Study Burst Sessions – Sometimes you just need to get some concentrated work done. 

Just like a gym has different styles of classes to support members achieve their fitness goals, at HSC CoWorks we are introducing a new style of session to support students achieve their HSC Vision. The Study Burst Session is based on the time management tool taking over the world, the Pomodoro Technique, which allows for 25 minutes of focused effort followed by 5 minutes of break followed by another 25 minutes of focused effort.

What are the Study Burst Sessions? 

These sessions are an alternative to the Weekend Support Sessions and are perfect for when a student just needs to get some focused work completed by working independently and taking responsibility for their own performance instead of getting any support. This will also allow them to gauge how well they are performing in particular tasks and then get the necessary support from our coaching team at their next session.

In this  3 hour intensive study session, which is broken up into 25 minutes of serious concentration and performance followed by a 5 minute break followed by another 25 minutes of concentrated performance.

Students will determine what they need to work on in each 25 minute block of time whether it be completing an essay for English, attempting 10 challenging Maths Questions, finishing an Economics essay, revising a topic for Biology, accelerating ahead of the class for Modern History, updating your Basecamp project etc the focus is completing focused work with zero distractions. We repeat the 25 minutes ON and 5 minutes OFF until 6 x 25 minute sessions are completed.

If you would like to complete a 55 minute burst, no problem, just skip one of your 5 minute breaks and keep working through to the next break.

Benefits of the Study Burst Sessions

Zero Distractions

Mobile phones, internet surfing, Facebook, talking, getting food/coffee will only be able to done in the 5 minutes of breaks. Silent and focused effort at all other times.

Accountability

Be kept accountable to your focused effort so that you can increase your output and preparedness for assessment tasks and exams.

Improve your brain function

We know that multitasking is completely at odds with the deep reflective thinking needed for successful study. Furthermore multitasking (including digital distractions) is an energy sapping exercise for our brain so if we are working on only ONE task per 25 minutes without any distractions, we will preserve the limited energy of our brain (specifically our Pre Frontal Cortex).

Frequently asked questions

Can I get support in the Study Burst sessions? 

During the Study Burst sessions there will be limited support during the 5 minute breaks however this session is more geared towards students making serious progress towards any assessment tasks, exam preparation or revision with zero distractions. As a result of completing 6 x 25 minute focused efforts students will be able to find out specifically where they need support for their next session with support from the coaches.

When are the Burst Sessions run? 

This coming Sunday in Bondi Junction and Mosman the Burst Session will be a bonus weekend session so students can still attend their normal number of weekend support sessions (1 for Standard Package students and 2 for Premium Package Students).

Bondi Junction: 

1. Sunday 16th November 4:15pm to 7:30pm (first 15 minutes will allow for setting up, planning and going over logistics)
2. Sunday 23rd November 4:15pm to 7:30pm
3. Sunday 30th November 4:15pm to 7:30pm

Mosman: 

1. Sunday 16th November 1:15pm to 4:30pm (first 15 minutes will allow for setting up, planning and going over logistics)
2. Sunday 23rd November 1:15pm to 4:30pm
3. Sunday 30th November 1:15pm to 4:30pm

We will trial a few different times for these sessions next year to see which is the most popular however for the remainder of Term 4 they will be run in the above Sunday time slots.

Who are the Burst Study Sessions best suited for? 

• We would recommend that students on our Premium Package attend 1 x Weekend Support Session and 1 x Study Burst Session each week.
• The burst sessions are also perfect for the student who isn’t currently achieving their recommended 3 hours study/homework per night. The Burst Study Sessions will get students used to sitting down and working for 3 hours.
• For students who need to be doing more well intentioned and EFFECTIVE study as opposed to doing well intentioned and INEFFECTIVE study
• Students who have assessment tasks piling up and need to make some serious progress towards their completion rather than needing specific support on how to approach the task.
• Students who are used to multi tasking (texting, Facebook, watching TV etc) while studying.
• Students who still need to come to terms with the study demands of the HSC year.
• Students who work slowly on tasks and don’t set deadlines for task completion and as a result feel overwhelmed as the deadlines approach.
• Students who have poor study habits at home can develop their study skills and transfer these skills to their home study performance.

Look forward to completing a few Study Bursts with you all to get you to the front of the pack climbing Mount HSC.