Issue 14

As we approach Easter, we are coming to the end of the second term of the school year and the exam season is drawing very near. Our Year 12s and Year 13s have mock examinations either side of the Easter holiday and these are quickly followed by ‘internal’, school-based, exams for Year 7 at the end of April and for Year 8 at the beginning of May. Year 9 SATs take place from the 6th to the 9th of May and G.C.S.E. and AS/A Level examinations follow soon after.

Given that all of our students are soon to be involved in examinations of one kind or another, I thought that I would devote this Update’s ‘Teaching and Learning Corner’ to offering some advice and tips on revision. In my experience, revision is one of those things that students want to do and know they should do, but feel that they don’t know how to do. I hope the following is useful. Please show it to your son/daughter and possibly go through it with them.

Adrian Boulstridge
Assistant Headteacher - Teaching and Learning

Top Tips For Revision

Remind yourself over and over

If you revise something tonight, by this time tomorrow you'll have forgotten at least some of it. So take another quick look at it tomorrow, to "top up" your memory. Take another quick look next week, and keep "topping up" until the night before the exam. This doesn't take long to do, and is usually quite comforting - you feel good because you find that the stuff looks familiar each time you look at it; because it's quick you can easily fit it in with all your other revision.

Look, Cover, Write, Check

This is probably the way that you learned spellings.

1. read it
2. hide it away
3. write it out
4. check to see if you got it right.

This technique is good for spellings, diagrams, equations, lists of facts and a whole lot more.

Remembering labelled diagrams.
Draw a copy of the diagram - but without the labels. Then try to fill in the labels from memory.

Highlighting

Go through your exercise books and notes highlighting key words / key ideas. Not only does this make it easier to revise later, but the act of scanning through your books looking for the key stuff helps you to remember it. (Might be an idea to ask your teachers first, before you do this to your books, but if you explain why they'll almost certainly be delighted that you're getting on with your revision)

Make summaries of the information

For example, try to get the whole topic onto one side of A4 paper. It's the act of making the sheet which fixes the information in your mind. You might like to use Mindmaps. Ask your teacher how. They really help to show what's in a topic.

Make your own "Flash Cards"

These can help you to remember facts and equations. The idea is to carry them with you, and look at them when you have a spare moment (lunch queues, break times, on the bus...) You could put headings on one side and details on the other.

Practice on real exam questions

The more you can try, the better. You wouldn't expect to do any other performance without a realistic rehearsal, and this is no different.

Be clear about what you're expected to know

Otherwise how do you know if you've revised it all? Check with your teachers if you're not sure. Go along to any revision sessions that you can. These can really boost your confidence, which is what many people need the most. You'll probably also be able to ask a different teacher about any bits that confuse you, and have it explained in a different way.

Identify your strong and weak areas

Then you'll know where to concentrate your efforts. Go through your books and put green blobs beside stuff that you're happy about, and red blobs beside the bits you find more difficult. Then you know what to ask your teachers about at those revision sessions.

Work with somebody else

There's an old saying: "the best way to learn is to teach". Try it! If you can explain stuff to somebody else, then you know that you've got it straight yourself.

Make jigsaws

List things on a sheet of paper, cut the paper up, jumble it, then sort it out.

If you would like more information and help with revision, visit we-learn to find information from our recent Year 11 Revision Conference.