - why aren’t there more teachers or tutors or tutoring companies out there delivering this stuff? Listen in to discove...

Ep. 37 Is it really as easy as just getting the skills of application on board in order to achieve study success? Do we really want your teen's study to be easy? (Answer: Yes AND no) ;) Listen in to hear what I believe SHOULD be easy (and how to make it so!), so that your teen can focus on challenging themselves in the right ways with the right things, so they work at and achieve their true p...

Ep. 36. Whether your teen is feeling unmotivated across the board in their study, or maybe they’re just having a bit of a temporary slump, or perhaps they struggle to get motivated for certain subjects, then there will likely be ideas in here that will be helpful.  It can be helpful to take the focus from them being unmotivated as a personal character trait when it comes to study, to thinking abou...

Ep. 35 Why did they get that result? Like really, really why? What specifically, on their page, had the marker tick that criteria? These and more questions that your teen can ask about their study, will create more success in future, when they answer them in detail. We’ll talk about why most students don’t do this and the misguided reason behind it, and discuss the benefits that are waiting for yo...

Ep. 34 The difference between hardworking and overworking and how to ensure your teen can work hard without doing more than is required, so they achieve great things and still have a great life balance. FEATURED ON THE SHOW Episode 30: If it's Not Difficult, it's Not Doing Anything Free Parent Webinar: Your Teen's New Year Group - How to Have Them Nail it! The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade T...

Ep. 33 As a student I always thought two things changed when you moved up a year level: the difficulty of the subject content, and the type of task you had to write. E.g. essay instead of a project, exam instead of a test. But as a teacher, exam marker and assessment moderator, I know now that these aren’t the only things that up-level. And it’s the hidden, more subtle changes that catch students...

Ep. 32 Here are seven things I see a lot of struggling students doing, that are keeping them stressed, keeping them working longer and harder than is necessary and stopping them from achieving the results they’re truly capable of. If your teen is struggling to get the results they want, or getting top results but doing it the hard way, then take a listen and see if it's because they're d...