Ep. 46 Whether your teen's aiming for top marks in English, or hates reading and just wants to 'get through English', this episode if for you.

Gemma Toms is our English-Focus Coach, Shakespeare ninja, literature lover and examination extraordinaire.
As well as being an in-demand high school teacher in the UK, she's also an external examiner, lead marker, senior examiner, moderator AND she even works as a professional editor, too (just for fun)!

 Here's WHAT YOU'LL LEARN from my conversation with Gemma:

•  What your teen should do BEFORE they start reading any substantial text they're set (and the two things they should know before they dive in).
•  Better ways to develop a deep understanding of a novel or play (rather than re-reading it).
•  How to encourage a reluctant reader.
•  How to choose the BEST evidence when planning or writing an analytical essay.
•  What to do (and NOT do) in top responses when aiming to achieve top criteria.
•  Tips for proofreading and critiquing your teen's writing if they ask you to read over it.
•   Small edits that will make a BIG difference to final marks in creative or original writing.

 
FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching: Waitlist (Enrolment open to 10WGT graduates only)
  
  
• Monthly Facebook Live Open Q&A: Rock Solid Study Facebook Page
  
  
• Jump on my email list and receive my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 45
Confidence is a feeling created by thoughts  like 'I can do this' or 'I'm good at this sort of thing' or 'I'll be able to figure it out'.

Confidence varies over time and also between different situations.

It can be dented or it can be built and when it comes to your teen's study, some of the best ways I've found to build their confidence is by giving them:
- the knowledge and skills to create success (evidence that they CAN indeed do it!) AND
- do it in a way where they have control and know HOW they created that success.
So they can do it AGAIN.


FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• Monthly Facebook Live Open Q&A: Rock Solid Study Facebook Page
  
  
• The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching: Waitlist (Enrolment open to 10WGT graduates only)
  
  
• Get on my email list and receive my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 44
There's a lot of talk and media spotlight on artificial intelligence at the moment.

I’m pragmatic about things. I don’t think that the education system and exams and assessment are changing any time soon. Not within my lifetime and therefore not within your teen’s education.
I’m working with the system we’ve got to make education as successful, positive and enjoyable as possible for students.
I want to equip parents and students with the skills to be able to create their best possible success in a way that is sustainable for them.

And with that said, these are my current observations and thoughts on how I see A.I. impacting education at the moment.


FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching: (For 10WGT graduate students only)
  
  
• Get on my email list and receive my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 43
What are some of the best skills and tips to set your teen up for success as they start high school?
I'm not talking about the basics like organising their pencil case or laying out their uniform the night before.

Listen in for my top three study habits I recommend setting up in the early years of high school, the overall purpose of instilling them AND what to do if your teen’s further along but doesn’t have these in place yet.


YOU WILL LEARN:

- Why awareness is the most important 'competence' and how to build it.
- Exactly why I recommend the 10WGT for Y9 - 12 / Y10 - 13 and the certain situations where it might be appropriate to start earlier.
- How to make sure your teen isn't studying longer or harder than they need to, without dampening their spirit or work ethic.
- What's important to know and do in order to get maximum return on their effort.


FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• Episode 5: More Free Time WithOUT Sacrificing Grades
  
  
• The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching: (For 10WGT graduate students only)
  
  
• Get on my email list and receive my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 42
Does your teen wish they had more time?
More time to prep for their exams.
More time to hang with friends.
More time for whatever they want in life.

Do you wish they had more time so they have a better life balance? 
Or,  so they could do the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program to become more efficient and effective in their study so they spend LESS time studying and get MORE marks along the way? ;)
(Or maybe just put away their laundry?!)

In this episode
YOU WILL DISCOVER:

- 5 ways your teen can create more time in their week. 
- How faster can also mean higher quality and more marks.
- Why 'having too much to do' is NOT the cause of stress - and what IS.
- The skills and actions that will have your teen feeling calm and in control of their study.

FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• Episode 2: Why Your Teen Procrastinates (even though they WANT to get it done).
  
  
• Episode 5: More Free Time, WITHOUT Sacrificing Grades
  
  
• Episode 24: The Skill Web
  
  
• 10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching: Open to graduates of the 10WGT only. 
  
  
• Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 41
Today we’re talking strategies.
I’m going to tell you some of my top study strategies that I train students in AND the strategy that I see many students using (and that they and their parents are in fact sometimes relying on), that isn’t a strategy at all.

FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• Episode 29: The Two Words I NEVER Say (Anymore)
  
  
• The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching (for 10WGT graduate students only): Join the waitlist
  
  
• Get on my email Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 40
Exams and tests where students have a prompt to respond to, either a text statement or an image, and have to produce an extended piece of original writing
(like the NAPLAN Writing Test, the GAT Writing Task and Module C of HSC Advanced English)
often have students agonising over things that, in terms of the mark scheme, don't matter.

Writing tests are simply vehicles for your teen to show their writing skill and level.
The actual topic or story-line they choose is not important overall.

Join me behind the scenes of these types of exams and tests to discover:

- what is most important in them,
- the specific TEN criteria your teen will be marked on, one way of another,
and
- why your teen should select an idea that allows them to showcase all ten elements to the highest level.

FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• Episode 18: The Truth Behind Creative Tasks
  
  
• NAPLAN Narrative Writing Marking Guide
• NAPLAN Persuasive Writing Marking Guide
  (Both from: https://www.nap.edu.au/resources)
  
  
• The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching (for 10WGT graduate students only): Join the waitlist
  
  
• Get on my email Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 39
Get the most out of parents' evenings.
Here are three questions you can ask your teen’s teachers that’ll help you get tangible take-aways and feel like you actually know what’s going on, without feeling like you’re grilling the teacher.
(Or maybe you’d love to grill the teacher, in which case these will also work. Just ask them with your best 'stern face') ;)


FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• Get your FREE Resource! >>> Get the Most Out of Parent's Evenings:
  Useful questions to ask (+ Bonus Tips!) that'll give you tangible take-aways (and leave you feeling like you actually know what's going on).
  
  
• Episode 19: Q&A ~ Doing 'Extra Study' + Making Your Teen a Better Writer
  
  
• The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching (for 10WGT graduate students only): Join the waitlist
  
  
• Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 38
If the skills of 'application' - dissecting questions, responding to specific commands, note-taking, active revision and more - are so critical to students' success, why aren’t they being taught in schools?

AND - a less common question, but one I got recently - why aren’t there more teachers or tutors or tutoring companies out there delivering this stuff?

Listen in to discover my answers and find out more about how I came to be delivering this training and coaching.

FEATURED ON THE SHOW

• The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching (for 10WGT graduate students only): Join the waitlist
  
  
• Free Parent Guide:
  3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 37
Is it really as easy as just getting the skills of application on board in order to achieve study success?
Do we really want your teen's study to be easy?
(Answer: Yes AND no) ;)
Listen in to hear what I believe SHOULD be easy (and how to make it so!), so that your teen can focus on challenging themselves in the right ways with the right things, so they work at and achieve their true potential, without it being harder than it needs to be.

FEATURED ON THE SHOW:

• Episode 1: The Study Success Formula
  
  
• Episode 7: Reducing Exam Stress
  
  
• Episode 13: Assessment Post-Mortems
  
  
• The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program
  
  
• Next Level Coaching: for 10WGT graduate students only
  
  
• Free Parent Guide:
  3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.