Revision 'dos and don'ts'

For detailed advice on helping your child to get organised, stay motivated and keep calm, take a look at the article What can I do to help my child with revision?

Here's a summary:

Do

Ask your child what areas/subjects he wants help with.

Make your child feel you're there for him physically and emotionally.

Organise some 'non-study' activities for him.

Encourage your child with praise and rewards.

Make your child's environment revision-friendly.

Don't

Force your child to revise in a way you think best.

Put any extra pressure on him.

Keep telling your child how much better organised you were about revision when you were that age!

Revision techniques

Your child's teachers will recommend techniques for revising particular subjects and topics. There are also some general techniques which you can suggest or even try out together.

Repetition

It may be boring, but when revising your child will need to go over each topic several times to make sure he's learnt it properly. One helpful trick is to go back over a topic briefly the day after studying it in detail. Then, at the end of the week, encourage him to recap everything that's been covered.

Active learning

Learning is always that much stronger if it is an active process. Encourage your child to write notes and use diagrams to remember things. At the end of a topic it's important for your child to summarise everything he has just learnt. This will reassure him that the information has gone in and will also act as a quick recap before he starts the next section.

Associations

It is sometimes easier to remember things if we can make associations with things that we have an interest in. For example, a child who loves drawing could turn the plot of an English Literature text into a cartoon, whilst someone who is keen on music could set some key vocabulary to the tune of a favourite song.

Learning outside the textbook

Learning through textbooks is important, but extra material can be just as valuable. Books, films, visits and information from the internet can all be used to reinforce learning. Look out for television programmes or videos linked to topics or books your child is studying at school. A visit to a museum or exhibition can bring a subject to life, too. Encourage your child to use revision websites.

Word games

There are various ways of remembering information by using words, phrases or abbreviations. Mnemonics often work well. These turn the first letters of the words to be remembered into a name or word.

Here's an example. This mnemonic uses the word PARENTS to help you remember the revision techniques suggested in this article:

Practise
Active
Repetition
Encourage
Notes
Time management
Stress management

Based on an article by A Suri

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