REVISION TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES - PowerPoint Presentation

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REVISION TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIESSlide2

Effective revision strategiesSlide3

Revision tips : planning your timeSlide4

Creating a revision timetable

MARCH

2015

APRIL

2015

MAY

2015

Sat

31

Sun

1

Mon

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Tues

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Wed

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1

Thurs

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2

Fri

6

3

1

Sat

7

4

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Sun

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Mon

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MAY DAY

Tues

10

7

5

Wed

11

8

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Thurs

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9

7

Fri

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10

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Sat

14

11

9

Sun

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12

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Mon

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13

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Tues

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Thurs

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GOOD FRIDAY

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17Slide5

How can I revise?Are there any techniques that will help me?Slide6

Chunking

Chunking is breaking up a big piece of

information into smaller chunks rather like steps in a ladder.

It can be used for numbers and words. Often students use bullet points to break up information.

Small chunks

Steps in ladder

Numbers and words

Breaks up infoSlide7

Mnemonics

Mnemonics help you to remember by using

short

words that stand for

something to help you.

Here is a Mnemonic for REVISION.

R

est

E

xercise

V

ariety

I

magination

S

tructure

I

ndividual

O

ngoing

N

ot too longSlide8

Mind mapsMind maps are good for remembering topics and sub-topics such as characters in a book

or key vocabulary and concepts. Labels can be added and the use of colours helps to identify and group thoughts.

 Slide9

Read intelligently

Spend five minutes flipping through a book or your notes looking at headings and summaries. Then attempt to mind map what you have spotted and what you can remember.Slide10

Cue cards / Flash cards

Use cards. Write questions on one side and answers on the other. Then get someone to test you. Merely creating the cards will help you recall. You can also use them to test yourself when you have some

spare time.Slide11

Events Time LineCopy out key dates for the topic you are revising on two separate pieces of paper and then add in notes from the important events for each

item. Once

this information has been collected

write down

just the dates on separate pieces of

paper.

T

hese

are arranged in chronological order on the floor and you

then

to step onto the first date on the floor and using your notes

say out loud

what happened on that particular

date.Slide12

More simple tipsCondense:

Fitting

notes onto one side of paper makes them easier to stomach, so rewrite and cut down as you go.

Highlight

:

Target key areas using colours and symbols. Visuals help you remember the facts.

Record

:

Try putting important points, quotes and formulae on tape. If you hear them and read them, they're more likely to sink in.

Talk

:Read your notes out loud, it's one way of getting them to register. Test:See what you can remember without notes, but avoid testing yourself on subjects you know already. Why not ask someone else to test you?

 Time:Do past exam papers against the clock; it's an excellent way of getting up to speed and of checking where there are gaps in your knowledge.Slide13

The rules of revision

Make your own revision notes.

You'll learn as you write and, once you've got them, you're halfway there.

Be brief

. Check the syllabus or ask a teacher to make sure you've got the key areas sussed.

Concentrating

on the plus points of revision helps keep you going. Start by thinking how much easier you'll find the exams.

Don't overdo it.

Your concentration lapses after a couple of hours, so take regular breaks.

Experiment with different revision techniques

. Variety beats boredom.

Focus.

Don't make pointless notes. Look at past exam papers and see how questions could be asked.

Get confident

. If you're positive about exams, you should take in more information and remember it when it counts. Slide14

Answering exam questionsScan all the questions.

Mark all the questions you could answer.

Read the questions carefully.

Choose the correct number of questions in each section.

Decide on an order : best answers first.

Divide up your time, allowing more time for the questions with the most marks.

Underline the key words in the question.

Plan your answer.

Stick to the point of the question.

Write your answer.

Use the plan at every stage – e.g. every paragraph.

Check your answer against the plan. Look out for mistakes.

If you have time, re-read the questions and your answers and make any necessary corrections.Slide15

Goal setting 1Effective Goal-Setting: Think about GCSE success as the first in a number of stepping-stones leading to the realisation of your long-term goals. You can use the reflective cycle to help achieve your goals

.

Stage 1: Generating a

Vision

Sit-up on your bed or sit on a chair and close your eyes

Relax your muscles, take a few slow and deep breaths and, with each out-breath, count down from 1 to 10

Imagine that it’s the day your GCSE results are released and you open the letter (or email) confirming that you’ve been awarded the very best GCSE grades that you believe you can achieve

Before opening your eyes, close this exercise by saying to yourself three times, ‘I am capable of achieving these grades in my GCSEs’Slide16

Goal setting 2Stage 2: Making a Plan


Develop a revision strategy

.

Space – The ideal space for revision has plenty of natural sunlight and is quiet, spacious and cool, but not

cold

Time – Key aspects of effective time management include: clarifying priorities; creating a timetable; changing your daily routine; and being

assertive

Money – There are essential pieces of revision equipment such as stationery (e.g. pens, notebooks, files) and resources (e.g. revision guides and exam papers) you need be

buy

People – Ask teachers and other students for helpSlide17

Goal setting 3Stage 3: Taking

Action

Keep a broad perspective on how your revision is progressing, focusing on solutions rather than problems, stay relaxed and continue revising!

Take

positive action, e.g. get up half an hour earlier every day to review your revision notes.

Stage 4: Evaluating Progress

Regularly set aside time to review recent experiences, evaluate how revision is progressing and use this process to refine your vision, amend your strategy and take fresh action.Slide18

Group study 1Effective revision is not just about studying alone.

It’s also about making the most of

social learning environments

. Some aspects of revision (e.g. studying textbooks) are best completed alone in a quiet space where there are few distractions. This is known as self study. Other aspects of revision (e.g. enhancing your existing knowledge of topics) are best-suited to

social environments where you can learn more interactively

(e.g. by asking and answering questions). This is known as group study.Slide19

Group study 2Revision

Get-togethers

Organising out-of-school revision get-togethers will help you to build on the work that you complete in lessons, and to expand on progress that you make during self-study sessions at home.



Teaching

Topics to Friends

One of the most effective ways to learn information is by teaching and explaining it to others.

Create a summary – arrive at the meeting with a single piece of paper that sums up everything you want to say

Divide the topic up into sections - study your class notes, textbooks and revision guides to identify the main sections

Give examples of exam questions – have a look through practice and past exam papers so that, towards the end of your presentation, you can give examples

Provide opportunities for questions and answers – encourage questions and make a note of questions that you found difficult to answer and ask your friends to correct you if you haven’t explained something well

Set up new email contact groups and use social-networking sites to exchange revision notes and exam questions with friends that cropped up in previous yearsSlide20

Time managementYou typically need 30-90 minutes to properly revise each of the 200-300 topics in the subjects you’re taking

. This means setting aside at least

200 hours

and revising for an average of

1-2 hours per day from 3-6 months

before your exams start

!

Changing your Daily

Routine

A good way to find time for revision is by changing your routine:

Note down your typical activities.

Make changes that enable you to revise for 1-2 hours per day.

Estimating Your Revision TimeSlide21

Distributing Your Time Across Subjects and Topics
To make sure that you don’t spend too much time revising certain subjects (e.g. the ones that you find easiest), it’s important that you share out total revision time across all the subjects you’re studying. As there are more topics in some subjects than others, it’s also helpful at this stage to make a note of the number of topics you need to revise for each subject. You can then use these figures to work out roughly how much time you need to spend revising each topic within each subject. Having calculated how long you need to spend revising ‘typical’ topics, you can decide whether particular topics deserve special attention.


Creating Revision Timetables

When creating revision timetables, rather than trying to revise all of your subjects every week, focus on revising half of the subjects you are taking one week and the other half the following week, etc. A revision timetable tells you what you need to revise each day and puts you in control of your revision. Don’t worry if at any point you get behind. By working towards revising all topics by your first exam, you can catch up between exams.Slide22

Note taking 1Although there’s no single note taking technique that suits every individual or every learning task, there are general principles that you can apply when taking notes. You can think of these principles as a collection of ‘tools’.

Colour


Use colour to highlight, contrast and group information

Highlighting or underlining information in different colours according to its importance

Using colours to distinguish between sections of a topic (e.g. orange for notes relating to one section and pink for another

)

Key Words and Symbols

Create memorable notes by using key words to help you remember what each sentence stated. Your revision notes can also be enhanced by using symbols - rather than writing key words, you could draw a symbol to represent the key word.Slide23

Note taking 2Note-Taking Techniques

Experiment with different ways of summarising a passage of

information

A summary

list

An eight–part shape – draw a circle divided into 8 segments and put a key piece of information into

each

A summary map or mind

mapSlide24

Stress managementWhen people suffer from stress their concentration is poor and they find it difficult to memorise and recall information. Long periods of stress will have a negative impact on the effectiveness of your revision and on your performance in the exam room.

Revision Environments

Clearing and re-organising a room that you use as your primary out-of-school revision space (e.g. your bedroom) will help to put you in control of your revision, and will boost your self-confidence.



Health and Fitness

Because of the strong links between mind and body, one of the best ways to combat exam stress is by ensuring that you keep yourself physically fit and healthy. Eat a balanced diet, take regular exercise and get plenty of rest/sleep.

Social Support Networks

Stay connected – some of the best ways to reduce exam stress involve other people, so be sure to stay connected to your family, friends and teachers.



Revision Diary Entries

Completing regular entries in a revision diary provides you with the chance to review your progress and reflect on solutions to any difficulties you’re facing. It also provides opportunities for you to complete and write up exercises that’ll help you to pacify negative emotions and stay positive.Slide25

Understand what the examiner is asking you to do

analyse

c

ompare and contrast

criticise

evaluate

justify

summarise

prove

enumerate

interpret

outline

Describe in detail

explain

calculate

simplify

Show how

Sum up

Identify problems and disadvantagesSlide26

Understand what the examiner is asking you to do

Explain the difference between

Investigate closely

Weigh up the strengths and weaknesses

Demonstrate

Prove / make certain

Debate from different view points

Support (with facts, figures, examples, references)

Give a concise statement of meanings and identify the main characteristic