All over the country thousands of students will be revising towards their exams that will be happening over the next few months. I receive so many emails asking the magic question – “What is the most effective revision technique?” I have to admit that I do not have the magic answer. Every student is unique, and every student must find their preferred way to revise.
One thing I do know, and that is the need to do something with the information you are trying to take in. I get so frustrated when my students tell me that they have been revising by ‘reading through their revision guides’. Retention by reading requires a photographic memory, and the proportion of the population with such ability is less than 2%, if that.
Eidetic memory (the technical term for photographic memory) is the ability to recall visual information, such as pages from books, magazines, and license plate numbers, in great detail after only brief exposure to it. It is found in early childhood (between 2% and 10% of that age group), it usually begins to fade after the age of 6, is only available for a small percentage of children between 6 and 12, and is virtually non-existent for adults.
So what does this mean for the 98% of the population without any photographic memory skills? It means that we have to develop techniques that enable us to retain facts, and this will invariably require us to use the information we have been given. I do not have definitive guidance as to effective revision techniques, but what I do have is 33 years of teaching experience!
I have put together a series of short videos that describe a number of techniques that I have found most effective. To access these videos just visit my website by clicking on the link below and sign-up!
iGCSE Science Courses – Revision Videos
Do have a look – you never know, you might just find a technique that clicks for you!
Until next time.
Graham
p.s. if you visit my site then you will find loads of free resources to help you in your studies:
iGCSE Science Courses- Revision Videos
