I use this slideshow as part of our school's 6th form induction process - it offers a series of guidelines that might help newcomers to adopt an approach to their studies which is most likely to result in a productive educational experience.

1. or
„The things I wish I had known at the
start of my 6th form life‟

2. Choosing education & the time of ashes

Being here is not enough – the ability to set

goals and take action separates people
Success of any kind results from habitual

behaviour.

4. Oxygen

Diet

Water

Exercise

Sleep

Addictions

A PASSION FOR WHAT YOU DO.


5. Energy follows motivation

„Live as is if you are going to die

tomorrow but plan as if you are
going to live forever‟ Hagakure

6. W.I.I.F.M – why are you here?

The Pain / Pleasure principle

Begin with the end in mind.

Have a clear plan and write it
down –
then revisit it regularly over
the next 2 years.

7. Self doubts become

self-fulfilling
prophecies
“Today is the first day

of the rest of your life”.

8. So dare to dream big – then take

massive action.

9. There are no failures –

only feedback
Be willing to step into

your „stretch zone‟
physically, socially
and intellectually.

10. „If you‟re not living life on the

edge, you‟re taking up too much
space!‟
Fear will never go away as long

as we are growing
The only way to overcome fear

is to face it.

11. It helps to know you are not

alone!
Pushing through fear is

better than living IN FEAR
Fear transforms into

energy.

12. With yourself (purpose, goals, values)

With others –

Peers

Younger members of the school

Staff.


13. Survival of the BEST FIT

Build a strong support network

Avoid exclusivity to maintain stability!

Be kind.


14. Genius is 99%

PERSPIRATION and only 1%
inspiration
There is nothing you can‟t

achieve if you want it badly
enough.

15. High expectations by

parents, staff and yourself
Limited free time

Crisis management

Low energy

Social problems

Academic pressure

Identity flux.


16. Early recognition

Realistic expectations

Balance between work & play

Positive influences

Good energy management

Good support network.


17. #1 Manage your energy levels

#2 Know your purpose and goals

#3 Create strong self belief

#4 Abandon your comfort zone

#5 Manage your fear

#6 Communicate!

#7 Have a good support network

#8 Be tenacious

#9 Develop a personal stress busting system.


18. Learn how to learn so that you can work smarter

– not harder!
Smart students -

Know their brain and how it works
Understand how they learn
Master the 4 key skills
Learn how to play the examination game.

21. We have learnt more

about the brain in the last
2 decades than we did in
the previous 2, 000 years

22. You actually have 3 brains

stacked on top of one
another!
They operate in a hierarchy

Collectively they weigh 3% of

your mass but they consume
20% of your energy supply!

23. Your brain is divided into two hemispheres


24. Modern education has a left

hemispheric bias
But breakthroughs and discoveries

often require right hemispheric
processes
Eureka
Benzene
Sewing machine
Velcro
Einstein‟s thought experiments

25. The 2 minute paperclip game

To pick locks
Clean your nails
Poke people with it
Exercise track for fleas
Trail marker on leaves
Fishhook
Sextoy

26. We learn best when we

engage the whole of our
brain, combining the
organizational strength of
„Gates‟ with the dynamic
creativity of „Williams‟
Study skills strategies are

designed to help you do this

27. Time Management

Reading

Note taking

Memory work.


29. £1440 a day for life – what would you do with it?

What are your unique priorities?

Are you just busy or productive?

Week planner – think in ink

ST pain for LT gain

Don‟t be an ostrich.


30. The average adult in the UK

reads 300-450 wpm
With 1 hour‟s tuition and 10

hours practice you can
expect to increase your
reading speed to 3000 wpm
We are biologically capable

of reading 200,000 wpm!

31. It‟s hard to write and think at the

same time!
Learn to take effective notes

Translate into your own words

Set up a distillation cycle


32. Converting course notes into visually
memorable revision aids is one way of
working smart, not hard

33. Equations

Dates

Names

Statistics

Quotations

Facts.


34. Stories

Humour

Exaggeration

Motion

Relationship

Bizarre

Colourful

Perceived personal

value

35. The Normans

The Plantagenets

The House of Lancaster

The House of York

The Tudors

The Stuarts

The House of Hanover

The House of Windsor


36. The major shift from GCSE to A level is an

increased emphasis on complex argument and
synthesis of knowledge
In other words you have to know what you‟re

talking about and have an opinion – there are no
shortcuts!
It‟s not just what you know but what you can do

with that knowledge that counts– make
connections.

37. If you take one thing from my talk, please
make it this:
“You will grow according to the
information you are exposed to,
choose to accept and act upon.
Make your choices mindfully, and in
the coming weeks, remember...”

38. Things could be a lot worse!