With exams not
far around the corner, James Ralphs, Head of Sixth Form, has provided some top
tips to help guide you and your child through their revision. However, it is
important to encourage their independence, so please remember that, while you naturally
want your child to succeed, they are the one doing the revision, not you!
Plan ahead
By now your
child should know the exact date for each of their summer exams. Referring to the
subject syllabus, they may wish to start by identifying all of the different
topics that they need to know. Before each exam, they will need to have written
their own revision notes, learned them and tested themselves using questions
from past exam papers. Each stage will take longer than they might think, so it’s
vital that they plan ahead to leave themselves enough time for all stages.
Be concise, not expansive
When
revising it can be tempting for your child to just copy out the class notes they
have in their folders. Pupils do this as it requires less effort and
concentration. While there are merits in repetition (as shown by Atkinson and
Shiffrin’s Multi Store Model of Memory),
learning a large amount of information is very difficult. Therefore, to ensure your
child can anchor the content in their long-term memory, they need to condense their
notes into manageable chunks. These chunks should also contain trigger words
that will help them remember the whole topic area.
Flash cards or mind maps?
There are
many different ways for your child to condense their classroom notes. It is
important that they find the method that suits them best. Flash cards can be
useful for listing trigger words or phrases that link to an overarching topic. Triggers
can be equations or other key terms too, any of which can be very useful as a
quickfire way of testing their memory. Mind maps allow your child to draw links
between concepts and examples that create visual ways for remembering essay
plans.
Tutorials
would be the perfect opportunity for your child to discuss methods of revision with
their tutor and decide upon the one that works best for them.
Have a regular routine
When freed
from the daily routine of school life it can be difficult for your child to be
strict and get down to revision – especially during the Easter holidays. Building
on the ‘Plan aheadI’ section, suggest, when you are
consulted, that they make a revision timetable that clearly identifies which
topics and subjects they are going to be revising – and when. Ensure that they think
about scheduling in regular breaks throughout the day and mix up the subjects
that they are covering, so that they don’t get bored.
Find a productive working environment
It can be
tempting to revise with friends, but we all know this will eventually lead to
distraction. Your role is to encourage your child to find a place where they
will be able to work uninterrupted for the period of time that aligns with their
revision timetable.
When
revising at school, you might like to advise them to mix up where they work and
put themselves in a location, such as a subject room, where they can get help
from their teachers.
Make time for testing
This doesn’t
have to mean writing out an essay or completing a whole past paper. It can take
the form of verbally recalling a set of flash cards that they have just learned
or writing out a detailed plan for an essay. As the start date for their exams
gets nearer, it is important that they practise completing past papers in exam
conditions too. They should practise writing their answers to a constricted
timeframe or without their notes, then go through them with a mark scheme and
revisit any revision notes that they were unable to recall. Exemplar past
papers can be found on each exam board’s website.
And finally ... PUT THE PHONE AWAY!
Sharing
another Snapchat or checking whether friends have updated their Instagram story
can be a tempting way to procrastinate. Suggest that they turn off the Wifi on their
laptop and put their phone on the other side of the room – in flight mode. This
will help them to work distraction-free. There is a lot of work to be done, and
this simple action will allow your child to concentrate undisturbed – and help them
to be more successful in their exams. Plus it may have benefits for the rest of
the family too!
