On Monday 26/4 around 100 Year 7 students, along with their parents, attended an interactive webinar focussed on the study habits essential for high school. Dr Matthew Hill, Director of the Barker Institute, drew on research and Barker-specific expertise to present hard-hitting facts about the way that the brain works and how to maximise study success despite our busy lives.

The session, hosted by James Denton (Head of Middle School) and Jon Rheinberger (Dean of Year 7), covered six talking points, each of which included time for parents and students to discuss how the information impacted them along with their decisions, planning and actions. The purpose was to bring parents and students together, that they may be on the same page and pursue study success as a team, using the best available information as a guide.

Talking points included:

• Location, location, location
• Scheduling for success (a blank Homework Planner Dr Hill used can be download below)
• The why and how of using a diary (with particular discussion of POP time at the end of each school day)
• Different types of study
• Maximising memory (and how learning continues in your sleep!)
• Momentum: Show up and start!

A recording of the event, which includes the slides, can be found at the following link (you must be logged into Microsoft with a Barker account)

http://bit.ly/BIYear7StudyHabits2021Recording

Other documents and links referred to during the presentation are listed below:

1. Barker College Year 7 Formal Assessment Manual
2. Barker College Homework Policy
3. Soft Copy Homework Planner (for download)
4. Barker Institute Journal Article – Understanding our Successful Learners
5. Barker Institute Journal Article – 2017 HSC Results: How to pass on their success to their successors
6. Subject specific support
7. FamilyZone at Barker