Effective study

strategies

Making the most of your revision time

Evidence-informed methods which will have the most impact in these final weeks.

Ideas and resources from Go to www.innerdrive.co.uk for more excellent ideas.

 What doesn’t work?
Re-reading notes and highlighting key points
According to research, 84% of students admit to using this technique to revise, and 55%
claim it is their favourite technique. But is it really effective? Reading a whole chapter of a
textbook, or reading through 3 previous essays, is quite a lot of work, so surely it’s beneficial?
But how much do you actually remember the next day, next week, next month?

What does the research say?

A study in 2006 (Roediger and Karpicke) compared the learning of
three groups who used a combination of re-reading and retrieval
practice to prepare for a test. When asked, those who just relied on
re-reading believed it was an effective strategy for learning and felt
really confident about the final test. The results said the opposite,
though - those who used retrieval practice did at least 30% better in
the final test.
Another study in 2016 (Smith et al) took similar groups and subjected half of them to stressful
environments before testing how much they could remember. Students who had just re-read their
notes performed 32% worse in stressful situations, whereas students who had used retrieval practice
were not negatively affected by increased stress. This is clearly beneficial in exam situations.

Listening to music when revising

Music can be beneficial for certain tasks - it can improve our mood, boost our motivation
and increase creativity. But is it helpful when revising? According to research, 47% of
students believe music helps them concentrate and 29% claim it keeps them calm.

What does the research say?

A 2014 study (Perham and Currie) compared four study groups:
one group working in silence; another revising to songs they
liked; a third group revising to songs they didn’t like; the final
group listening to music without lyrics. Those revising in silence
performed significantly better than those listening to songs
with lyrics, and it made no difference if they liked the songs!

Despite what many students think, listening to your favourite songs is not the best way to revise;
music takes up processing space in the brain, leaving less space to process revision materials.

Lots of testing – also known as retrieval practice – done

in silence, is the best strategy when revising.
How can you make this even more effective? Read on…
walkthrus.co.uk Ideas and resources from www.innerdrive.co.uk
 What does work?
Retrieval practice
Retrieval is trying to remember information you have previously learned, so you can access
it easily at a later date. When we are asked a question, our brain makes connections to other
things we know. By repeating the question regularly, those connections are strengthened,
and eventually the information transfers to our long term memory.

What does the research say?

This is one of the most extensively researched areas of
learning - dating back to Ebbinghaus in 1885. If we only learn
something once, we are more than likely to forget it; we need
to force ourselves to remember and re-learn the information
if we want to cement it in our long term memory. Look back
at the study on the previous page – those students who self-
tested 3 times before the exam were far more successful than
those who just re-read the text.

How can you make it even more effective?

Spacing % of accurate responses
Cutting up your revision into smaller chunks and 74%
spacing them out over a period of time is much 49%
more beneficial than cramming an entire subject
in a day. An hour of Physics each day for 5 days is
much more effective than 5 hours in one day.
Cramming Spacing

Interleaving
To improve your results further, also consider % of accurate responses
interleaving. This is where you mix up the subjects
and topics you revise: 30 minutes of Shakespeare, 63%
30 minutes of algebra, 30 minutes of Poetry, 30
minutes of Ratio - rather than an hour of English 20%
and an hour of Maths.

Blocking Interleaving

A 2007 study (Rohrer and Taylor) found that students who

spaced out their revision over a week, compared to one
sitting, achieved a much higher average mark in their final Need some examples of
exams. In a second study, students were given a mock test effective retrieval strategies?
after blocking or interleaving and another test a week
later. Even though blocking was effective in the mock test
Read on…
the next day, the students who used interleaving did
considerably better a week later in the final exam. Ideas and resources from www.innerdrive.co.uk
 Retrieval strategies
Brain dump Flash cards
Choose a topic and write down as Write flashcards for each topic, in all
much as you can remember, without referring subjects, then mix them up for the most
to your notes. Check your notes and see what effective revision. Check out the Leitner
you missed then try to fill the gaps without the System for effective spacing and interleaving.
notes. Check your notes a third time and add Keep your flashcards simple – one question,
the missing information. one answer per card.

Map it out Past papers

Take an essay question or writing Ask your teacher for practice
question and map out your answer, without questions or exam papers. Complete them
writing a full response. Look at the mark without notes in exam conditions, then check
scheme and decide if your plan meets the your answers and identify the gaps in your
criteria. Do this for a number of questions, knowledge, so you can target your revision.
then choose one and write the full response.

Quizzes Practise introductions

Write a set of questions and For essay subjects, take a past
answers and ask someone else to test you. exam question and practise writing effective
It’s important to either write or say your introductions and conclusions. Look back at
answers aloud. Reading through quizzes in your notes and remind yourself of the
your head can give you a false sense of important things to remember. Practise for
security. different topics, texts and papers.

Thinking hard: reduce Thinking hard: transform

Read a section of your notes then Read a paragraph from your notes
put them aside and reduce what you read to or a text book and transform it into a
3 bullet points, each one no more than 10 diagram, chart or sketch – no words allowed.
words. Look back at the notes and decide if Look at a diagram in Science, for example,
you missed anything important. Hide the and transform it into a paragraph of
notes and write a fourth bullet point. explanation.

Thinking hard: connect Key vocabulary

For each subject, consider the For a particular topic, make a list of
exam papers and group together questions key vocabulary, then do the following: define
that require the same technique to answer. each word; use each term in a sentence;
Write down the requirements of each type. create a question where the key word is the
Find a previous example you’ve completed answer; identify other words which connect
and identify where you’ve met the criteria. to each of the words in your list.
 Simple study plan
Step Study Plan
It’s never too late to plan your revision!
This simple plan from @KateJones_teach & @Inner_Drive is a great place to start.

Make a list
What do you need to know? Break it down into topics and units. When you can
retrieve it without effort, cross it off the list. It might help with motivation and
organisation to have a ‘to do’ and ‘have done’ list.

Timetable a spaced schedule

Look back at the notes about spacing and interleaving. Study each topic little and
often and mix up subjects and topics so you are revising a mixture each day. Be
sure to leave yourself enough time to cover everything.

Use effective study strategies

That’s what this booklet is all about. Keep re-reading and highlighting to a
minimum. Highlight what you need to learn – but that won’t make you learn it.
Test yourself, using retrieval strategies. Think twice before loading up your
favourite playlist!

Identify the gaps in your knowledge

Having used the retrieval strategies, where are the gaps? What are you confident
with? What do you need to go back to? What do you need to study more?
Be honest with yourself – don’t just focus on what you do know.

Close the gaps

Repeat the third and fourth steps of the plan until you are confident with
everything. Some parts will be difficult, but don’t give up. The harder you have to
think, the more likely you are to remember in the end. ‘Memory is the residue of
thought.’ (Dan Willingham)

Ideas and resources from www.innerdrive.co.uk

 What else helps?
Get some sleep
How many hours of sleep do you get each night? On average, teenagers claim to get 6-7
hours a night, when they should really be aiming for 9-10 hours. If you are only getting 6-7,
you are depriving yourself of over 1000 hours of sleep each year. You must be exhausted!

What does the research say?

Put very simply, we experience two types of sleep: deep sleep, which helps our body to recover; and
REM, which helps restore our mind. Without enough REM sleep, you are much more prone to
anxiety, stress, lack of concentration, mood swings and poor decision making.

A 2009 study (van der Helm and Walker) found a 40% reduction in memory when sleep deprived. Not
only that, but you are more likely to forget positive memories when tired, just recalling and retaining
negative memories. Excessive sleep loss therefore impacts on our mental health and stress levels.

Limit your screen time

Mobile phones can be great tools for learning but are they having a negative impact on
your learning? Catching up with friends, social media, movies and box sets is great – but
when is the best time to do these things?

What does the research say?

A 2014 study (Thornton et al) found that just having a mobile phone nearby can lead to a 20%
reduction in attention, concentration and performance.

Another study in 2013 (Wood et al) found that the glare from phones and iPads tricks our brain into
thinking it is daytime, therefore stopping melatonin (the sleep hormone) being triggered. Two hours
on your phone or iPad at night results in 20% less melatonin being released. At the very least, dim
your screen prior to bedtime - or better still, don’t use it at all.

Look after yourself

Being kind to yourself each day can have a big impact on your performance during
revision and exams. Take a break and get some exercise. Aim to start the day with cereal
or toast – but be sure to treat yourself later on in the day. Find time to do the things you
love. Reward yourself for your hard work.

What does the research say?

A range of studies in 2016 (Miller and Krizen) found that students who took a 12 minute walk
reported a 20% increase in happiness, attentiveness and confidence, compared to those who spent
that time sitting down. Even taking a 5 minute walk resulted in similar benefits. Break up your study
sessions with a quick stroll and see for yourself.
Ideas and resources from www.innerdrive.co.uk
 Reading and resources
Don’t fancy writing out flashcards? Take a look at the Anki app. There
are banks of cards you can access, or you can make your own. The
beauty of this app is that you tell it how difficult each card was, and it
works out the best time to ask you that question again!

This excellent book is designed to show teenagers how they can excel
at school and in life. Discover how to: take control, concentrate
better, find your motivation, fail better, make revision stick, perform
under pressure, ace those exams, put down that phone when you’re
meant to be revising, get over FOMO, stop procrastinating, get a
good night’s sleep, take care of yourself and your mental health, learn
from sporting champions and grow your mindset to get ahead.

This book answers the sort of questions that every parent wants to
know. How much sleep does your child need? Should you help them
with their homework? Why does your child forget what they have just
learnt? How much screen time is too much? What can you do to help
them do better at school? How can you help your child learn to better
manage their emotions?

Speak to your subject teachers

Find out if there are any useful apps, websites, books or blogs which will assist with
your revision. Jot down the details here.
‘Using your memory
shapes your memory’

Robert Bjork (Gocognitive, 2012)

Good luck!