Revision
Revision Guide
Online Learning
Effective Learning Strategies
Effective revision is key to exam success.
Too many times we see students working hard on their revision but not always doing the right things.
Cognitive scientists study how our brain works and there is now a lot of research that you can use to make sure that your revision will lead to exam success.
This page summarises the 6 most effective strategies. These are the strategies your teachers also use in lessons.
Make sure when you are revising at home that you are carrying our revision effectively to make sure the knowledge sticks.
When to revise? - Spaced practice
Spaced practice is simply ensuring that you don't cram revision for one subject into one day or evening. Spread it out over the weeks in smaller chunks of time and in the long run you will be able to remember more. The best way to ensure this happens is to create a revision timetable so head over to guidance on planning for revision to help you. Spaced practice seems hard, but it forces you to retrieve information from your memory and fix it there in the long term.
When to revise? - Interleaving
Interleaving should be used alongside your spaced practice. Don't study one idea for too long. It is better to split an hour of revision into 3 20 minute time slots on 3 different topics rather than spending an hour on one topic. It will feel harder at first, but once you get used to it you will remember more. Switching between topics actually helps you fix the ideas into your long term memory.
When to revise? - Interleaving
How to revise? - Retrieval practice
Retrieval practice strategies are effective techniques that ensure your learning sticks. The least effective, but most common, revision strategies are rereading and highlighting notes. Put those highlighters away. Instead create your own quizzes, use brain dumps, create flash cards, use online quizzes like Seneca. Use the techniques that your teachers are sharing with you in lessons. Just make sure you check for accuracy when you are doing things like brain dumps and self quizzing.
How to revise? - Retrieval Practice
How to revise? - Elaboration
Elaboration is a useful technique to use with Retrieval Practice. And if you revise with others, it will help focus your revision on the most effective learning. Retrieval practice is very useful for helping you learn facts, key terms and key concepts. Elaboration is when you ask yourself questions to develop your understanding further. Using the 4Ws (what/when/why/who) can be useful as can asking yourself questions using key terminology.
How to revise? - Concrete examples
Using Concrete Examples as part of your Elaboration will ensure that you consolidate the topics you are revising. You can create the examples while revising on your own but Concrete Examples shared with your friends will provide additional benefits to your learning.â
How to revise? - Concrete examples
How to revise? - Dual coding
Using visuals with words helps your revision stick. It lodges information in your long term memory as you take in both the visual representation of the idea or concept and the words explaining it. Use Dual Coding as a main method of your note taking, sketching and writing when using Retrieval Practice, Concrete Examples and Elaboration. â