Learning feedback to students and parents

Mount St. Joseph Girls’ College provides timely feedback to parents and carers in a number of ways:

CANVAS

All families should now be familiar with our online learning management system, Canvas. Canvas is an ongoing learning and reporting portal that enables us to give immediate feedback to our students and their families with the aim of increasing students' learning outcomes. As this feedback is given straight after a piece of work, activity, project or skill is assessed, the information we are able to give to students and their families is very comprehensive and timely.

Canvas provides an important opportunity for students, parents and teachers to work together to achieve successful learning outcomes for our students. This is an opportune time to log into Canvas and review any feedback that your daughter has received this term, as all subjects will have provided feedback by a rubric and a comment. This feedback provides students with actions and strategies to improve their learning.

Study vs Homework

Developing study habits and behaviours is essential for all students. Study is different to Homework and the most successful students establish habits that attend to both completing set work and consolidating learning. Study should involve revising concepts learned or revisiting previous assessment feedback, rewriting parts of essays, re-reading a text or attempting something new.

As we approach Term 4, this period is heavy with formal assessment tasks exams. This can provide great challenges for some students. What is absolutely necessary is for students to be in class and focused on each lesson. Time away from school and out of class only places more stress on students and does not allow for specific teacher support.

These points summarise the key points of a Study Skills Presentation by Ticking Minds.

This session highlighted the difference between homework and study, stressed that effective study involved having clear goals and suggested some strategies to help students with key skill.

Homework: The work a teacher sets every student in their class to meet course requirements and to prepare them for assessment.

Study: What a student works out they need to do themselves to improve their understanding and skills.

Study Equals

Understanding = What I need to know

Skill = What I need to be able to do

Recall = What I need to be able to remember

Skills across a wide range of subjects

Common skills

Be able to remember

Be able to explain well

Be able to use (examples, formulas, procedures)

Be able to complete answer in a limited time

Effective study: Don’t measure study by time passed, but by goals achieved

Setting specific goals for study sessions

"At the end of this study session, I want to have ...."

Examples

10 quotes memorised

Improved the detail in written maths answers

Understood better what glycaemic index is

For a specific subject

"By the end of this week, I want to be able to know / do better …."

VCE Units 3 and 4

On Tuesday 17 September, Year 12 students were reminded of the arrangements and expectations for the remainder of the year.

The following are expectations for the coming weeks for students completing VCE Units 3/4:

• The Trial Exam period is Wednesday 25 September – Thursday 3 October. These exams are compulsory and student absences will be followed up on the day of the exam. Students need to arrive 30 minutes prior to the commencement of each examination. The exam timetable has been distributed to parents/carers and students. Students who miss trial exams will be sitting the exams after 3.30pm in Week 1 of Term 4.

• Units 3/4 Connect Education Workshops will take place in Week 1 of Term 4. In partnership with Connect Education, the College will provide 3 hour Workshops for students enrolled in Units 3/4. The revision and exam focus lectures for our students are subject specific and provide resources to support our students. These will run during normal school hours so students are expected to attend.

Connect Education Workshops

Joanna De Bono - Deputy Principal - Learning and Staff