parent cafe study skills
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The Parent Café Study Skills: The tools necessary for
examination success
Objectives of the session:
- To outline the importance of revision
- To identify ways to develop revision at home
- How to handle the pressure of the GCSE courses
- An opportunity to learn about the advice that students are given regarding study skills
What we are trying to communicate to our students:
- The need to be more self-motivated
- The need to be more responsible for their learning
- The importance of asking when you don’t understand
- Develop their ability to overcome frustrations
- Develop their organisation, both of themselves and their notes!
Why develop ‘study skills’?
- The need to complete more work at home, independently.
- The need to organise and plan their time over longer periods.
- To see the importance of each piece of work, no matter how big or small.
- Develop their ability to revise
- Develop their examination technique
- Agree the balance between work and social life. Flexibility is the key.
What can be done at home:
- If they say they have got no homework, they are lying!
- Reward structure?! This is not bribery! Little and often, or one big reward at the end?
What can be done at home:
- Get the revision space right
- Manage distractions
- Make sure that your child takes breaks and gets some fresh air
- Make sure that 5 minute breaks doesn’t become 10,15…
- A revision contract?!
- Make sure that a revision timetable is followed
Children respond differently to support (not always with obvious enthusiasm) but they do benefit from it. I suggest that if in doubt intervene.
The importance of revisionGood revision will consist of the following:- An aim for each revision session
- Identifying the topics that more time needs to be spent on- A break down of topics into workable chunks
- Producing quality notes, noting key points, phrases or words
- Testing yourself
- Using a checklist so that progress can be seen
- Short, regular revision blocks, as opposed to long, irregular sessions.
This is essential to allow your brain to learn, make connections and remember
Particularly important!
- Take some days off!
- Don’t leave the difficult stuff until the end!
- A good diet!
- Good revision techniques require the student to think and be an active learner
How quickly do we ‘forget’ information?
Revision technique ideas:- Drawing Spider Diagrams/ Mind Maps to show how links can be made between topics. Links = Making a connection = learning
- Drawing Key Points posters, using colour and pictures to help memorise.
- Record yourself making 10 key points, and listen back to it throughout the day
- Quality note taking, highlighting key areas from the textbook
- Watching Revision videos e.g. GCSE Bitesize. Interact with the video – don’t just sit and watch.
- Teaching someone else what you have learnt
- Read a page and shut the book, what do you remember?
- Using Acronyms, Mnemonics and Poems
- Attempting Exam Style Questions
- Use the Revision Guides effectively
- Games with family / friends
What ‘kind’ of learner are you?
· Recopy notes in colours · use of highlighters
· Visually organise or reorganise notes using columns, categories,
outline forms, etc.
· Remember where information was located in visual field
· TV/video supplements important for understanding or remembering
· Create timelines, models, charts, grids, etc.
· Write/rewrite facts, formulas, notes on walls, poster for visual
review at any time
·Learn facts, formulas, notes on index cards
· Use of visual mnemonics
Mostly as – visual learner
· Need to discuss concepts/facts/aspects with friend immediately after new
learning
· Tape records whilst reading notes for re-listening later
· Must say facts/formulas/information over and over to retain
· Set information to rhyme, rhythm, or music to aid retention
· Remember where information was located in auditory field (eg tagged to "who
said that?")
· Use of different voices to study (like creating a script, or acting out a play)
· TV/video/radio supplements useful for obtaining information
· Prefer to listen without taking notes
· Prefer group discussion and/or study groups
· Aural Mnemonics
Mostly bs - auditory
· Prefers learning by ‘doing’ rather than thinking – needs to be encouraged to take notes, draw diagrams etc. · Copy notes over and over, apparently to make them neat or organised?· Use their body to express a thought – short and long term memory improved by movement.· Good hand-eye coordination.· Prefers to take notes during lesson as an aid to concentration· Alternates sitting still and moving during studying· Move hands or feet for rhythm emphasis while studying· Constructs things while studying · Frequently takes things apart, or "tinkers with things" for understanding· Need to take lots of breaks whilst studying· Easily confused with having a short attention span
Mostly cs – kinaesthetic
Some examples of different revision techniques…
Make your own notes – don’t just rely on the revision guide. This can be started straight away!
Where should revision take place?
WarmQuietComfortableAiry – oxygen helps you stay awake and learnMusic can help if it is relaxing - 60 – 80 bpm (similar to resting heartbeat)
- Your revision area must be:
When should revision take place?
- Choose a time and try to stick to it
- If you cannot revise in the morning, early evening after tea is fine.
- Mornings are the best time as you are well rested and your brain is uncluttered
How long should I revise for?
- Exercise before the revision helps you to concentrate
- Aim for 30 minutes each session, with a break for 10 minutes to relax, before starting again.
- Break larger topics down into smaller, more manageably sized topics
- Less than 10 minutes or over 1 hour of revision is of little value
When should I start r
evising?!
When should I start revising?!- The sooner the better!
- 1 month before the exam you should have shortened your notes and be looking over them for a second or third time
- As a general rule, 2 – 3 months before the exam you should have got started. Make a revision timetable
- 1 week before the exam you should have finished learning the work
- No learning should take place in the final week – you cannot learn 2 years of work in 1 week!
If we revise something, how much can we remember?
Revision Timetable – where to start?
Be specific
Sitting the examThe night before:
- Get your equipment together- Only attempt light revision and nothing new
- Get up in plenty of time
- Get a good night’s sleep (if possible)
On the day:
- Make sure you leave home with everything you need- Last minute revision by flicking through your notes
Sitting the examCompose yourself:
- Don’t worry about classmates scribbling away- Ease into the exam
- Read the instructions carefully
- Write down anything you are afraid of forgetting
- Answer questions you feel confident with first, if you have a choice.
- Work out how long you can spend on each question, before the exam starts, if you can.
Sitting the exam
- Get a sense of how detailed an answer is necessary – look at the number of marks available
- Read the question twice – pick out key words
- Stick to what the question is asking!
None of this!
Coping with stress
- Continue to do things you enjoy to relax you and take your mind off study
- Clears the mind, relaxes muscles after and releases tension produced by stress
Take time out to have fun:
Do some exercise:
- Asking is not a sign of weakness – friends or family
Talk about it:
Coping with stress
- Reduces stress and provides energy
- Take yourself away to another place by creating a relaxing daydream!
Eat well:
Use mental imagery:
- Take as many deep breaths as needed. Hold your breath for 10 seconds and then slowly release
Calm yourself:
Coping with stress
- Students must set realistic goals in the first place. The goals can change as the student becomes more confident- Main cause of stress – a student not feeling in control of their circumstances
- Complete tasks rather than leaving them unfinished
- Develop a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment in the whole process of preparing for an exam (rather than focussing on the result alone)
-Listening is more important than knowing all the answers
-Always encourage not to give up; be positive
-Try to make time to talk about homework and classwork. It will help make you a source of encouragement and support
-Talk about your own experiences of school
How can I help?
Overworking yourself
Some students work so hard that they could potentially harm their chances
Overworking yourself
There are clear signs of being overworked to look out for:
- Lose contact with friends and family
- Tiredness, due to late nights finishing off work, probably to an unnecessarily high standard- Irritable
- Deteriorating health
- Loss of focus
