If you find yourself lacking confidence at work, and you kick yourself for not speaking up more in meetings, you’re definitely not alone. 70% of people admit to regularly lacking confidence in themselves when it comes to their careers.

Lack of confidence can be costly. It makes us doubt our abilities, judgement and impacts our feelings of self-worth. It can even impact your earning potential. Low self-esteem affects many of us, and those who appear to have it all can be the worst affected. Always remember: Even the smartest, most successful people can be riddled with self-doubt.  

So, how can you stop the negative self-thoughts and become more confident at work? Keep reading to find out some tips and tricks.

Keep your head and chin up

Body language plays a crucial role in communication. These include your posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures. Whether you’re in a meeting or just working at your desk, keep your chin up and head high. Why? Because it subconsciously shows people that you’re confident in what you’re saying and doing. Being more confident will actually make you appear more competent.

Everyone makes mistakes so refrain from the negative self-talk

“I’m such an idiot.” “How did I mess that up? I’m so stupid.”

Sound familiar? If you find yourself repeating those horrible phrases about yourself: Stop. Criticism, especially when it comes from yourself, is absolutely destructive and you don’t deserve it. Maybe your parents were overly critical, or a trusted teacher made you feel stupid. You started doubting yourself and never stopped. It can be hard to learn to trust yourself again, but it can be done! Be gracious to yourself when you’ve made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes don’t make you stupid. They don’t make you unworthy. They just make you human.

Focus on your strengths

People with low confidence tend to focus on what they lack. People who are highly confident focus on their strengths. Turn your focus towards what you do well in the workplace. Take pride in it and be proud of yourself. After awhile you’ll see a shift in the way you used to think. You’ll develop belief in your abilities and your confidence will blossom.

Fake it until you make it

If you’re suffering from imposter syndrome, you’re not alone. 62% of global employees feel it, too. Impostor syndrome makes you feel like you aren’t good at your job, but these feelings are based on fear—not reality. Everyone feels insecurity and self-doubt, even the most senior and experienced managers. So, how do you combat it? By focusing on facts, not lies.

The next time you’re in a situation that makes you feel like an impostor, refer back to the facts. Example Fear: “I’m not smart enough for this job.”

Fact: You were hired for a reason.

Fear: I don’t know what I’m doing.

Fact: You will learn as you progress.

For now, just fake it until you make it. Keep learning, keep asking questions, remember you were hired for a reason and keep your head and chin up.

Dress well

What you wear can dramatically boost your confidence in the workplace. Simple is often best: invest in a few key pieces, a fitted jacket, a powerful pencil skirt, a pair of smart shoes. Play to your shape, identify your personal style, and not only will it influence how others see you – it will also positively influence how you see yourself.

Relax

Stop. Unclench your jaw. Take a deep breath. Lift your head and chin. Look out the window.

We spend 40 hours a week at work and it’s so important to relax and not take it all so seriously. Work is rarely a life and death situation. Yes, it’s important to be professional, but we work to live. We don’t live to work. If possible, personalise your workstation into something creative and fun. Decorate the walls with relaxing pictures, or motivational messages that calm you down and instill you with confidence. And whenever possible, stop, look out the window and think about the things that matter to you most.

Be kind to yourself

There’s a strong correlation between self-compassion and self-confidence. Treat yourself with kindness when you make a mistake or experience a setback.  Practice positive self-talk that is optimistic and it will help foster self-compassion. Don’t be your own worst enemy. There’s plenty of people willing to do that for you.

The post Confidence Training – Seven quick ways to appear confident at work appeared first on InformED.

Small changes can make a big impact on your productivity. So, don’t worry if you’re losing your New Year’s resolution drive. We often get overwhelmed by making huge goals and then get frustrated with ourselves when we fail to achieve them. The great news is making even tiny changes to your day can pay off big in the long run.

Here are some very simple productivity tips from successful people to help you stay motivated, accountable, and encouraged!

Set boundaries and practice saying, “No”

Billionaire, Warren Buffett, once said, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”

Research conducted at the University of California in San Francisco shows that the more difficulty you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. You might find boundaries hard to enforce because you’re worried you may come off as rude or selfish. But the truth is, boundaries are vital for a healthy work and personal life. Plus – learning how to say no will free up your time, and it can actually gain you respect.

It takes courage to say no, but you’ll much better off in the long run.

Do the worst task first

You know that thing you’ve been putting off? The one that you really, really don’t want to do? Do that one first. Research shows that “procrastinators” often perform poorly and do not achieve their desired goals, missing out on many opportunities. Plus – putting off an unpleasant task can cause needless suffering. Do the worse task first, get it out of your way and enjoy the peace that comes after.

Decluttering your workspace declutters your mind

Your physical work environment has a direct impact on your productivity. When you spend extra time searching for materials or supplies, your workflow–and train of thought–is interrupted. Make sure your workspace is free of clutter, and keep everything in its rightful place, including pens, files, and office supplies. Make this part of your weekly routine and you’ll never have to search for anything important again.

Set a daily to-do list

Long term goals are easier to achieve when we break them down into bite-sized chunks. For now, just focus on daily goals. Planning your days ahead will make you feel more in control, plus you’ll have the clarity of knowing exactly what needs to be done. Jim Koch, founder of the five-billion-dollar Boston Beer Company, said: “Each morning I keep myself on track by writing down three to five of my must-do items for the day on a Post-It note. “

Have some quiet time every morning (even five minutes will do) and make a reasonable to-do list for that day only. Clear your mind and then start thinking only about what you need to do immediately.

Never stop learning

Successful people have one thing in common: they never stop learning. Staying up-to-date with the latest market and technology trends is essential.

Hope Dworaczyk Smoith, founder of the multi-million dollar skincare line, Mutha, said, “If I have time between meetings and the kids are in school, you can find me reading nonfiction books about leadership, business, and self-improvement.”

Scott Lee, founder and CEO of Gooroo, said, “All learning essentially boils down to self-improvement. Whether you’re improving an academic skill, picking up a new hobby or trying to expand your business, your efforts lead to meaningful personal growth.”

Prioritise exercise and breaks

Angelys Balek, founder of her eponymous swimsuit business, and clients such as Naomi Campbell and Halle Berry, stresses the importance of movement each day. She insists on starting her day by walking or swimming. “It makes my mind and body feel refreshed and rejuvenated.”

It sounds counter-productive but taking breaks actually increases productivity and vastly improves focus. Getting up for a few minutes and getting our blood flowing and some more oxygen to the brain is a necessary piece of the workday.

Plus – these days you don’t even need to leave your desk to get some exercise. Consider buying a mini stepper or cycle machine. They easily fit under a desk, and they’re a relatively cheap way of getting exercise and those endorphins flowing.

Stay humble and grateful

Practicing gratitude improves your health, relationships, emotions, personality, and career. Ultimately, people don’t really want to be around someone who is constantly negative and looking at the glass half empty.

Gratitude is at the core of happiness, and successful individuals practice it daily. “Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.” — Oprah Winfrey

We can always come up with new things to want. But it’s important to first be grateful for what we already have. After all, treasures fade, and money comes and goes. Be grateful for the love you receive, and for all the little things in life that bring you joy.

Feeling inspired? That’s great! Change your life with today by having a chat with our friendly enrolment consultants. Remember: Everything could happen.

The post Simple Productivity Tips from Highly Successful People appeared first on InformED.

It takes a lot of courage to live the life you want to live. The road can be hard and long, mentally and physically exhausting, and you might be tempted to give up on your goal. Maybe you’re studying right now to better your life, and you’re finding it hard to push through to the end. Or perhaps you’ve been thinking about studying because you want a different career, more job opportunities, or you simply don’t want to spend yet another year doing the same thing. Good for you! Keep going.

As a society, we’re quick to celebrate success, but we overlook the hard path it took to make it. So, if you’re struggling today, keep reading for some awe-inspiring success stories from people that almost gave up on achieving their dreams.

Emily Blunt

Today we know Emily Blunt as a Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild winning actress. With several hit films under her belt, including the acclaimed A Quiet Place, Sicario, and the Girl on the Train, Emily Blunt is one of England’s most successful actresses with an estimated net worth of $110 million dollars.

But her glittering career almost didn’t happen. As a teenager, Emily developed a stutter so debilitating she could barely hold a conversation. So severe was her stutter, that she never even considered a career in acting. Her parents took her to speech coaches and relaxation coaches, but nothing worked.

“I was a smart kid, and had a lot to say, but I just couldn’t say it,” said Emily in a 2009 interview. “It would just haunt me.”

But that all changed when a kind teacher encouraged her to try out for the school play.

“One of my teachers at school had a brilliant idea and said, ‘Why don’t you speak in an accent in our school play?’ I distanced myself from me through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was onstage. It was really a miracle.”

Eminem

Eminem is an Academy award winning rap artist, second-best male selling artist in U.S history, has sold over 220 million records worldwide and won a staggering 18 Grammy’s.

But the first time he ever rapped in a club was almost his last. In this rare video from 1992, a then unknown, Marshall Mathers III, is brutally booed off stage. It’s strange to watch the future superstar hang his head and shuffle off camera as the booing drowns him out. The experience was so devastating that he considered quitting for good.

“It was very traumatic for me. I think I went home and I was like, man, I quit. And you know a week later, a day later, an hour later I got the urge, and I was like, I gotta get up, I gotta do it again.”

And he did! In his Academy award winning, Lose Yourself, he speaks about the experience that nearly broke him. “I’ve been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage/But I kept rhyming and stepped right into the next cipher.”

Six years after the booing incident, Eminem landed a major record deal, and is now worth an estimated $318 million dollars.

Eric Yuan

You might not have heard of Eric Yuan, but you’ve definitely heard of the conferencing platform he created: Zoom. At the start of 2021, Zoom had a market valuation of more than $16 billion and it employs more than 2, 500 people.

But were it not for Eric’s tenacity and determination, it might never have happened. Born in China, Eric was heavily inspired by Bill Gates, and wanted to join the tech boom of the 1990’s. But when he applied for a U.S visa he was denied over and over again.

“The first time I applied for a U.S. visa, I was rejected. I continued to apply again and again over the course of two years and finally received my visa on the ninth try.”

He quickly rose to the rank of vice president of engineering at Cisco, and shortly after he founded Zoom.

Sylvester Stallone

Action legend and screenwriter, Stallone, didn’t have it easy growing up. He met with a severe accident during birth, which permanently left parts of his lip, tongue and chin paralyzed, resulting in slurred speech. He was bullied as a child because of it, and he coped by bodybuilding and acting. But things soon got worse for the future action star. Before he got his big break, Stallone was so broke that he lived in a cockroach infested apartment, owned two pair of pants that barely fit, and couldn’t afford to feed himself or his beloved Bullmastiff, Butkus. In fact, things got so bad that Stallone was forced to sell his dog for a measly $40.

But the story has a very happy ending! Stallone didn’t give up on his dreams. In fact – he wrote the screenplay, Rocky, in that same cockroach infested apartment. He sold it not long after, and the first thing he did was buy back his dog.

To date, the Rocky movie franchise has earned over $1.4 billion at the box office, making it one of the most successful franchises of all time.

So, if you’re feeling brave and want to try something brand new in life, why not check out our online courses? Our even have a chat with our friendly enrolment consultants.

Everyone has doubts. Everyone has doors that will close on them. Keep striving, keep going, keep persisting and always remember – there’s no age limit on success. Keep reaching for your dreams, and one day someone might be writing an article about your success story.

The post Never give up on your dreams! Success stories to keep you motivated appeared first on InformED.

Not sure what to study?  

No problem! Take our popular career quiz. It’s designed to give you an understanding of your personality and the career areas that you would be best suited to. Plus, it takes less than five minutes! After you’ve completed the quiz, you might want to take a closer examination about that career at the Open Colleges Careers Advice site. Here you’ll find information about salary expectations, employment outlooks and typical hours. We also have a fantastic selection of career articles to choose from. For now, let’s take a closer look at some of the fantastic courses we offer.

Beauty courses you can study online

Beauty is a multi-billion-dollar industry and it’s only expected to grow in the future. A beauty therapist provides facial therapies, skin-care treatments, massages, waxing, and many other services to clients. The great thing about beauty therapy is that for many clients, the treatment you provide is the best part of their day. Although beauty is not considered an essential service, it can really do wonders for a client’s mental health. After all, we all know how good it feels walking out of a salon, feeling refreshed and relaxed and ready to take on the week. Check out our SHB40115 Certificate IV in Beauty Therapy today.

If you love beauty and enjoy being creative, why not study our SHB30315 Certificate III in Nail Technology course? You’ll gain the skills to setup and manage your own business and you’ll learn how to use social media to promote your business or nail designs. So, if you have an eye for design, this is the course for you! After all, there’s a reason it’s called nail “art”. Let your imagination run wild here. Who knows, you could be the one to come up with a new TikTok worthy nail trend!  

Dental Assistant

Not only is a career as a dental assistant rewarding and interesting, it’s also a great pay off! Our HLT35015 Certificate III in Dental Assisting is nationally recognised, and can get you into the industry. Right now, there are job openings for Dental Assistants with rates up to $40 an hour. Considering the amount of education required to become a Dental Assistant, this is a career that can really pay off.

So, how long is the course? The course duration is 12 months with a practical 300-hour work placement in a dental surgery of your choosing, so you can practice what you learn.

Propel yourself into this rewarding career today. You’ll learn how to efficiently support a dentist, dental hygienist or dental therapist during healthcare procedures, maintain high standards of infection control and assist with practice administration. Plus – A full-time dental assistant can earn up to $1,116 a week before tax and the career outlook is stable.

For more information check out our comprehensive article: How to Become a Dental Assistant. 

Disability Support

If job security is important to you, then a career in disability support might be for you. Disability Support Workers work directly with clients in their homes, in the community and at work.  Job growth for this high demand role is expected to increase by a whopping 24.7% in the next five years. The average salary for a disability support worker is between $55,000 and $65,000 per year in Australia. If you enjoy helping others and want to make yourself highly employable, then check out our online disability courses.

If you’re still not sure about what to study, we do offer a 7-day free course trial. This way you can experience the first module of your chosen course on our world-class learning platform and get a feel for online study at Open Colleges. 

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to our friendly enrolment consultants. 

Change your life today with Open Colleges – Everything could happen.  

The post New Year, New Career. Be a brand new you in 2022 appeared first on InformED.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a massive shift in the way we work, learn and connect with others.

While there are a number of well-known organisations within Australia that offer online formal qualifications, Open Colleges being one of them, not all schools were prepared to make the shift to a fully online learning environment.

At the start of the pandemic in Australia, there was a rapid transition from physical classrooms to virtual classrooms. Many campuses had to scramble quickly to convert their courses into a digital, remote-friendly format.

But as difficult as this rapid transition was for bricks-and-mortar schools, it was an even more jarring experience for students.

However, despite the online learning curve for students and schools, there are many benefits to online learning. And this shift away from traditional classrooms could be the new normal for many Australian students.

Is online learning the new normal?

Online study could be the new normal for the future of education in Australia. And one of the most compelling arguments is big data.

In the right hands, big data can be used to uncover trends and gain vital insights. For example, in education this data can be used to improve student outcomes, personalise curricula and reduce the student dropout rate.

Through the use of machine learning and algorithms, it’s possible to track how students are progressing.

If a certain student is lagging behind, then the algorithm can identify the areas where they’re failing and send an alert to the student’s Teacher or Trainer. This would signal to the Educator that this particular student needs help in a certain area, and the Educator can then work to help bridge that knowledge gap. This could help to prevent students from falling through the cracks.

On the other hand, the algorithm could also be used to identify students who are excelling quickly. This would mean that students who are performing above average would be given the support they need to reach their full potential, instead of having to wait for their classmates to catch up.

The education system needs to reflect our changing needs

Our lives are changing and its imperative that the education system can keep up.

The average Australian is likely to change jobs once every 3 years or so. It’s no longer common for people to commit to the same career path for their entire working life, and people now have the freedom to change careers when it suits them.

To facilitate this need, it’s important that the right kind of formal online courses are available. For many Australians who are working full time and wish to change careers, it’s just not practical to attend a physical campus full- or part-time. Instead, online education is the most obvious and convenient choice.

Engagement plays a big part in online learning student success

Despite the obvious benefits of online learning and what it can offer students, modern students will need to develop new learning strategies to navigate online education.

The higher education learning environment can be very different to what high school students have previously experienced in terms of workload, time management and time spent interacting with their peers and Teachers. The same can be said for an online learning environment.

How well a student adjusts to their new learning environment can have a direct effect on their academic success. This is part of the online learning curve, but it’s crucial to a student’s grades.

A student’s engagement is also critical to their success. A recent study found that students in New Zealand who had to quickly transition to an online learning environment ‘adopted a learning strategy that coordinated their online LMS engagement with course assessment due date. Students had a 388% (SD 58%) greater specific engagement with the LMS on the assessment due date and the day prior, than throughout the remainder of their course.’

However: ‘a clear relationship between the level of student LMS engagement and student course grade existed. For every additional week of zero LMS engagement, the odds of a student achieving. a grade lower than B were 1.67 times higher (95% CI 1.24, 2.26; p < 0.001), regardless of the course.’

This clearly tells us that engagement is critical to a student’s success.

Higher education learning strategies for the new normal

There are a lot of pros to online learning. But it also comes with its own unique challenges. With this in mind, how can online students prepare for the new normal and find effective online higher education learning strategies?

Teachers and Trainers need to be the primary force driving this change and promoting engagement.

Here are a few higher education learning strategies Teachers and Trainers can use to increase learner engagement online:

1. Planning is everything

Ensure that you’re always organised and have a plan laid out. Teaching a class without a plan is difficult enough face-to-face. But with an online class, you also need to think about new and different ways to keep your class engaged.

Synchronous and asynchronous learning both have their place. You could think about mixing things up to ensure that students are engaged with their online lessons.

Also remember to break up your lessons into digestible pieces so your students attention spans to waver.

2. Lead by example

Present yourself well, look into the camera when you present and don’t multi-task while you’re presenting. If you want your students to be engaged, then you need to be engaged, too.

If your students have suddenly had to go from face-to-face lessons to online learning, you don’t want them to think of online as potentially lesser than a physical class. At home, there are more distractions for people. Just because everyone is learning from home online doesn’t mean they can divide their focus between their class, thinking about what to cook for dinner and shopping online.

This means you as the Teacher need to lead by example and set expectations.

3. Think outside the box

There are other ways to teach online that go way beyond delivering a livestream lecture or converting documents into a PDF. Technology today allows us to connect in so many different ways. And Teachers can use this to their advantage in the virtual classroom.

You could start by encouraging students to take part in online polls or real-time online knowledge tests. You could include audio files or videos as part of your lesson. You could

OC’s learning management system, OpenSpace, has been designed with student engagement at its core. Through OpenSpace, students learn through a variety of mediums, and some courses even have interactive tools.

4. Encourage social interaction

Switching to an online learning environment can be tough for some students. But if Teachers can encourage social interaction, the same as students can expect when in physical proximity to their classmates, then this could help to keep them engaged.

Instead of logging on and launching straight into the day’s lesson, encourage students to spend time socialising before you jump into the learning materials.

You can also check in with students on an individual level, just like you would in a classroom environment.

Study tips for online students

When it comes to online learning, there are generally two types – synchronous (when you study alongside other students at the same time) and asynchronous (when you work at your own pace).

Both have their pros and cons. The main benefit of synchronous learning is that you’ll have the support of others in the exact same situation as you.

Asynchronous learning, on the other hand, means you can study at your own pace. You’re not locked into a strict study routine, so you can dedicate as many hours as you want to study each week. This means you can space your study sessions out, or you can power through and complete your online course in record time.

To learn more about online study tips, you can read out blog, ‘8 study tips for online students.’

Is online learning the future of higher education?

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us, if nothing else, that things are not as impossible as they seem. Teachers found ways to convert their lessons into an online format. Students grew used to learning online. While the ride has been far from smooth, and the rapid transition for many physical classrooms into an online environment has been difficult, the Australian education system was able to adapt and pivot in record time.

Does this mean that online study is the new normal? While it’s unlikely we’ll see our bricks and mortar classrooms disappearing for good any time soon, there has been a definite shift in attitudes and perceptions when it comes to online learning and how it can benefit students.

The post Learning strategies for the new normal appeared first on InformED.

Incredible leaps forward in data science and machine learning have had flow-on effects in the world of education technology.

However, the need for many Australians (and other people all over the world) to adopt remote learning has been pushed to the forefront because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discover some of the latest trends in EdTech in Australia.

Top 5 innovative new approaches to teaching in Australia

1. eLearning

The global COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of businesses as well as schools. This meant that teachers had to convert their educational content overnight into a digital format that could be accessed remotely.

While this was done out of necessity, it did present a number of new opportunities for remote, interactive learning.

eLearning presents unique opportunities for students to interact with study materials, and allow students access to a variety of different mediums – such as video assisted learning, podcasts, live chats and more.

2. Big data

With online learning becoming prevalent, it’s now easier than ever to utilise the power of big data to improve learners’ experiences.

Big data can be used to improve factors like student dropout rates, student recruitment and personalisation of curricula.

By collecting information on aspects such as engagement, grades and other criteria, Data Analysts and Data Scientists are able to analyse the data to discover patterns and trends and predict future outcomes. This will help to make better informed decisions in the future, while also pinpointing areas for improvement with existing students.

3. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)

Remote learning also opens up opportunities for students to learn through virtual reality (where you are fully immersed into a virtual world usually with the help of a headset) or through augmented reality (where you can see images overlaid onto the ‘real world’ via your tablet or phone).

Technology has proven to enhance STEM learning and student success. VR can assist in STEM programs across Australian schools in a variety of ways.

For example, a STEM student could access a lab through a virtual reality headset and complete tasks in the virtual world, thus limiting costs and risks while still allowing the student to test their curiosity.

Augmented reality can also help in a number of ways, giving students a more thorough understanding of a particular topic by seeming to ‘bring it to life’ through the power of AR.

4. Machine learning

Machine learning and AI go hand in hand with big data.

With the help of data, algorithms are able to adapt to a student’s needs, providing the exact help they need for a particular task.

For example, if the algorithm can detect that a student is falling behind in a certain subject, it can provide extra materials that will help fill in the gaps for that student. Or, alternatively, it can notify the student’s Teacher so that they can take a more hands-on approach to helping that student reach their learning goals.

5. Gamification

Gamification isn’t a new concept, but there have been big improvements thanks to the incredible range of technology available at our fingertips.

Gamification is about teaching students through fun, interactive games. The idea here is that learners retain information better when they’re doing something they enjoy – such as playing a fun game, like a maths-based puzzle.

Gamification encourages learning and retention of information through friendly competition, progress indicators (like badges or points), scaffolded learning (the more the student progresses, the harder the challenges and bigger the rewards) and other elements.

And with further advancements in VR and AR, gamification can reach new heights.

Teaching kids how to be tech-savvy as well as media-savvy

Typing a query into Google is, for many, an easier and faster way of getting information rather than picking up a book. This is the way the world has transformed in recent years, and it’s allowed the current generation of learners to access information in the blink of an eye.

But with so much information now readily available through the internet, and with technology so ingrained in the education system, it’s important that we also focus teaching people, especially young children, how to be media-savvy.

With so much ‘fake news’ out there published by non-accredited, non-academic sources, it’s easy to confuse misinformation with real, hard facts and data. According to Roy Morgan, the leading source of news online for younger generations is social media, mentioned by 59% of Generation Z and 50% of Millennials.

While we’re still learning about Generation Alpha (those born after 2010, mostly children of Millennials), this is a generation of children who have grown up surrounded by technology. It makes sense that the current trends we see for Gen Z and Millennials will continue for Gen Alpha. And with this in mind, it’s more important than ever that we educate our children on the dangers of fake news and how to tell if something is fake or not.

Where to next for the future of education technology?

With increased internet capabilities and improved learning management systems, we’ll see new trends in education shaped by these factors. This will allow Teachers and Educators to bring advanced technology into schools, creating a more accessible environment for students.

While capitalising on the amazing new trends in technology is a huge benefit for education, it’s not the only way to teach. Good Teachers will always be in high demand, and the best Teachers will have a solid understanding of how to best reach their students and utilise new technology in their curriculum.

The post What is new in education technology in Australia? appeared first on InformED.

Studying a course is one way to learn something new, improve your skills, enhance your knowledge and increase your employability.

So if the benefits of completing your studies are so positive, why do we find it hard to stay focused?

Read on to discover the reasons why you might be finding it hard to focus on study and how you can improve your levels of concentration.

Why can’t I stay focused while studying?

If you’ve been easily distracted lately and are finding it hard to concentrate and focus, there could be a number of reasons for this. Do you feel like any of these reasons could be behind your lack of concentration?

1. You’re not getting enough sleep

If you’re not getting a good night’s sleep, then this could be affecting your ability to stay focused during the day.

If you’re living with a disorder that affects your sleep patterns (such as insomnia, anxiety or sleep apnoea), consider talking with your doctor about ways that can help alleviate these symptoms. However, if you find you’re staying up late every night just so you can binge another Netflix show, then consider other ways to help you get to bed on time – such as setting a reasonable, regular bedtime, not looking at your phone before bed, finding ways to wind down at night and avoiding caffeine in the afternoon.

2. You’re under a lot of stress

Stress and anxiety can lead to a lack of concentration.

A recent study looking into the relationship between cognitive function and stress found that the higher a person’s anxiety was, the lower their working memory performance. On top of this, stress can also cause insomnia. So if you’re feeling stressed then this could lead to you also not getting enough sleep, which will further compound your inability to focus.

Everyone copes with stress differently. This may mean you need to try and limit exposure to stress triggers, include more healthy foods in your diet, limit your alcohol intake, exercise regularly, get out in nature or try a new hobby. However, if you feel like these methods aren’t working then you may need to speak to a professional Counsellor or Psychologist to help you come up with strategies for dealing with stress.

3. You don’t follow a healthy diet

Researchers have found that junk food can hinder the brain’s learning capabilities. A recent study found that people who enjoyed a healthy diet did much better on memory tests than people who consumed a lot of junk food.

But what if you need a quick afternoon pick-me-up to get you through your study session? You might be tempted to reach for a chocolate bar to give you a bit of a sugar high. But the truth is, while sugary food can give you a sugar rush, the comedown after effects far outweigh the little energy boost you receive. Basically, high sugar consumption limits the production of orexin, which is a chemical in your brain that makes you feel awake. Ergo, the more sugar you eat, the less orexin, and the sleepier you’ll feel.

Kicking a junk food habit isn’t easy. Eating tasty (but unhealthy) foods such as potato chips, lollies, biscuits and chocolate triggers and releases dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter that’s released when your brain receives a reward – like tasty food.

However, junk food isn’t healthy or nourishing. So even though it triggers the ‘reward’ chemical in your brain, it’s not helping your brain or your body get the nutrients they need to repair, grow and function normally. This can lead to a whole host of problems, and consumption of junk food has even been linked to depression.

4. You’re not getting enough exercise

Regular exercise has a variety of really positive benefits. For one, when we exercise the brain releases endorphins which can help to boost your mood. Getting a natural mood boost from a workout is a great way to combat feelings of anxiety and depression.

Research has shown that exercise can improve concentration. This research found that: “the effects of acute exercise on cognitive performance are generally small; however, larger effects are possible for particular cognitive outcomes and when specific exercise parameters are used.”

What we can take away from this research is that regular, short sessions can help improve your concentration – such as getting up from your desk and going for a walk around the block to break up your study session.

Regular exercise can also help to improve your quality of sleep which, as we mentioned before, is pivotal in helping your focus.

How to improve your focus, stay motivated and improve productivity

First of all, think about the barriers you’re facing which are preventing you from focusing. How can you overcome them so you can get back to the important task of completing your studies?

You may feel like you’re not getting enough sleep due to feelings of stress and anxiety. The first step here is to find ways to combat these negative feelings and then to work on getting a good night’s sleep. This might seem daunting at first, but when you break these obstacles down and start tackling these issues one by one, you’ll find that they’re not impossible to achieve. What are the causes of your stress? Can you remove these causes? If not, how can you find a suitable workaround so that you’re not as heavily impacted?

Here are nine helpful tips on staying focused and increasing productivity:

1. Make a study schedule

How much time can you reasonably commit to study each day, week, month? Building a realistic study plan will help you stay on track and stay committed. You can print out a study template, use a diary, download a scheduling app or draw up your schedule on a whiteboard. A study schedule can help you remain accountable and remind you of what you’re working towards.

2. List out your study goals

Sometimes, making a list of your study goals and what you hope to accomplish by the end of your course could help you stay focused.

You may also find it useful to set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-sensitive) goals. Setting SMART goals can give you a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you can measure your success. By writing down your goals and keeping them in mind while you study, you may find yourself able to stay motivated and focus better.

3. Create a study space

Find a space with limited distractions and make it your very own study space. This could be at your local library or it could be a quiet corner of your house.

If you live with others, let them know that when you’re in your study space that you’re not to be disturbed.

Having a dedicated study space also means that your brain will associate that area with study, so you’ll be able to focus better when you’re there.

4. Stick to a routine

Creating a routine can go a long way towards helping you stay focused. Just like setting a regular bed time can help your body wind down for sleep, setting aside set time each week or day to study can help you brain move into ‘study mode’.

Having a pre-study ‘ritual’ that you follow can also help you get into the zone. This could be as simple as making yourself a cup of tea and tidying your study space before you sit down to get to work. Or maybe you could create a playlist of songs that you listen to each study session that get you in the right headspace, or light a nice-smelling candle that helps you to de-stress.

5. Block out distractions

Roadworks? Noisy neighbours? Busy traffic? Buzzing phone? We understand – sometimes it can be hard to block out distractions. But if you want to really knuckle down and study, you need to find ways to limit distractions.

Sometimes, overcoming distractions can be as simple as putting on headphones and listening to some soothing music or putting your phone in another room. Other times it may mean that you need to physically move somewhere quiet – such as a local café, park or library – to get away from distracting, annoying noises.

6. Take breaks as needed

Sometimes your course content can seem overwhelming. This is why it’s important not to push yourself too hard and to take breaks as needed.

Creating a study schedule can help with this, too, as it means you’re able to effectively divide up your time to avoid getting stressed and trying to cram a week’s worth of study into a single day.

The Pomodoro technique is one method you can use that may prove helpful. This technique involves 25 minutes of focused work, then five minutes of rest to let the brain relax. Repeat this in blocks throughout your allotted study session time and see if it helps you focus.

7. Make the most of technology

There are plenty of apps and websites out there that have been created to help you get organised and stay on track. Trello is one such tool that has been based on the Kanban system and is most often used for project work. However, you may find that its design is helpful in organising your study tasks.

8. Discover your study style

There’s more than one way to study. By discovering your learning style, this could make your study sessions much more productive and help you to remember information better.

9. Reward yourself

When you reach a milestone don’t forget to reward yourself! This could be something like taking yourself out for a nice breakfast, buying that new pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing, or simply taking a night off from studying to watch a movie.

Set your study goals and start making things happen

We can’t all be perfect, and sometimes your focus will waver. When this happens, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. Just take stock of everything, take note of any obstacles that are preventing you from staying focused, decide on the best way to combat them and get back to it.

One of the best ways to stay motivated and keep focused is to remember the reason why you decided to start studying in the first place. By keeping your end goal in mind and reminding yourself of what you want to accomplish, you’ll be motivated to stay on track and complete your course.

Feeling inspired?

Open Colleges offers a variety of flexible online courses. So whether you want to follow a passion, take the next step in your career or start a completely new one, we have a course that can give you the skills and confidence to succeed.

Not quite ready to take the plunge and enrol? No problem. Why not dip your toe in the water with a 7-day Free Course Trial?  You can experience our world-class learning platform and get a feel for online study. With no obligations and no payment details required, it’s the perfect way to test the waters and maybe start a brand new, exciting career!

The post How to stay focused while studying appeared first on InformED.

1. Be as interested as you are interesting.

It’s not about being the most articulate person in the room. It’s about creating a space where reciprocity can safely grow. That means not pausing your speech because you know you should, but because you are genuinely interested in what the other person has to say, asking follow up questions, and echoing back what you hear the other person saying.

2. Be sensitive to people’s needs.

Being socially perceptive means not only noticing when someone seems tired, bored, anxious, pleased, etc., but shifting the direction or nature of the exchange to accommodate that observation. If you’re not sure, or to demonstrate you’re paying attention, you might directly ask how the person is feeling.

3. Make it easy for others to build on your point.

You might ask if you were clear, request feedback, solicit opinions, or offer to go deeper into any part of your point. People likely have questions–we’re often not as clear as we think we are–so creating a small opening will help people add to the discussion.

4. Make conflicts and complaints about your needs.

If you have a problem with someone, frame it in terms of your needs, not their shortcomings. This will help soften the blow and motivate them to change their behavior. When you talk about someone’s behavior, try to refer to specific actions, not the person’s whole character.

5. Ask people to say their point differently.

Many of us are too proud to say we don’t understand, or simply don’t know how to ask for clarification. If you’re confused, try asking the person if they can say what they said a different way. Doing so benefits both parties, as you’ll probably get clarity on your own thoughts by rephrasing as well.

6. Meet people where they’re at.

If the person you’re talking to knows nothing about the subject at hand, try to scaffold your communication so that you meet them at their level of understanding. This doesn’t mean dumbing down what you’re saying; it means digging into what they might know about peripheral subjects or even abandoning the subject and finding common ground.

7. Seek to understand.

People are complicated. It’s easy to make assumptions. And we’re frequently wrong when we try to guess what others are thinking. When you need to know more, or there’s a conflict at hand, cultivate curiosity and try to understand where the other person is coming from.

8. Express your needs and, if needed, repeat.

Sometimes we express our needs to people who immediately challenge them, whether it’s making an excuse for not being able to meet them or dismissing what we’ve just expressed by making it about their needs instead. In these cases, simply calmly repeat your need. If it’s not heard, ask if the other person would like to reconvene when they are able to meet your needs.

9. Set boundaries verbally.

It’s easier to disappear on someone, and of course everyone has a right to respond however they like, but relationship repair can only happen when boundaries are clear to you and the other person. They probably will not guess why you disappeared, and it may not be so terrible to set boundaries verbally–most of the time we don’t give people a chance to prove their receptiveness and flexibility. Plus, after you assert a boundary once, it becomes much easier the next time.

10. Ask what you want the exchange to be about.

Before you begin the exchange, or even during the course of it, ask yourself what you want to get out of it. Not what you want to get out of the other person, but rather what kind of energy or outcome you want to create in the space between the two of you. Doing so will help guide the exchange in the right direction and prevent you from getting sidetracked or preoccupied with judgments and false perceptions.

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Education providers have always faced unique challenges in reaching indigenous communities across Australia. A 2014 survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across 32 universities found the following:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students living in remote communities across Australia believed not enough was being done to engage, support and retain them in their university studies.
• In addition to being geographically removed from most Australian university opportunities, many Indigenous students experienced the impacts of lower socio-economic status on educational attainment.
• Very low numbers of rural and remote students transitioned to university education, and although higher proportions of rural and remote students accessed VET, there were persistently low subsequent transitions from VET to university.
• Block, on-campus teaching (by all universities across Australia) was only financially viable in a small range of disciplines, such as nursing, teaching and community development.
• Limited equipment and internet coverage hindered the accessing of external studies programs.
• Outreach to Indigenous people in remote regional areas, being costly, was progressively being cut back, not expanded, with the result that students had less chance of experiencing university prior to attending it, for example, through orientation programs.

While some of these challenges have been resolved, new issues have cropped up, along with new recommendations. The 2020 report from the National Tertiary Education Union uncovered the following themes:

Cultural security

The researchers found that students required cultural as well as educational support. For example, many Aboriginal students attending school on-site did not feel comfortable occupying the dormitories until the building had been smoked. As one student explained:

“Aboriginal people are very superstitious, especially with the houses on campus… Aboriginal students, they get really nervous sleeping in them houses. I know a lot of people don’t believe in these things, but I believe in it and it happened to me and to my knowledge other students too. I had to drag my mattress [out of my room] and sleep in the lounge area with others, because when you sleep all together with family… then you feel safe and comfortable. And for me I think that staff really need to get the right people to smoke the place out. Someone who knows and who is very much right into that belief system.”

Although this isn’t a concern in online learning spaces, the fact remains that Aboriginals need cultural support in ways that can only be anticipated by communicating with them directly to discern their needs. To this end, the researchers recommend keeping the following themes in mind:

• Trauma-informed practice, anti-racist teaching.
• Aboriginal teaching/learning strategies and culturally responsive frameworks.
• Remote teaching induction.
• Aboriginal English and culturally secure communication.
• Culturally respectful practices.

Partnerships with communities

The report also describes the importance of building relationships between Aboriginal communities, learning institutions, and workplaces. Online educational organisations can take direction from the report in this sense:

“All communities are different in terms of their educational and collective lived experiences; thus all remote education contexts are unique and have differing priorities. In effect what this means is that every remote community needs pathways to higher education that have been negotiated with and are understood by community-based Aboriginal organisations and schools. The complex nature of pathways from remote community to the place of higher education, and the benefits of higher education, need to be clearly defined and accessible for students and communities alike.”

The same goes for pathways to online education.

Assessment of learning

Since indigenous communities may have different learning preferences, this needs to be taken into account when designing assessments. Cultural background and prior knowledge should be reflected in curriculum design in general. The researchers write:

“It was clear from the feedback received from the educators that universities and education providers in remote locations need to be way more flexible and creative in the ways in which learning is assessed, so that students are not impacted by language restrictions, for instance, when demonstration of other-than-language learning outcomes are required. Similarly, cultural strengths need to be enabled by the assessment, so that students can demonstrate their learning in a holistic way, for example orally, rather than subjected to the limitations of Western knowledge frameworks where so much is based on written assessment.”

Online learning providers might do well to consider these points when designing assessments.

Reaching indigenous communities through online learning isn’t simply a matter of supplying a good internet connection. It’s also about understanding the needs of students by directly engaging them in the learning design process and adjusting the online learning experience to meet their preferences. Reports like this one will continue to be a critical part of serving this population as online education evolves.

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The 2021 paper, co-authored by David Figlio, Orrington Lunt Professor and Dean of the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, and Morton Schapiro, professor of economics and president, explores four questions:

• Are charismatic teachers better teachers?
• Is there a trade-off between faculty research and teaching excellence?
• Does the rise of non-tenure-eligible faculty relative to tenure-eligible faculty impact student learning?
• In what ways do instructor gender, race, and ethnicity matter?

In trying to measure teacher effectiveness, Figlio and Schapiro quickly found that commonplace evaluation forms are biased by gender, race, and nationality: “White American men are often given higher ratings than others, and without objective measures of student learning, it is impossible to evaluate whether those ratings are actually ‘earned,'” they write. Through their own work surveying students at Northwestern University, they identified two facets of teacher effectiveness that made all the difference: 1) Compelling and charismatic teachers presumably inspire students into further disciplinary study, whether or not those students were predisposed to doing so; and 2) Successful undergraduate instructors not only inspire their students to take additional courses in their discipline, but they also prepare those students to get good grades in those additional classes.

“In our analysis of 170 tenured faculty at Northwestern, we have found that teachers who inspire many new majors appear to be no better or worse at teaching the material than their less captivating counterparts,” Figlio and Schapiro write. “Instructors who are exceptional at conveying course material–as proxied by our second method based on subsequent grades in the subject–are no more likely than others to encourage students to take more courses in the subject area.”

The researchers also found that the best teachers are no more or less likely to be productive scholars, and that non-tenure-eligible faculty engage students more effectively than tenure-eligible faculty. Finally, they found that demographic matches in university and K-12 settings were strong predictors of student success:

“For example, if a Black male student has at least one Black teacher in the third, fourth or fifth grade, that student is significantly less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to aspire to attend a four-year college. Those effects are particularly pronounced if the student comes from an economically disadvantaged background.” The same effect was found for women having female instructors in STEM, and for ethnic minorities in general.

Hiring more racially, ethnically, and gender-diverse faculty plainly improves student retention and learning outcomes, though Figlio and Schapiro acknowledge schools have a long way to go before this goal is realised, for example as women and minorities are still underrepresented in tenured and senior faculty positions. More empirical analyses like theirs will help reveal more objective measures of teacher effectiveness in the near future, so that schools can target the right goals in improving student engagement.

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