WHAT WE WILL COVER Memorising Effective Reading Note-Taking Using The Internet as a Study Tool

Look at it Repeat it with rhythm Write it Number it Give it a shape Turn it into a diagram Say it aloud + record Video it Draw it Colour it Act it out MEMORY STRATEGIES

MEMORISING When you are studying for exams you often have to remember a lot of details, of names, dates, etc. Naturally enough, people often find remembering lots of different pieces of information quite difficult. However, there is a technique that may prove useful. Firstly, though, let’s test our memories as they are.

MEMORY TEST 1 You have 2 minutes to remember as many items as possible from this shopping list.

Pasta Carrots Eggs Tomatoes Biscuits Teabags Onions Bolognese sauce Chicken Minced beef Jam Olive oil Peppers, Bread

How many can you remember?

LOCI OR ‘MEMORY PALACE’ TECHNIQUE The ‘Loci’ or ‘Memory Palace’ technique is an effective way to increase your capacity to remember different items by associating them in an unusual way with an environment you are familiar with. Video that explains how to use the Loci technique Video that shows it in action

MEMORY TEST 2 The next slide has a list of 15 animals. Give yourself two minutes to remember all the animals using the loci technique, then write down as many as you can remember.

Hippo Killer whale Spider Sparrow Dog Horse Lion Monkey Goldfish Wolf Dolphin Badger Pigeon Scorpion Snake

HOW MANY DID YOU REMEMBER THIS TIME? DID THE TECHNIQUE HELP?

EFFECTIVE READING When you are studying for exams you often have a significant amount of reading to get through. In many cases the things you have to read are quite complex and often difficult to understand e.g. the Shakespeare play. Students often report that their eyes ‘glaze over’ when they’re trying to read. Others say that they can spend an hour reading something and then barely remember what they read afterwards. There is however a reading technique that can help you engage with even difficult books and texts, and to stay focused, and retain the information you just read.

SQ3R The S-Q-R-R-R technique is a proven method to help engagement with text and retention of information after reading. It stands for Skim – Question – Read – Recite – Review. This method is highly effective by guiding you through the steps of how to engage with a chapter or article before, during and after the reading process itself. Check out the youtube clip for this topic to find out how to use this method, and print the worksheet that helps take you through the steps. SQ3R Reading Technique Video

NOTE-TAKING A lot of people like to study by taking notes when reading. However, the method they use to take notes often isn’t structured. Good note taking is highly structured, and helps you to retain information after the reading process, and the notes can then act as a new study resource in the future.

NOTE-TAKING, THE CORNELL METHOD The Cornell Method of note taking is a proven technique that will maximise your learning while taking notes. With the Cornell Method, what you do with the information you’ve gathered after taking the notes is as important as the process of taking the notes themselves. Check out the youtube clip that goes with this topic for a demonstration How to take Cornel Style NotesHow to take Cornel Style Notes You can then print out the template worksheet for this topic and try the method yourself!

USING THE INTERNET AS A TOOL FOR STUDY There are some fantastic web sites available to help with Leaving Certificate study. They won’t replace using your notes, text books or other study guides. But they will allow you to take a break from ‘reading and writing’. You can also use them to jog your memory in an exam.

READ & LISTEN Before you start, download MyStudyBar or NaturalReaders.MyStudyBarNaturalReaders You can then copy and paste text from any of these websites into Microsoft Word, and then use these software programmes to turn them into an mp3.

ONLINE MATHS HELP Is a good site to help with your Maths study. It includes iPod videos, lessons, test yourself Is a good site for revising, practising & testing yourself

ONLINE ENGLISH HELP skool.ieskool.ie and Sparknotes have great resources for poetry, the comparative text and film studies.

SCIENCE - ONLINE HELP Interactive periodic table with videos from the University of Nottingham

BUSINESS- ONLINE HELP skool.ie has interactive lessons and tests This site has great Video tutorials: e.g. guide to financial statements

LANGUAGES Listen to and watch programmes, read the transcript, do the worksheets

GEOGRAPHY Simply type your topic into YouTube, settle back and watch / listen. Tip: re-calling these videos is very useful in the exam as they will give you a structure to write to. For example google ‘dynamics of population’ you will get a dynamic list of online video resources

HISTORY You can also use YouTube for history topics. Another useful site is History In Service. Type in the period in history, topic and primary or secondary source