http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/rss/feedsWelcome to VCE Help - The place where you can find helpful advice from those who know and understand what the VCE is all about.Sun, 01 Mar 2020 02:23:54 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/vce-vcd-exam-2009-reviewhttp://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/vce-vcd-exam-2009-reviewCongrats on finishing the vce vcd exam 2009. What did you think of the paper? What was hard? What was easy? How do you think you went? Let me know your thoughts and comments below (please keep them clean!)…cheersMon, 11 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/the-secret-to-getting-things-done-5http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/the-secret-to-getting-things-done-5There is one universal element that all people have to master in their life - and that is time. Time is the great equaliser. We each have 168 hours per week with which to use our time and some people are able to achieve an extraordinary amount in that time, others not so much. Given that we all have this finite resource doesn't it make sense to try and figure out the best way to utilise your time? I have written many articles surrounding time mastery including the 8 principles of time principles and balancing priorities in the VCE and I'm passionate about finding strategies that help me to balance work, family, friends, business and health/fitness. It's never easy but it is so important for you to figure this out and constantly strive to find the right balance to incorporate the most important things into your life. This is a major skill that all people need to acquire, and the sooner you as VCE students can develop these skills, the better your VCE results will be - period. Sometimes the simplest strategies are the best - and here is one that I have utilising for awhile now. Review your priorities/goalsOrganise tasks according to goals and their importance/urgencyAllocate time to complete tasksUsing a timer - take action on the single task at hand (and focus on that task until you complete it!)Repeat for your entire list.This is the perfect solution for you if you regularly find yourself looking back at at your life wondering what in the world happened to all your time, and why you have very few results to show for it. Don't be quick to fob off the simplicity of the solution because there are a number of key elements which make this system work so well. These are: An end result - a goal for the end of the day (or the end of the study session)A specific timeline and deadline to achieve that taskBelievability about what is possible to achieve within the given timeframeHere's how to make the system even better! The system outlined above is very powerful and it works. I am quite a visual person and I like to be able to see not only the big picture (the overall plan) but also how the smaller pieces work together to get me to that point. The solution that I use on a daily basis to help empower my time management is the Action Machine. It is designed to motivate you to take more action, the interface helps you get absolutely clear about your day, allowing you to easily visualize your time and accomplishments at-a-glance. Check out the video of how I use the Action Machine below: Wed, 28 Dec 2016 03:01:00 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/thorndikes-instrumental-learning-experiment-with-cats-1http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/thorndikes-instrumental-learning-experiment-with-cats-1This is a guest post from former VCE student Cait Sexton for VCE Psychology. If you want to write a guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here. TITLE OF RESEARCH: Thorndike’s Instrumental Learning Experiment with cats (early 1900’s) AIM: To investigate trial and error learning in cats HYPOTHESIS: It can be hypothesised that hungry cats when placed in a puzzle box with a food reward outside will use trial and error learning when trying to escape the box so that the time taken for the hungry cat to escape the box will progressively shorten until it becomes a deliberate movement. IV: Food reward and puzzle box DV: Time taken to escape the puzzle box, hence how long it took the cat to learn how to escape PARTICIPANTS: Hungry cats MATERIALS: Food reward (fish) to motivate the cat to escape, a puzzle box which contained a latch to keep the door closed and could only be opened by operating a lever inside the box. PROCEDURE: Cats were placed inside the puzzle box and the time it took them to escape the box to receive their food reward was recorded until it was evident that their movement had become deliberate. RESULTS: Cats became faster after 7 trials, it was no longer random, and became a deliberate movement so learning had taken place. LIMITATIONS AND EV/CV: -Sample size -Breed of cat -How hungry the cats are -Type of food used for motivation -Time in between trials -Motivation CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that the cats were instrumental in learning to escape from the puzzle box in order to get a food reward. GENERALISATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Behaviour which is followed by satisfying consequences is strengthened and is more likely to occur than behaviour which is followed by negative consequences, which is usually weakened. When solving a maths problem many trials may occur until the satisfying outcome is obtained.Wed, 28 Dec 2016 02:47:00 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/vce-french-detailed-study-notes-2http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/vce-french-detailed-study-notes-2Thanks to former VCE student. Dussy K, for sharing her VCE French, VCE English and VCE Literature notes with our community. If you want to share your resources with the VCE help community check out the guidelines here. French Detailed Study. Cette année, pour notre étude approfondie, nous avons étudié la deuxième guerre mondiale pendant l’occupation Allemande en France. Cela a été très enrichissent car les documents nous ont donne un aperçu de cette époque qui a été terrible pour les Français et surtout les Juifs. D’abord, nous avons regardé un film touchant intitule <>, réalisé par Louis Malle. C’est une amitié sincère entre deux petits garçons ; une catholique et un juif. Puis nous avons lu les extraits du journal de Micheline Bood qui nous informe sure les dures réalités de la population civile pendant la guerre, et enfin nous avons analysé un rapport écrit par Madame Rouffange, la seule survivante d’un petit village situé au sud de la France qui s’appelle Oradour. Je me suis donc penché sur les réalités quotidiennes de la population civiles. Je me suis beaucoup intéressé par le journal car je pouvais m’identifié a Micheline qui était une adolescente pendant l’Occupation. Après avoir lu sa journal, J’ai compris qu’il y avait une grande souffrance pour les gens civiles, par exemple ; Micheline nous d’écrit comment sa famille étaient forcée sortir leur maison et habite a la campagne pour la sécurité. Aussi, nous pouvons voir que les familles sont séparées, comme Micheline, qui a été très triste quand son père n’était pas avec eux a cause de la guerre. Je surtout appréciée la courageusement de Micheline pendant cette période qui a été vraiment effrayante et difficile, en particulier a le fin du journal quand elle devenir une jeune femme qui voudrais joindre la Resistance. Il me fait voir qu’a cause de les dures réalités de la population civile, les jeunes sont forcées devenir les adultes très vite. De plus, dans le film <>, nous pouvons comprendre la peur qui a existé pour la population pendant l’Occupation. Je sens que le film donne un tableau réaliste de l’attitude des Français pendant la guerre. En particulier, il me fait voir qu’il y avait une grande résistance contre les collabos, par exemple, il y a une scène dans le film quand les collaborateurs sont grossier contre un homme Juif, et c’est évident que beaucoup des civiles sont furieux car ils ne sont pas d’accord avec le traitement terrible contre les Juifs. Même si l’histoire est une version romancée, Louis Malle nous donne une image de la souffrance des civiles, par exemple, le film nous exprime que Jean Bonnet a été forcé partir son famille, prétendre d’être catholique et oublier son identité vrai pour survivre. Par ailleurs, le film nous expose que tous les enfants sont bougé a la campagne pour la sécurité et nous donne une image de les difficultés pour les civiles. Finalement, le rapport du Madame Rouffange nous d’écrits les pertes humaine innocent a cause de la violence et la brutalité des soldats Allemands. Sans aucune passion, Madame Rouffange explique comment les soldats ne respectent pas le code d’éthique pendant la guerre et leur attitude bestiale contre les gens innocents. Selon moi, ce document est vraiment choquant, car les soldats veulent se venger, même si la guerre était finie, et de plus, ils ont massacres les gens innocents. Avant ayant étudié sur la seconde guerre mondiale, Je ne su pas sur la souffrance de la population civiles en France, mais maintenant, J’ai un aperçu pour leur courageusement et je comprendre le traumatisme qui a été choquant pendant la guerre.Wed, 28 Dec 2016 01:05:00 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/vce-top-arts-2011-1http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/vce-top-arts-2011-1The annual design exhibition of works from former VCE and VET students is now on at the Melbourne Museum and will run until 26th June 2011. According to the Melbourne Museum website: The exhibition not only features the final product, but also its development – see the students' folios, work briefs, production plans, client feedback and evaluation, storyboards, scripts and design plans.Top Designs 2011 includes furniture, fashion, graphic and product design, film, print layout, photography, animation, food product planning, websites and mechanical and electronic projects So if you are studying VCE or VET media or arts check out this wonderful exhibition of exemplary student work. Fri, 23 Dec 2016 05:15:00 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/vce-business-management-websiteshttp://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/vce-business-management-websitesThe following are a list of vce business management websites that could be used for research purposes. This page takes you to the VCAA business management website. It will have the assessment guide, links to past exams, exam criteria, assessor reports, articles and other useful items. This should be your first point of reference for all information relating to this subject. Human Resource Management site at swinburne uni This Swinburne Uni link is comprehensive yet may border on being too detailed and irrelevant to VCE students. Make sure you check out the study design to make sure you are on track. Business.gov.au This government site has highly relevant information for starting up a business including taxation, occupational health and safety, franchising, exporting, superannuation and more. Very useful. Business Management at NineMSN Another useful business management site for students. Not as detailed as the business.gov.au site but still worth a visit. Link through to the Australian Competition And Consumer Website. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Globalisation Guide Website Austrade website Australian Council of Trade Unions Australian Financial Review Australian Industrial Relations Commission Business Council of Australia website Business Review Weekly ComNet, Victorian Commercial Teachers Association Need to get a username and password to access information. They also run seminars for vce students and teachers. Some older VCTA resources can be found here Institute for Learning and Research Technology, University of Bristol, Biz/ed Consortium Macmillan website downloads and resources Know any others that should be here? Add them by commenting below.Fri, 23 Dec 2016 02:42:00 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/depression-in-young-people--what-are-the-signs-and-what-you-can-do-1http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/depression-in-young-people--what-are-the-signs-and-what-you-can-do-1I was sent a link yesterday to a brand new website resource for helping young adults with depression and anxiety called Youth Beyond Blue . It has been developed by the good people at Beyond Blue to help adults and young adults deal identify the signs of depression and anxiety and help them get the help they really need. According to the website: Depression doesn’t just cause young people to feel sad or down, and anxiety doesn’t just make people worry. Teenagers can express depression and anxiety in many different ways. They may:have trouble falling or staying asleep, or complain of restless, unsatisfying sleepbe tired, grumpy, irritable, tearful or upset most of the timefeel restless, keyed-up or on edgelose interest in things they used to enjoy, and have trouble starting and completing assignments or workbe forgetful, lose concentration and be easily distractedbecome withdrawn and lose friendseither refuse to eat or eat a lot, and either lose or gain weight quicklyhave tense or sore musclescomplain of feeling physically awful, with unexplained aches and pains, and not want to go to school.So if you know of anyone who is exhibiting some of these signs and symptoms head to Youth Beyond Blue to get the help you need. Thu, 22 Dec 2016 06:30:00 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/the-secret-to-getting-things-done-3http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/the-secret-to-getting-things-done-3There is one universal element that all people have to master in their life - and that is time. Time is the great equaliser. We each have 168 hours per week with which to use our time and some people are able to achieve an extraordinary amount in that time, others not so much. Given that we all have this finite resource doesn't it make sense to try and figure out the best way to utilise your time? I have written many articles surrounding time mastery including the 8 principles of time principles and balancing priorities in the VCE and I'm passionate about finding strategies that help me to balance work, family, friends, business and health/fitness. It's never easy but it is so important for you to figure this out and constantly strive to find the right balance to incorporate the most important things into your life. This is a major skill that all people need to acquire, and the sooner you as VCE students can develop these skills, the better your VCE results will be - period. Sometimes the simplest strategies are the best - and here is one that I have utilising for awhile now. Review your priorities/goalsOrganise tasks according to goals and their importance/urgencyAllocate time to complete tasksUsing a timer - take action on the single task at hand (and focus on that task until you complete it!)Repeat for your entire list.This is the perfect solution for you if you regularly find yourself looking back at at your life wondering what in the world happened to all your time, and why you have very few results to show for it. Don't be quick to fob off the simplicity of the solution because there are a number of key elements which make this system work so well. These are: An end result - a goal for the end of the day (or the end of the study session)A specific timeline and deadline to achieve that taskBelievability about what is possible to achieve within the given timeframeHere's how to make the system even better! The system outlined above is very powerful and it works. I am quite a visual person and I like to be able to see not only the big picture (the overall plan) but also how the smaller pieces work together to get me to that point. The solution that I use on a daily basis to help empower my time management is the Action Machine. It is designed to motivate you to take more action, the interface helps you get absolutely clear about your day, allowing you to easily visualize your time and accomplishments at-a-glance. Check out the video of how I use the Action Machine below: Thu, 22 Dec 2016 04:25:00 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/whose-reality--vce-english-prezihttp://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/whose-reality--vce-english-preziKudos to Louise Roberts from Trinity for sharing her VCE English Prezi on the context "Whose Reality." A prezi is a cool little presentation tool that anyone can use and is a different way to present information, particularly using multi-media. It is non-linear in presentation format so you can zoom and pan to focus on different aspects. Just hit the play button at the base of the prezi to get started. Enjoy! Thu, 22 Dec 2016 04:15:00 -0800http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/simply-inspirational-kurt-1http://www.vcehelp.com.au/blog/post/simply-inspirational-kurt-1 YouTube Kurt Fearnley is an inspiration. Someone you can look at, learn from and draw strength from. To walk Kokoda requires peak physical conditioning, mental strength and a fundamental desire to take your life to the edge. Yet for Kurt, walking Kokoda was never an option. You see Kurt was born with spina bifida - a condition which causes damage to the spine and spinal cord. Kurt couldn't walk Kokoda so he decided to crawl Kokoda. Yes, you heard me correctly. Crawl! Kurt's a person who has never let his disability get in the way of him living his life. In fact, he lives much more of his life than most people I know. He is a world champion athlete, a fundraising legend (he was raising money to support Movember and raise awareness of mens health issues), a flaming human spirit and best of all a down to earth character. There are inspirational people and acts around us every single day. We can all learn a lot from people like Kurt and draw inspiration from his courage and actions. Excuses are the signposts of failure. So make no excuses, we are all capable of extraordinary things but few choose so. Take a few minutes to watch these 2 videos about Kurt which aired last Sunday night on TV and let me know your comments below. By the way - you can learn more about Kurt here as well. YouTube Thu, 22 Dec 2016 04:00:00 -0800