HOW TO PASS EXAMS

AIMS THIS EVENING

• To encourage you as parents/guardians to become actively involved in your child’s exam preparation

• To share key tips about how to pass exams• To answer your questions

THERE’S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT!

‘ When it comes to exam phobia, students do fine until February when they suddenly lose confidence. What any good school does is to take away the mystery of exams. After all the syllabus is pretty fixed and there is a finite number of questions an examiner can ask.’

(The Independent 19 Feb. 2015)

HOW CAN PARENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

• Children of parents who are actively involved in their schooling, and show high levels of interest, progress at a faster rate in core subjects between 11-16 years than other children

• Gains in pupil achievement that stem from parental involvement & activities tend to be permanent

• Much of the variation in achievement of 14 year olds in English, Maths & Science is due to home factors

• Family influences have a much more powerful effect upon children’s attitudes & achievements than any other factors

MEMORY SKILLS ARE VITAL TO PASSING EXAMS

• Linear (at the end of the course) exams focus on extended recall

• More content in curricula from KS1-5

• New focus on ‘mastery’ in subjects

WHAT’S THE SCIENCE?

• The brain contains working memory (a bottleneck that is fixed, limited and easily overloaded), and long-term memory (a storehouse that is almost unlimited). If nothing has changed in the long-term memory, nothing has been learned.

• There is a link between knowledge and skills: The richer your knowledge base, the more effectively your thinking processes can operate.

• Having factual knowledge in the long-term memory makes it easier to acquire still more factual knowledge.

(Willingham)

WHAT WORKS: 1

We remember what we think about so you need to spend time actively thinking about what you want to learn. How are you going to do this?

• Walk while you learn• Talk it through• Listen to your learning • Watch your learning• See your learning• Write down your learning

WHAT WORKS: 2

We remember beginnings and endings better so you need to chunk up what you want to learn into bite size bits. How are you going to do this?

• Flash cards• Lists

‘SUMMARY CIRCLE’

• Use annotations, key words, symbols and colour –

To produce………

WHAT WORKS: 3We need 3+ exposures to information to learn it, and we learn best when we space out learning. Spaced Learning is the NO. 2 most effective thing that you can do to learn. How are you going to do this?

• you need to ensure that you come back to each chunk of learning at least 3 times over a period of weeks

• Cramming learning into a couple of days does NOT transfer it to your long term memory so you will lose it.

WHAT WORKS: 4Mixed revision is better, more realistic, preparation for the exam than blocked revision. This is the NO. 3 most effective thing that you can do, so mix up your content and questions rather than learning in blocks. How are you going to plan for this?

• Interleave your learning• Organise a revision timetable that

includes all subjects and topics at different times

WHAT WORKS: 5We learn by connecting information to what we already know.

How are you going to do this?

• Create mind maps

WHAT WORKS: 6

Immersion Learning can improve retention by up to 70%. How are you going to immerse yourself in what you need to learn?

• Bedroom walls and ceiling• Screen display• Post-it notes stuck

everywhere!

WHAT WORKS: 7

It frees up memory space if you practice on worked examples rather than solving problems from scratch. How will you do this?

• concentrate some of your revision on worked examples from your books

• Watch a video clip of a worked example

WHAT WORKS: 8Generating information is more memorable than reading it. These strategies are effective because they help you to think about the meaning of what you are trying to learn. How are you going to do this?

• Elaborative interrogation: generating an explanation for why a fact or concept is true

• Self-explanation: explaining how new information links to other information or explain the steps you need to take to solve a problem

• Teach the topic to someone else

WHAT WORKS: 9 Studies show that regular, low-stake testing is the NO. 1 way of learning because it strengthens your retrieval pathways. Regular testing also makes you less anxious about the exam; therefore testing yourself should be your main form of revision. How are you going to do this?

• Complete past papers under test conditions

• Ask your parents to test you• Complete tests on-line

“Basically, any time that you, as a learner, look up an answer or have someone tell or show you something that you could, drawing on current cues and your past knowledge, generate instead, you rob yourself of a powerful learning opportunity.” Bjork

WHAT WORKS: 10Studies show that we are over confident about what we will actually remember. You need to over- learn by 20%. How are you going to do this?

• If you haven’t already done so, start revising now!

• Ensure your revision timetable revisits all subjects regularly

• Complete as many past questions as you can

• Complete tests and don’t cheat! The questions you get wrong show you what you need to re-learn

WORTH CONSIDERING?

• Research suggests that Times New Roman size 12 is the fastest font to read

• Listening to classical music can increase concentration

• Meditation can increase focus

BEATING STRESS• Do establish a routine – and stick to it. Get

enough sleep, eat well and keep to the work plan.

• Do get plenty of exercise. • Do start revising as early as possible. Get a

headstart.• Do take regular breaks when revising – the

result is less stress.• Do build in variety – beat the boredom

factor this way.• Do seek company – make sure that friends

are seen regularly, and get right away from work!

• Do keep away from other people who may be panicking – this can be contagious!

BEFORE EXAMSYOU MUST:-

• Know exactly where and when each paper of each exam is being held.

• Arrive for each paper on time. Lateness may result in disqualification.

• Bring the necessary equipment: black pens, pencils, sharpener, calculator, tissues and (if needed) your glasses.

• Turn off your mobile phone/any electronic device and hand in to invigilator.

• If you are suffering from hay fever or any other persistent medical problems, seek advice from your doctor. Remember: some painkillers can cause drowsiness.

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

IF NOT YOU, WHO?