Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Revision – Why bother?
• To know the stuff!
• To give you confidence
• To know that you have tried your best
Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Revision – How do I start?
You never plan to fail…you can only fail to plan:
Benjamin Franklin supposedly once said, “If you fail to plan, you are
planning to fail.” Sir Winston Churchill is credited with another, oft
repeated, saying: “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed
to repeat it.”
P O A
Plan
Of
Action
Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Revision – What do I do?
• Know what you need to know:
For Biology, you have the sections in the revision guide clearly
labelled. The learning outcome lists guide you on exactly what you
need to be able to do for each topic.
• Work out how much time you have got to revise:
Be realistic about how much time you can spend. But don’t leave
it too late! A revision timetable is always a good idea.
Browse through EVERYTHING you are going to need to know –
Skim read it. Get an overview of what you have to study BUT –
Don’t spend too long! (10 mins)
Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Revision – What do I do?
• Work out how much time you have got to revise cont…:
Decide how long you have to spend on each section and write this
onto your timetable/revision plan: eg.
Saturday
B1a & b
Sunday
B1c & d
Monday
B1 e& f
Tuesday
B1g & h
Wednesday
Review
ALL/Hardest
parts
Thursday
TEST!!!
Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Revision – What do I do?
• Plan what you will actually do in your revision time:
Reading the revision guide alone is NOT ENOUGH!!!
Make your revision ACTIVE:
5 min Mind Map of what you know so far
5 min – Pick out the key themes (Mind map outline/ headings on
revision cards/ headings on a poster)
10 min on each ‘theme’ – 1) Preview skim read, 2) fill in notes on
the ‘easy’ parts, 3) read in detail the ‘difficult’ parts, 4) make notes
on difficult parts (diagrams if possible), 5) Apply a ‘memory trick’
for the hardest parts.
Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Making notes
Mind maps – ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’
Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Making notes
Traditional notes – with gaps!
A reflex ………………. describes the sequence of events that happen
in the body to protect itself from ……………….. for example
……………………………………………… . The sequence of stages is:
St……………..
R………………………
Sensory ……………………………
…………………………… neurone (across the spinal ………..)
M………….. neurone
R……………..
Effector (eg. ……………………………………………….)
Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Making notes
Diagrams – either hand drawn or printed out but with gaps to label
or annotate them.
Annotations to pages in the revision guide e.g. highlighting or
underlining or making notes in the margin (eg with the memory
tricks)
Colour
Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Memory tricks
Mnemonics
Hooks
Associations – links with bits of biology you already know
Use your senses
Imaginative stories
Rhythm
Exaggeration
Big Picture: Learning how to revise successfully
Review time
Review your notes regularly:
- Once the same day (5 min)
- Once the day after (10 min)
- Once a week later – even after the test! (10 min)
Each time you review, dso, start and end on a different theme. This
takes advantage of the ‘Primacy’ and ‘Recency’ effect.