Effective revision requires preparation, organization, and using study techniques that promote understanding and repetition. Some key strategies include creating a revision timetable to space out topics, using interleaved practice to revisit each topic several times, and employing multi-sensory techniques like mind maps, flashcards, and teaching concepts to others. It is also important to get sufficient sleep and manage stress to allow for optimal memory and focus during revision. Regular self-testing helps identify weaknesses to address and reinforces learning over time.

1. Improving learning through
effective revision
Ashley Tomlin
Jon Curtis-Brignell

3. Please imagine:
In this room…
– Your son or daughter
• asleep on a sofa in an empty room
• under a blanket with ‘I GET IT’ printed on it.
• This is being filmed by a film crew with pink hair
• Whilst the director gives them a neck rub and shouts
‘Another take!’

4. There is no great
secret to revising...
It
is
a
ques*on
of
being
prepared
before
you
start
and
using
your
*me
properly

5. • No clutter
• No computer
• No Phone
• No TV
GET RID OF
TEMPTATION…

6. Be Prepared…and Get Organised…
Have your text books and
notes with you, in an
ordered way so that you
can find anything you need
quickly.

7. CREATE A REVISION TIMETABLE (of <40 min slots)
…AND STICK TO IT!

8. Interleaved
Prac*ce
When
revising
a
subject,
the
tempta*on
is
to
do
it
in
‘blocks’
of
topics.
Like
below:

9. The
problem
with
this
is,
is
that
it
doesn’t
support
the
importance
of
repe**on
–
which
is
so
important
to
learning.
So
rather
than
revising
in
‘topic
blocks’
it’s
beGer
to
chunk
topics
up
in
a
revision
programme
and
interleave
them:
This means that you keep coming back to the topics.
So, instead of doing a one hour block of revision on
topic 1, do 15 minutes on topic 1, then 15 minutes on
topic 2, then the same for topic 3 and 4.

10. ! memory….what?
! technique…how?
! Effort and preparation
What do exams test?

11. Speed of forgetting depends on difficulty of the learned
material, how it is represented, stress, sleep.
Memory is developed
a) By using better techniques (e.g. mnemonics)
b) Through repetition based on active recall, especially
spaced repetition
KEY FINDINGS

12. • You must understand the learned material.
• You cannot easily learn or remember something you
don’t understand.
UNDERSTANDING

13. Stress
• You must be unstressed for your memory to function
and for you to be able to revise effectively.
By:
– Not leaving to the last minute.
– Understanding the material before learning
– Having ordered notes.
– Having a quiet place to work.
– Rehearsing assessment as well as content

14. • You must be rested.
• People in their late teens need 9 hours sleep a night.
• Most teenagers are chronically sleep-deprived.
“sleep deprivation produces
impairments in cognitive and motor
performance equivalent to legally
prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication.”
(Williamson, 2000):
REST

15. Effective Revision needs:
Your son or daughter
• asleep on a sofa in an empty room = Sleep / organised
• under a blanket with ‘I GET IT’ printed on it. = MATERIAL THEY
UNDERSTAND
• This is being filmed by a film crew with pink hair = INTERESTING
VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS
• Whilst the director gives them a neck rub = LACK OF STRESS
• and shouts ‘Another take!’ = REPETITION

16. How would you learn
this material?
• What
strategies
would
you
use?

17. Less
effec5ve

18. Highligh5ng

19. Re-­‐reading

20. Summarising
Texts

21. Why?
• Low
challenge.
• LiGle
thinking
required.
• Makes
the
student
think
that
they
are
‘doing
something’

22. More
effec5ve

23. We all learn in different
ways but the most
effective ways include the
use of a multi-sensory
approach.

24. • Mindmapping
• Knowledge Flow
• Mnemonics

25. • Notes of notes of notes
• Revision Cards / Flash cards
• Acronyms
• Pictures
A Mixed method is the most effective…

26. Must
Overtake
Fast
Cars
Motivated
Organised
Focused
Creative

27. Test yourself
• Past papers
• Revision sessions
• Ask the teachers to set questions
• Do “Question and Answer” sessions with friends

28. And: web tools
• All the sites below are free (in their basic
form).
• www.stixy.com – an online bulletin board
• www.mindmeister.com – an online mindmapping tool
• www.tumblr.com – a blogging tool
• www.weebly.com – a website creation tool
• www.wallwisher.com – an online post-it tool
• www.wordle.net – an online vocabulary poster tool
• www.popplet.com – makes mindmaps

29. Use the results you get to…
• Go over weaker areas
• Check them
• Have another go!
Remember…the brain builds
understanding and remembers through
spaced repetition

30. Summary
• “Memory
is
the
residue
of
thought”.
• Tes*ng.
• Space
it
out.
• Keep
asking
‘why’?
• Build
on
what
they
know.
• Explain
their
steps
in
problem
solving.

31. GOOD LUCK.