GUARD AGAINST BURNOUT!

Burnout doesn't just affect people in the workforce-high school students who feel bored, overwhelmed and overworked can also be at risk.
A Finnish study looking at burnout in students found it was linked to high expectations of school demands, feeling cynical about school work and feeling inadequate as a student. But being prepared, studying well and having reasonable expectations about results could help avoid burnout.
Department of Education psychologist Penelope Radunovich said that there were ways to avoid burning out before the final exams.
The first was to set up a good study environment. While some students could study while talking to someone and with the TV blaring, others needed perfect silence.
Ms Radunovich said students needed to work out what worked for them. She said the most important thing for students to do was to make sure they understood the material.
'Spend 30 minutes studying, learning and understanding, then take 10 minutes to question yourself,' she said.
'Say do I understand this? Could I tell my mother or a stranger or my friends what I have been doing? If there is nobody to explain it to, do it out loud and, if you don't understand it, go over it again.
'If you can explain what you've learnt, then you have understood.'
Parents can help prevent burnout by keeping an eye on their children and how much study they are doing. If a Year 12 student is becoming cynical about their work or they look like they are studying to the point of exhaus_tion, then she suggests chatting to them or offering to take them to the movies and away from the study environment.
'I asked kids about burnout and they said some people do feel burnt out and, when they get to that point, they stop working and go do some exercise or have a snack, listen to some music or talk to their friends,' she said.
'The kids who do really well are the ones who do a lot of other things.'

Source: Megan Bailey, the West Australian, 10 August 2011

CAMPUS LIBRARY INFORMATION

I

All students are automatically registered as Library members. Your Student ID card is your library card and printing/photocopying charge card. Student ID cards are available from the library; cost $5.00. You are entitled to borrow up to 6 items at any one time, two of which can be videos, DVDs, CDs or cassettes. Books can be borrowed for 2 weeks, DVDs, CDs and videos for one week. Some items in high demand may have restricted (shorter) borrowing periods.

II

Borrowed items should be returned on or before their due date. If you do not return items on time you will not be able to borrow until they are returned. It is your responsibility to ensure all items are returned in good condition. You will be invoiced for lost or damaged items. Most items may be renewed once, provided they are not overdue or required by other borrowers. This may be done at the library or on the phone.

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III

You may reserve items currently on loan or at another Polytechnic West campus by asking library staff to place a hold for you. Polytechnic West students are entitled to borrow resources from most other TAFE colleges and from Murdoch, Notre Dame and Edith Cowan universities. Students can apply direct to their choice of host institution for reciprocal borrowing. You will need to take: • Current enrolment form from Polytechnic West • Current student/library ID card

IV

The library has reference resources to help you find the information you need. These are the Not For Loan items. Staff can also show you a range of online databases and internet sites relevant to your area of study via the library website. The library website provides online access to the library catalogue, interactive tours, surf skills, help sheets, referencing and subject guides, useful websites and search engines, and full-text journal and newspaper articles from our online databases. Click on the 'Databases' link to access databases including: Australian Standards, Building Code of Australia, Ebsco, General OneFile, Learning Federation, Netlibrary (E-books), Oxford Dictionary, Proquest and World Book.

V

Computers and an MFD (for printing) are available in the library for students to use for study purposes. These computers provide access to online databases and the internet. A range of software applications found in the classrooms are also available on the library computers. Please book a computer before use. Write your student ID number on the booking sheet in the time slot for the computer you wish to use. Each computer is numbered. Printing, photocopying and scanning are available in the library. You can print/ photocopy in colour or black and white, in A4 and A3 sizes. Binding is available at the Print Cell.

VI

Postal loans and off-campus library services are available for external students. Contact your relevant library for further details.

VII

The library website provides online access to the library catalogue, interactive tours, surf skills, help sheets, referencing and subject guides, useful websites and search engines, and full-text journal and newspaper articles from our online databases. Click on the 'Databases' link to access databases including: Australian Standards, Building Code of Australia, Ebsco, General OneFile, Learning Federation, Netlibrary (E-books), Oxford Dictionary, Proquest and World Book. The library catalogue is a database of the resources held by Training WA libraries and Department of Training library. You can limit your search to items located at your campus, or within all Polytechnic West libraries.

Source: Campus Library Services, Polytechnic West, Perth