Study Skills Evening October 2015

 Examine various techniques needed for revision  Try to find a technique that works best for you  Find ways to revise ‘Better not Harder’ This evening we will…….

Reflecting on today’s lessons

 List the 5 lessons you’ve had today  Go through and assign  A  for a good lesson - you understood everything fully,  A ? for a lesson you felt you didn’t quite ‘get’ it all  A X for a disappointing lesson – you feel you need further work on this.  For subjects labelled ? Or X write down 1 part of the lesson you had difficulty with and then think of a way you could rectify the problem. Reflecting on today’s lessons

Getting the right environment There is no ‘perfect learning environment but……… Quiet Comfortable Room No Clutter No Interruptions Well lit Spacious Desk Comfy Chair Books and files to hand – no excuses! Good ventilation Remove Distractions – TV, music, , phone……..

Mobile Phones………. Students - Please hand your mobile phones to your parents. It is virtually impossible to concentrate and revise if you are constantly checking Social Media…….

 Encourage your son/daughter to attend revision and support sessions at lunchtimes and after school  Ensure they are asking their teachers for help – take advantage of their teachers while they are at school  Make sure they have the correct equipment for lessons and exams – there is a list in the planner  Check your son/daughters exercise books for comments and targets Things you can do at home to help

 Encourage them to use revision guides, workbooks and other relevant revision materials e.g. revision CD’s, websites e.g. MyMaths or Cambridge Maths (ipad based) at home when they are stuck  Help to emphasise the need for good communication in answering questions – learning how to present answers is important because there are now marks awarded in the majority of GCSE exams for QWC (Quality of Written Communication) Things you can do at home to help

 A Regular Routine – they will need your support with this, especially sleeping patterns  Agreed Timescales i.e. a revision schedule/timetable  Physical exercise/ relaxation/ social life  Healthy eating and hydration  Avoid Caffeine and ‘energy’ drinks  Employment Law (check  No work before 7am or after 7pm  No more than 8hrs in any one shift (recommendation)  No more than 8hrs per week Other Factors to Consider…….

 Mock exams  Regular revision sessions in school from January. This will be lunchtimes and after school  Provide lots of opportunities to practise exam papers  Provide mentors to guide students  There is always a teacher available at lunchtimes to help students Things we do at Manor

Learning Styles The way you learn will affect the revision techniques that work best for you……..

VisualAuditoryKinaesthetic Spider Diagrams Note making + Flash Cards Make a Poster Watching Documentaries Listen to Podcasts Make notes with music in the background Test a friend – a ‘study buddy’ Read your notes aloud Online revision activities Drawing Diagrams Make a model Make notes Copy out short pieces of text What can work with your learning style?

‘Traditional’ – By Rote Learning by rote is simply reading the text over and over until you remember it. It is the most basic kind of revision, but without the help of other techniques may not be very effective and it can be very boring. There are a few students with excellent auditory memories, who can learn effectively this way.

Read it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again ………… This will not work for most students – we need to make it personal! By Rote

Using your own notes Your notes are best. Whilst revision guides can be useful the more you personalise your revision the more effective it will be, so the notes that you make are the best. The process of making the notes is part of your revision and once you ‘own’ the work it’s easier to remember.

Making Effective Notes Highlighters As you read through your notes use different coloured highlighters to pick out key words/ themes/ ideas/ points etc. You could use a different colour for each theme or topic. There are several revision websites that will provide revision notes that you can highlight as you go. You could use very small post-its to highlight things as you go. Underlining As you read through your book underline the key words. You could come up with a predicted list before you start or you could make a list of the key words at the end. You could underline in different colours, patterns or lines like wiggly, thick etc.

Use a Revision Guide Most subjects/courses will have a revision guide that will accompany the course – they can usually be bought cheaper online.

30:5:1 Reduce the Key Words In the 30:5:1 Reduce the Key Words exercise you should identify a topic and then write down the 30 Key Words for the chosen topic. Then you decide which are the top 5 Key Words from the original 30, and then, finally, from the 5 Key Words, the one Key Word for the topic.

Reduce the Key Words - Exercise Time to have a go!

A Spider Diagram is like a giant spiders web with all of the ideas around it. The spider (or main idea) is in the middle and everything is around it. The most important ideas are in the middle and the sub-topics go out further and further. Spider Diagrams and Mind Maps

 Highlight the most important information  Write short concise notes – try to use colour and codes to make notes more concise like RT for ‘Reaction Time’ Flash Cards - Exercise  Make sure your writing is large, clear and well spaced  Make Diagrams  Can be very useful just before exams

A Journey……… This is a trick of memory. It involves thinking about a journey (or location) that you know well and the landmarks along the way. You can then add images to help you remember information. They don’t have to be famous things, but things that you notice as you go by.

Chunking is breaking up a big piece of information into smaller chunks – rather like steps on a ladder. It can be used for numbers and words. Bullet points can be used to break up information. Chunking The average person can take in four numbers or words at a time, can concentrate on revision for a maximum of 45 minutes at a time and remembers information best shortly before bedtime. Chunked:  Remember 4 words/ numbers at a time  Revision max 45 mins.  Remember best before bedtime

There are a couple of techniques you can practice using cards…….. 1. Write questions on one side with answers on the back 2. Use a piece of card/paper and move it downwards to reveal answers as you test yourself on what is underneath These techniques are both great ways to test yourself and whether or not you know key facts. Card Cover

Mnemonics help you to remember things by using short words that stand for something to help you. Here is a mnemonic for trigonometry in Maths - SOHCAHTOA Silly Old Harry Caught A Herring Trawling Off America Mnemonics

Write information on post it notes and place them on the wall, door, large sheets of paper etc. You can then rearrange them according to a variety of ideas. Group various things together Organise them into what you know and what you don’t know Follow trends or themes Post - its

Study Buddy Revision Sometimes talking through information and quizzing each other is the best way to remember things. You can devise questions and answers about a topic for other people and quiz each other. You could think of a ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ game where the questions are graded according to difficulty you choose

And Finally…….. I Can do this!! Henry Ford Whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right

Any Questions?