Year 11 Revision Techniques. Revision Techniques There are less than 9 weeks left until your exams. How should you be using your time?

Year 11 Revision

Techniques

Revision Techniques

There are less than 9 weeks left until your

exams.

How should you be using your time?

Revision TechniquesSuggested techniques:• Spider diagrams• Mnemonics• Revision guides• Highlighting• Revision timetables• Online revision

But do they really work?

Revision TechniquesResearch shows that the following are ineffective :• Highlighting/underlining

Useful for starting more effective techniques but often means you focus on one concept at a time

• MnemonicsUseful for specifics, but little use for long passages or chunks of information.

• Re-reading

• SummarisingSurprisingly, no more effective than re-reading. Mind Maps are better as they include links between concepts.

Revision TechniquesResearch shows that the following are of moderate use:• Self-explanation

Explaining to yourself how a problem was solved.

• Elaborate questioningExplaining a point or fact

• Changing practiceSwitching between different types of problems

Revision TechniquesResearch shows that the following are really effective:• Repetition

Going over facts/points several times

• Distributed learningSpreading study out a long time

• Practice testingSelf testing to check knowledge

Revision TechniquesRepetition• Your brain remembers things by making

links between neurons.

• These links are strengthened every time you go over the information so the memory gets stronger and easier to access.

Revision TechniquesDistributed learning• Spreading out revision over a long time means you can

repeat the work more often.

• It is better to do little and often than to cram just before the exam.

• The mock exams is where this process should have started.

• This is the time to write a revision timetable to make sure all subjects are equally covered.

Revision TechniquesPractice testing• Read through your notes, then make flashcards of the

critical concepts and test yourself.

• Testing yourself can include completing relevant past paper questions and then checking against the correct answers.

• Then test yourself again!

“Students who can test themselves or try to retrieve

material from their memory are going to learn that material

better in the long run” Prof Dunlovsky, Kent State Uni.

Revision TechniquesFlash cards

Revision TechniquesFlash cards

Revision TechniquesFlash cards

Revision TechniquesDON’T• Leave it to the last minute

• Revise all of one subject and move on to another

• Waste time revising the things you already know

• Put off getting started by completing displacement activities

• Revise late at night

• Revise for hours at a time

Revision TechniquesDO• Start early – NOW!

• Revise little and often

• Take regular breaks

• Look after yourself – eat properly and get plenty of sleep

• Write a revision timetable

• Test yourself over again – including lots of past paper questions

Revision TechniquesDO• Ask for help! Your teachers are here to help and give

advice.

• Remember, they have taken exams before and helped hundreds of other pupils to suceed.

GOOD LUCK!