Studying is often seen as something we have to do, not something we want to do. But when we look a little closer, studying actually brings a surprising number of benefits – far beyond just getting good grades. It helps shape who we are, how we think, and what kind of future we can build for ourselves.

One of the biggest advantages of studying is that it opens doors. Every new concept you learn – whether it’s a maths strategy, a historical event, or a scientific idea – adds another tool to your personal toolkit. These tools help you understand the world better and give you more choices later on. Even if you don’t know what you want to do yet, learning widely gives you the freedom to explore.

Studying also strengthens important life skills. When you practise solving problems, planning tasks, or reading complex texts, you’re training your brain to think more clearly and logically. These skills don’t just help with schoolwork – they help with making decisions, managing responsibilities, and communicating with others. In many ways, studying is like exercise for the brain: the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.

Another positive side of studying is the confidence it builds. There’s something incredibly satisfying about understanding a topic you once found difficult. That moment when everything “clicks” reminds you that you’re capable of growing, improving, and handling challenges. Over time, these little wins add up and help you believe in your own ability to succeed.

Studying can even be enjoyable when you find subjects that genuinely spark your interest. Whether it’s psychology, art, science, literature, or technology, discovering what excites you can be fun and motivating. It’s often through studying that people find their passions.

Most importantly, studying shapes your future. It prepares you for opportunities, teaches you discipline, and helps you develop a curious, open-minded approach to life. While it can feel tough at times, the long-term rewards are worth the effort.

Studying isn’t just about school. It’s about personal growth, confidence, and creating possibilities. And those benefits stay with you far beyond the classroom.

Amanda Susanto

English in the primary years isn’t just another subject, it’s the foundation that shapes how children learn everything else. At this stage, students are building the core skills that support all future literacy: vocabulary, phonics, sentence structure, and the confidence to express themselves. When these early building blocks aren’t fully understood, the difficulties show up quickly and often spill into other subjects.

As students move through primary school, reading shifts from sounding out words to understanding increasingly complex ideas. A child who struggles with comprehension will feel it not only in English class but also in math word problems, science explanations, and all types of readings. Strong literacy is the pathway to accessing the whole curriculum and doing well in all subjects, both in primary and carried on into high school.

Tutoring adds value by giving children the focused attention they rarely get in a busy classroom. A tutor can slow down, target a specific skill gap, and offer immediate and tailored feedback something that is proven to speed up progress far more efficiently than general classroom instruction. This targeted support also builds confidence. When students feel capable and confident, they participate more, take academic risks, and stop avoiding reading, spelling or comphrension activities.

Mmost importantly, early support prevents long-term learning struggles. Entering secondary school or even just the grade above with weaker English skills makes every subject harder and increases stress. Addressing issues in the primary years ensures that students step into later schooling prepared rather than overwhelmed, securing academic success from a young age!

Daniella Antoun

Active learning is a great study tool which improves memory and builds deeper and longer understanding of the content. Passive learning includes reading, listening to, or writing out notes. Active learning includes making flow charts and mind maps, self-testing, and explaining concepts in your own words.

Flow charts and mind-maps are a form of active learning because it invites you to draw connections between different topics, break down a concept, and have it all in a visual format. If will also help you to identify gaps in knowledge when you struggle to see connections easily or what steps come next.

Self-testing is another effective form of active learning. Make quizzes by writing your own questions for the topics you have learnt. This makes you think critically about what is important information that could be asked and to test your knowledge of the topic. This also specifically caters to improved exam performance as you will be able to understand questions more quickly, the larger variety that you have seen and even created yourself. Furthermore, it trains your memory faster because you have to apply the knowledge rather than just repeating it to yourself.

Finally, beneficial active learning for study can come in the form of explaining a concept to someone else or yourself in simple language. This helps you to break down the concept into its most basic form, utilising logic to comprehend. Being able to explain the topic without the use of jargon means that you have built the connections that allow you to understand the topic.

Riva Burkett

I genuinely never expected the skills I’ve developed from tutoring to trickle so gracefully into the rest of my everyday life, but they have and continue to do so in ways that I am honestly really grateful for.

Patience; the first one that comes to mind. When working with someone who’s trying their best to understand something and it’s just not clicking for them, you learn to slow down, listen and try a different angle without letting emotions take over. That same patience has carried over into the rest of my life; when plans switch up at the last minute, when technology decides to stop cooperating or when a friend needs some extra time to process something. I also find myself taking things in stride far more effortlessly than I used to.

Another awesome one’s been the ability to articulate things, way more clearly. Tutoring requires us to break down complex ideas into simple, understandable pieces and to pay close attention to what someone actually needs (rather than what we assume they need)!! That habit of speaking clearly and thoughtfully has helped me heaps in conversations with loved ones, and even in quick, everyday interactions. It’s been pleasantly surprising to me just how much smoother life can become when you have the ability to express yourself in a way that makes sense (the first time)!!

Last but not least, time management (might be the most practical skill I’ve gained). Balancing different students, preparing lessons and keeping track of daily, changing schedules has taught me how to stay organized, without stressing myself out. Now, when I look at a busy day, I can prioritize and easily map out what needs to get done and actually follow through without feeling bombarded. It’s made my days feel a lot more intentional and much less scattered.

Overall, I’m very grateful. ❤️

Thomas Koutavas

Hey everyone, today I had the amazing opportunity to observe Jemima’s session.

It was great to see how friendly her student was and how well they got along. Her student was very comfortable her student felt with her!. They had a great relationship and they got along really well.

They started by going through her students homework.

They went through different types of questions to work out what the difficulty of the questions. They did some easy questions a when her student felt more confident they then moved on to do some harder questions.

They went through some practice linear regression questions. They went through the structure of each question and the key terms of the question. They went through an appropriate solution she can follow.

They looked at the online textbook and worked through the theory and then applying the theory to different types of questions. They started by doing easy questions and then they moved to some harder questions when the student felt comfortable applying the theory.

When her student got stuck, Jemima would give her student some hints to help her. If her student made an error Jemima would then explain what error she made and would then go through the correct steps her student would need to follow.

Jemima gave her student some homework, based on what they went through in the session.

Overall, Jemima did a great job helping her student. It was a great session and such a pleasure to observe. Keep it up!

Ashley Cohen

Many students participate in sports, extracurricular activities, tutoring and volunteering opportunities on top of their normal school hours. This means that they must be organised with the free time that they do have to ensure that they keep up with their study and revision. So, here are some of my best study techniques for busy students:

1. The pomodoro technique is your best friend! Working in 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks enables students to remain motivated with their study by allowing them to work in short, energetic bursts.

2. Make the most of the ‘in-between’ time. If you have a particularly long commute or have some waiting time before an activity starts, you can use this time to go over some flashcards or read over a practice essay you have written.

3. Ensure you are using mobile apps like Quizlet or Anki to revise ‘on the go’. These apps also add an element of fun into your study by allowing you to create quizzes to revise for content-heavy subjects.

4. Teach someone your content! For example, if you are travelling home with a friend after a soccer game and you both want to study for English, why not talk aloud to one another about the text you have been assigned? Or you can even teach your sibling about your modern history content or talk through a chemistry module with them to break up the monotony of sitting at your desk.

5. Take time for yourself to relax and refuel. If you are a busy student spreading your time between sports, school, tutoring and other activities then staying hydrated, fuelling your body with good food and sleeping well helps you stay energised. Also, blocking out time in your schedule to have longer relaxation breaks where you are resting without having any commitments on is vital to recharge your mind.

Kristina McLean

Many students often struggle with certain topics, they list Math topics like fractions or decimals or film analysis in English, but the real challenge sometimes is the thinking or learning style behind it. Some students tend to rush because they are scared of being wrong. Some overthink because they want everything perfectly done. Others memorise because it feels safer and quicker than understanding. These habits may be invisible to them but they sure are obvious to a tutor.
A tutor’s job is to decode those learning patterns by observing the gaps and weaknesses of their students and help them adjust while still considering their way of learning by breaking it down. This could be in a fun, visual way or by practical exercises. Students then become more strategic and often start leading discussions. This enables the tutor to finally learn that the student is adapting because tutoring is not about giving the answer to the student but rather teaching them a new way to see themselves as capable learners and give them options to see which learning style suits them best.

Razan Rustom

Understanding the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is essential for tutors to holistically support students in their learning. No student is the same, and it’s important to understand how students learn best to enhance the effectiveness of each lesson.

Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the student. It’s driven by rewards, expectations, and pressure: getting a high grade, earning screen time, impressing a parent, or avoiding consequences. These motivators can be helpful when a student feels stuck or uninterested. They provide structure, accountability, and a clear reason to begin a task. But they also have limits. Extrinsic motivators often create short bursts of effort rather than sustained curiosity, and once the reward disappears, so does much of the drive.

Intrinsic motivation, however, grows from within the student. It appears when they feel curious, engaged, or personally connected to what they’re learning. A student might enjoy solving puzzles, feel proud of improving, or recognise how a skill supports their future goals. Intrinsic motivation encourages deeper learning, persistence, and confidence, but it can take time to develop, especially if a student has experienced frustration or self-doubt.

So why is every student different? Because motivation is shaped by countless factors: personality, past experiences, family expectations, confidence levels, and even subject preference. A reward that energises one student may do nothing for another. A topic that sparks curiosity in one learner may overwhelm someone else.

That’s why effective tutoring isn’t one-size-fits-all. Tutors must identify what each student values, what obstacles they face, and what kind of support helps them feel capable and empowered. The goal is to use extrinsic motivation strategically while nurturing intrinsic motivation over time.

Jessica Ciappara

Parents often worry that their child is falling behind, especially when grades dip or confidence drops. It is a phrase that carries a lot of stress but in reality it rarely means what people think. At First Education we see students at every stage of their learning and the good news is that falling behind is almost always fixable. In many cases it is far less dramatic than it feels.

Students fall behind for many reasons that have little to do with ability. Sometimes it is missing a key concept early in the term. Sometimes it is a busy schedule, an illness or a change in routine that interrupts learning. As content becomes more complex, even a small gap can grow if it is not caught quickly. The important thing to understand is that these gaps are not a measure of intelligence. They are simply moments where a student needed more time or support than the classroom could offer.

Tutoring helps by slowing the pace and identifying exactly where the misunderstanding started. Once students rebuild the missing skills they often catch up faster than expected. We see this frequently with students who have been confused for weeks. When the right explanation clicks they move forward with much more confidence.

Another part of the solution is helping students feel comfortable admitting what they do not understand. Many young people keep quiet at school because they do not want to look behind compared to their peers. In one on one support they can ask questions, revisit older skills and learn without pressure. As their confidence grows they become more engaged in class, which naturally leads to improved results.

It is also worth remembering that progress is rarely a straight line. Students move through phases of growth, consolidation and challenge. A dip in performance is usually a sign they are encountering new material or developing more advanced thinking. With guidance and consistent practice they can work through this stage and come out stronger.

Falling behind is not a permanent label. With targeted support, patience and the right strategies, students can regain their footing and often exceed their previous level.

Freddie Le Vay

As a tutor, I spend a lot of time encouraging my students to build healthy study habits, but one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned myself is the importance of taking breaks. It’s easy to fall into the mindset that productivity means constant focus, constant movement, constant output. But the truth is, neither students nor tutors are designed to operate at full speed all the time.

Some of my most effective sessions have come after giving a student a few minutes to reset, stretch, breathe, grab a drink, or simply step away from a tricky problem. Breaks help reduce stress and allow the brain to process information in the background, often leading to those “lightbulb moments” once we return to the work. I’ve seen students come back more confident, more attentive, and more willing to engage with challenging material.

As tutors, we should also model what we teach. When I pace myself, schedule pauses between sessions, and allow room to breathe, I show my students that rest isn’t a reward, it’s part of learning. Breaks make us sharper, more patient, and more effective. In the end, taking time away from the desk is often what brings us closer to mastering what’s on it.

Avigal Holstein