How to make the best of learning at home – when you haven’t got online lessons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

With the announcement that all schools are closing for X weeks, many secondary school students will be learning at home through online lessons. However, some schools still don’t provide online lessons at all, and some only provide them part of the time. Many students struggle with working through worksheets and work set without any interaction […]

How to make the most of online learning

For most secondary school students, the first two weeks of 2021 will be spent on online learning. We all have experience of this from the first coronavirus lockdown and subsequent isolations and many are dreading going back to it. In this post, I’m going to share some tips to help you get the most out […]

New Year’s Resolutions: You Get Out What You Put In

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It’s very nearly 2021 and you may well be thinking about new year’s resolutions, or turning over a new leaf. Or, you might just be relieved that 2020 is nearly over! In this short and sweet post, I’m going to remind you of one very important fact that will determine whether your new year’s resolutions […]

The accidental story of how I became an academic coach

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Recently, one of the members of The Extraordinaries Club asked me how I became an academic coach and if I could write a blog post and publish a podcast episode about it. I thought as it’s Christmas week, you might quite like a story rather than a ‘how-to’. It’s not a straightforward story and I […]

Help with achieving your goals this Christmas holiday

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

While it’s the Christmas holiday and your priorities should rightly be pulling crackers, opening presents and eating turkey you or your child might also have some important academic goals to achieve in these two weeks. I’m going to run through some of the academic priorities you might have right now and explain how I can […]

How much should you revise in the Christmas holidays?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

“How much should you revise…?” is one of the most frequent questions I get asked. Today, I’m going to talk about how much you should revise in the Christmas holidays because no-one wants mock exams in January ruining the Christmas holidays. How much should you revise in the Christmas holidays? The number of hours per […]

How to help when your teen is overwhelmed by their studies

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Is your child overwhelmed by their studies? Do they have a stack of homework to do, coursework tasks to complete and also feel like they should be revising? In year 13, on top of all that, students often also have their UCAS personal statement to write, and possibly university admissions tests and interviews as well. […]

When you just want the world to stop

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

I have a funny feeling that quite a lot of people, in the last couple of weeks, have just felt like they want the world to stop. I know I have. It’s a strange situation to be in when the world has kind of been on hold since March. But, at the same time as […]

How to balance the competing demands of homework and revision

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Through the autumn and spring term every year, many students and parents ask me how to balance homework and revision. Students in years 11 and 13 find the competing demands of homework and revision particularly difficult to cope with in the build-up to mock exams. In this blog post, I’m going to explain how you […]

Meet academic coach, Aarti Lodhia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Read this shortened version of the conversation I had with Aarti Lodhia to introduce her as an academic coach. Or, use the podcast player above to listen to the full conversation. You can find conversations with all the academic coaches at Life More Extraordinary and find out more about academic coaching here. The official stuff […]