Transcript 10 Top Tips - Pembroke School, Adelaide

to becoming a successful Legal Studies student
1. Start today
 The most successful students start from Day 1
 Hard yards now make the course easier as the year goes
on
 No student has ever been able to “flick the magic
switch” in term 3 and get an A
2. Get organised
 Use folders
 Keep notes neat and tidy and easy to access and easy to
read
 Actually read your notes
and handouts
3. Make your own notes
 Fill in the essay planners
 Make your own study guide as if you were trying to
teach a friend
4. Terminology matters
 Get things right!
 Read WB p. 3 – 9 and TB p. 378 onwards
 Terms such as parliament and government are often
mistakenly used
 A good Legal student always gets these right
 These students stand out in exams
5. Be passionate but objective
 Find issues which you care about (especially for CPT)
 But remember to be balanced and give both sides of a
story
 Also be prepared to critique
your own beliefs
 Do not be afraid to question why
and challenge the processes used
in this country
6. Read widely
 READ THE PAPERS
 Watch the news
 2 elections this year – March and possibly October
 Links are on Moodle
 Keep records of useful articles
 Recent and relevant examples is CRUCIAL to doing
well in examinations
7. Technique for answering
questions
 Spend time reading page 10 – 28 of the workbook
 Essay answers are vital
 Statement
 Explanation
 eXample
 Evaluative essays are also used
 Tips also on Moodle
8. Seek help!
 Please see your teacher if you do not understand
something
 Clarify questions – do not wait until the exam week
 15 minutes at lunch one-on-one can often be more
valuable than a week of listening in class
 It is no coincidence that the best scores from students
correlate with the students who came to see me the
most
9. Use other resources
 It is a fact that 100% of you will not understand 100%
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of what I say 100% of the time
Use other sources
Mr Houey and his notes
Seminars in the holidays
Each other – work in teams to study
Use different techniques – mind maps, notes, lists,
flash cards, acronyms.
Find what works for you
10. Have a goal
 Set a target score today
 If you get a result well below that see your teacher
immediately!