PARENTAL STUDY SKILLS WORKSHOP Studying effectively Revision clock Studying and Homework in Maths Mnemonics and Acronyms

Activity WE ARE NOW GOING TO COMPLETE A QUICK 3 MINUTE TEST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SHEET

Assessment tips Pupils should Read instructions carefully. Best questions first Number of marks a question is worth One bad experience should not influence self-esteem – assessment is over – move on to the next

Studying effectively Realistic study schedule that fits with other commitments and times of the day when they learn best Shorts bursts of focused learning – break up study periods with sort breaks Quiet study space – no distractions No studying/homework late at night Short realistic/achievable targets to get started ORGANISATION is key Healthy body, healthy mind – GOOD SLEEPING PATTERN IS ESSENTIAL

MINIMISING DISTRACTIONS www.ourpact.com This is an app that allows parents to disable Wi-Fi on their child’s phone at chosen times. This does not affect their own phones/accounts

Revision Clock A way of revising which can break a topic down into 12 (or fewer) sub-categories. Student’s revise 12 different topics in 3-4 minute time periods. They then have to fill each section with information, key words or pictures to represent what they can remember.

Revision clock ACTIVITY Read over the information on SHAWLANDS ACADEMY Highlight/underline key points 5 minutes

Revision clock 12-1 – Information on the History of Shawlands Academy 1-2 – List the Faculties that exist at Shawlands Academy 2-3 – Name the leadership team 3-4 – List the associated primaries 4-5 – List the extra-curricular activities that are on offer 5-6 – What are the values of Shawlands Academy? 6-7 – How do we support pupils and help them raise their attainment? 7-8 – How does wider achievement help to develop skills for life, learning and work?

Homework and Revision Tips Mathematics

DID YOU KNOW? Children learn something well when they talk about it or explain it to someone else, so asking your child about their homework really helps them. Children who do homework regularly throughout their time at school benefit from the equivalent of roughly an extra year's schooling. Between the ages of 5 and 16, children spend only 15% of their lives in school so supporting them at home really improves their chances of success. Parents and families are by far the most important influences on children's lives.

Tips for doing Maths homework Start a new page for each new exercise Write the date and the title at the top of the page Try all of the questions Show keywords and all of the working steps Sometimes diagrams should be drawn

Tips for doing Maths homework Make them a good size, use a ruler for lines Space out your work Leave a couple of lines between questions and do one question underneath the other If stuck – look over class jotter, notes or the textbook to help Get jotter signed (at the end of the exercise) by parent/guardian.

General revision tips… Know your course Make a topic checklist by going through your course syllabus or by asking your teacher. Make a revision timetable Draw up a plan covering all topics and set a realistic number of hours for revision each week. Note the dates of your exams and leave a week or two before each exam for final revision. Revise effectively Short bursts of about 30 minutes followed by a break work best.

General revision tips… Think positive Look back at your original plan from time to time, and realise the progress you have made. If there are areas that you find particularly difficult, ask your teacher for help. Handling stress Start preparing for the exams early. Take breaks from revising, exercise regularly, eat and sleep well. Remind yourself that it will all be over in a couple of months! The week before Allow time for final revision where you can go over essential or difficult points.

General revision tips… Practise questions Get used to the style of questions used in the exams. Highlight the key words in the question, plan your response and ensure that your answer is relevant. The night before Look over a few points but don’t try to cram lots of new information. Get all your equipment ready – pens, pencils, calculator, ruler, etc. Have an early night. In the exam Follow all instructions in the exam paper. Read the questions carefully and ensure you answer the question asked. Check the number of marks available for each question and answer accordingly. Keep an eye on the time – make sure you answer the correct number of questions and leave time to read through your answers.

Specifically for Maths … Maths is a ‘doing’ subject. Just reading your notes will not help you be successful in a maths exam. Do the following: Do past papers questions by topic Refer to your notes when you are ‘stuck’ at a specific type of question See your teacher for extra help as it is required – outwith class if necessary Teachers will provide you with revision materials. Ask for extra materials when you require them. Do as many past papers as you can. They can easily be found on the internet.

Enhancing memory skills Repetition – the more you return to the same information the more the memory sticks. Writing information in your own words helps you to remember Memory tricks – use mnemonics and acronyms to remember key information Study notes linked to images and songs may be recalled more easily Look for connections Personalise study Another good way of retaining information is to teach someone else what you have learned. This method can help you remember 90 per cent of the information.

Acronyms Acronyms are a useful way of remembering important information or condensing key facts about a topic. You use the first letter of the key words or names of the topic to create a word you will then remember Examples CORP (Content, Origin, Recall, Purpose – formula for an evaluate the usefulness question in History) FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type, principle measures of training in P.E.

Mnemonics A mnemonic is a sequence of words which form a rhyme or an easily remembered phrase. It is a powerful memory tool This helps you to remember important information This is really useful for fact based subjects such as geography or biology

A Quick Memory Test

Activity continued Make up a story containing the 15 pictures, you have 10 minutes to do this and to read over the story a couple of times. Read over this story a couple of times. Cover up the story Have another go at remembering all of the images