If it’s your first semester as a preservice teacher, you might be wondering how to set yourself up for study success. It’s important to remember that no method is better than another and what works for one person, won’t work for everyone. Sometimes it can take a little trial and error to find the best fit for you.
They say that prior planning prevents poor performance and while it might be cliché, it’s true. We recently asked a panel of preservice and new teachers for their tips on getting started each semester. The key theme from our panel seems to be to never underestimate the power of a good plan (on nice stationery, of course!).
Daniel
Daniel, recently graduated
It’s important to give yourself a few weeks to get your head around what each course involves and what is expected of you each week to keep afloat of a full workload. Don’t go too far ahead and overwhelm yourself with an excess of information which will make little sense to you at the foundational stages of a course. Try to also block out the speed and methods other students attempt the course content at – everyone works differently.
I’m an old school, notepad and pen kind of guy, so during the week before tutorials start, I use the first page of each subject’s notebook to jot down class times, staff contact information and brief descriptions of course assessment. I also create folders for each subject on my laptop, so I begin to formulate important documents and readings for each course.
Isabella
Isabella, 3rd year preservice teacher
When planning for a new semester, I find out the assignment due dates for all courses and write them on my whiteboard in order of when they’re due. This helps to keep my mind in check and helps me to plan for my busy periods and coffee catchups with friends and family.
I print assignment task sheets and course readings and utilise the binding service that my university offers, so that I can easily flick through my course readings and highlight anything of importance. By binding them, it keeps my desk clear of messy piles of paper and allows me to easily pack the course readings that I need when attending classes on campus.
Ann-Maree
Ann-Maree, 2nd year preservice teacher
I’m someone who needs structure, so my plan captures the following information across each week of the semester:
- all coursework for each subject (read, watch, do)
- personal and work commitments
- assignment tasks, broken into sizeable chunks
- assignment due dates
- professional experience weeks and lead-in days.
Here’s an example:
Week 5
23–30 Oct
| Read
- Chapter 1 textbook (42 pages)
Watch
- Research critical literacy (Part A of assignment)
| Read
Watch
| Work T–F
Sat: Helen's birthday party
|
This method has been critical in allowing me to manage my time effectively. It’s easy to see where the workload and assignments are in relation to personal and work commitments. It also gives me the ability to reprioritise commitments, start working on coursework or assignments early, and ask for help when I need it.
Glenn
Glenn, 4th year preservice teacher
Studying full-time for me meant adopting the role of a stay-at-home father for my 3 boys. Therefore, the routines of school and day-care drop-offs and pickups were something that I also needed to ‘make work’ around lectures and assignments, whilst making sure the boys got their homework done.
What works for me is printing the Queensland state schools calendar a week prior to the start of the semester and have it facing my study chair. I create a legend at the top and use a different highlighter for each unit code that I’m enrolled in, then highlight every assignment date and the unit it belongs to, so I am aware of any conflicting dates.
I use another colour for special dates such as birthdays, school excursions, Book Week, NAIDOC Week, etc. By creating a well organised and constantly visual schedule from the beginning of each semester, my stress levels are never as high when assignment dates get closer. This means I can spend time running around organising birthday parties, Book Week costumes, etc. It’s these little things that keep the journey of being a full-time student enjoyable for you, as well as for your family.
We hope these tips help you to have a successful semester. If you need some inspiration to keep you going throughout the semester, check out
Ruth’s story.