Summar Harrison

Inspiration Education – Setting up for Success

On Wednesday evening, I attended the virtual Inspiration Education – Setting Up for Success webinar, hosted by the University of Newcastle and Shane Hardcastle. With over 22 years of experience teaching PDHPE—including 15 years as Head Teacher across multiple schools—Shane has spent 12 years as an HSC Marker, ultimately serving as the Coordinating Senior Marker for Sports Medicine. His session was structured into three key parts: understanding the rules of the ‘game,’ mastering effective exam skills, and setting up for success.

Shane explored the concept of the Iceberg Illusion, as shown below. In this image, success is depicted as an iceberg—where only a small, visible portion represents what people see, while the vast majority remains hidden beneath the surface, symbolising the unseen effort and challenges behind achievement.

For our trailblazing Year 12 students completing their HSC, success is often seen only in final marks or an ATAR. However, what remains unseen is the hard work, dedication, sacrifices, and challenges that make it possible. Behind the scenes—through late-night study sessions, discipline, stress management, overcoming setbacks, and unwavering persistence inside and outside of the classroom —the overall message is that true success is built.

So how do we ‘build’ success? Shane discussed study strategies to set you up for success:

1. Understand how we learn: Learning happens most effectively when we use strategies that support memory and understanding.
   • One key approach is repetition or memorisation, which strengthens long-term memory when given adequate time. Just like the requirement of 120 hours of practice before a driving test, repeated exposure helps information stick.
   • Another important strategy is creating relationships and connections. We remember things better when we associate them with what we already know, such as linking a concept to a favourite song, a familiar scent, or specific dates. By combining repetition with meaningful connections, we can enhance our ability to learn and retain information.

2. Make notes > Practice > Review: Successful students start with the knowledge and understanding and then start the doing! Like Edgar Dale’s 1950’s metaphor for learning which, while not backed in research, reminds us that the more active we are in our learning, the more we tend to remember.

 

3. Make lists and set priorities: making lists and setting priorities are essential strategies for effective study. Breaking down subjects into manageable tasks and ranking them based on importance or difficulty ensures that time is spent efficiently. By combining structured repetition with meaningful connections—such as linking concepts to real-life examples—students can reinforce their understanding while staying organised and focused on their goals.
4. Prepare for class, pre-read, and pay attention: High achieving students do not walk into class and expect to learn. They prepare, use time class effectively, and ask questions.
5. Find an accountability partner: Find someone that can help you stick to your study goals and plans. Perhaps it is someone taking your phone away for an hour. Finding an accountability partner can help when you find yourself in the valley of procrastination. 

I encourage all Year 12 students to adopt the study strategies that are best suited to them and to, of course, reach out to me if they find themselves in the Valley of Procrastination or in need of any support throughout the HSC year.

Study Skills – Session 2: Directive Verb Deconstruction
This week we ran our third Study Skills Session. This session focused on deconstructing directive verbs. Directive verbs, sometimes referred to as ‘command’ or ‘instruction’ words, are those that give instructions about what you are required to do to answer a HSC question. Understanding these terms will assist students in better preparing for their exams. There will be another session on deconstructing directive verbs:

• Session 2: Week 9, Monday 24th March, Break 1, DO102

The following link will take you to the official NESA HSC Glossary of Key Words that will be the focus of these sessions. Please encourage your child to attend this session to support their HSC preparation: NESA HSC Glossary

Reminder: Year 12 Graduation
Whilst we are many months away from celebrating the completion of Year 12, I wanted to remind you of the date for the Year 12 School Graduation - 6th of November 2025 at Wests City, Newcastle. We will provide more information to parents and carers as the date draws nearer.