Revision. Where do I begin?

Where do I begin?

 ‘Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh’, says the wise king in Ecclesiastes 12:12, long before exams were invented.

We sympathise with the pressure on our children, resulting from a mountain of learning with numerous subjects competing for attention and deadlines for homework imminent. Many schools set practice exams in December of Year 11 demanding that revision is squeezed on top of all the weekly homework.

How can I support my family through this ordeal and teach skills for the future? Healthy work-rest balance is something we all aspire to. The brain needs downtime to assimilate new information and experience. Sleep, exercise and just chilling with friends is valuable but first identify the best available hours of the day for quality work, then build in leisure activities around them. Now is the time to start planning to make use of limited time.

Those who walk home from a successful day at school may be ready for a quick snack and get straight into work. Others need to recuperate first, perhaps with a bike ride. One friend invested in a punch-bag suspended in the hallway and another bought a drum-kit.

Consider the different demands of the daily timetable at school and in clubs. If the afternoon was of a more practical nature then the mind may be energised for revision. If it was an endurance test of least favourite lessons, motivation for learning may be reduced. The home routine of activities, meals, practices, chores and sleep must include manageable slots for homework and revision. Weekends with sport and friends should continue but allow space for work.

Create a spreadsheet for a normal week with a formula for dates and time slots of an hour for each regular activity. Your tutor should be able to help you. Block out a half-day at weekends for friends and family. Highlight the potential hours for study. Revision sessions of 50 minutes should conclude with a ten minute break between subjects to provide a reward and allow the new learning to settle.

Now to the content of those highlighted cells. List your subjects, putting your hardest first. Perhaps the list begins with Science and English Literature. Next turn to the Contents of your text book or Revision Guide for your Examination Board. Starting with the earliest or least understood topic, enter subject and topic (reference, page number or brief title) in the first available cell this week. Move to the next subject list and do the same. Cycle through the subjects, entering topics for each hour, but leaving two at the weekend for catch-up.

Avoid trying to squeeze too large a chunk of learning into one hour. One or two pages of the Revision Guide is plenty. The timetable is a work in progress- move subjects to later in the week if you need to. You will know you have made progress when you tick off the completed sessions. Not all topics will fit in the time available, but you will have made a start.

There is an end to the making of many books when we have identified the way to begin.

Article Two of Ten Top Tips from Tutoring Solutions,

© 2015 Joyce Zealey