introduction to revision for students

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How to ReviseA brief introduction

Methods of Revision – General advice

• The method that does not work is to do little or no work at all!

Highlighter Pens

•Use highlighter pens to pick out the key points in your notes. You could, where appropriate, colour code these, so that sections in a certain topic are in a certain colour. Whenever that topic comes up, the same colour is used

Reduced notes• Some people like to produce reduced notes, which have the key points alone on them

Cue Cards• Reduced notes can then go on cue cards. You can easily put them in your pocket and look at them again when you have a few spare moments…

Mindmaps

Bullet points•Making bullet pointed summaries of key sections of notes can be useful. It works well for some!

Post it notes:

• Stick them up in the house where you will come across them…

Key words – Key formulas – key questions etc.

Revision Strategies Visual Approaches

• Make full use of charts and diagrams in textbooks and handouts.

• Create spider diagrams using colours and images. • Highlight key points, using colour coding e.g. yellow for

arguments for, orange for arguments against (stick to the same code throughout!).

• Write 5 key points on a Post-It note and stick over a paragraph of text.

• Stick Post-It notes in particular parts of your room. Visualise these areas to help you recall the information.

Revision Strategies Auditory Approaches

• Read the text aloud - in situations where you need to be quiet, read ‘under your breath’. • Make up questions about the topic and ask

someone to test you.• ‘Teach’ someone else what you have learnt.• Read the information into a digital voice

recorder and listen to it frequently.

Revision Strategies

Kinaesthetic Approaches

• Create a ‘video’ of a text in your mind’s eye as you read it. • Write out the main points on the back of an index card

(around 5 per card). Write a question for each point on the front of the card and ‘flip’ between questions and answers.

• Write down key points on coloured Post-It notes. Stick the notes in different places in your room and recall that place to help you remember the information.

• Draw a flow diagram containing the main points.• Make up actions to go with the key words/ideas you need to

learn.

Teach someone

We take in:• 10% of what we see; • 20% of what we hear; • 50% of what we see and hear and • 95% of what we teach someone else (Barwood 2005).

General points:• Some people like to use the same documents constantly• Especially if they are colour coded, they actually become able to picture the page in their minds•Others prefer variety, as they find it terribly dull to use the same thing again and again

General points:• So, you might want to look at the same topic in your own notes, then on a website, then in the textbooks• If you learn by repeatedly rereading a text, that’s fine. • But try some more active learning methods too. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Revision Strategies• Around 70% of what you learn is likely to be forgotten

within 24 hours - you must review the information regularly after the first learning. • For each topic, spend around 10 minutes going over

your revision notes within the first 24 hours, a day later, then weekly until the time of the exam.

‘All learning without reviewing is like fillingthe bath with the plug out ’(Hughes 1999).

DON’T!

• Revise in bed. You will fall asleep!

DON’T!

• Revise in a noisy place which is full of distractions

DON’T!•Decide to dictate everything you have written onto tape or ipod or mp3 or any other digital innovation! You will be in Year 13 by the time you have finished!

• By all means dictate key ideas selectively

DON’T!•Decide to write again every single word you have ever written since starting your study. It does not work and you will not have time for that

Do!• Eat and drink plenty• Keep revision sessions short and sharp• Review what you have done• Revise the bits you hate or find hard first then they

are done!• Be honest with yourself.

• Turn off Facebook/phone/twitter/• Youtube/Snap Chat etc.

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Grit• In many different investigations, one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. And it wasn't social intelligence. It wasn't good looks, physical health, and it wasn't I.Q.

• It was grit.

•Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint.

• A study of US public schools. Shows that grittier kids were significantly more likely to graduate.

•More self discipline and strength of character you have the more likely you are to succeed.

Good luck