Revision Techniques - A Post Engagement Review

POST ENGAGEMENT REVIEW Student Revision Techniques: March July 2018

Workshops were conducted in Revision Techniques for Year 10 and 11 students in preparation for their GCSE Examinations. lt All workshops were well attended by attentive and engaging students, the majority of whom remained active participants in both the interactive sections of the period (1.5h), and in the individual working elements. After introduction to the technique of MindMapping and how it can be applied to learning, a mid-session review was conducted with each class to recap making notes in mindmaps, memory retention, and recall. This involved a precis of Macbeth / Blood brothers / Science being read at a standard teaching speed and use of MindMapping to capture and organise ideas, notes, and themes. A short break (5 to10 mins) was then introduced to deliberately disrupt the learning process, and then a test in the form of redrawing their mind mapped notes without any aid was used to evaluate retention and recall. In all classes, extremely encouraging results were seen with many students (up to 75% of the class) recalling 80%+ of the content of the taught material& often to the student's own surprise (and delight). On several occasions, the instructor was approached by students at the end of the sessions and thanked for making revision more interesting& and in one case for potentially changing my life. A good proportion of students began to apply the techniques to their own topics during the practice time at the end of each session- diverting from the core subjects covered in the session to their own GCSE options. Additionally, some students began to employ their own style of visualization to topics not directly referred to in the sessions. Subjects such as maths, mental health, science, and catering were popular over and above the science, history, and English focused on in the sessions. The rapid and active adoption of the techniques taught appears to be indicative that the students found it worked for them. It seems that many have now realised that revision does not have to be a read/write/repeat exercise for learning and recall but can encompass so much more of their own creative flair. Many students continued to apply their own versions of the techniques taught throughout their revision, and it was noted by the school that students who are often disengaged in lessons such as maths have since created some outstanding pieces of visual imagery which directly correlates to the lesson material and the fundamental principles of the syllabus. The sessions had a significantly positive impact on not only retention and recall of material, but also in the engagement level of the students to their revision topics with tangible results witnessed in the GCSE results of the year group. & &Confirmation of the achievements against expected grades for 2018 revealed a 30% increase in students obtaining a C or above in Maths and English, and that EVERY student in the year achieved 1 grade higher than their MEG where they had applied the techniques taught.