What is study time?

Study Time is the time allocated in the workplace to support a student's progress. It is oply part of a student's study commitment required to complete their qualification. Both Certificate III and Diploma level students will require 5 to 10 hours a week at home to study. Study Time is where the staff member is away from normal duties, this can mean time spent off floor (out of ratios) or on floor (in ratios) completing structured tasks that are not part of their normal duties. An example of this is completing babies and toddlers prac providing responses in their Part 2 Performance Evidence Log.

What is Reflective Learning Time?

Reflective learning time is an opportunity for students to interact with al of the Centre's resources, physically and intellectually, and reflect on the study they are required to complete in the qualfiication. They are well placed to meaningfully build understanding, draw links, challenge and verify new learning.

Study time can also be known as Reflective Learning Time

Each centre is unique in its rosteringand team requirements - this is a good thing

It can be challenging and tricky to schedule and coordinate - but it can be done!

There are many options for making it work within your roster - here are some tips:

Use quiet times of the day - look for 30 minute sessions. Research into meaningful time suggests that meaningful interaction with work/study is best in sessions of at least 30 minutes and adults should not focus for more than 2 hours at a time to achieve the best outcomes. Move staff to support routines where they may find more "quite time". Look at moving staff during a day, such as swap preschool staff to toddler room just for sleep time one day a week.

In large services 1 day a month is another option for Centre Managers - in your service it may not be practical looking for the short sessions throughout the day as you may have lots of students who need study time rostered. Sometimes it is easier to roster a day each month for your students rather than looking at study time weekly.

Look at the enrvironment to find opportunities - by looking at the environment this opens opportunities to see how students can be counted in ratio but not relied upon so they can focus on their learning.

Covering study time - Rostering Certificate III trainees to cover study time so other students can be released from the floor is an option. By using these trainees they gain valuable experience and it is a reduced cost for your service.

Reach out to other Centre Managers and your trainer who can suggest options that have worked for others, trainer support and input into what and where valuable learning happens. It is not always in a closed room.