So after you've read part one to my blogs about revising, and you're now thinking "Let's go!"
This blog will suggest some techniques to help you to revise effectively. Take your time going through these suggestions. Revision techniques are not a “one size fits all.” You need to choose what works for you, and even after you've started revising, you may well need to change your stance on when and how you revise.
But one thing I will say that helps everyone is this... The earlier you start, the better.
Before you start revising, take some time to answer these questions as honestly and thoroughly as you can;
- What do you enjoy learning? What topics/subjects interest you?
- Do you have a favourite/least favourite revision technique?
- Exactly what topics are a priority, and what do you need to learn?
- How much time do you have to commit to your revision?
So how do I revise?
Before I share some suggestions of how you can revise, I will say this again. Revision techniques are not a “one size fits all” but you must be committed to revising, reviewing your techniques, and making sure that what you are doing is benefitting you. If it isn’t, change it!
I always teach my students to use this acronym to create the ideal approach to setting their revision targets;
Now you have the right approach to setting your targets, let’s set the right approach to revising.
Highlighters- they don’t always work!
I know when I was studying for my GCSE’s back when the dinosaurs were alive 
I was encouraged to use highlighters to help me to copy out text from a book. But recent research has shown that when we have to think hard about something, we are far more likely to retain that information. So, copying, re-reading, highlighting and underlining may not be the ideal approach to revising after all. That doesn’t mean I’m telling you not to do it, but if you have been doing this and it’s been having no effect, then maybe it’s time we switched things up and tried these methods instead;
The big long list of revision methods!
- Past paper questions.
- Creating notes/ mind maps from memory.
- Creating flash cards from memory.
- Describing something from memory/hot seat questioning.
- Peer on peer questions.
- Online tests Apps/games.
- Teaching others.
- Listening to podcasts about the topic you're learning.
- Listening to foreign radio stations (language and accent learning).
- Watching a film with dubbing in another language/ subtitles in another language.
- Tik-Tok/ YouTube tutorials- be careful with this!
- Reading examiners reports from exams to see what were common mistakes made and see what the examiners were pleased with.
- Make a memory game to match up things like glossary words.
- Reading context texts to develop your English answers.
- Have a parent ask you questions/ listen to you teach while driving/doing housework.
Note that there are lots of methods here on how you can revise. Not every method will work for everyone, and you may find that some methods work for some subjects, but not for others. Take some time to discover what works for you, and regularly review if the techniques are working.
I teach a Revision Masterclass in January and March every year, and in this class there are at least another 20 methods of revision explained. If you'd like to book in, please contact me using ZZatem or via The Bluebird Academy of Education on Facebook or Instagram.
On my next blog, I will be discussing how to organise a revision schedule that suits your life and your way of revising.
If you’d like to discuss any of these methods of revision, feel free to contact me on Facebook or Instagram at The Bluebird Academy of Education.
Kim
