Acting Principal
Now living with a Year 11 student and enjoying the frustrations of trying to get more study done as exams come and go, I have decided to write a piece this week to help settle an argument I had recently with some boys in my class (and my own son) about studying and what to do and what not to do. So for those boys in my class, and anyone else reading this article, here are some ideas about studying, noting we are moving into a heavy assessment period in the school calendar.
Many students do their homework and revision while listening to music. Many of them will swear that listening to their favourite songs makes them study better. But does music help or hinder learning?
Research results every student (and parent) should know:
- Students who revised in quiet environments performed more than 60% better in an exam than their peers who revised while listening to music that had lyrics.
- Students who revised while listening to music without lyrics did better than those who had revised to music with lyrics.
- It made no difference if students revised listening to songs they liked or disliked. Both led to a reduction in their test performance.
- Students who revised in silence rated their environment as less distracting and accurately predicted that this would lead to better performances in subsequent tests.
There are some benefits to listening to music while performing certain tasks. It can be quite motivating and it can improve mood (listening to your favourite song tends to make people smile, for example). But it does not help people learn new or complex material.
While listening to music before a task can make someone feel better, listening to it while trying to learn something new tends not to help. This is because music – especially tunes with lyrics – can take up processing space. This conflicts with the material you are trying to learn, effectively creating a bottleneck in your memory, as there is less space to process what you are revising.
Students need to know how to revise well. There may well be a time and place to listen to music during the course of their revision, but not when they are learning new and complex material. After all, silence is golden.
OPEN DAY THANKS
Another Open Day has come and gone. This one was particularly challenging with the persistent rain testing staff, students, volunteers and our visitors.
I want to thank everyone who contributed to a successful day. It was a whole school effort and showcased the incredible diversity of opportunities Nudgee College provides. The commitment of the talented boys involved in bands, tours, sports, cooking, stalls and so many other activities is a testament to their pride and our sense of community.
Thank you to the staff and parents involved for leading and participating in a day that highlights who we are, and what we will become in the future.
Mr David Johnston
Acting Principal
