Revision Techniques
This page is intended as a very brief summary of some basic revision techniques. Suitable for all students from pre GCSE through to AS and A2 retake students.
Flash cards
Although you can buy these I think it is much better to make your own - just buy index cards from a stationery shop. Your cards should have key facts on, for example, Newton’s third law, or a brief outline of the Romeo character from Romeo and Juliet. You can use then to just read through, or to test yourself. For self-testing it’s best if the cards have effectively a question on one side and the answer on the other.
It is a good idea to incorporate colours and pictures if possible.
Subject Dictionary
All subjects have some specialist words and phrases. It is good practice to compile your own dictionary defining these terms. A good way to do this is to work through the syllabus picking out the subject jargon (in some case the syllabus will also provide a partial definition). Have a look through your notes, text books and possibly also Google the term. Note: the definition from the internet may not be ideal for the syllabus requirement – so use the internet with caution.
Your subject dictionary may include key words, phrases, themes or concepts, or whatever is appropriate to your subject. Use the course introductions, summaries, the syllabus, and exam questions to discover what’s key in each module. Use two or three sentences for your definition, add examples and diagrams if relevant.
Organisational diagrams
Spidergrams/spidergraphs/mind maps, flow charts, family trees, and so on are forms of organisational diagrams and can be very useful revision aids. (Incidentally strictly speaking a spider diagram is either a diagram of a spider or an addition to a Venn diagram).
Spidergrams/spidergraphs/mind maps
Usually these are drawn from the centre outwards. Best to get a big piece of paper and start by putting the central thing(s) (person/historical event/theme as appropriate) in the middle of the page. From there add legs to your spider. Unlike a real spider these legs can branch or even link to each other. The key point is that relationships can be seen on you spidergram – it gives a graphic way of seeing how things link together.
Flow charts
These are designed to show sequences of decisions or events or both. They are most commonly used in maths and computing, but do have other applications…
Timelines
Timelines are generally used for subjects where chronology is important. They are commonly used for history and can be used for art history, politics, philosophy, English literature, etc. It is best to draw your own timeline as the effort of putting it together will also help you to memorise it.
Documentaries and films
Films and documentaries can make useful additions to your revision; however, it is important to check that what you have in mind is suitable. They should always be an addition to studies and never a substitute.
Plays are meant to be watched rather than read – so if there is a good film of a play then it may well make a very good addition to your revision. Do check with your teacher or tutor – for example Mel Gibson’s 'Hamlet', although not a bad film, misses out some very important elements and may be more of a hindrance than a help.
Film versions of book are even more contentious. Most books are not written with the intention of being filmed – a film will always be an edited down, re-interpreted version of the book. Books are often inspirations for film, so even though the titles may be the same there may only be a vague resemble between the film and book. If the film is faithful to the book, it may be worth watching once you have read the book. As a rule if you are studying a book, always read the book before watching film adaptations.
Documentaries can also be useful, however, it is important that they are supplementary to your revision and not a substitute for it. Again you need to check with your teacher. Some documentaries can be surprisingly biased and in the worst cases wrong. As a rough guide the more sensationalist the presentation the less reliable the documentary will be – if nothing else, sensationalist suggests that those making the documentary are concerned with entertainment rather than truth. If a documentary is simply and obviously presenting one side of an argument then you need to ensure that you have the other side – even if you don’t agree with the side you have to provide.
Historical films. It is really important to remember that these are film above all else, their historical accuracy is very much secondary. 'Pearl Harbour', for example, apart from being a terrible film, is essential devoid of any historical merit. Films can be very good at giving you a feel for an era – a sense of what it might be like to be there – but beyond that they are rarely of any use.
Learning posters and visual material
Making your own posters or revision sheets can be very helpful. Using pattern, colour, symbols and drawings (if relevant) to cover key points and topic can help to reinforce an idea in your mind. Diagram can be a great help too.
If you can bear the geekiness of it, it’s a good idea to put your posters up where they can be seen.
Summary tables or grids
Tables or grids can be a good way to summarise or compare information. For example you could have a table for different types of radiation or one comparing the lives of Hitler, Stalin and Churchill. As with many of these things the act of drawing the table will help you remember the information.
Reinforce your memory
When you finish a revision session it is always worth writing down a summary of what you have learnt – i.e. the key points.