There are a lot of very intelligent students out there who, despite their natural talents, perform poorly in VCE due to a lack of motivation. Often, when faced with the immense pressures of year 12, students can become apathetic and lose energy. They say things like “there’s no point in trying” or “I’m just going to hope for the best.” Does this sound familiar? If you think that your child is struggling to motivate themselves, these 5 steps are sure to help them get back on track.

1. Discuss Their Long Term (Personal) Goals
At the start of VCE, it is a good idea to sit down with your child and discuss their goals for the year. Encourage them to think of long term goals, such as getting a particular ATAR score so they can get into their chosen University degree. Share their excitement with them; it is important that they understand that VCE is an exciting chance to open up a range of opportunities for themselves.

2. Discuss Their Short Term (Academic) Goals
Once your child know what they want to get out of the year, the next question is “Ok, how do we get there?” Getting a good ATAR score does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. For this reason, long term goals should be broken down into shorter, easier short term goals that your child can focus on throughout the year. For example, if my long term goal is to get an ATAR score of 95, some of my short term goals might be: get an A or higher on my SAC next week, develop a system for organising my notes, do a little bit of exam revision each week and learn how to structure an essay. Once you have discussed your child’s goals, write them all down. It is important to keep hold of these and refer back to them throughout the year.

3. Make An Action Plan
Next, it’s time to work together to figure out how your child should go about achieving their goals. Do they need to study for two hours every night? Do they need to dedicate an hour each week to reviewing their notes? Do they need to read their English text by the end of the holidays? Make a list of tasks that need to be done, and figure out when they will be done. This is also a great time to make up a homework/study schedule for the year.

4. Leave Reminders
When your child has developed a study schedule and an action plan for the year, make sure they stick it up above their desk so they can see it as they study. It is important that your child can remind themselves throughout the year why it is that they are working so hard, and what it is they hope to achieve.

5. Revisit Goals
There’s no point in making goals if they are going to be forgotten. Make sure you revisit your child’s goals throughout the year. If they have been reaching their goals, then make sure to praise them. If they are not living up to their own expectations, then it might be a good time to discuss their study habits and priorities. You can always make new plans and update goals throughout the year.

If your child is in year 11 and 12 this year, don’t wait until it’s too late to get them motivated. To be successful in VCE, students need to be working hard throughout the whole year. If your child is not, then now is the time to get them motivated.