The Ashby School Revision Guide for Parents and Students 1
Introduction. STUDENTS: Is this you when you think of revision or exam preparation? PARENTS: Does the thought of your daughter/son doing their GCSE examinations leave you feeling even a little like this? Then this guide is for you. What s inside is advice based upon educational research and the experience I have built up by both taking exams and preparing students for them over 30 years in teaching. SO, READ ON! 2
Contents. STUDENT REVISION GUIDE PAGE 4. Revision is personal. 5. Preparation for good Revision. 6. Planning a Revision Timetable 7. Different Ways of Revising 8. Refuelling (Healthy Body and Mind) 9. Final Thoughts PARENT S REVISION GUIDE. PAGE 10. How to support your child 11. What you can do 12 Why is revision more effective in short bursts? 3
Revision is Personal. We all have different ways of learning so there is no fixed way to revise. You should revise in a way which helps you. But the key to doing well in exams is to do it in a way which presents the information in a new way which you are going to remember. So, it s important that you know your own preferred learning style (Remember the work we did in Year 10 about Brain Gym and learning styles) If you don t know your preferred learning style, go on to the school website (www.ashbyschool.org.uk) and try the Learning Styles questionnaire which is there. Most of us, including you parents and teachers have got a slightly better attention span than a goldfish, but only just! The normal amount of time you can concentrate to successfully take in information in revision is approximately 20 minutes. After this you begin to not remember what you are revising. KEY TIP: Revise in short bursts of 20 minutes Then take a short break, have a drink (read refuelling section) or snack, then start again. An hour s revision might take 1 hour 30 minutes with three 10 minute breaks in between each session. In this way you will remember more! 4
PREPARATION FOR GOOD REVISION. Before you begin to revise it s important that you have everything you need. A good place to study that you can use when you need it. Probably means a clear desk with space to lay out books etc. Don t waste time every revision session setting up your space. Know the board and syllabus for each subject you are taking. All your exercise books, revision guides, revision notes etc. (The Easter holidays is the time to check you have all you need and make a note of any missing work or any topics covered in subjects which you still don t understand. Past Paper questions to practise. (These are available form your subject teachers but also on the internet from the examination board sites). Supplies of pens, paper, pencils, post-its, rulers, plastic folders, staples, paper-clips. Basically anything you need to organise your revision materials / notes. Access to a computer if you need it. There are many website which can help with your revision as well as CD-ROMS for revision. Some examples of websites are below but there are many more. Your subject teachers may point you to them: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize www.gcse.com www.revision-notes.co.uk/gcse www.channel4.co.uk/learning SAM LEARNING SITE IS NOW AVAILABLE. To login follow instructions below: * Centre ID LE65AG * User ID Date of Birth followed by two initials, first name then surname. For example: the User ID for David Jones, born 1st August 1995 would be 010895DJ * Password Initially same as User ID. Students can change this later. If students have previously used SAM Learning and changed their passwords then this change is retained Get plenty of sleep Eat sensibly (see re-fuelling section) Take some exercise even if it s only going for a short walk Finally prepare a Revision Timetable. We ll look at this on the next page. 5
PLANNING A REVISION TIMETABLE. To plan a revision timetable you need to know, for each subject, which topics you need to revise. Then you can plan. During EXAM LEAVE you can revise when you want during the day The best time to revise is during the day, hopefully the first part of the day. We learn more at this time. Think about yourself in lessons, are morning or afternoon more productive? You could use the grid below to help you with this: Revision Time Subject Topic to be revised 9.00 10.30 (Three 10 mins breaks every 20 mins.) English Language Poems from Other Cultures: Half Caste and Search for my Tongue comparison 6
DIFFERENT WAYS OF REVISING. Please remember what was stated earlier, Revision is personal so some of the methods below may help but not all will suit everyone. What is clear is that the majority of us do not revise well just by reading. We need a way to help our brain process the information to learn it. Also knowing your preferred learning style will help you to select the best revision strategies for you. The starting point for all these strategies is the notes you have in notebooks, revision guides etc. Now is the time to check them, make sure they are all there and that you understand them. Any problemsask your teacher to cover a specific topic in revision. REVISION STRATEGIES. Index Cards main points of revision as memory trigger made as you review notes etc can use colour to help Post-its Put the key ideas form a topic on to Post-its. Put them on walls in the bedroom, hallway, around house, in the loo! Every time you pass them look, learn. It can work for kinaesthetic/active learners. Posters visual displays of facts Mind Mapping. Review to Music can aid memory but music choice important not thrash metal A Manager someone to test you, listen to you, could be a parent but you are in control Highlighters To pick out main points in, for example a History source document or the English Reading Paper Games against the clock how many questions can you answer in a certain time Rewards negotiate rewards with your parents for reaching a target marks in a test time spent revising etc Put notes on to a Tape you have to plan what goes in and then listen to it for auditory learners Revision Buddies have some sessions with a friend and work together as support Walkabout arrange your post it notes in different rooms so that you can move around to revise Diagrams and flow charts Use Past papers to test your knowledge Poems make the subject matter into a rhythmical poem. Remember the rhythm remember the facts Use CD Roms, computer programs, web-sites Tape Bitesize from BBC2 7
REFUELLING (HEALTHY BODY HEALTHY MIND) Exams and revision are hard work so it s necessary to FUEL the body during revision BUT not all foods and drinks are helpful to the brain. There is lots of medical evidence to show that junk food makes us sluggish and less able to learn well. I m not saying you can never eat chips, chocolate etc, just do it in moderation. Follow the tips below: KEY TIPS: Eat sensibly Avoid too much caffeine (coffee, coke, red bull etc) can make stress worse Healthy food is better, the effects of a banana or some nuts last longer than chocolate (even though chocolate tastes better) Regular exercise even if it s a ten minute walk Sleep you don t revise well if you are tired Revision best done earlier in the day, not late at night Find time for relaxation, socialising as well as work You are setting out on a long distance race now so be fit for the job and pass the finishing post at the front! 8
FINAL THOUGHTS. YOU NEED TO REVISE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THESE EXAMS. TO MAKE SURE YOU DON T MISS ANYTHING IN REVISION YOU NEED TO PLAN A LITTLE AND OFTEN IS USUALLY THE MOST EFFECTIVE REVISION STRATEGY TALK TO YOUR TEACHERS ABOUT WHAT SUPPORT YOU NEED ATTEND REVISION SESSIONS AFTER SCHOOL NEXT TERM LET YOUR PARENTS HELP THEN THEY UNDERSTAND YOUR STRESS DON T CHEAT YOURSELF BY PRETENDING TO REVISE WHEN YOU AREN T. BE HONEST AND IF YOU HAVEN T ACHIEVED WHAT YOU INTENDED THEN PLAN TO MAKE UP THE MISSED TIME. GOOD LUCK! 9
PARENT S REVISION GUIDE. HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD. GCSE is important but life does go on during exams. You want your son/daughter to do well but you also want them to be happy You are reading this so you are supportive Have realistic expectations Too much stress causes failure 10
WHAT YOU CAN DO. Encourage without pressure Be interested in your child s revision Drinks, snacks, surprises, treats to break up revision Have a copy of their timetable for you Add perspective to their life. Encourage them to have fun as well as revising. Help plan revision only if they want you to DON T PANIC! This will only transfer to your child and make them less effective in their revision and the exams. Make sure they have a quiet comfortable work environment. If she/he associates the area with work it helps to get on. Their environment so music, standing on head is fine Provide box files, folders, plastic wallets Provide highlighters Allow Post its on walls if they want Colour coded cards Access to computers Access to internet. There s a trust implication here but there are a lot of good revision materials available. Be there for testing, if he/she wants Time past paper questions for her/him 11
WHY IS REVISION MORE EFFECTIVE IN SHORT BURSTS. The graphs below should help with this: CONCENTRATION This line shows the situation which is likely % to arise in your ability to concentrate over a period of time. Concentration Time (2 hrs) MEMORY This graph show your ability to remember. 100% 75% 50% 25% 0% 10mins 1 day 1 week 3 months 6 months Both graphs show that we need to have regular breaks in our study to aid concentration They also show that long term memory is best aided by constant review of our revision Revise a topic then review it within 4 hrs and it will last for 24 hours Review it again within another 24 hrs it will last for 4 days, then 1 ½ weeks etc Therefore when planning revision plan it in small chunks for each subject and review them regularly 12