Examination Preparation Evening Welcome Please collect your individually named booklet(s) (alphabetical by surname) from the back of the Hall before taking a seat
What will tonight involve? Information about the exam period • Purpose and direction • Make the most of the time left • • Practical revision activities Managing stress • Materials to take away •
GCSE EXAMS THIS YEAR They are early – Art is first on 26 th / 27 th April, with Biology the first exam for all on Tuesday 15 th May Provisional Study Leave is from Friday 11 th May; the new Year 11 Revision Timetable begins Most will finish with Physics on 15 th June, though German is the last exam on 21st June (Sixth Form Induction Days – 20 th & 21 st June) Results Day - Thursday 23 rd August (collected from 10am) Results Clinic – During Results Day and Friday 24 th August from 10am
What will tonight involve? Information about the exam period • Purpose and direction • Make the most of the time left • • Practical revision activities Managing stress • Materials to take away •
PURPOSE AND DIRECTION…? People who deliberately create their life and set future goals achieve far more than those who cruise along with no clear direction
Why do some pupils prepare so poorly? Hundreds of students were surveyed about their preparation. They were categorised into three distinct groups: Diligents Misguides Apathetics
Why do many students not spend enough time preparing for exams? Are they lazy? Demotivated? Lack ambition? A survey revealed that the answer is no. They simply misunderstand the purpose of exam preparation.
MISGUIDEDS Only some pupils are good at exams There is no point trying to revise more than a week. Revision - a waste of time to start any earlier. They try to rote learn their notes by writing them out over and over again or continually reading them aloud. Most students can only retain rote learned information for 3-7 days.
EBBINGHAUS AND FORGETTING 100 * 80 60 40 20 0 5 min 20 min 1 hr 7 hrs 24 hrs 7 days 31 days
DILIGENT pupils see revision differently. While memory is important they know that the real test is HOW YOU USE WHAT YOU REMEMBER. They spend time going through past exam papers. They minimise or control the risk of not performing well. Rehearsal is valued. They identify areas that they don’t know and learn how to tackle all the different types of questions that regularly come up. There are few surprises when they open the exam paper.
DILIGENT pupils who use exam papers have a higher level of memory retention than the MISGUIDEDS. Practice papers enable DILIGENTS to use the information within a range of different contexts. This reinforces the retrieval strength of the information being used. Selection also has to take place with this activity. The brain is doing much more to set up strong neural pathways
Psychologists and scientists have found that: • Purposeful practice is more important to success than “talent”. • Study of top British musicians proved this
What can parents do to help? • discuss your son/daughter’s purpose and motivation to achieve • talk about your own and your child’s expectations talk about issues you are likely to disagree about • constant praise and encouragement for practice • not talent or ability – success comes through dedication and hard work – you can’t do it ‘yet’
What will tonight involve? Information about the exam period • Purpose and direction • Make most of the time left • • Practical revision activities Managing stress • Materials to take away •
PLAN FOR SUCCESS Make sure revision is PLANNED – create a Revision Timetable RAG rate exam topics Revise weak areas first Put in the dates of the exams & other commitments Work backwards from these dates, count the days in between and divide between the number of subjects/topics. Plan to do at least 1-2 hours per night and increase this later. Split the time into 3 chunks - 20 minute intensive activity then break and repeat Plan in rewards and breaks before revising
REVISION TIMETABLE TEMPLATE TOO MUCH MATERIAL + TOO LITTLE TIME = ANXIETY
CHUNKING REVISION Revise one subject area for 20 mins. Have a short break, do something different. Revise another area of the same subject Review key points and always use exam questions (even for 5 mins or planning)
What can parents do to help? help to plan a Revision Timetable • ensure the primary focus is on the weaker areas • encouraging planned relaxation time – agree the • balance between work and social life and stick to it d on’t expect too many chores and jobs to be done! • g uide towards a ‘chunking’ approach •
What will tonight involve? Information about the exam period • Purpose and direction • Make most of the time left • • Practical revision activities Managing stress • Materials to take away •
TYPES OF REVISION CON ONTENT NT TEC ECHNIQUES NIQUES SKILL ILLS S REV EVIS ISION ION FEE EEDBA BACK CK TEC ECHN HNIQUES QUES Reading through class Writing exam answers Marking your own work to a notes under timed conditions mark scheme Using Revision Guides Reading model answers Studying mark schemes or examiner’s reports Mind-map diagrams Using past exam questions Working with other and planning answers students in groups or pairs Making/remaking class Comparing model answers notes against your own work Highlighting/colour-coding Creating your own exam questions Flash cards Handing in extra exam work for marking Using a revision wall to One-to-one discussion with display your learning teachers/tutor Using Shared Area resources
STRUC TRUCTUR TURING ING YOUR OUR RE REVI VISI SION ON 1. Gather the information you need 2. Make condensed notes 3. Revise by playing with the information 4. Test yourself to see what you know
GATHER HER EQU QUIPMEN IPMENT T AND ND MATERIALS ERIALS Subject Folders Revision Guides Lined Paper for notes Plain Paper for Memory Maps Music CDs Coloured Pens Blu tac
CONDENSING THE INFORMATION REQUIRED
MA MAKE KE COND ONDENSE ENSED NO NOTES TES (1) Rewrite in-class notes in a way to suit you: Shorter linear notes using computer functions Underline Bold Italic Colour CAPITALS SIZE
Revision has to be active not passive
HOW TO USE A MEMORY MAP … TO PRODUCE …
US USE E A THI HINKING NKING MA MAP OF OF ANOTHER THER KI KIND
OTHER EXAMPLES OF CONDENSED NOTES
MEMORY TECHNIQUE METHODS Create a mind map Creating spreadsheets – structure information into specific rows and columns Making Flash Cards - go over these 5 times Acronyms – take the first letter of each item to make a new word Acrostics – the first letter of each item stands for a word or a phrase Method of Location – link a list of items to a familiar location Make something – such as Top Trumps or Playing Cards; PPt presentation; Video clip etc Write and visualise a story
ACRONYMS (MNEUMONICS) (1) The Five Great Lakes (Geography): Michigan Superior Ontario Huron Erie
ACRONYMS (MNEUMONICS) (1) The Five Great Lakes (Geography): Michigan Superior Ontario HOMES Huron Erie
ACROSTICS (MNEUMONICS) (2) The Planets of the Solar System (Science): Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto
ACROSTICS (MNEUMONICS) (2) The Planets of the Solar System (Science): My Very Energetic Mind Just Saw Utterly Nude Parrots
METHOD OF LOCATION (3) Headteacher, Grounds, Classroom, Netball, Uniform, Science, Stationery, Learning, Office, Detention, Computers, Debating, Teacher, Lunchtime, Books, Timetable, Bag, Car park, Music, Assembly
METHOD OF LOCATION (3) Close your eyes and think of five rooms in your house in sequence Visually see yourself walking in the rooms and noting the furniture Repeat this to get as much detail as you can If you cannot picture it, say it as you see it. These five rooms are called picture pegs – which you will later associate pictures of your key words to
THE STORY METHOD (7) Examples of Non-Renewable Energy: Coal – Oil – Natural Gas – Nuclear – Fuelwood One morning I was in the kitchen with a piece of black coal in my hand. I put the coal on the table and accidentally knocked a bottle of cooking oil and it ran all over the coal. I decided that I would put the coal on the natural gas cooker to dry it out. When I turned on the flame there was a huge bang like a nuclear explosion. The entire house collapsed into a massive pile of fuelwood
PLAYING ING WIT ITH H THE HE IN INFORMA ORMATIO TION Making a cake: Watched someone make it (seeing) Hear someone explain what they were doing (hearing) You made the cake (doing) Telling someone what you were doing (saying)
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