education
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ICAS Prep: Tips and Tricks
We’re now in the lead up to ICAS Assessments, which begin in just over 2 months. Preparing for the assessments helps your child put their best foot forward on the day. We will be posting a series of tips for the six different papers over the coming weeks, including a special post on the use… Continue reading
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Artificial Intelligence in Education
AI, particularly generative AI, has flooded the learning space. While some AI tools are undeniably useful, others may be questionable. Even as the NCEA itself is rolling out AI tools to assist with exam marking, and adapt learning materials to suit learner needs and preferences, questions remain about the ability of AI to be used… Continue reading
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ICAS Assessments 2025 is now open for registrations
Focus is proud to be one of the only non-school centres for administering the ICAS academic competition in New Zealand! Designed by experts to be fun, challenging, and test higher-order thinking and problem solving, ICAS assessments are offered across 6 literacy and STEM subjects for school years 3-13. Register for ICAS 2025 See more information… Continue reading
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UPDATED: April holiday program at Focus
We have updated our program opening days due to the public holidays. Please see below for more information. The Focus holiday program in April runs from April 14th to 17th; and April 22nd to 24th, with an exciting new addition to our classes – Coding! Schedule The course runs from 9am to 4:15pm. Due to the… Continue reading
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New Python class at Focus
We are pleased to announce that we now have a regular programming class focusing on Python! Time and Day: Sundays, 10:15am – 11:45am About the Class: Python is an essential skill in the age of AI. Not only is the class suitable for beginners, but students can prepare for prestigious international competitions such as Australian… Continue reading
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Study English, Maths and Science at Focus!
We have updated our group class schedule for 2025. You can see the timetable here, and answers to some frequently-asked questions. Frequently asked questions What curriculums do you teach? As of March 2025, we use the Cambridge curriculum as the foundation for our Maths, Science and English classes. Teachers supplement this with materials from other… Continue reading
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ICAS Results at Focus for 2024
Now that all results are in, the high achievers and medal winners for 2024 ICAS Assessments have been confirmed. We are pleased to announce that students sitting their assessments at Focus have collectively achieved: Entering international competitions like ICAS Assessments can be challenging. We’re proud of all of the students who sat ICAS in 2024.… Continue reading
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Sleep and nutrition for studying and exams
End of year exams are upon us, and for many students it is a stressful time. In addition to wanting to do well in preparation for the future, students also often want to please their parents and meet expectations of success. If your child is working hard to revise during the exam period, they are… Continue reading
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Reducing cognitive load for better learning
In this post, we continue our discussion on cognitive load theory (CLT) and its influence on education. We recommend you read our introduction to the theory if you are unfamiliar with this idea. Cognitive overload causes As discussed in our previous post introducing the theory of CLT, students utilize pre-existing knowledge from their long-term memory… Continue reading
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Introduction to cognitive load theory
Sometimes hard work alone is not enough to help a child learn effectively. Educational research helps parents (and professionals like us here at Focus Education) adapt our efforts in strategic ways that are proven to help a child succeed in their learning. Cognitive load theory is one such piece of research. First proposed by Professor… Continue reading