1. FACTS – NOT FICTION What we know about Learning by Heart

2. It takes longer than you think… START EARLIER ! Clear message from year 11 ‘Exit Survey’ Some plans are better than others…

3. It takes longer than you think… Why? You need have a full set of all the material you need to know in a good revisable format You need to understand everything. You can’t effectively, learn by heart something that makes little sense to you, and you may not have fully understood everything you covered in class the first time through. It takes time to fully grasp how to revise effectively, what works and what doesn’t and to get into good habits. Nobody gets 100% motivated magically overnight. When you’ve learned the material you still need to practise using it in an exam specific format.

4. Myth buster… Many of the following facts you will not want to hear, because they are not convenient – and will take time to accept them fully. Many students cling to them long after they have ben told the truth, because they are comfortable… However they are facts, based on clinical trials. By all means ignore them – but you will be working hard, rather than smart. Your choice…

5. ALERT… None of the advice we can give will take away the pain of revision... There is no ‘magic bullet’, no quick fix… We can help you get ‘value for effort, give you the information on how to ‘work smart’ – but you still have to WORK Revision is BORING NOBODY likes it You are not supposed to enjoy it or find it easy to motivate yourself…

6. The Science of Learning

7. A quick overview of what DOESN’T work

8. What doesn’t work - 1 Trying to LEARN material that you do not fully understand

9. What doesn’t work - 2 Trying to learn LOTS in one session

10. What doesn’t work - 3 Working for long periods without a break – if you are working HARD, then your maximum productive period could be as short as 20 minutes – and is certainly no longer than 1 hour.

11. What doesn’t work - 4 Block learning/cramming – getting all of one topic of subject done and out of the way in one big, concentrated session

12. What doesn’t work - 5 Music as a ‘help’ – it’s been shown in tests, it doesn’t help, it is at best neutral ( Mozart…?) and at worst reduces concentration and absorption

13. What doesn’t work 6 Any other form of ‘multitasking’/distraction – e.g. ‘Just’ having your phone nearby in case of emergency, you’re not really checking it of course…It ‘helps’ you to have it there Think back to the assembly on concentration. It is a massive distraction for your brain and will slow down everything. Don’t try and delude yourself.

14. What doesn’t work - 7 Anything that is passive/easy so:- – reading notes through over and over again – copying notes out – summarising notes – with book open – highlighting notes – making notes from notes /diagrams from notes- with book open

15. So what DOES work?

16. Techniques that WORK - 1 Spaced learning; spread it out, small chunks, revisit. So 1 x 60 minutes is less powerful than 4 x 15 minutes spread over time…

17. Having time to forget is important Your brain will retain material better and for longer if it has revisited it several times, and been forced to recall it each time, with longer and longer gaps between each visit

18. Techniques that work 2 2 - Brains don’t multitask – do ONE thing well – Assembly Concentration is tiring – don’t try and do it for too long at one without a break TV/phones do not help Music – Nice ? Yes Helpful ? NO!

19. Techniques that work - 3 Brains need ‘links’ to secure data- random facts don’t stick Just understanding provides some level of link and thus secures learning to some extent Visual links and mnemonics works well in many instances

20. mnemonic n ɪˈ m ɒ n ɪ k/S noun 1. a system such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations which assists in remembering something.

21. Mnemonics Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants Dr & Mrs VanDerTramp Jaimin gets very nervous before playing basketball Please stop calling me Alison! Zoos in this land have customers many, saying, ‘Good place!’ MAKE YOUR OWN UP – it doesn’t have to be sensible to stick!

22. Techniques that work Visualisation/picture associations – The technique of memory champions E.g. For French – using images to embed gender association; visualize each noun with a feminine or masculine person of your choice, make the image specific and memorable, you will retain the gender far better. www.Memrise.com provides may examples of how well this can work www.Memrise.com

23. WWW.Memrise.com http://www.memrise.com/home/

24. Techniques that work 4 The single most effective way to embed information is to put the brain under pressure – to make it work. You do this by testing it, forcing your brain to recall knowledge. This also has the advantage of clarifying what you brain can’t recall – so you can focus your next attention on that. Then retest. It boils down to that old chestnut:- ‘Read-Cover-Write-Check’

25. Of course there are many, many ways of testing yourself…. And each one will be slightly more appropriate to certain content and certain learners

26. All those activities we told you NOT to do ‘book open’…. Notes from notes Diagrams Sumarising are GREAT when your book is closed!

27. Quizlet E.g. For French on Quizlet ‘Flashcards’ for French to English ‘Learn’ or ‘Test’ for English to French vocab/grammar https://quizlet.com/latest

28. Revision Buddies Small groups of people with similar aims/motivation Regular meetings with an agreed topic/focus Pattern – 10 minutes focus on reading notes – 10 minutes test each other Bring snacks – there’s no research that says chocolate stops you from learning

29. Benefits Provides motivation – if you’ve agreed to meet, it’ll make you do it Less painful if ‘social’, anything is less boring than revising alone at home Fits ‘testing’ agenda, as long as you keep it to minimum reading/maximum testing. Allows others to help if there are areas you don’t understand

30. If you’re thinking ‘I can’t test myself, I don’t know anything’ to test… Then you are trying to test yourself on too large a chunk of knowledge. Remember, spaced learning – slice your material thinly and return multiple times, building on how much you test each time.

31. And finally Remember – for exam success, just learning lots of facts by heart is not enough… Stage 1 - Learn Material Stage 2 – Practise using material in exam style questions

32. Summary 1.Research your ‘long list’ - revise the right things 2.Check understanding – it won’t stick if you don’t understand it 3.Plan spaced learning not block, small amounts at a time, revisited. 4.Don’t try to revise for long periods without a break 5.Remove distractions – the brain can only process one thing at a time 6.Use memory techniques to make make mental images and links 7.Test, test, test, – in 1000 ways 8.Do exam questions, don’t just learn facts 9.And always remember, it’s just an exam – it does not define you, and research clearly shows that your exam grades are not the strongest indicator of your future success.