How to revise…

Effectively!

5 months time?

5 months time?

This evening…

• Planning to revise• How to revise (by yourself, in a group)• Good locations to revise• Mind, body and spirit• Additional Guidance and support

Mind• Toxic Belief #1: Perfection = Success

• Toxic Belief #2: My Destiny is Predetermined

• Toxic Belief #3: I "Always" or "Never" Do That

• Toxic Belief #4: I Succeed When Others Approve of Me

• Toxic Belief #5: My Past = My Future

• Toxic Belief #6: My Emotions = Reality

Dealing with Stress and Motivation

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/brainsmart/success/

Planning

• The right Environment• The Plan• The Conscience

The Environment• Try and set aside an area that’s just for revision – you

want to create a space you associate only with revision• Make sure your desk is lit well (with natural light, if

possible) and in a quiet spot, away from distractions like the TV or facing a window

• Find a quiet environment. However, at certain times playing music may motivate and inspire you

• Avoid distractions. Turn your phone off, move away from the TV and shut down your internet connection

• Have everything to hand before starting. That means pens, pencils, paper, textbooks, exam papers – anything you need to revise

Use the whole learning environment

Have your check-sheet of what you need to revise

Write important words, diagrams and phrases on Post-It notes or A4 sheets that can be stuck where you can see them every day.

On your walls or doors... anywhere will do.

The Plan• When creating your revision plan, work backwards

from the date of your first exam. Plan to revise for six weeks or so.

• Allocate more time to tricky subjects and areas you don’t know well. These will have the biggest impact on your eventual results.

• Be realistic when creating a timetable. You can’t spend every minute revising – build in time for breaks and other commitments too.

Use Online Planners

• http://getrevising.co.uk/

• https://www.examtime.com/exam-revision/

• http://www.s-cool.co.uk/

The Conscience

• Stick your revision timetable up somewhere and tell your friends and family about it so they can help you focus on keeping to your plan.

How to revise

Everyone is different

Do what works for you

Mind Mapping

• This is a powerful technique that allows you to make the best use of your brain power.

• The Mind Mapping technique harnesses the full range of your cortical skills, making you more productive and creative.

Resources:How to make a mind maphttp://www.mind-mapping.co.uk/make-mind-map.htm

Video tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLWV0XN7K1g

Notes

• Underline in one colour key vocabulary, in another colour underlining connectives, in another etc.

• Don’t just read it – do something with it!

Video your revision

Make a video of the learning to summarise points and record the learning

Use large sheet of paper / wallpaper:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZvpF6gaGH4

Tweet your Notes• Make notes from original notes• Make notes from notes etc

• Each time, make notes on smaller piece of paper

• Emphasis on the process of summarising the information, rather than the notes themselves

• Reduce to main points - Not enough to make notes and leave (repeat, repeat, repeat) - making notes does not mean copying out the book

• Reduce topic to a tweet!

Working together

• Revising with friends can be motivational and extremely effective

• Be clear what you want to cover and tick it off• You will often find that you cover much more

than you had planned• You will already be planning your next revision

session…

Pub Quiz

• Create questions for friends• Have teams of 2• Have a round each lunchtime or after school• Create a leaderboard

Mnemonics

• Helps you to remember patterns and sequences using abbreviations, words or phrases

• Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain =• Colours of the rainbow:• Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo,

Violet

Learning Journey

• Pick a journey that you know well• Associate an image with places along the

route in order to remember key information as a story or route plan.

Pictionary

• Work in pairs• One draws images to represent a key word /

term• The other guesses the word / term

Against the clock

• Associate terms, images and definitions• Create a crib-sheet for your notes• Repeat the process and try to get quicker each

time

Body

• Get a good night’s sleep• Eat well• Avoid caffeine• Be active• Enjoy some reward and have some fun

• Remember – it is perfectly normal to experience a small amount of stress and anxiety. However, if you feel out of control there are people you can talk to.

Spirit• Energy boost • Momentum• Push outside the comfort zone• Burn bridges• Strike while the iron is hot!• Prioritise• Learn to say "no"

BHS support• Revision classes before and after school• Website for course details – Academic > Examinations

• Individual staff support• Easter and half-term revision programme -

Academic > Examinations > Revision

• No study leave!• Places to study

• Belief…

Thank You!