ATARs Plus

Hi! My name is Alex and I've been teaching VCE maths & physics since my first year at uni in 2014. The answer is simple: because I love it!

Since then, I have attained three degrees on scholarship (two bachelors and one masters degree), and I now work full time as a Project Engineer at AGL Energy. All these years later and I’m still tutoring...

Many of my friends ask me why I still tutor? I love helping others in an academic environment and I am passionate about the subjects that I teach. To me there's nothing as rewarding and fulfilling as knowing that I've made a positive impact in helping my students achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

28/10/2024

The team at Atarsplus would like to send our best wishes to all those that begin their VCE exams tomorrow!

- Make sure you eat well! Energise your body with good food that’ll help you keep on track (and reward yourself with a sweet treat every now and then 😉🍫)

- DO NOT pull an all-nighter 😡 generally speaking you should NOT be pulling all-nighters during exam period but this is even more so emphasised if it’s the night of the exam! There’s only so much your brain will retain, that extra few hours of sleep will be a lot more important 😴💤

- Be careful and cautious of the people you hang around with ☢️. Avoid speaking to negative nellys before an exam 📉 and also avoid those with a little too much confidence 📈.

- ENJOY IT🎉… I know that sounds like a very nerdy thing to say enjoying exams, let’s be real here?! But seriously do your best to enjoy the time, form study groups with friends and embrace the journey together! From my experience the exam period was when my year level became so tight knitted - almost like a family 🫶

- FORGET ABOUT YOUR EXAM🏅🐠… once an exam is finished, it is never to be spoken about. Move onto the next one. You can’t change what is already done so do your best at what’s ahead of you.

- TRUST YOURSELF🔗… if you’ve read this far then you’ve most likely done the work to do well! Doing the best you can is all we can ask for and you should be proud of yourself for making it this. All the study must’ve done something right!!?? You should be confident and assured that you’ll do your best, leave everything you’ve got out there⭐️

To our students we’re super proud of the learning and growth of each individual not only in their academics but also as a human! It is now time for you to use everything you’ve learnt in our workshops from managing stress to preparing for an exam! We’re so proud of you all and we know you’re going to smash this!💥

13/10/2024

In this week's class, we spoke about managing stress in the lead up to and during exams. 📝

With exams just around the corner for our year 12s it was a timely opportunity to check in on how they are feeling and discuss the most practical and effective techniques they can incorporate into their exam prep routines over the final few weeks of secondary education.

Every week, we record these sessions so that the students in the class can rewatch them - we cram a lot of content into 10-15 minutes!
Having lived it myself, I know that exam stress is not pleasant and for many can undermine their final performance - That's why i felt compelled to make this one available to everyone for free 🆓️🆓️🆓️
https://youtu.be/_tJW3CWuA4Y?si=ZOHjqKKYzlkrR5-S

I hope it helps you or someone you know!
Feel free to share with someone you think could benefit!

08/10/2024

The year 12s will be heading into their final VCE exams in a couple weeks time. ⏰️

13 years of formal schooling, converging towards a final 'finish line' 🏁

It can feel like the stakes are high! 😫

With what can feel like there's a lot riding on the results, it's easy to see why so many students feel overwhelmed at the moment. ⚖️

The Yerkes-Dodson 'Arousal vs Performance' model shows us that this added 'stress' is NOT productive! With performance dropping once stress surpasses an optimal level. 📉

To stay on top of stress levels during this period:
• Acknowledge that there are ALWAYS multiple pathways to get to your goal or destination 🗺

• Focus on what you can control 🎮

• Remove distractions - Tip: Phones & social media are the BIGGEST distraction for most students. Try giving your phone to a friend or parent for a few hours of uninterrupted focus 🤳

• Complete as many practice exams as you can (under exam conditions) 📝

• Do the basics well! Eat nutritious food 🍎 Exercise regularly 🏃‍♂️ Stay well hydrated 💧 Sleep well 😴

In tomorrow's class, we'll be talking about these techniques and many others to help our students keep their stress levels in check. We'll also talk about practical techniques they can utilise if they feel overwhelmed mid-exam! 🏫

04/10/2024

👨‍💼 vs 🎓

As someone who spent 9 years at university completing 3 degrees on scholarship (2 bachelors & 1 masters), I feel as though I am qualified to give my 2 cents on this topic.

Upon attaining my Masters in Engineering 9 years later and working as a Project Engineer for a year and a half, I was promoted into a Product Owner role in which my Engineering degree now effectively meant NOTHING.

What DID mean something were the skills that I learnt along the way, skills that I learnt across all 3 degrees and from my time in the workforce.

The thing is, you will ALWAYS learn faster and more relevant skills when you actually start the job! This is why most universities are either trying to incorporate, or have recently started incorporating EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING into their degrees. This is what really matters, and where you will learn the relevant skills you need to be successful in the workforce.

Besides the piece of paper you receive at the end of your degree Uni can offer a lot of BENEFITS (namely soft skills such as teamwork & communication - both critical for success in most industries).
With that being said, what I'd like more high school students to CONSIDER are the other pathways available and the time, cost & potential ROI of pursuing a degree.

Lastly a footnote, I fully appreciate that some industries require a degree for you to be an accredited practitioner working within that sector (medical, engineering, law); so alternative pathways may not exist. If you're thinking about pursuing a career in one of these industries, it's more important for you to understand what's involved so you have higher confidence that it is the pathway you wish to pursue.

My team and I support students in more than just their school work. We also provide general career guidance, coaching, and mentoring in each class as part of our included services.

13/05/2023

ACTIVE 🏃‍♂️ vs PASSIVE 😴 Learning

This model from Edgae Dale highlights how much information people remember depending on the learning medium.

The more active or involved the learning medium is the more likely we are to remember!! Tell your friends, if you do you'll be more likely to remember this tip!

29/04/2023

New article up on the site. If you're even remotely curious in quantum computing I'd recommend this podcast series.

If you're interested in learning a bit about the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics then give this episode (The quantum revolution: 'Spooky action') a listen!

I really like this series as it's presented in an easy to understand way for non-technical / non-quantum experts to understand!

Link to podcast accessible via the link below!

🔗 atarsplus.com/in-the-real-world

25/04/2023

New Article Up on the website:
🔗 gethappy.au/energy-calendar

The Energy Calendar is a reflectional task that prompts us to think about which activies add and detract from our energy levels. Once these activites have been identied, our goal is to then try to maximise the amount of time we spend doing things that create energy.

**Instructions**
Over the course of a week, at the end of each day look over your day and change the colour of your meetings, activities and tasks based on whether it:
🟢 Green = Created energy

🟡 Yellow = Neutral

🔴 Red = Drained energy

2. At the end of the week, you should be able to look at your calendar have a good understanding of the types of activites that are created energy or draining energy.

3. Your goal is to then figure out how you can spend more time in green activities and less time in red activities.

~~~More tips on website!~~~

12/02/2023

If you're doing VCE physics, do you know to apply newton's second law to a vertical mass question?
Give it a go and swipe right for my full solution!
➡️➡️➡️

01/01/2023

Happy new year to all! Wishing everyone a year of good health, success, and happiness in 2023!
🎉🎊🥳🥂

I've been blown away by all the enquiries and new sign ups over the past two months since the website went live... Unfortunately this means that im now at (over) capacity even after opening up an additional 4 slots / extra day.

📋 The waitlist is officially open - for those first couple on the waitlist there's a good chance I'll be able to add you into my roster at some stage later in the year.

📧 Also, please join the mailing list if you're interested in group events for 2023 (no spam - that's a personal promise!)

🌐 Atarsplus.com/events

🔗 Link also in bio!

Address

Sam Merrifield Library, 762 Mt Alexander Road
Moonee Ponds, VIC
3039

Website

http://atarsplus.com/

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