Exam week is always a hard time of the year, and the stress is building up for pupils, teachers and parents. There are many, many different techniques floating around schools and search engines, all claiming to be the most successful; however, it is unique for each pupil. Here at Penstripe, we have collated the most raved about techniques by past pupils for you to pass on to your students this term.
What kind of learners are they?
Get your pupils to find out what kind of learner they are. There are lots of online quizzes for them to use, which will allow them to find out whether they are visual, kinesthetic, auditory or reading/writing learners. What works for one person may not work for another, this way you can split the class into their learning style for revision lessons.
Revision timetables
Planning is a crucial part of success when it comes to revision, it is proven that repeated learning is far more effective than cramming everything in the night before, although I’m sure you’ve heard many times from pupils that they aced a test through the cramming method – we can almost guarantee a fluke.
By making plans in advance, students can ensure they’re not wasting time looking for things to learn when they could be revising. Not to mention the fact that planning teaches them the precious lesson of time-management which will benefit them throughout life. Our student planners are the perfect tool to keep your pupils on top of their revision, with our diary pages they are set to become time-management experts.
Flash cards
These little pieces of paper are the key to your classes success. Get students to put questions/terms on one side and the answer/definition on the other. Testing others works wonders for recall and is a fun way to retain all that information.
Teaching their family
This is called the ‘Protege Effect’ and is another effective way for students to revise in a less mind-numbing fashion. Once your students thoroughly understand the material you have given them, encourage them to teach it to a family member or friend. Teaching somebody else coerces your brain to organise that information into a structured format.
Escape the distractions
The most significant distraction for students in this day and age is their mobile phone, but more importantly social media. We all know the impulse we get when that notification pings, even as adults. Introduce students to studying apps like ‘Forest’ – which allows students to block time-wasting apps like Instagram and Snapchat for specific periods of time.
Relaxation
This is one of the techniques your pupils must not forget. Of course, they need to work hard but there is a limit before they become super stressed and it becomes counterproductive. Encourage students to take regular breaks – 20-minute intervals work well.
When it comes to the last few weeks of revision try and practice mindfulness with the class, this is a useful skill for anyone to have but is particularly helpful for reducing exam anxiety and stress.
Of course, all these revision activities need planning themselves – this is where our teacher planners come in handy. Our teacher planners are made to the highest standards possible, tailored to your needs with bespoke planning pages and available at very reasonable prices.
Olaf Surtees has been with Penstripe for ten years; what he doesn’t know about teacher planners, student planners, and lesson planners isn’t worth knowing! He’s in charge of creating our blog content, helping teachers and administrators with helpful hints and tips, as well as our socials — see the links below to find out more.
