Meeting Deadlines - Time Management

 Managing your deadlines 

Making the most of the time students have enables students to be as efficient and successful as possible, leading a balanced life of work and play.

In order to meet assignment deadlines and to keep up with the schedules related to school and schoolwork, students must engage their temporal sequential ordering abilities.

For students with weak time management skills, procrastination can have painful consequences, affecting both academic and personal success.

Here are some strategies to help you to meet deadlines and adhere to school schedules:

• Create long term schedules to budget time (such as when managing a schedule of work and recreation or planning the timeline of a school project)

• efficiently stage or break down long term activities ( history report may be broken down into following stages Monday: Go to the library to collect sources Tuesday: Write first draft Wednesday: Proofread Thursday: Revise to final copy Friday: Take to school and submit)

• Prepare a written schedule of daily and weekly deadlines (reminders of tests and important long term projects) 

• make checklists - keep track of multi-step assignments and activities

• make personal schedules for study time, after school activities ( help students learn to set goals that emphasise important tasks they need to accomplish) 

Math Anxiety

Don't panic! Feeling nervous about math is very common. Do you ...

• feel NERVOUS before a math test? 
• PANIC and freeze while taking math tests?
• feel HELPLESS doing your homework?
• think that it's HOPELESS- you just fon't get math, never will, so there's no sense even trying?

NERVOUS NIGHTS

Stomach-churning head-spinning sleepless nights can be a sign of math anxiety. Try these simple ideas to help you relax and wake up feeling in charge.

1. Study- OK, that sounds obvious. Of course you should study. But look at #2...

2. Don't study too much! Spending too much time going over and over the same stuff won't help and will just overwhelm you.

3. Calm- those fears by treating yourself with calmness. Try to have a set routine- Go to bed on time. In the morning, eat breakfast, put on your lucky sweater (it works for me!), and pack yourself a treat for lunch. 

Test... Brain...Freeze...Panic

OK- you studied, got a good nights sleep and are wearing the lucky sweater. You get to class and forget your name. 

What to do now?

1. Remember your name? No, really - just think of something you DO know is the first step in remembering all those lost formulas.

2. Unfreeze your mind by unfreezing your body. Give yourself a quick stretch and tell yourself to be confident. Take a deep breath can break the cycle of panic.

3. Work around the panic by finding something on the test that you can do. Gain confidence and then go back and finish the rest of the problems. Keep going on the ones you can do, then go back and try the others. You might be surprised to find that you can now tackle them with ease. 

Math anxiety can be overcome. It is a matter of admitting that it is something you want to get over and working on it. 

Contributed by Jessica To

Great Exam Stationary!

While I was writing this post, I realized that having good exam stationary really makes a difference in your exam performance, especially in essay based papers where you often find your hands to be numb from exhaustion afterwards. So here are some pens that I've tried and would like to recommend for all you exam takers out there:

Pilot G2 Gel Pen

This pen has a great grip and writes super smoothly to ensure both comfort and speed when you're writing an essay. Since it's gel, it also gives the nice, formal "look" of ink but doesn't smudge easily.

Progrex Mechanical Pencil

This pen is mechanical pencil has a steady grip and is environmentally friendly and is therefore great to have handy for diagrams and annotations and whatnot.

Papermate Kilometrico Ballpoint Pen

This is a personal favorite of mine for doing math or science papers that don't require such "extravagant" presentation as essay papers. The fine point writes smoothly but also makes your writing look tidy at the same time.

Uni Jetstream 101
This ballpoint pen is great for both math and science long answer papers, as well as essay papers for people who don't like using gel or ink. It writes smoothly and provides a nice grip and the colors are also very nice and dark, which is great for essay writing.

Exam Tips!!

Doing well in an exam isn't just about studying, it's also about how you perform at an exam. One could have spent months reading and compiling notes in preparation for an exam, only to not do as well as one could have because they aren't well prepared to actually take the exam. Here are some tips:

• Be confident, but not overconfident: I always tell my friends that "stress is an exam killer", because it's really easy to get distracted and forget important information when you feel like you're under pressure. Therefore, I think the main thing that you really need to do before an exam is to believe in yourself. Don't panic about all the things that could go wrong, but instead tell yourself that you're already as well prepared as you could be and that you'll do just fine. However, don't be overconfident and just not study or not check your answers at the end of the exam. Overconfidence can be just as detrimental to your exam performance as stress, as it could lead to carelessness, which, believe it or not, could lose you a lot of marks in a paper, especially for subjects like math and science!
• Dress for the occasion: This may sound really stupid, but I actually spend ages picking out an outfit before an exam. When I tell my friends this, they always look at me like I'm crazy and ask me "why on Earth would you waste time doing that when you could be studying?". Good question. I believe that what you wear could greatly affect your morale under stressful situations such as exams. Though obviously wearing the right outfit won't magically get you that level 7 if you don't study, it does help you feel more comfortable and confident, which could really help you think more clearly and therefore perform better. A sweater paired with trackpants or leggings (for girls) are very popular choices for exam outfits, simply because they're comfortable. It's also important to dress for all sorts of temperature situations that the exam hall would throw at you. In an exam where you're tight in time, you wouldn't want to waste your precious seconds putting on or taking off layers of clothing. Therefore, if you opt for layers, wear a jacket or zipped hoodie instead of pullovers so they're easy to put on or take off. Of course, the ideal situation would be if you wore an outfit that wouldn't make you too warm or too cold, such as a long sleeve top or a shirt with a cardigan, so you would be comfortable throughout the whole exam and won't get distracted by the temperature!
• Prepare enough stationary: We all know that you can't write an exam without proper stationary. Therefore, remember to prepare enough stationary for every possible situation. It is better to be over-prepared and have a ruler at your English exam than to be without one during your math exam. Have a few of each type of pen, in case one runs out of ink, and line all your stationary up in front of you while you're waiting for the exam to start so you could have easy access to them when you need to. Make sure things like lead pencils are full and that your pens write smoothly. You can check out this post for some good exam stationary that we recommend.
• Don't try to study right before the exam: Though it may be tempting to try and cram until the last minute in order to ensure that you're as prepared as possible, it is also very unhelpful and creates unnecessary stress. Instead of trying to read your textbooks or your notes, take a few deep breaths, grab a drink or some snacks (but remember to go to the bathroom before you go in), and just relax to get yourself into the "zone" for the exam.
• Sleep!!!: I cannot stress this enough, but sleep is uber important when it comes to exams. Not getting enough sleep could lead to "brain freeze" situations, which is obviously not desirable when one is in an exam. So instead of trying to cram up to the last few minutes before going into the hall, get a decent 6-8 hours of sleep the night before instead to ensure that you maximize your performance.

Study Tips

As mock exams are approaching, an effective study method is especially useful in cutting down your workload and alleviating stress before tests and exams, here are some tips:

• Write stuff out: Oftentimes when students try to study they find themselves staring blankly at a textbook and not taking anything in. I'm sure we've all had those times when we just keep re-reading the same paragraph of a textbook over and over again, and let's face it, we're just not going anywhere. An easy way to avoid this is to write things out! Don't just copy the textbook, translate the key points into your own words. So when you write them down in note form, you know for sure that you've read and understood. It also helps you remember things after you've written it out a few times.
• Read first, then make notes from memory: This method doesn't work with everyone, but I find it especially useful when making revising for subjects that are heavy in reading (e.g. history). Read the textbook first so you can give your undivided attention to taking in the information, but highlight things as you go along, and then after you finish a chapter or section, write out the things you remember in note form (do this in pencil if you're writing it in your actual notes). After you're done, cross check it again with your textbook to make sure you got it right. That way, you've already processed the info a few times in your mind and have a firm impression of what you need to remember!
• Study through group discussions: One of the things I learned back when I was at boarding school is the benefit of studying in groups. Not everyone learns the same way, and for some people, studying through written notes and textbooks aren't effective at all. Therefore, it is always useful to get together with a group of friends and discuss the topics you're studying. This method works with basically any subject, whether it is conversing in your second language and testing each other on how to conjugate verbs, or debating over policies of dictators you're studying in history, or discussing the theory behind the laws you're learning in science. Group discussions not only help you remember information, it also allows you and your friends to actively help each other and ensure that you cover anything you might have missed in your own studying, as well as learn how to apply your knowledge. This is especially helpful in group 3 and 4 subjects, where you not only have to know the information, but also have to apply it to situations and in essay topics.
• Keep an organised set of notes: It's okay if you haven't got that handy right now, and it's probably not the best idea to start making a whole new set of notes a week before the exams. But if you have started making notes as part of your studies, don't throw them away! They can form a good basis for what you need when you make a complete set of notes that you will study from for the final exams. Try and organize your notes by topic and highlight important points that you definitely need to know and make sure they're easy to understand. When it comes to studying, especially when time is tight, it is often easier to read from bullet point notes than to sort out useful information from a textbook. So keep your notes organized and update them regularly.
• Set up memory cues: This is especially useful for remembering quotes for English and probably also memorisation-heavy subjects like history and psychology.  Identify key words or themes that are significant in the quotes or important information that you need to remember. Focus on those key words and themes every time you revise that part of the syllabus, so you'll automatically associate the relevant information to the certain words.  Instead of forcing yourself to memorize the whole thing for the exam, just memorize those words and it'll be easier to remember the rest

IB and the holidays!!

As Christmas rolls along a lot of us year 13s are probably panicking about how to balance a typical holiday schedule with revision for the upcoming mock exams. So here are some tips on how to enjoy your holiday and still be well-prepared for exams:

• Make a Schedule: Although it would be unrealistic to plan every single activity way ahead of time, it's nice to be able to make a note of what major social events you are planning on attending during the holiday (e.g. a Christmas party, sleepover at a friend's, lunch gathering with friends who came back from boarding school for the holidays) so you can ensure that you have enough time for work. Once you get a general idea of what social activities you'll be engaging in during these few weeks, you can then plan out your time for studying. Try and do more work on the days before you're going out and less on the days after, so you could ease yourself back into work mode after relaxing but would be productive. 
• Study on the go: There are lots of ways that you can study while you're out and about. A good way to do this is to make flashcards that you can carry around with you everywhere. This could work with quotes for English, bond angles in chemistry, equations in math, dates in history and basically anything. These can come in handy for when you're on the train or waiting for the bus or when if your friend happens to be running late. Instead of just waiting around, you could be using this time to refresh on some important facts so they'll be lodged firmly in your memory by the time exams come along.
• Set up "rewards" for yourself: I think it's a standing joke among students that we would revise for ten minutes and reward ourselves with three hours of internet, but in fact, setting up rewards for yourself is actually helpful when it comes to motivation. Obviously it wouldn't be wise to revise for an hour and then spend the rest of the day relaxing, so a good way to do this is to set up rewards that come with time "limits". For example, if you're tempted to have a "Friends" marathon instead of revising for your chemistry exam, how about try finishing a unit of chemistry revision and then reward yourself by watching an episode? That way, you can get back to work after an episode finishes. Better yet, move the episode from your harddrive to your computer so you won't be tempted to click the next episode. 
• Study dates: A good way to see your friends and study at the same time is to set up study dates. Go for lunch or a movie but bring some work with you so you guys can sit at a Starbucks and study together afterwards. That way, you can get work done yet still get to spend a full day out with friends.
• You have less time than you think: This may sound pressurising, but a common mistake among students is that they always put things off until the next day because they think the still have time. You may think it's okay to chill for the first few days of the holiday because it's still early, but before you know it, it's the day before the first day back and you have heaps of revision or assignments to do. So it never hurts to start early, and just remember, you have less time than you think.

IOC Prep Tips

(courtesy of Alvina Lee)

  Re-read the texts

2.     Get blank copies of the texts we have focused on in class and practice annotating (poems can be easily found online)

3.     Go through the many, many useful resources on the VLE

4.     Practice IOC openings for each potential text

5.     Make sure you know the stimulus text or story for each Duffy poem

6.     Learn key/ relevant information about the Vietnam war to set The Things they Carried in context

7.     Make a list of useful discourse markers to use to structure your IOC – however, furthermore, in addition, next, in contrast etc.

8.     Re-listen to the model IOC on Little Red Cap on the VLE

9.     Create IOC plans for each of the texts you have studied

10.  Make sure you can identify and comment on the effect of at least 10 literary features in each of the texts – mark them in red in your text

11.  Get together with another student and listen to each other deliver an IOC – what questions would you ask?

12.  Try to think about the possible guiding questions for each of the poems you have studied – how could you use them?

•The assessment is a critical examination of an extract approximately 40 lines long drawn from one of the Part 4 works that have been studied

•You draw a clean copy of an extract ‘unseen’ from a choice of  envelopes – you cannot see the extract and choose
•There are two guiding questions to help you comment on the extract
•You then have 20 minutes to prepare on your own, during which you can annotate the extract and make notes to help you deliver your IOC. You cannot consult your own copy of the text, your notes or anyone else
•The commentary must be a literary analysis of approx 10 minutes in length, plus 5 minutes of follow up questions from the teacher
•The commentary is recorded and samples are sent to IB for moderation

How to avoid getting STRESSED in IB

Year 12 and 13 can be a stressful time for many of us, especially with the sudden increase in workload that comes with doing the IB, so here are a few tips on how to not get stressed:

• Start your work early: You've probably heard this many times before, but believe it or not, this is the number 1 rule on how to not get stressed while doing the IB. Depending on your subject combination, deadlines can sometimes be set very close together and before you know it, you'll find yourself under a pile of work that you don't have enough time to finish. Therefore, start doing your work (whether it's an IA, or preparing for a presentation, or just doing annotations for English) as soon as it's assigned to make sure you have a head start on at least one piece of homework. So when you're assigned work for other subjects that may be due around the same time, you wouldn't have to cramp everything into a short period of time and try to get everything done all at once.
• Don't compare your workload with your friends': This may sound strange, but everyone in the IB has had at least one conversation where they're comparing the amount of deadlines they have with their friends. This is actually really counterproductive as it turns workload into a sort of competition that isn't really good for morale. It often encourages people with to either start thinking and complaining about how unfair it is that they have so much more to do than their peers, or start procrastinating because they believe they are in a much better position than their friends. Focus on your own workload, not what your friends have to do.
• Ask for help: A common problem with students first entering the IB program is that they are unfamiliar with the structure of the course and what is expected in coursework. Not knowing what you're doing or whether you're doing it right could lead to unnecessary stress on top of the pressure you're already under when you're trying to complete your coursework. A simple solution to this is to ask your teachers for help. Although most of the time teachers can't directly help you with your IAs, they can often point you in the right direction or give you tips as to how to get on the right track. 
• Get enough sleep: IB students often underestimate the importance of sleep. Students are always pulling all-nighters or staying up till past midnight just to get work done or revise for tests. Although there's not that much you could do in terms of sleep when you have an IA due the next morning and you're only starting at 10pm, it's good to just get enough sleep in general if you're anticipating that you'll be pulling an all-nighter in the future. (Though if you're following tip #1, the number of all-nighters you pull should be minimal.) For example, if you know that it is inevitable that you'll be staying up late on Tuesday, don't try to also stay up on Monday. Start your assignment and then get to bed early. Sleep is also especially important with tests and exams. If it's already 11pm the night before a test and you're going nowhere with studying, don't try to stay up all night and cram, go to sleep.