Year 11 Girl Transforms from D’s to B’s in Just One Year!

It’s no secret that we tend to like the things we’re good at, and dislike those we’re not. So what happens when we’re forced to tackle those things we struggle with on a daily basis? Well, for Year 11 student Afiyah, her challenges in Maths had an adverse effect on her whole schooling experience.

“I used to dislike going to school,” says Afiyah. “I didn’t have any confidence in the subjects I was studying, and this was dampening my whole school experience.”

It was with Maths that Afiyah was having the most trouble. She finished Term One of Year 11 with a D in the subject, prompting her mother to seek out some extra help as Afiyah entered her senior years.

“Afiyah’s Maths grades were very low, so I decided to get some extra help for her,” Afiyah’s mother says. “I found A Team on Facebook and got in contact with them about setting Afiyah up with a Maths tutor. The communication with A Team was great right from the start. We haven’t looked back.

Afiyah’s Transformation Using Academic Personal Training

Afiyah was paired up with Shreya, one of A Team’s Brisbane-based APTs, and the two have been working together since the beginning of the year. In that time, Afiyah has turned her Maths grades around. She finished Year 11 strongly with a B in the subject, and is now on track to achieve tremendous success in her final year of high school.

Shreya is very proud of Afiyah’s improvement, but admits that things got off to a slow start.

“At first, Afiyah was quite shy. She didn’t like saying she didn’t understand something, and often doubted her correct answers,” recalls Shreya. “Together, we tailored our sessions to target Afiyah’s learning style and areas of weakness – something that a teacher can’t do so easily in the classroom. We started using physical props as a way of simplifying and explaining more complex Maths theories. Afiyah was very receptive to this approach, and since then she has become much more comfortable to discuss any struggles and stresses she may be having.”

Why Academic Personal Training Is About More Than Just Her Marks 

For Afiyah, not only has she loved seeing improvement in her Maths grades, but her partnership with Shreya has boosted her confidence – and her results – across the board.

“The biggest difference tutoring has made is to how I feel about going to school. I used to dislike it, but now I feel super confident and I feel like I understand better what I’m learning, and my grades have gotten so much better too!” Afiyah says.

While being delighted with Afiyah’s improvement at school, her mother has also enjoyed seeing her newfound confidence extend beyond the school environment. “Afiyah has become more confident not only with her work, but also in working with other people, and she feels more comfortable in social situations” she says.

As she enters her final year, then, Afiyah is not only well placed to excel in her ATAR, but to enter adulthood full of confidence that she can achieve anything.

 

Is your child lacking confidence like Sam was? Click here to be matched with one of our Academic Personal Trainers and watch your child’s academic results transform

 

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Read more success stories here

Year 12 Boy Goes From C’s to Straight A’s In Only 6 Months

Year 11 Boy Jumps From D’s to A’s In Just 6 Months

Year 9 Boy Receives First Ever A+

How Ruby Reaps Rewards With Ellie’s Expert Guidance

Year 10 Student Achieves Straight A’s and a Golden Palm

Year 3 Student Masters Mindset and Becomes Student Leader

Failing Year 10 Brisbane student goes from a D to a B+ in one term!

Two Brisbane Girls Achieve The Impossible In One Term

Year 6 Student Goes From C’s To A’s In Just Five Weeks

Year 11 Student Solidifies Scholarship After Going From C’s To A’s In 6 Months

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How to Excel in School with ADHD

ADHD is a ‘disorder’ that predominantly affects adolescents and children but can show symptoms well into adulthood. It stands for ‘Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder’. Typically, symptoms you will exhibit if you have ADHD are; a struggle to focus, constant fidgeting, often forgetting things, talking a lot, and daydreaming.  Although ADHD is technically defined as a ‘disorder’ it is by no means a negative thing. As a student, you still can excel, as long as you understand the right ways to utilise your ‘superpower’.

The Importance of Identifying That You Have ADHD

The main problem with ADHD is that is often seen as misbehaviour or laziness when in reality it is simply the way your brain works. You may feel as if you are constantly in trouble in the classroom, even when you put in your best effort to behave. This is why your teachers need to understand that you suffer from ADHD so that you can work as a team to comprehend your hyperactive tendencies. It is important to work as a team with your teacher as they are a large portion of your education experience. Letting your teacher know that you have ADHD is an excellent way to open up this conversation and begin your teamwork!

If you feel nervous to tell your teacher, or embarrassed that you have ADHD, there is absolutely no reason to be ashamed. Some of the most famous and successful people in the world, have ADHD – they have just learned how to use their ‘superpower’ rather than let it overcome them. Hayden, our CEO at A Team Tuition also has ADHD and has used it as a strength! You can watch a video about his ADHD here! 

Top 5 Struggles of ADHD & Strategies to Deal with Them

1. Sitting Still is Difficult 

 

In high school, classes can last up to 1.5 hours. This means that you are sitting still for long periods – which is extremely difficult if you have ADHD. Many ADHD students minimise their learning abilities by finding excuses to leave the classroom, for example taking the long way to the bathroom. This can minimise your time in the classroom, and thus have effects on your learning!

The best way to combat this is to find sensory activities that you can use to ‘multitask’. By ‘multitask’ I mean that you should find activities that allow you to eradicate your need to fidget, whilst also allowing you to concentrate. 

My personal favourite is the fidget cube! As you can see in the picture it is a small cube that has ‘gadgets’ on each side. It is thus a transportable toy that you can bring to class with you and use.

2. Distractions

Classrooms are filled with distractions, which means that if you have ADHD, it is almost impossible to pay attention. Distractions include posters, friends, and even anything that is happening outside of the classroom.

The best strategy for avoiding distractions is to do your best to create a ‘distraction-free zone’. Working with your teacher, create a space within the classroom that has as minimal distractions as possible. Ideally, this would be a seat at the front of the classroom, that is far away from windows and friends. This is similar to your ‘Neurospace’ which you learn about in the CAS program. This allows you to gain the most from your time in class. 

Unfortunately for people with ADHD, it is difficult to sit with friends inside the classroom as they become a big distraction – but don’t worry, there is plenty of time to spend with them at recess and lunch!

3. You May Feel as if Your Brain is Moving Faster Than Your Body.

In general, most students with ADHD are highly intelligent, they just struggle to present their intelligence on paper. The problem is, that many students have thoughts that move way faster than their body – which means that the completion of assignments and exams is tough. You may feel that when writing long response questions your ideas are all over the place and that your handwriting is messy. 

The main strategy for dealing with this is teamwork! Having an APT, older sibling, or parent assisting you to facilitate your thoughts, working as a scribe for you, can almost instantly change your results. The best method for this is to have your ‘assistant’ write down the answers for you, as you speak them out loud. In NSW, if you can provide proof of your ADHD diagnosis, you are allowed to sit exams in these special conditions – where you have a scribe with you whilst you sit the exam.

It is essential to understand that this is not cheating!! All of the ideas are still completely your own, someone is just helping you present them in a way that makes sense.

4. Filtering Your Thoughts May Be Tricky 

As we have already established, students with ADHD have a brain that is pretty much moving at 100000 miles an hour. You probably feel like you have lots of thoughts at once, or are constantly jumping from one thought to another. This means that a lot of ideas and thoughts are blurted out without thinking. This may cause you to get into trouble, as it can  interrupt the teacher or disrupt the classroom.

Unfortunately, there are no strategies that will help you in the short term with this one, however, there is one strategy that can help you in the long run. The strategy is called ‘positive reinforcement’, which is a program that rewards good behaviour. People with ADHD tend to react well to positive reinforcement. This can be achieved by working with your teacher to organise a program which only rewards good behaviour, and ignores negative behaviours. An example of this is sticker charts, in which you work towards receiving a prize! 

5. Hard to Stay Focused 

If you suffer from ADHD you will relate when I say that it feels as if your thoughts are all over the place. This can often cause you to forget special events such as exams or the due dates of assessments.

The best strategy for this is to create written timetables. Having a hard copy of your monthly timetable at a place where you can easily access it is an important part of excelling when you have ADHD. I have a large white-board calendar that sits right above my bed – so it is the first thing I see when I wake up. The below template is retrieved from Twinkl.com.

Inside the classroom, work with your teacher to make sure that you don’t lose focus by making sure that you are completely aware of all instructions. This can include having them written down for you or having them repeated to you individually.

 

Overall, it is important to remember that ADHD is not a negative thing. Although I have only dwelled on the struggles in this post, it is important to understand that ADHD is more of a superpower than a disorder. As long as you make sure that your teacher is aware of your superpower, and utilise the above strategies, you have the ability to excel in the classroom. 

 

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Year 11 Student Goes From Failing to an A in Math in Just One Year!

Success is like a sugar rush – sweet, but short-lasting. Once tasted, it must be constantly chased and achieved in order to sustain the feeling of elation. Failure, on the other hand, is like Milo – low-GI, releasing its burn slowly. It knocks the wind right out of your sails, and its effects are often long-lasting.

Sam, a young man from Brisbane, is entering his final year of school next term full of confidence. But it very well could have been a different story. Sam failed Year 10 Maths last year, and that one result had a profound effect on his performance across the board in the early stages of Year 11, as his mother Renee explains:

“After failing Maths in Year 10, Sam lost all confidence in himself, and started to think he couldn’t do Maths. He doubted his own ability. He became anxious during exams, and would freeze and forget everything he had learnt due to his lack of confidence.”

Not only did he start to become tense in exams, but Sam’s loss of confidence also unravelled the study habits he had established in his first four years of high school.

“I wasn’t confident in my ability,” says Sam, “so I thought there wasn’t any need to study because I already knew I was going to fail.”

 

Sam’s Transformation Using Academic Personal Training

 

Renee knew something needed to be done to restore her son’s confidence, particularly in the lead-up to his final years of high school. So on the recommendation of a friend, she got in touch with A Team Tuition about setting Sam up with an Academic Personal Trainer.

“A Team was very friendly and from my first conversation with them, they were on the same page as me and understood how important it was to get Sam’s confidence back in order for him to improve,” says Renee. “They were very familiar with the Year 11 curriculum and ATAR. They chose a tutor, Lachlan, based on Sam’s needs.”

Lachlan, a Brisbane-based APT, has been working with Sam since the start of 2020. In three terms, he has helped transform Sam from a failing Maths student to a A student, with a successful year 12 now firmly within reach! Lachlan credits their closeness in age as the key reason he was able to help Sam achieve this remarkable turnaround:

“I think, as a young university student who completed high school not too long ago, I’m able to genuinely relate and connect with Sam. I’m probably more familiar with the content than his parents may be, because I’ve studied it recently myself. Also I have an understanding of his workload and the pressures of Years 11 and 12, so I can talk about it with him and give him my advice. It’s because of this relatability that we’ve been able to achieve this transformation.”

Additionally, the ability for Lachlan and Sam to work through example questions together in their own time, pressure-free, greatly assisted Sam’s learning.

 

Why Academic Personal Training Is About More Than Just Mark

 

While the improvement in Sam’s grades has delighted student and tutor alike, Lachlan, his academic personal trainer, has also been proud of the change in Sam’s confidence.

While Lachlan has been thrilled with Sam’s progress in Maths, he has also seen how this newfound confidence has been beneficial for his schooling in general, noting that Sam has re-implemented a consistent and efficient study schedule.

Renee agrees:

“Sam has his confidence back and believes in his own ability again. He is so much happier now. I believe working with Lachlan has also helped his study habits for all subjects. He applies himself and is now achieving results that match his efforts.”

On the back of working with A Team Tuition, Sam has rediscovered his mojo, and has set himself up to be rewarded for his hard work in his final year of high school.

 

Is your child lacking confidence like Sam was? Click here to be matched with one of our Academic Personal Trainers and watch your child’s academic results transform

 

BOOK NOW

Read more success stories here

Year 12 Boy Goes From C’s to Straight A’s In Only 6 Months

Year 11 Boy Jumps From D’s to A’s In Just 6 Months

Year 9 Boy Receives First Ever A+

How Ruby Reaps Rewards With Ellie’s Expert Guidance

Year 10 Student Achieves Straight A’s and a Golden Palm

Year 3 Student Masters Mindset and Becomes Student Leader

Failing Year 10 Brisbane student goes from a D to a B+ in one term!

Two Brisbane Girls Achieve The Impossible In One Term

Year 6 Student Goes From C’s To A’s In Just Five Weeks

Year 11 Student Solidifies Scholarship After Going From C’s To A’s In 6 Months

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How Will High School Rankings Change Under ATAR?

This year is the first year that Queensland students will go through the ATAR system. The impact on high school rankings, and the desirability of entry into selective high schools may be impacted by this change in student assessment. Queensland has four selective schools and many of the private schools use their senior results as a selling point for recruiting new students. How will secondary school rankings change under the ATAR system and what do parents need to know?

Most parents grew up on the OP system (or the TE System before that). ATAR and the QCE is a completely different way of measuring overall performance (it’s closer to TE than OP in many ways). There is a lot of information to take in and understand on how these changes will impact your child. Here are four reasons the ATAR system is more beneficial to Queensland students no matter which school they attend.

What does ATAR mean for rankings in typically high performing schools?

For schools, understanding that this year is a game changer on many levels, means that they may need to reassess their key marketing message to align with the new ATAR system. The huge benefit of ATAR is the curriculum across schools is the same and the marking is more rigorous so high school rankings aren’t necessary anymore (unlike OP). ATAR is praised as a ‘levelling” mechanism for high school rankings, giving no inherent preference to private schools or selective schools like Brisbane State High or Queensland Academies. See My School for more information on NAPLAN based rankings

How the OP system impacted high school rankings

Under the OP system there was a “scaling of schools” on two separate levels, within the school and then across the school system. The OP system used Subject Achievement Indicators (SAIs) to scale students across different subject areas. Each “subject group” was scaled to the mean and mean-difference to the Core Skills Scaling scores for that subject group. OP then applied a second level of scaling – the between school scaling stage, where the Core Skills test to scale student performance into an Overall Achievement Indicator – banded into “the 25 scores”.
So how does all this impact high school rankings? Well, it’s widely seen as biased towards schools with better resources and more focus on “highly academic subjects” (aka subjects which require more intensive teaching resources). These subjects known as the ‘suicide six’ were largely considered the only way to get an OP1 – so schools encouraged students to take on these high pressure, intensive subjects. Traditionally too, these subjects are more popular in private boys’ schools than anywhere else – giving wealthy private school boys additional advantage.
Some argue that this lead to better OP scores for the more expensive schools – disadvantaging schools in poorer areas where there were lower achievers in the cohort.
The second major criticism of the OP system was that 25 bands weren’t enough to truly determine the quality of a student. ATAR offers a far more precise result, and with the absence of this school scaling system, a fairer result for all kids.

Do secondary school rankings matter?

As a student? Not really, under ATAR it will make very little difference which uniform you put on. It is far more focused on how hard/well you worked. But it does matter to high schools. Some schools use student achievement as the cornerstone of their marketing materials. Selective schools focus almost exclusively on their record for ranking. So, high school rankings are extremely important…to school marketing departments. Parents on the other hand, can feel satisfied that their children are going through a fairer system than they did under OP.

ATAR is used by all universities across Australia

With Queensland adopting the ATAR, this opens up opportunities for students who want to study interstate. The OP system was accepted by Queensland institutes and in most cases, those academic institutes would calculate and assign an ATAR mark to your child in order to place them fairly with the rest of the applicants who are vying for a position in the degree of choice. This could cause frustration and confusion for your student, particularly if they miss out on receiving an offer to study at a particular university or in a particular course. Having an ATAR mark that is earned by them puts them on a level playing field with the other hopeful applicants in the same degree. It also opens up wider opportunities to study in different states at a University of their choice rather than limiting them to local based schools.

ATAR is more precise

ATAR recognises subject areas as having their own value. This means that students across disciplines outside straight maths and science can score a higher ATAR than was possible under the OP system. Students will also receive a very precise ranking, rather than somewhere on the 1-25 scale.

How ATAR scores are calculated

An ATAR mark is based on an aggregate of scaled marks. Most students will undertake 10 units of study in five ATAR accredited subjects across Grade 12 (some schools may start these units in Grade 11). Of these 10 units their 2 English units will count, as well as the next best 8 units of work. If the student takes a 6th ATAR accredited subject or an extra certification, their 2 English units will still count however the next 8 units will be from the subjects that the student performed best in. This means that one subject will not count towards the overall ATAR and the student has a ‘spare’ subject
In Queensland, ATARs scaled at 30.0 or less will receive a mark of ‘30.0 or less’, and the highest possible mark will be 99.95.
There are four ways in which students ATAR marks will be calculated.

• Examination marks
• Assessment marks
• QCE marks
• Overall performance band

This means that all exams and assessments throughout the year are counted towards the overall mark as well as the final exams. In terms of high school rankings, this means that all schools must help kids achieve consistent marks, not just provide intensive tutoring around the university entrance exams.

ATAR is a fair system for all schools and students

The OP system has been criticised for not being a ‘fair system’. The mark can often not reflect the true efforts of individual students. In the past, students who have been disadvantaged by their OP score have had to enroll in a lower ATAR ranking university course, and spend a year working up to a high grade point average and then do an internal course transfer within the university of choice. This can add another year to students’ tertiary studies, whereas ATAR gives each student a more calculated overall score. In turn this gives students a better chance of gaining admission into the course of choice from the beginning due to fewer external factors.
The OP scoring system means that students sit in clusters, making university admissions a more difficult process – the scoring of ATAR moves in increments of 0.05 which can mean all the difference between a student with a 90.5 ATAR and a student with a 90.0 ATAR score.

It’s a hard year for high performing schools and boarding schools

This year was always going to be a difficult year for schools. The transition from OP to ATAR was always going to be marked with uncertainty and setbacks. Just when principals were wondering if 2020 could be any more difficult, enter COVID-19. Similarly, boarding schools face greater disruption to their school year and parents can be forgiven for worrying whether their top ranking boarding school is doing everything right. It’s difficult when your child is a long way away! Learn more about boarding school tutoring here.

What top-ranking schools are doing in preparation for ATAR

With school shutdowns and disrupted exams wreaking havoc on internal systems, more schools -are turning to ‘on-site private tutors’ to help carry the load of elite performance. How does it work? Your school’s semester one reports indicate a sharp drop in scores. Under the ATAR system, these scores WILL count towards your students’ university entry, and your school’s overall ranking. Your teachers are run ragged just keeping up and catching up.

The tailored solution to falling grades in years 11 and 12

In partnership with the Australian Boarding Schools Association and with our partner schools, A Team Tuition is implementing an ‘opt in’ ATAR tutoring program for both schools and directly to parents. Our one-on-one private tutoring can be delivered to your student in person, or online and is custom-designed to rapidly improve performance in your student’s weaker ATAR subjects. Whether it’s just the one, or the whole bevy of subjects.

 

Find Out How We Can Help Now

 

This is a high stress time for senior students and our approach to intensive tutoring focuses on giving them back some control. It empowers them to block out the world and focus on getting the right score for university entrance and provide them the strategies and support throughout the entire process. We understand the pressure your teen is under. We’re here to support them, cheerlead them and most importantly, give them workable strategies for achieving their goals. You sent your child to a selective or private school for their high school rankings. Don’t let them stumble at the last block

Get In Touch

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Why Choosing a Local Tutor From a Facebook Group Could Fail!

When your child needs to find a tutor, your gut instinct may be to search ‘tutors near me.’ Hopefully Google or a Facebook group will unearth a gem – but it could definitely be a big mistake!
While it may be convenient, you need to base your search for a tutor on their professionalism, their experience, and their knowledge. You want to find a tutor who makes your child’s education a priority during their sessions, rather than just chasing a fee. A Team Tuition has local tutors all over South East Queensland and across Australia that are perfect for your child’s needs – so instead of settling for any old “tutor near me” – find the RIGHT tutor near you!

What to look for in a local tutor

Finding the most geographically close option to you might seem like the easiest way to find a tutor. But should location be your top priority? Your child’s education is important – to both you as their parent, and them as a future fully capable adult. You need to do research into your child’s tutor before hiring.

Firstly, determine whether the local tutor’s abilities/teaching style coincides with your child’s needs. Do they offer tutorial sessions based on the individual needs of the child? Are they prepared to deal with any barriers to your child’s learning, such as a learning disability, poor self-esteem or a reluctant attitude towards studying? These can be huge barriers to cross, especially for children who have struggled with their education long-term.

Next, you need to discover whether the tutor’s approach to learning suits the way your child learns. If your child is a visual learner, will the tutor be able to adapt for this? If your child learns by doing, will the tutor be able to produce sessions that cater for this? Can they explain complex concepts to your child in a way that makes comprehension easier? This can be crucial to unlocking that ‘aha’ moment, when the concept just clicks in their mind.

Will the tutor you hire act professionally? You need to ensure that your child can develop a routine when it comes to studying. A good tutor will support your child and their education in a way that puts your child’s needs first. If you hire a tutor purely for their convenient location, questions of reliability could become an issue. A lack of consistency is not conducive to a productive study environment, and your child will just wind up more overwhelmed than when they started.

Don’t forget the police background check.  Hiring a tutor from a local Facebook page might mean that they don’t have this incredibly important document. They may not be sufficiently blue carded.  They also might not have insurance or the proper training. If they don’t have an understanding of the subject matter or of the various teaching methods that exist, how are they going to help your child?  Just because there is a tutor near me, doesn’t mean I want that tutor near my child!

Why choose A Team Tuition?

At A Team Tuition, we believe local tutors should have the right experience and credentials. You can get the best of both worlds! A Team Tuition offers one-on-one tutoring sessions in the comfort of your own home, or online if this is preferred. Our sessions are conducted by professionals with the exceptional training, the right priorities, and the ability to make a true difference to your child’s educational mindset. We get excellent results from tailoring the sessions to suit your child’s needs. Whether you live in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Toowoomba or Ipswich, there are local tutors that can help. Don’t just settle for the first local tutor you find –choose the RIGHT “tutor near me”.

Find a local tutor that understands your child with A Team Tuition. Contact us to book a session today!

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Year 11 Student Goes From C+ To A+ In Just One Term!

A bit of confidence can go a long way. For Year 11 student Shawna, finding some confidence in her ability was the key to unlocking her potential. In less than six months, she has managed to transform her grades in business from C+’s into  A+’s, and has gained a trusted mentor in the process too.

A Team Tuition’s Academic Personal Trainers take pride in building a strong relationship with their students. They aim to be more than just another teacher figure; they are there to listen, to give advice and provide holistic support, and more importantly, to be a friend. According to Shawna’s tutor Kiah, this aspect was incredibly important in facilitating Shawna’s dramatic improvement.

Shawna Transformation Using Academic Personal Training

“Unfortunately Shawna’s parents have been stuck in Melbourne due to COVID and are not able to be there when she tries to complete her homework.. Not being able to ask for help so easily left her lacking motivation and self-belief. When I started working with Shawna in March, I noticed how she really needed a mentor and someone that believed in her. The simple fact of just having someone there to support her with her work and study-habits made such a change to her confidence.”

On the back of her academic personal training with Kiah, Shawna surprised herself with the feedback she got on a first draft for a business assignment.

“When she got that mark on her draft, she realised what she was capable of and that she was heading in the right direction. Since then she’s been more motivated than ever. She even won an award at school for improvement!”

Why Academic Personal Training Is About More Than Just Marks

 

While the improvement in Shawna’s grades has delighted student and tutor alike, Kiah, her academic personal trainer, has also been proud of the change in Shawna’s mentality.

“While Shawna was going from a C+ to an A+ in business, she was also going through a transformation in terms of her mindset and attitude. When I first met Shawna she didn’t believe she would be able to accomplish an A, but now she is making strides across the board.”

Above all, though, Shawna’s story is a nice reminder of the power and importance of friendships.

“Since starting with Kiah, I have more people to talk to and I don’t feel so alone during the week while my parents aren’t here. Having a tutor that I can speak with really helps on my end.”

 

Is your child lacking confidence like Shawna was? Click here to be matched with one of our Academic Personal Trainers and watch your child’s academic results transform

 

BOOK NOW

Read more success stories here

Year 12 Boy Goes From C’s to Straight A’s In Only 6 Months

Year 11 Boy Jumps From D’s to A’s In Just 6 Months

Year 9 Boy Receives First Ever A+

How Ruby Reaps Rewards With Ellie’s Expert Guidance

Year 10 Student Achieves Straight A’s and a Golden Palm

Year 3 Student Masters Mindset and Becomes Student Leader

Failing Year 10 Brisbane student goes from a D to a B+ in one term!

Two Brisbane Girls Achieve The Impossible In One Term

Year 6 Student Goes From C’s To A’s In Just Five Weeks

Year 11 Student Solidifies Scholarship After Going From C’s To A’s In 6 Months

The post Year 11 Student Goes From C+ To A+ In Just One Term! appeared first on A Team Tuition.

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What is the ATAR for Dentistry in Queensland?

What ATAR do you need to become a dentist?

In Queensland, Dental School is by far one of the most challenging and competitive programs to be admitted to directly out of high school. However, there are typically two paths students can take to becoming a fully qualified dentist in Queensland. The first route is to meet the requirements of the ATAR for Dentistry, then sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) and complete an interview. This route involves either a 5-year undergraduate degree or a 3-year undergraduate and a 2-year post-graduate degree.

The second option is to complete a 3-year undergraduate in a related field of study and then take the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT), complete an interview and meet the GPA/ prerequisite courses before entering a 4-year post-graduate degree in dentistry. This route may allow you to enter with a lower ATAR score than going directly into Dentistry.
So, what ATAR do you need to study Dentistry in Queensland? As there are only a few Queensland universities that offer bachelor programs in Dentistry, the competition to get into these programs is fierce and will likely require an ATAR of 95 or higher.

What is the required ATAR for Dentistry?

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) has replaced the former Overall Position (OP) system to measure one student’s academic achievement in relation to that of their peers. Students who have their sights set on becoming a dentist will have their work cut out for them as they navigate this new system and aim to achieve the ATAR score for Dentistry that is required. Both the University of Queensland and Griffith University have required an ATAR of 99 or higher (OP 1) in recent years which means that you need to rank higher than 99% of your peers! It’s not uncommon for students aiming for this level of academic achievement to work with professional tutors to reach their goals.

Are you concerned that your child won’t be able to meet the high academic requirements they need to become a dentist in Queensland?

Learn how our highly experienced team can help.

What is the required ATAR for Dentistry at Queensland Universities?

University of Queensland’s School of Dentistry

The University of Queensland (UQ) offers students an exciting opportunity to study at the most advanced tertiary oral health facility in Australia. Their Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours) program is a 5-year, full time program requiring an ATAR of 99 (OP 1) and features:
● Dedicated specialist teachers
● Pre-clinical placements in your first year
● Opportunities for in-clinic work with patients in your second year

UQ also offers a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry for general dentists looking to specialise. The program enables dentists to become registered specialists in the following:
● Dento-maxillofacial radiology
● Endodontics
● Oral medicine
● Orthodontics
● Periodontics
● Prosthodontics
● Special needs dentistry

Griffith University’s School of Dentistry and Oral Health

Griffith offers a number of dental programs including a 3-year Bachelor of Dental Health Science with an honours program available through an additional year of study.
● Requires an ATAR of 99.80
● Prerequisites are English and one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematical Methods
Students who complete this degree as well as Griffith’s 2-year Master of Dentistry degree are eligible to apply for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s Dental Board as a dentist.
Griffith also offers the following dental programs with some lower ATAR entry requirements:
● Bachelor of Dental Hygiene ATAR 97
● Bachelor of Dental Technology ATAR 83.65 – and honours for 1 additional year
● Bachelor of Dental Technology/ Bachelor of Dental Prosthetics (double degree) – 4-year program ATAR 81.45
● Bachelor of Dental Prosthetics (Graduate Entry) program, a student must have:
a Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Technology or Bachelor of Dental Technology from Griffith University within the past ten years with a minimum GPA of 5.0

James Cook University’s Bachelor of Dental Surgery

This 5-year, full-time program offered in Cairns enables students to study and learn practical skills in James Cook University’s state-of-the-art clinical simulation laboratory. The program allows students to:
● Diagnose and perform dental work on real patients
● Gain experience through extensive professional placements
In previous years, the median ATAR for Dental Surgery has been 95, with the highest ATAR granted being 99. There is no guaranteed entry to this program regardless of how high your ATAR is.

Calculating your ATAR Score for a Dental Degree

As Queensland joins other states in adopting the ATAR system to allocate university placements, parents and students must embark on the challenging task of figuring out how the ATAR is calculated. Calculating the ATAR is a complicated mission involving multiple factors such as a student’s individual exam and assessment marks, school rankings and scaling. An aggregate mark is determined through a total of all of the scaled marks to achieve an ATAR. What makes it tricky is that ATAR requirements are continuously changing and challenging to predict. For a thorough understanding of how the ATAR is calculated, QTAC has provided a 31-page detailed ATAR guide, however, this simplified version of understanding how ATAR works is an excellent resource as well.

How to get into Dentistry without an ATAR

If you are uncertain about your ATAR eligibility, talk to your school guidance counsellor as a starting point to see if there are additional courses you need to take. If you don’t have the required ATAR for Dentistry at the end of year 12, rest assured that there are other options. You could complete a bridging course to help get into a related undergrad degree program such as dental hygiene or oral health, and then apply to grad school after that. You would still have to meet the minimum GPA and GAMSAT score requirements.

How to achieve the ATAR for Dentistry in Queensland

In order to obtain the required ATAR for dental school, English, Chemistry and Biology are generally must-have prerequisites so students will need to aim high in these subjects in particular. With such demanding expectations on students hoping to achieve a career in Dentistry, it’s becoming more and more common to enlist the help of a professional tutor.
Let A Team Tuition show your child that with confidence, the right attitude and a great deal of dedication, it’s possible to achieve an ATAR of 99 and be well on their way to a successful dental career!

Find out how a tutor can help your child achieve the ATAR for Dentistry. Get in touch today!

 

More Options for Senior Students

• What is the ATAR for Medicine in Queensland?
• What is the ATAR for Electrical Engineering in Queensland?
• What is the ATAR for Medicine in Queensland?
• What is the ATAR for Nursing in Queensland?

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Key Techniques For Reducing Study Stress for Students

Stress is a critical part of the human experience, but few actually know how to properly manage stress and its entirety. Despite carrying a negative stigma, stress can be viewed differently depending on situational circumstances. Negative stress is the mental drain that manifests through changes in mood, behaviour and bodily responses. In academia however, stress is not always a negative experience as it has the potential to be applied positively. Positive stress can be utilised as an opportunity to push students of all ages to reach their full potential.

Stress management can be broken down into general essential categories such as, organisation, nutrition and balance. However, to ensure their efficacy, students must be mindful of negative stress symptoms, study in an efficacious manner and avoid overloading themselves.

Managing Stress Through Proper Organisation

Organisation is the most important step to managing stress, the cliché remains true, “if you fail to plan – you are planning to fail”. This first step into organising oneself in an academic environment can take many forms, these can include, reading ahead on content for the term, recording and tracking assessment due dates and developing a personalised study schedule allows for a balance between schoolwork and extra-curricular activities. Undertaking any or all of these organisational activities provides students a significant advantage as it incorporates revision into their lives on a consistent basis and allows for learning consolidation and reduces stress stemming from academic performance.

These first steps provide students an advantageous opportunity for academic growth as well as a decrease of negative stress, however, the decrease of stress felt by completion of these tasks can be enhanced with further academic success by the addition of proper time management.

By beginning exam preparation weeks prior to exam dates allows for a student to prepare study documents, co-ordinate exam studying with exam dates and assessing what they need to work on. Going forward, preforming practise assessment, thinking of appropriate exam strategies on top of revision further prepares the student for the exam environment.

Underpinning the organisation is the ability to study and prepare effectively. Despite sounding obvious, developing successful study strategy is something that can only be accomplished on an individual basis. Effective study comes from the combination of adapting a positive growth mindset, creating a designated studying area, setting goals, managing your time and using studying strategies that coincide with your learning language and that works for you. Repetition of these positive habits lead to being able to decrease the impact of negative stress and boost academic performance.

Why Nutrition and Good Routine Can Help Reduce Study Stress

Studying’s potential for producing positive outcomes and reducing stress can be drastically improved through the consuming nutritious foods, ensuring consistent and adequate sleep, as well as plenty of physical exercise. It is widely recognised by both schools and scientists alike that, proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise, significantly improve the ability to recall information, reduce stress, increases focus and concentration and improves cognition, etc.  With the foundation of a consistent and efficacious studying schedule, ensuring time for these components to be completed, maximises a student’s ability to simultaneously learn and understand class content and reduce their individual stress.

Maintaining balance, is a crucial skill for students to have. This is not only for balancing sleep, exercise and good food with schoolwork, but also balancing socialisation. A student’s ability to maintain equilibrium between studying and socialising is a skill that many have difficulty with.

We all know that given the opportunity, the majority of students would rather spend time with friends and loved ones rather than spend hours revising schoolwork. This need to socialise is part of our human nature, however, socialising is not as detrimental to study as one might think. Socialising allows a chance to relax, refresh, and develop relationships, all of which have positive impacts within an academic environment and can be effective in reducing stress. Furthermore, socialisation can be a motivating factor for students who would choose to be able to spend their leisure time free of any underlying pressure from looming due dates. However, balance, is key when it comes to schoolwork and socialising. Schoolwork is generally considered the higher priority, and therefore any social events should be scheduled in where they will not conflict with either assessment due dates or designated time for study or assignment work that cannot be made up for within a close timespan.

Overall, stress’s negative impacts can be negated with the proper organisational, time management skills and physical and mental nourishment. By turning stress into an advantageous and positive experience student are able increase favourable outcomes, increase their capacity to learn, and gain skills that facilitate extra-curricular activities and socialisation into their life in a manner that will not lead to an increase in stress. Moreover, organisation and time management skills can not only be useful in classroom and examination environments but are skills that if understood can serve into adulthood.

How to Avoid Study Stress

Stress management is also about recognising the symptoms of experiencing negative stress, which may occur within varying degrees of severity. Negative stress can manifest in changes in behaviour, mood or in extreme cases impact students physically and should not be ignored by student, teachers or parents. Symptoms of negative stress may include, sleeping problems, tiredness, muscle tension, indigestion, anxiety, social withdrawal and irritability. In severe cases, students may gain or lose weight or turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

The negative stress that students experience is often the result of neglect of schoolwork, perceived unpreparedness for one or more assessment/s, or as a result of receiving a mark that they feel does not reflect the amount of effort put in. In order to avoid or reduce the effects of negative stress, maintaining organisation with schoolwork and other commitments, constant consolidation of covered content and mindfulness of due dates as well as personal goals, are indisputable methods of using stress in a constructive and beneficial manner.

Avoiding overworking and cramming large amounts of revision in short amounts of time is one of the best things a student can do to reduce their stress levels. The panic and anxiety of long nights before assessments due dates is something most of us have experienced, in a desperate attempt to retain just a bit more information. However, some research suggests that the negative impacts of late-night cramming outweigh the perceived benefits of an extra night’s worth of revision. The combination of lack of sleep, stress, anxiety, can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, that can have detrimental effects on the student’s performance in an exam or in writing an assignment. This is not to say that any and all revision done the night before a due date can lead to academic disaster. The study done on the night before should be considered final preparation and consolidation on study already completed weeks before the due date. Furthermore, cramming not only causes physical and mental exhaustion but can lead to exam anxiety and false confidence, which may also lead to negative impacts on assessment performance. Naturally, the pressure that is felt on the eve of the assessment is immense and is often the most stressful nights of the academic year.

In order to reduce this, students should consider organising themselves at the beginning of each term, setting aside time on a regular basis to study, identifying studying techniques appropriate for both the subject assessed and that is effective for the learning language of the student.

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Develop Good Study Habits and Stress No More!

The maintenance of optimal study performance as well as reflection and evaluation are vital to the student’s academic performance and management of stress. Many students are aware of the necessities of the aforementioned methodologies of study and work diligently for their academic rewards, however they lack the ability to properly de-stress and utilise their time once the assessment is over. Academic burnout is a phenomenon that is experienced by many students and can have many harmful effects on a students’ future. Academic burnout has three main causations, a combination of overstudy, poor social environments and rigidity when it comes to study regime. This may be a result of family pressure, peer pressure feelings of insecurity or association of academic performance to personal identity. Each of these components can directly cause stress and can cause other negative psychological outcomes. The ability to unwind and calmly process and evaluate your results after assessment is vital for increasing or maintaining academic performance. This provides a chance to properly ready oneself for the next term. Fortunately, the holidays provide students the chance to properly unpack the pervious term and hit the ground running in the next term.

If you or your child struggles with study stress our team of tutors can help your child develop the right habits! Contact us now and find out how our academic personal training is more than just tutoring, but more a whole study transformation!

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ATAR English – Which Senior English Should I Choose?

During Years 11 and 12, there’s one subject you can’t skip if you want to be eligible for an ATAR. English. However, if your English grade is not one of your five highest, it’s not mandatory for your grade to be included in the calculation of your ATAR score. So, with this in mind, does it actually count? Of course it does!  So, which English subject should you choose in year 11 and 12? What about English scaling – should you take English Extension 2 to make it worthwhile for your ATAR score? We’ve done the hard work for you and come up with a few simple answers to help you navigate the often confusing world of ATAR.

How do I choose which Senior English to take?

English is a requirement for ATAR eligibility, but which English should you choose? And do you really need to put the effort in when your marks won’t necessarily count?
It seems obvious, but if you’re going to be taking English, it would be easier and much more logical to just ace your English course than it would be just to undertake an additional subject for your ATAR and receive no benefit. There are six different English courses available within Queensland schools:

● English. Focuses on studying literary and non-literary texts with the aim of developing critical, creative thinkers. ATAR eligible.

● English and Literature Extension. An extension of both the English and Literature courses and offers more of a challenge than the other courses. There are 2 versions of this course – 1 and 2 – 2 being more challenging. ATAR eligible.  This is the most highly scaled of the ATAR English subjects.

● English as an Additional Language. Designed for students for whom English is their second language, or isn’t the language they speak at home. Eligible for ATAR.

● Essential English. Develops and refines students’ understanding of language, literature, and literacy. Only ATAR eligible when combined with four general subjects.

● Literacy. Not ATAR eligible.

● Literature. Focuses on the study of literary texts. ATAR eligible.

Obviously, if you wish to be ATAR eligible, don’t choose literacy, and maybe steer clear of Essential English if possible. An experienced tutor can offer the help you need to achieve the marks you want.

ATAR English Scaling

Scaling refers to one of the steps in producing your ATAR score. Your exam marks are converted into scaled marks, or standardised marks. Different marks from different subjects are converted into a single score for every subject. How else could someone who received very high marks in English be compared with someone else who received very high marks in English Extension? It’s almost like converting currencies.
This is a highly debated topic and differs from state to state, so there isn’t really one correct answer. Many sources dispute scaling information, and so it’s best to do your own research and choose the subject which best suits you and your career or study goals. In New South Wales and Victoria, the Education department suggests to its students that if you are particularly good at English and want to pursue a career in the arts, choose Extension English or Literature. These subjects are scaled higher.

A Team Tuition provides experienced and effective ATAR English tuition that can help students gain access to the university course of their choice. Book a tutoring session now.

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How to Prepare For Exams – 4 Practical Tips for Your Child

For many young students, exams are the most dreaded time of the year. The late-night cramming sessions, the tears, the anger, the frustration; it’s a story that far too many parents are familiar with. And, as a parent, it is all too easy to feel like you are helpless or not qualified to assist with schoolwork, especially for parents of high school students. After all, when was the last time you integrated a function in real life? Or analysed the themes present in Macbeth? High school was a long time ago and everything is different now.

But never fear! There are several very real and useful things you can do to assist your child with their progress and preparation for exam season. After all, it’s just preparing for a T.E.S.T!

How to Prepare for Exams

T – Talk to Your Child

Communication between parents and their children, especially teenage children can be difficult. However, finding the avenues to engage with them about their schoolwork is more important at this stage of their learning journey than ever before. Under the new ATAR model, results from Units 3 and 4 of content – typically covered in Year 12 – are used to work out your child’s ATAR which determines what university courses they will have access to. In practical terms, that means that results as early as February and March of their Year 12 can determine their final graduating results. Having a correct timetable will help make sure that clear goals are being set and achieved, which is the first and most important step to success!

Your child themselves is not the only person who is involved in their learning. Reaching out to their teachers can also give you a great deal of information about their schedule and timeline. Almost all high schools operate on an exam block system. At the end of each term or semester, a couple of weeks will be set aside specifically for exams. Even if you don’t know on exactly what day your child’s exams will be taking place on, at least knowing when the exam block is scheduled will give you a great idea of when your child should begin preparing for their exams.

As well, you are not alone! If you are struggling with helping your child prepare for their exams, then chances are that other parents at your school are struggling as well. Speaking to what are in effect your ‘colleagues’ in the job of being a parent can be surprisingly helpful. Maybe another parent does have some experience with high-level Maths and can give you some advice on what your child is struggling with. Or maybe they have found a great resource on Biology or Chemistry that your family would love to have access to.

At the end of the day, open communication is only going to help your child prepare for their exams and give you as many tools in your arsenal to assist them. The fridge calendar is an under-rated piece of technology!

E – Educate Your Child AND Yourself

A great deal of the content that is covered at high school – especially Years 10, 11 and 12 – is theoretical. The actual content knowledge doesn’t matter as much as the thought processes and critical thinking skills that are being developed by your child. Robert Marzano’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives Model – the underpinning theory behind the ATAR Curriculum – also assesses the student’s ability to analyse, comprehend and use the knowledge they have, not just parroting it back. In your everyday life, when was the last time you were asked to use a unit circle? Or find the dominant and recessive trait with a punnet square? While the specific content knowledge in high school subjects does certainly matter, the underpinning skills and learning capabilities matter just as much. And that is something you can help your child with.

Managing a timetable and working towards deadlines is a key part of just about every possible profession under the sun. Operating under stress, knowing where to look when you have questions and being accountable and honest with yourself are all part of your average day-to-day, and skills that your child can really benefit from in preparing for their exams.

To think about it another way, for the past 7 to 12 years of their life, school has been your child’s full-time ‘job’, which is a long time to spend in one place. But they have also been dealing with all the other trials of growing up and becoming a teenager and eventually an adult. Developing these general capabilities takes time and guidance, which you can provide at least one of.

Finally, when it does come to specific content, there are a large number of free online resources that you can take advantage of to help out your child. Khan Academy is the gold standard for free online learning. With global resources for parents and students alike, Khan is a great place to fill in gaps in an emergency and deepen your own understanding of a topic. As well, Wolfram Alpha can solve problems ranging from primary maths all the way up to senior algebra and trigonometry, for free!

Using online resources like these do require you to understand what you are looking for. Anyone knows how to get better at running – you run more. The detail comes in when you want to do so as efficiently as possible. These resources are a good way to help your child in an emergency and manage stress towards exams, but they are not going to be as effective as getting a specialist.

FEEL IN OVER YOUR HEAD WITH HELPING YOUR CHILD PREPARE FOR EXAMS? BOOK A TUTOR TODAY!

S – Stress, Why it Can be a Good Thing

Stress, correctly managed, can be a good thing. The saying that diamonds are only produced under pressure is greatly simplified, but it does have some truth to it. A small amount of stress means that you are taking whatever is causing it seriously, and that you recognise that it matters. Managing stress is a skill, however, and many students lack that skill.

Students all over the world tend to over-stress when it comes to their exams and assessment in general. This leads to anxiety and nervousness, which is a huge problem for many teenagers. How many of you have had to deal with the late-night meltdowns, the anxiety attacks, and the sudden onset ‘upset stomach’ to avoid an exam? We speak with dozens of parents every school term whose children are just not confident going into their exam period and need help immediately. The best way to help your child is to start as soon as possible – which is where having a timetable becomes crucial.

If a student lacks confidence, then the best way to build that confidence is to give them the knowledge they need to do well. Once they see that they have the knowledge base necessary to achieve good results, they will be more motivated to put in the time and effort needed to improve. And that increased motivation will lead to greater confidence as they overcome and master the next level of difficulty! The spiral of ability to motivation to confidence can be pointed either up, or down. The secret is to start.

Other students, however, have the exact opposite problem. Rather than over-stressing about their assessment pieces, they instead under-stress and don’t commit the time and effort they need to achieve success. ‘Yes Mum, I’ve done my homework. No, I don’t have any more work. We covered it all in class’. Sound familiar? Students who have previously been academically successful – especially in primary school – will usually find that they run into a wall in high school, where their natural ability is no longer able to carry them further, without a serious investment of time and effort. And, because they have done so well previously, they haven’t developed the general skills of studying and learning that they need!

As a student myself, this was exactly the trap that I found myself in. At the time, there wasn’t the resources and support that are available now, and I had to dig myself out of that hole all by myself. Today’s students have access to a whole world of support to make sure that they are able to achieve their success, whatever that looks like for them.

Helping your child to understand what their success looks like is the key to managing their stress levels. Some students will be able to set the realistic goal of being Dux of their year level or achieving an ATAR of 98+. For other students it may be that they want to maintain good results while balancing school with high-performance athletics. And yet other students just want to pass and have as many options as possible post-graduation. Sitting down with your child and helping them to understand what their goals and their success looks like will go a long way to helping them manage their stress towards school in general, and exams in particular.

T – Tutor – Your Secret Wepon!

At the end of the day, you are in your child’s life to be their parent. Not their parole officer, not their best friend and not their educator. These tips are a great general way for you to be a part of their support network, and to assist them in what they are doing at school. However, when it comes to working as efficiently as possible, breaking down the content and making sure they understand it and giving your child the skills to do their best possible work in exams, you need a specialist.

Bringing a tutor into your child’s support network will have a huge impact on not only their lives, but also their future. At minimum, a tutor will be able to act as an expert resource, unpacking content and making sure that your child understands it correctly. However, a great tutor will also be able to teach your child those general skills around timetable management and organisation, accountability and stress management and the specific skills of how to work as efficiently as possible in an exam setting. And, with that expert support and mentorship behind them, your child will be more confident and comfortable going into what used to be the most stressful time of their lives!

FIND THE PERFECT TUTOR FOR YOUR CHILD

Helping your child through their exams is one of the hardest tests of being a parent. But by keeping T.E.S.T. in mind, you can make their journey a smooth one. Talking to your child and understanding their timeline and their goals will set up their expectations and give you a really solid idea of what you can do. Educating them on the general skills and abilities that are used in the real world – like timetable management, knowing where to look for answers and how to work under a deadline – will help equip them to be as prepared as possible, even if you can’t assist with the content knowledge. Understanding their stress levels and making sure they are being correctly managed is key to student success, whatever that looks like. And finally, if you need to, invest in a tutor as an expert resource who can give your child the best possible support going into their exams!

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