2. The Parent Café
Study Skills: The tools necessary for
examination success

8. Objectives of the session:
- To outline the importance of revision
- To identify ways to develop revision at home
- How to handle the pressure of the GCSE courses
- An opportunity to learn about the advice that
students are given regarding study skills

9. What we are trying to communicate to our students:
- The need to be more self-motivated
- The need to be more responsible for their
learning
- The importance of asking when you don’t
understand
- Develop their ability to overcome frustrations
- Develop their organisation, both of themselves
and their notes!
Why develop ‘study skills’?

10. - The need to complete more work at home,
independently.
- The need to organise and plan their time
over longer periods.
- To see the importance of each piece of
work, no matter how big or small.
- Develop their ability to revise
- Develop their examination technique

11. - Agree the balance between work and social
life. Flexibility is the key.
What can be done at home:
- If they say they have got no
homework, they are lying!
- Reward structure?! This is
not bribery! Little and often,
or one big reward at the
end?

12. What can be done at home:
- Get the revision space right
- Manage distractions
- Make sure that your child takes breaks and
gets some fresh air
- Make sure that 5 minute breaks doesn’t
become 10,15…
- A revision contract?!
- Make sure that a revision timetable is followed

13. Children respond differently to
support (not always with obvious
enthusiasm) but they do benefit from
it. I suggest that if in doubt intervene.

14. The importance of revision
Good revision will consist of the following:
- An aim for each revision session
- Identifying the topics that more time
needs to be spent on
- A break down of topics into workable chunks
- Producing quality notes, noting key points,
phrases or words
- Testing yourself
- Using a checklist so that progress can be seen

15. - Short, regular revision blocks, as opposed to long,
irregular sessions.
This is essential to allow your brain to learn, make
connections and remember
Particularly important!
- Take some days off!
- Don’t leave the difficult stuff until the end!
- A good diet!
- Good revision techniques require the student to
think and be an active learner

16. How quickly do we
‘forget’ information?

17. Revision technique ideas:
- Drawing Spider Diagrams/ Mind Maps to show
how links can be made between topics. Links =
Making a connection = learning
- Drawing Key Points posters, using colour and
pictures to help memorise.
- Record yourself making 10 key points, and listen
back to it throughout the day
- Quality note taking, highlighting key areas from
the textbook

18. - Watching Revision videos
e.g. GCSE Bitesize. Interact
with the video – don’t just sit
and watch.
- Teaching someone else what you have learnt
- Read a page and shut the book, what do you
remember?
- Using Acronyms, Mnemonics and Poems
- Attempting Exam Style Questions
- Use the Revision Guides effectively
- Games with family / friends

19. What ‘kind’ of learner
are you?

20. · Recopy notes in colours · use of highlighters
· Visually organise or reorganise notes using columns, categories,
outline forms, etc.
· Remember where information was located in visual field
· TV/video supplements important for understanding or remembering
· Create timelines, models, charts, grids, etc.
· Write/rewrite facts, formulas, notes on walls, poster for visual
review at any time
·Learn facts, formulas, notes on index cards
· Use of visual mnemonics
Mostly as – visual learner

21. · Need to discuss concepts/facts/aspects with friend immediately after new
learning
· Tape records whilst reading notes for re-listening later
· Must say facts/formulas/information over and over to retain
· Set information to rhyme, rhythm, or music to aid retention
· Remember where information was located in auditory field (eg tagged to "who
said that?")
· Use of different voices to study (like creating a script, or acting out a play)
· TV/video/radio supplements useful for obtaining information
· Prefer to listen without taking notes
· Prefer group discussion and/or study groups
· Aural Mnemonics
Mostly bs - auditory

22. · Prefers learning by ‘doing’ rather than thinking – needs to be
encouraged to take notes, draw diagrams etc.
· Copy notes over and over, apparently to make them neat or
organised?
· Use their body to express a thought – short and long term memory
improved by movement.
· Good hand-eye coordination.
· Prefers to take notes during lesson as an aid to concentration
· Alternates sitting still and moving during studying
· Move hands or feet for rhythm emphasis while studying
· Constructs things while studying
· Frequently takes things apart, or "tinkers with things" for
understanding
· Need to take lots of breaks whilst studying
· Easily confused with having a short attention span
Mostly cs – kinaesthetic

23. Some examples of
different revision
techniques…

31. Make your own notes – don’t just
rely on the revision guide. This can
be started straight away!

46. The deep-sea pearl diver

48. Where should revision take place?
Warm
Quiet
Comfortable
Airy – oxygen helps you stay
awake and learn
Music can help if it is relaxing
- 60 – 80 bpm (similar to
resting heartbeat)
- Your revision area must be:

49. When should revision take place?
- Choose a time and try to stick to it
- If you cannot revise in the morning, early
evening after tea is fine.
- Mornings are the best time as you are
well rested and your brain is uncluttered

50. How long should I revise for?
- Exercise before the revision helps you to
concentrate
- Aim for 30 minutes each session, with a break
for 10 minutes to relax, before starting again.
- Break larger topics down into smaller, more
manageably sized topics
- Less than 10 minutes or over
1 hour of revision is of little
value

52. When should I start revising?!
- The sooner the better!
- 1 month before the exam you should have
shortened your notes and be looking over them
for a second or third time
- As a general rule, 2 – 3 months before the
exam you should have got started. Make a
revision timetable
- 1 week before the exam you should have
finished learning the work
- No learning should take place in the final week
– you cannot learn 2 years of work in 1 week!

53. If we revise something, how
much can we remember?

54. Revision Timetable – where to start?

55. Be specific

58. Sitting the exam
The night before:
- Get your equipment together
- Only attempt light revision and nothing new
- Get up in plenty of time
- Get a good night’s sleep (if possible)
On the day:
- Make sure you leave home with everything
you need
- Last minute revision by flicking through your
notes

59. Sitting the exam
Compose yourself:
- Don’t worry about classmates scribbling away
- Ease into the exam
- Read the instructions carefully
- Write down anything you are afraid of forgetting
- Answer questions you feel confident with
first, if you have a choice.
- Work out how long you can spend on each
question, before the exam starts, if you can.

60. Sitting the exam
- Get a sense of how detailed an answer is
necessary – look at the number of marks available
- Read the question twice – pick out key words
- Stick to what the question is asking!
None of this!

61. Coping with stress
- Continue to do things you enjoy to relax you and
take your mind off study
- Clears the mind, relaxes muscles after and
releases tension produced by stress
Take time out to have fun:
Do some exercise:
- Asking is not a sign of
weakness – friends or family
Talk about it:

62. Coping with stress
- Reduces stress and provides energy
- Take yourself away to
another place by creating a
relaxing daydream!
Eat well:
Use mental imagery:
- Take as many deep breaths
as needed. Hold your breath
for 10 seconds and then
slowly release
Calm yourself:

63. Coping with stress
- Students must set realistic goals in the first
place. The goals can change as the student
becomes more confident
- Main cause of stress – a student not feeling in
control of their circumstances
- Complete tasks rather than leaving them
unfinished
- Develop a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment
in the whole process of preparing for an exam
(rather than focussing on the result alone)

65. -Listening is more important than
knowing all the answers
-Always encourage not to give up; be
positive
-Try to make time to talk about homework
and classwork. It will help make you a
source of encouragement and support
-Talk about your own experiences of school
How can I help?

66. Overworking yourself
Some students work so hard that they could
potentially harm their chances

68. Overworking yourself
There are clear signs of being overworked
to look out for:
- Lose contact with friends and family
- Tiredness, due to late nights finishing off work,
probably to an unnecessarily high standard
- Irritable
- Deteriorating health
- Loss of focus