How Studyit can help your students

Studyit(external link) is an NCEA examination online support service for students that provides detailed explanations and links to revision material for mathematics, the sciences, and English, plus 15 other NCEA subject areas.

Students can learn from each other and from mentors online, and can ask questions in online forums if they are having difficulty understanding a particular subject area. Students are encouraged to respond to each other’s posts, so that they can learn from and with each other. The forums are moderated by other students and mentors. Mentors are all trained
secondary teachers who respond as quickly as they can to student questions on the forums during the day, in the weekends, at night, and in the holidays.

There is also a helpful section on ‘study and exam advice’ so students who aren’t sure where to start, or how to make the best use of that crucial time in the lead-up to exams, can be confident they’re doing everything they can.

Studyit has been designed with input from secondary students. Its content and advice has been written by subject specialists and has been checked by student editors, ensuring that students will find the site useful for their examination study.

A Positive Environment

Lesley Mackintosh has been involved with the development and design of Studyit since its conception in 2003, and says the beauty of the service is that it guides students through their questions and concerns.

Lesley had particular responsibility for writing the mathematics content and overseeing the mathematics forums, and from 2013 has been the lead facilitator, undertaking general maintenance on the site, updating content and looking after the team of mentor teachers.

“I believe Studyit is successful because we have an incredible team of dedicated expert teachers who respond to student queries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” she says.

“This creates a very positive environment. Participating students and teachers are anonymous, which encourages students to ask for help. Once their query has been responded to, it remains online so students can revisit it many times and are not embarrassed to ask for further clarification.”

A Few Study Tips From Studyit:

Be prepared:

• Go to all revision sessions for your subjects.
• Have up-to-date course notes. If you don’t, ask your teachers for the latest versions.
• Practise assessments and examination papers.
• Know what is required for each achievement standard.

Planning:

• Set regular routines of study.
• Choose a quiet, airy, well-lit place to study.
• Set study goals: daily goals, weekly goals and long-term goals.
• Know your deadlines.
• Make a study timetable.
• Do a small amount of study on each subject every night.

Relax:

• Have lots of breaks (eg, break every
• 50 minutes for 10 minutes).
• Eat healthily, sleep regularly and exercise.
• Reward yourself regularly.
• If stressed, ask for help. Your teachers want you to succeed – ask them!