Year 11 Study Skills Parent Session 09/02/15 Mr D Harvey, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

‘Year 11 Study Skills’ Parent Session

09/02/15

Mr D Harvey, Assistant Headteacher

Preparing to Revise

• Study Space
• Revision Timetable
• Pre-Revision Work

The Revision Healthy Body, Healthy Mind When things go wrong!

‘Everybody learns in different ways’ True or False?

Not entirely true. All of tonight’s information is based on educational and cognitive research. I will share general techniques that will apply to everybody. This will also mirror the messages we are giving the students about their revision.

Preparing to Revise Study Space

‘The first thing to get right’

Is this a good or bad study space?

A good study space

• Lots of space to spread

your textbooks and notes

• ut.
• Plenty of Light (ideally

natural)

• Comfortable Chair
• No distractions in view*
• Silence / Background

music

• Tidy Desk / Organised

clutter

• Plenty of paper, post-its,

pens, colours, highlighters etc. Help Remove Distractions

• TV
• Social Media Pop Ups

(Smart Phone / Tablet)

• Games Consoles
• Desktop windows that

are not relevant

• Visible snacks /

refreshments other than water

• Music? Experiment and

see

• External noise

Preparing to Revise The Revision Timetable

‘It is all in the planning’

Plan the Revision Timetable together ‘We’re all in this together’

• You will have a better grasp of the enormity of the task!
• You will be more aware of what you need to do to help make it

work.

• Help remind them of other family related commitments that

could get in the way.

• Help them to keep the plan realistic and also to not place too

much weighting on one subject.

• Incorporate rewards as an incentive. Praise is essential.
• Supply stationary for them and keep it topped up.

Making a realistic Revision Timetable

Take your time – Half term is the perfect time to start planning Step 1 Draw up a chart showing dates and times of the exams (See school website) Work out the number of weeks until each exam for each subject. Step 2 Make a list of all the individual topics you need to cover for each exam. Speak to subject teachers to check the lists are correct

Step 3 Decide upon ‘30 minute’ or ‘60 minute’ slots and incorporate this into the plan. Be specific about each slot – i.e topic(s) as well as subject Step 4 Review the timetable together after 1 week and adapt it Continue to review the timetable reasonably frequently.

Good and Bad Revision Timetables GOOD BAD Includes specific Rest, Relaxation & Reward Is flexible to allow for inevitable missed slots Has a clear structure and pattern that can easily become routine Cover too many weeks in advance Each session is planned in too much detail They are over-ambitious / unrealistic

Preparing to Revise Pre-Revision Work

‘Make revision easy by getting the ground work right’

Student’s Pre-Revision Work

• Get hold of past exam papers ready to complete. These

can be found on the exam board website (Search by unit code to be sure you have the correct papers)

• Get hold of recommended study guides / familiarise

yourself with recommended revision websites

• Sort out books and folders so that all work is stuck in / in

the correct order

• Check you have work for each topic in each subject
• Go stationary shopping – Post it notes, flash cards, lots of

paper, different colour pens etc.

• Make copies of your revision timetable and share it with

family.

Revise Active not Passive

A Typical Revision Session

Type Detail 60 Minute Session 30 Minute Session REVISE Use this time actively to produce a piece of revision that covers the essential parts of the topic and is also

• condensed. This might be a

mind map, flash card or recording. 40 Minutes 20 Minutes TEST Reproduce the work produced in the ‘revise’ stage. If you can’t then review how you are working in the revise stage 10 Minutes 5 Minutes REST Walk about, change

• f

scenery, refreshment etc 10 Minutes 5 Minutes REPEAT Revisit the same topic work after 1 day, 3 days and 1 week.

The 10 best types of Active Revision Task

Type Detail Experience… Condense… Make Links… Magpie… Multi-sensory… Musical… Listening… Noticing… Teach… Repetition… Past Exam Papers – In realistic conditions Notes onto Flash Cards – Take pictures and save on tablets Use Spider Diagrams / Mind Maps – Link key topics Use revision guides, websites, youtube, apps Read aloud, Walk around Convert topics into raps, rhymes, chants, songs Record your self and play it back Stick up simple and important notes around the room, house Explain a topic to a friend or family member. Then test them. Write it out, again and again and again and again

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind Sleep, Eat Well, Exercise

What is the minimum hours sleep needed per night for an average teenager?

?

Research by Boston College, USA

Eat Well

• Breakfast is essential
• Slow release energy food
• Avoid high sugar / caffeine drinks
• Regularly drink water
• 5 Fruit and Veg
• Do not eat large meals after 9pm

Exercise will help combat exam stress and anxiety.

3 x 20 minutes rigorous exercise a week Reduces

• Stress
• Fatigue
• Anxiety

Improves

• Alertness
• Concentration
• Cognitive function
• Restful Sleep

Students can use Leventhorpe Gym after school every Wednesday and Friday

When it all goes wrong! Exam Stress

Exam stress is normal and necessary. But not too much.

Symptoms of Stress Some solutions Difficulty Sleeping Tiredness / Lethargy Poor Appetite Loss of interest in things they used to enjoy Headaches / Other Aches and Pains Irritability Angry episodes Step back from the revision. Take a break and do something completely different. Exercise promotes hormones that actively counter stress. Ensure you continue to eat well and stay hydrated. Parents - Let your child know you are always there to listen when they need it. Give plenty of praise and encouragement

The natural inclination for any parent is to step in and solve it. Parents should avoid… Making comparisons with brothers, sisters, their friends and so on. Unintentionally adding to their worries by constantly mentioning the exams. Relating too much to when you were sitting exams at school or how you did your revision. Worrying if their revision techniques seem strange or unusual. Making a battleground out of whether or not they listen to music when doing their revision. Distracting them unnecessarily Expecting them to study all the time as taking some time out to relax will have a positive effect on their work

Tonight’s presentation will be available on the school website soon I am available at the front of the hall if you have any questions.

Thank you, have a safe journey home.