Make Revision Active!
Revision, like any learning, needs to be active if what we are trying to remember is going to have any chance of sticking in our heads and then being recalled and used in tests, assessments and exams. The research indicates that we only remember approximately 10% of what we read and approximately 20% of what we write. This means we really are wasting our time if we use these poor methods to revise.
The best ways of revising are active, make our brain think hard and, because of this, take more effort. However, if they are done well, they can actually save us time, help us remember more and have more time to relax. More active revision is far better than longer periods of reading and simply re-writing notes.
Our research of the best revision strategies from across the country are shown in the 9 examples below. The first PDF is a summary of all 9 active revision strategies and the following 9 resources breakdown each technique and explain how to do each one and why it works. Please use several of these revision methods when you are revising in the week or fortnight before smaller tests and assessments or over several months before larger trial and final examinations:
Remember that we, as staff in school, are always here to help our students. Students should feel free to speak to us during lessons (if possible), find us at break, lunch or before or after school or email us. We know what works best and can help students get started, give them extra resources (e.g. practice exam questions) or even be asked if we could mark an extra exam question you have answered.
How can parents and carers, other family members and friends help?
- Planning – check that they have planned to have regular breaks – chunking revision into 20-minute bursts and a 10-minute break is better than spending hours on it whilst being tired and bored. After 3 bursts of 20-minute sessions, students should have a longer break (e.g. 20 minutes)
- Before the student goes to revise, check that they have left devices (phones, smart watches and tablets) somewhere else to avoid distracting them. Check the student is not hungry or thirsty or have any other reason to break in the middle of revision, Also ask them what subject and topic or part topic they are going to revise
- After a revision session, please quiz students on what they have just revised. You don’t need to be an expert to make up some questions using the student’s exercise books, folders or flash cards to quiz them. You can even think about some kind of reward based on a certain score they get in the quiz. Perhaps test them on a long car journey or over the dinner table.
Further Reading and Resources
BBC Bitesize – Revision Tips: Top revision techniques for exams – BBC Bitesize
BBC Bitesize – Blank Revision Timetable: revision timetable template – Search Images (bing.com)
Active revision techniques (video): Active revision techniques – YouTube
Click here for information about ordering revision guides and further revision tips
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