Preparation is key… … to success at GCSE

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o It’s September 2018 – where are you and what are you doing? o What are your goals? o Draw a picture, mind map or diagram of your dreams and goals, and put it up in your room. Where will you be next year?

o Lots of people are really well prepared for their first couple of exams, but then things start to get on top of them. o Think of it as a sports tournament. After the first couple of matches, unfit players start to pick up injuries. o You need to stay match fit until the final. GCSEs are an Endurance Test

FIXED : Ability is fixed and not open to change. People are either intelligent, sporty, arts, good at maths etc. or they are not. Mind-set GROWTH: Ability and levels of achievement are not set in stone. With enough motivation, effort and good teaching, people can become better at almost anything.

o A ccept: do you have an attitude that is positive and engaged or reluctant and irritated? o B elieve: If you don’t think you will be able to learn it you are probably right. Can you find a way to reject this belief and replace it with a more helpful one? o C ommit to the process: what is your objective, have a clarity about what you are going to achieve? Be specific ( e.g. in this half hour) Be specific ( e.g. in this half hour) Growth mind-set for revision

Diet Diet Sleep patterns Sleep patterns Routines Routines Working environment Working environment Organisation Organisation Motivation Motivation Mind-set Mind-set What can parents influence?

Parents can feel very much in the dark when it comes to knowing what to do and how to encourage their child’s exam preparation. Education - and exams - have changed so much. How can you be sure whether your experience is still relevant? …some examples of what we mean by Active Revision and ways in which parents can help…. So …some examples of what we mean by Active Revision and ways in which parents can help…. February Half Term

 9 days of “holiday”.  Students have been advised to complete 6 days of revision.  Students have been advised to keep to a “normal school day” in terms of working habits.  It will be critical that the revision they do is active and meaningful. February Half Term

  Memory is strengthened by re-visitation.   Effective revision moves the revised material from the short-term memory to the long-term memory.   This means good organisation in a revision programme of returning to previously-learnt sections every few days. The Revision Calendar

So we need a clear revision timetable for every school day of the 2 weeks that covers and revisits all the necessary topics and content.

Break each session into: Learning in your head, reading, repeating, picturing, prompting, watching clips Recalling by writing out key words, diagrams, units, equations, ideas all with your books and notes closed before checking back to see what you have remembered and most importantly missed Testing and marking with past paper questions, knowledge quizzes etc. Active Revision?

  Use of colour and images aid memory recall so having colours and highlighters as part of the “Revision Pack” is helpful   Transform the information into a format that the brain will more easily remember: Flash-cards Mind maps Audio Mnemonics DO NOT copy out notes or simply read the notes   Use self testing methods to be sure the knowledge is retained   Use exam questions and mark schemes to test the learning and application Active Revision?

Plan and take regular breaks In any learning period we remember most at the beginning and the end of the session, the longer the learning session the deeper and longer lasting the sag between these two points No revision period should be longer than minutes, hydrate the brain in between each period.

  Highlighters, post its, colour pens, packs of blank cards.   Students can share the revision they are doing, use their parents to check sections were being learnt and keep them informed as to how it was going.   Parents can get involved, to offer time and help (aim for that fragile balance between encouragement and enforcement).   There will be stress, there will be anxiety; it will be on both sides – so anticipate it and do whatever you can to set up routines, expectations and lines of communication to ease its passage. A ‘Revision Equipment Pack’

  Highlighters, post its, colour pens, packs of blank cards.   Students can share the revision they are doing, use their parents to check sections were being learnt and keep them informed as to how it was going.   Parents can get involved, to offer time and help (aim for that fragile balance between encouragement and enforcement).   There will be stress, there will be anxiety; it will be on both sides – so anticipate it and do whatever you can to set up routines, expectations and lines of communication to ease its passage. A ‘Revision Equipment Pack’

Dismiss the impression held by a number of students that ‘just reading through my notes’ is actually revising! Emphasise the need to manipulate the information as received into a different, learnable form. Diagrammatic, use of symbols, spider diagrams, mind- maps, bullet point lists, post its, flash cards, audio recordings…. There are various options to turn what has to be learnt, into a format in which it can be memorised. Transform it

Students have to process their class notes and revision guides into a format that concentrates the essentials into easily- revisited summaries of key information. A page of notes is broken down to be classified under key headings, colour-coded to classify key concepts or sequence information. The reverse side of the card can be used for key vocabulary and possible exam questions. The skill is in making the flashcard hold the key information that could be drawn upon and organising it in a manner than aids recollection and meaning. Revision Flash cards

Students have to process their class notes and revision guides into a format that concentrates the essentials into easily- revisited summaries of key information. A page of notes is broken down to be classified under key headings, colour-coded to classify key concepts or sequence information. The reverse side of the card can be used for key vocabulary and possible exam questions. The skill is in making the flashcard hold the key information that could be drawn upon and organising it in a manner than aids recollection and meaning. Revision Flash cards

A technique that, while familiar to many students, may be new to many parents. Works on the knowledge that the brain responds to images and colour much more than linear text, retention is enhanced as the pictures and colour are associated with the required knowledge. This is a bit of a “Marmite” technique – many find them really useful when planning and revising but they do nothing for others who may prefer lists. Mind Maps

Memorise:Study a section of notes and memorise the key points Write:Put your notes out of sight and write down from memory the essential things you have learnt Check:Check with your notes Learn: Note any points you omitted or got wrong and learn them Look, Cover, Write

A technique for self-testing once a section has been revised. Parents can help and be brought into the revision process: P Preview – Read through chapter and section headings. Read the final summaries. Q Question – Turn each chapter heading and subheading into a question. R Read – Read your questions and then answer from the text. Mark or highlight the keywords/ points. S Say – Say your answer and explain your keywords aloud to yourself or explain to someone else. T Test – Go over your notes and test yourself again – what can you now recall to answer each of the questions that you have written? PQRST

With the ease of accessing past papers from exam board websites they, and the associated mark schemes, can be a useful tool in both guiding the revision programme and assessing the extent to which whatever style a student has gone about it – has proved effective, or otherwise. Start early on checking whether the chosen revision method is doing the business and enabling them to:   decipher the exam-speak of questions,   recollect appropriate material, to sufficient depth and breadth for the mark allocation,   be able to think flexibly with response format and structure to capture the full set of marks on offer. Exam Paper

Essential knowledge Exam board websites: o Exam dates and times o Papers and topics to revise o Subject topics lists and revision timetable

Motivation and rewards Short term - when I have completed 2 hours’ work tonight Medium term - when I have prepared for and completed my week’s revision Long term – when I achieve my target grade Break down the tasks ahead

“My mum told me before my exams that she loved me more than the world and that, when the exams finished, she would love me more than the world.” (previous year 11 student) Reassurance