Parents and students of Stratford High School were given top NCEA study tips by Karen Tui Boyes on Monday night with her seminar "study smarter not harder".
Karen is delighted to be back at Stratford High School, having been involved with the school for more than 10 years.
During the day, Karen took workshops with each of the year levels, as well as staff, to encourage the students to be more enthusiastic about studying for exams.
Schools see far too many cases every year of students becoming "nervous wrecks" leading up to exams, she says. When it comes to being prepared for exams students need to study more effectively, "rather than for long periods of time and burning out".
On Monday evening, Karen explained that NCEA exams are based on memory and therefore tips for students were based on how to fully engage their memory while studying. "Writing pages and pages of notes in blue or black pen isn't going to stand out in your mind, using techniques like colourful mind maps are much more effective for an adolescent mind."