Tuesday 18 th November 2014 Aims: Share school approach to learning Share practical strategies for improving learning Discuss skills vs knowledge

We should remember a few things about our children: They generally want to do well in school Students who consistently do well in school practice good study habits and are well organised Study skills and organisational skills do not come naturally to most people – they must be learned Movement towards skills rather than knowledge

Work undertaken at home is not just the ‘ homework ’ recorded on the BISNet – it will also include reviewing the day ’ s work, note taking and reading around the subject. * Review * Study * Revision

Listening to a lecture (TED Talk?) Taking notes Making summary diagrams with colours Discussing the homework with your classmates / family

* What does your child’s current work area look like? * How should it look? * You remember more if you do your homework in the same place and same time each night! * Necessary supplies

Use a large calendar to write down ALL activities and due dates Estimate the hours needed to complete assignments and divide those hours over the days allotted Block off study time in advance Turn off cell phones, TV etc. Get a drink / snack - avoid an excuse to get up! Have all necessary supplies in the work area Review classwork every day. Make a list of questions if there are things you don’t fully understand. Make a list of review questions for tests later.

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Do the least favourite assignment first to get it over with Even if there isn’t much homework, spend minutes reviewing that day’s notes Positive messages, “If I just finish five problems, I’ll give myself a break.” By the time you finish five problems, you may be ready for five more Keep the finish line in mind!

Use lots of ways to revise Read, and write summaries of, your notes Draw diagrams Sketch mind maps (spider diagrams) of key issues Revise with a friend: ask and answer questions Work through past exam papers Answer guided questions in revision books

Plan revision slots of between minutes Have something to look forward to, e.g. a TV show Tick off things that you have done, and note things you have to do Once you know the date of your exam, aim to start revising at least a month before.

RoteElaborative Repeating over and over until it can be recalled Formulas Important Dates Notable People Variety of strategies to help enhance meaning Essays Projects Debates Two Types of Review

Two Types of Practice MassedDistributed Material only makes it to your “working memory” Material will soon be forgotten Cramming for a test Material makes it to your “long-term memory” Review and revisit material often Information should be reviewed ten minutes after learning and every seven days to keep in long-term memory

Mnemonics * Technique that allows learners to remember information using short retrieval cues EXAMPLES: * rhythm: Rhythm Helps Your Two Hips Move * Series of alkanes: Methane, Ethane, Propane, Butane, Pentane, Hexane My Enormous Penguin Bounces Pretty High * Order of geological time periods: (Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, Recent) Cows Often Sit Down Carefully. Perhaps Their Joints Creak. Persistent Early Oiling Might Prevent Painful Rheumatism.

Types of Mnemonics Chunking (grouping items for better recall, particularly numbers) Acronyms (using the first letter from a group of words to form a new word) Visualisation (creating pictures in your mind or on paper) Peg Method (visualizing words literally attached to familiar objects)

Be an ACTIVE studier - simply re- reading the chapter and other information is PASSIVE studying Use distributed practice - review every night of the week, even if there isn’t a quiz or test coming up Ask questions before the test!

WRITE * Make chapter study review cards * Use a set of flashcards (vocabulary, definitions) VISUALIZE * Close my eyes and “picture in my mind” any chart, diagram, word, map, event, time period, scene, experiment, or character that I am trying to remember