Parents of Hardworking Teens

Ep. 114
A better way for your teen to approach and think about completing tasks or answering questions, so they achieve more of those high level criteria and do it in a focused, clear and succinct way.


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Ep. 113
Real life student case study:
There was something subtly holding one student back from certainty and success in her Maths assignment.
Listen to discover how we figured out what she’ll do differently next time (in not just Maths, but in ANY and EVERY assignment)
- AND -
how you can apply this with your teen in ANY of their tasks and assessments.

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Ep. 112
I love a good plan.
But, when you think about it, it's actually pretty likely that a practical plan of action won't totally go to plan, every step of the way.
Unexpected things will come up.
So, what happens if we EXPECT things to come up?
If we plan for those things, and know what we'll do if or when they do?
We stay on track and complete the plan. That's what :)

FEATURE...

Ep. 111
It's when we're under time pressure that we're most likely to fall back into old habits.

But not this student!

In this episode I share a real life skilled and strategic student case study where they INTENTIONALLY left out the introduction of their extended response in an exam, didn’t get time to go back and write it, and what that meant for their result. 
Listen in to this episode, b...

Ep. 110

We dive into how and why the skills, techniques and strategies that I talk about here every week, and train students in, are universal when it comes to your teen’s subjects, tasks and year groups.
This means they can use a strategy in different ways for multiple tasks, and therefore get multiple benefits, multiple opportunities to practise and hone it, and multiple benefits and rewards!


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Ep. 109
Talking to me about her son, a parent recently told me this:

"He’s smart in terms of subject knowledge, but I think he could improve in working smarter and being smart about his study."

I see this situation a lot and thought it might be interesting - and hopefully helpful - to talk a bit about the word 'smart'. Being smart, feeling smart.

Because - what does ‘smart’ really mean?
Does it mean clever ...

Ep. 108
Did ANYONE love group work at school?
Nope. Me neither.

I've still not mastered it and don't have any magic or secret solutions, but I'll attempt to share:

• the reasons it can feel like a nightmare,
• some ways to try to help your teen in their mindset, 
• suggestions on the practicalities so your teen doesn’t end up doing the work for everyone AND gets the grade they personally deserve no matter...

Ep. 107
This episode is SO much for YOU, dear Very Important Parent!
And, well, it's actually all about you. Rather than being about your teen and their study.
It’s about the impact that having your teen sorted with their study can have on you as their parent or carer, your home and family and your relationship.

So what are these 'side' benefits? And how do they show up?


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Ep. 106 
When we talk about study success, we tend to instantly think about grades, results and report cards.
But we all know that it’s not really about the numbers and letters.

It's about what opportunities they lead to and the confidence they create.

Sometimes it's more about your teen living up to and realising their potential.

And sometimes, it’s purely about making study a smooth, enjoyable a...

Ep. 105 -
Assignments, assessments and projects - what are they really about and wanting from your teen?
Because I can tell you now, their DT design assignment is not really about the item they’re designing.
And that historical artefact project is not really about the historical artefacts.
And the elements that I see a lot of students getting caught up in and spending a lot of time and effort deliberating on, are...

Ep. 104 -
Rant warning!

I see various educational posters stuck up on classroom walls  and study skills handouts folded in the back of students’ exercise books.
But they're almost NEVER being explicitly and intentionally taught the concepts, or trained in the skills and strategies printed on them.

In my opinion, this can actually be more detrimental than not having them at all.
Because students no...

- Ep. 103 -
What impresses your teen's teachers and gets gold stars and glowing comments in Y7 and 8 is NOT the same as what gets top grades and great results in Senior assessments.

What's considered 'awesome' changes from 'going over and above' to 'being clear and concise'.

This means that what your teen puts time and effort into, also needs to change as your teen move...

- Ep. 102 -

If your teen has had the experience of:
- doing great one minute, or maybe one term,
- but then not so great the next,
- and it’s not because they just didn’t study, or put in any effort,
then join me as I explain what might well be going on to cause their inconsistent results AND what to do about it.

If you found this episode helpful, you might also like:
Episode 6: If Your Teen...

- Ep. 101 -

Exams are not just testing subject knowledge.
So, if your teen has good subject knowledge, but isn’t quite nailing it in exams, then they likely need to work on their exam technique.

Here are FIVE reasons why exam technique - the ability to work out exactly what the question is asking and how to respond - should be on your teen’s ‘must master this’ list this term.

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Ep. 100 -

Special episode!

How to help your teen become a Rock Solid Student, who’s happy, smart and successful in their study - BINGO game-show style!

Get your free bingo card resource HERE > www.rocksolidstudy.com/100


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Is it possible to balance academic ambition, hard work and pressure with wellbeing and a healthy life balance?
I believe so.
In fact, I believe they are interconnected in a positive way, as opposed to one being at the expense of the other.

Understandably and importantly, there are more societal messages taking a 'softer' approach to results, academic pressure and work in general.

But, in trying ...

Ep. 98 -
Being 'busy' with ineffective study activity is not just a problem because it saps your teen's time and energy. It also creates a false sense of security about how much effort, time and study they've put in, and therefore what result they might expect from it.

Listen in for three ways your teen might be looking or feeling 'busy' with things that are contributing little to nothing ...

Ep. 97 -
It took four years of full time teaching - including a National Teaching Award, Head of Department role, Head of Faculty leadership and more - before I finally saw 'the gap' that exists in education and, in particular, exams and assessment.
There was one specific event that shone a spotlight on it.
And it wasn't in the classroom or even within the school.

Listen in to find out what it ...

Ep. 96
This is a story from a consult I had recently with a student who’d just completed the 10WGT and they happened to mention something super-cool that happened, that I don’t think they realised was as big a deal as it is. 

Because the feedback they got from their teacher that turned from an initial criticism to  a 'reluctant' compliment, I think is in fact the ULTIMATE compliment. 
The ultimate proof o...