Study Skills Or “What I wish I’d known when I was your age”

Aim: Work Hard AND SMART This two session course on study skills has two objectives expressed by these two questions: What are the most efficient ways of studying and recalling a great deal of material effectively? What are the most powerful ways of coping with exam-related anxiety and stress?

Course Structure For each of the two sessions you will be exposed to the most evidence based/ research proven study skills and will get the opportunity to test them out. But remember Thomas Edison: “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” Skills are all very well but developing a strong work ethic is paramount (but don’t worry we have tips for that in the second session!)

Starter: Consider 1. Which study skills do you use now? 2. How do you begin? 3. How do you measure progress? 4. How do you maintain focus? 5. What do you feel you need to work on?

Study Techniques As we introduce the techniques on the following slides, are there any common features you can pick out?

1.Retrieval Practice This method was recently proven superior to mindmapping/concept mapping for recall and inference and concept mapping! (yes, students that used this technique outperformed mindmappers at mindmapping!!) This means that this technique is transferable and well worth having in your toolbox Despite this, don’t dismiss mindmaps and visual diagrams as they do have other uses as you’ll see later

1a. Retrieval Practice Read a text for 5 mins (time yourself) Take a minute break Now try and write down everything you can remember/main points and concepts from the text 5-10 minutes DO NOT LOOK AT THE TEXT Repeat for 4 intervals Easy to implement but very very effective

1b. Retrieval Practice Let’s practice a short version of retrieval practice. Use the text provided We’ll only do one interval though Then compare your notes with your group. Whose notes are particularly good? What did they do/not do in the review period?

2. Interleaving Practice This technique is best for PE/Maths/Science but can be used effectively for everything It means that you don’t practice one skill in isolation but instead you mix it in with other skills you’re trying to improve. Doing this is not only much more effective than blocked practice when it comes to test time it also transfers the skill better to other areas So instead of doing all the same types of maths or science problems clustered together you would mix them together in your revision

2b Got it? Each letter is a different skill. Which of the following are examples of interleaved practice and which are blocked practice? 1. Aaaaabbbbbbbccccc 2. Abababababbab 3. Abcbcacab

2c Interleaved Practice Next time you look through your Maths or Science books have a look for just how many of the exercises are blocked practice rather than interleaved. If your book tends to be more blocked than interleaved (which most are) you’d be wise to jump between 3 different skill areas when next you practice

2d Example Here are some page references from your Yr9 Maths for Edexcel IGCSE Text 1. Number patterns p Angles p93 3. Algebra p59 Are the examples blocked or interleaved? If blocked, how could you easily turn them into interleaved practice if you’re studying at home? Discuss in groups and then feedback your suggestions

3. (3Rs) Read, Recite, Review Choose a study text Read the text, (aim for around 5-10 mins) Set the text aside and recite out loud all that you can remember of the main points Now review the text, targeting any gaps in your recall and comprehension revealed by the recitation

3a. (3Rs) Read, Recite, Review Benefits: Proven to improve performance on both recall and inference tests Easy to put together

3b Practice We’re going to structure this slightly differently for practice in a class setting In pairs, Your teacher will give you a text (or choose one of your own), both partners will read different passages Partner A will after 5 mins of reading pass her text to partner B who will use it to monitor the recital Partner A will recite the main points for 1-2 minutes Partner B will point out gaps and then hand passage back to partner A for review Repeat for Partner B

Summary/Observations? All study techniques are not created equal Some are much more effective/efficient than others Most students just rely on note taking as their main study skill this works but is not the most effective way Use the principles from this lesson and next to develop your own way.

4. Coping with Stress: Keeping an eye on the Big Picture We conclude the first session (as we will the second) with a quick and easy way to reduce pre exam nerves This quick writing exercise allows you to reframe the examinations in a wider perspective This is an excellent way of reducing stress in any situation Try it!

Concluding Questions-1 What were the three study techniques we looked at today?

Concluding Questions-2 Describe to a partner how to implement interleaved practice into your study-Do not use your notes

Concluding Questions -3 What do retrieval practice and the 3rs method have in common?

Learner Profile Link BIS learners are REFLECTIVE Look back at the questionnaire you answered at the start of the session. How could you integrate the new skills into your study habits? Which skills lend themselves best to which subjects? How might you plan a study timetable? –Think about including subjects, and skills-more on this in session 2

Last Words-Bruce knows best! “Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own”