Copyright Enhanced Learning Educational Services 2005 CDNISv4 www.enhanced-learning.

net Only to be used in conjunction with an ELES Presentation 1

IMPROVING YOUR RESULTS

Name: __________________

COULD YOU IMPROVE THE WAY YOU STUDY?

As humans, we have a physical BODY, which houses and protects our BRAIN:






We use parts of our body, and the senses available to us, to collect and take in information.
Senses we might use at school tend to be:









Once our senses collect the information,
it is stored in the sensory bank of our mind:






From the sensory bank, two things can happen. Information can:

OR







Information in your short term
memory can then either
OR


Study is all about getting information you
read or see or hear to move out of the short
term memory, which will not retain the
information for long periods of time, into the
long term memory which has an amazing
capacity to recall information stored.
Be.

FORGOTTEN
Enter your
SHORT TERM MEMORY
which holds:
Enter your LONG TERM MEMORY
which holds: 1 000 000 000 +



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Sidney and Nelsons Guide to making study notes:

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Objects:
Step 4


Summarising is where you identify the key points or
main ideas and then condense these into point form or
notes. The organisation, neatness and legibility of
these notes are very important. Your brain likes
patterns and structure so make sure your study notes
are well organised in order to help your brain
remember the content.
To make a summary, you should first look through
your class notes, textbook and any handouts to work
out what the main headings or topics are. You might
like to then make a one page overview mind map.
Then for each heading, re-read the material on this
topic and write down the most important points you
will need to remember.
Everyones summaries are different. Some people like
lots of detail, some people like examples, some
people like just the main points. Making summaries is
also a good way to see if you really understand the
work. It means you are actually revising as you go!





What about Mind Maps??
Which category do you fall into..

___ Dont know what they are
___ Love them
___ Hate Them
___ No opinion either way



Mind maps can be used effectively to
give you an overview of the topic.
They work well when they are the first thing
you do before you start summarising the topic.
Your study notes could have a mind map
of the topic (1 page), then point form notes
about the topic (however many pages you
need, but stick to the essentials)

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THE TWO ARMS OF STUDYING EFFECTIVELY





Describe how YOU learn and memorise Describe where you get questions
content: from to do practise:





Do you do questions from a wide range
of resources?





Do you test yourself to see what you Do you do practise under exam
can remember or do you just read it conditions ie time limits and no
over and over? looking at notes or answers till the end?



Study is all about getting
information you read or
see or hear to move out of
the short term memory,
which will not retain the
information for long
periods of time, into the
long term memory which
has an amazing capacity to
recall information stored.
Many students spend either
too long on learning and not
enough on practicing (in
which case they know the
information but cant apply
it) or they spend too long
practising but not enough
time learning (in which case
they can do the work
provided they have their
notes to refer to).
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After you have done the study notes, you then need to do activities from both sides:

Make lists of key points of
part of a topic

Re-do class exercises from
the textbook

Have a parent or
friend test you
Spend time working out what
it is you do NOT know yet

3Rs Read, Recite, Recheck
(look, cover, write, check)

Ask your teacher for extra
worksheets for revision

Put up formulas and rules
around the house
Do as many qus as possible
under exam conditions

Form pictures in your mind
of the information

Keep a list of areas you need
to revise further

Speak out loud the info youve
read to check recall
Buy study guides or extra
textbooks to try other qus

Type what you remember
without looking at notes

Practice writing under exam
conditions (or sample essay plans)

Write out lists of questions
as you read and answer them
Do any chapter reviews or
summary questions

Write out info
over and over

Do past test papers under
exam conditions

Write out what you
remember in your own words
Correct all of your work,
Re-do the ones you got wrong

Organise notes using colour,
highlighting and structure

Target the areas you are
weak on with extra practice

Form discussion
or study groups
Re-do past
topic tests

Make up rhymes or songs to
help you remember

Create a test and
swap with a friend

Make and use flashcards or
index cards
Add points into your summary
book based on your practise

Use mind maps, sketches,
flowcharts and diagrams

Keep a list of things you need
to ask your teacher about

Teach what you have learnt
to someone else
Do questions and submit to
teachers for marking

Make tapes of the info you
need to learn




Which study
techniques
do you use?

Can you
think of any
other study
techniques?

What new
techniques
could you
try?


Be conscientious about
chasing up everything you
dont understand
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IMPROVING EXAM TECHNIQUES

TIME MANAGEMENT

Allocate your time before you go in by working out how much time you should spend on each section. Keep an eye on
the clock so that you dont get bogged down or spend too much time on one question.

EXAMPLE. Your exam is 1.5 hours or 90 minutes long.
Part A is 30 marks, Part B is 50 marks and Part C is 40 marks. Total 120.

To calculate time allocated:
30/120 x 90 = 22.5 minutes
50/120 x 90 = 37.5 minutes
40/120 x 90 = 30 minutes



The morning of the exam ensure you have had a decent breakfast and you arrive well on time with correct
equipment.
At the start of the exam read through all instructions / criteria and look through the whole paper taking
note of choices. Remember your strengths and plan your attack. Some students like to jot points for all
their plans first.
You can memory dump formulas or things you think you might forget, but dont spend too long doing this.
Which questions first? Depends on your style, play to your strengths and do the questions that will help you
build confidence and momentum. Some recommend leaving the multiple choice till last ask your teacher
what is best in their subject.
The marks are an important guideline for the depth of response required by the examiner. Dont just write
everything you know answer the question!
Avoid liquid paper, it takes time, you may forget to go back and even worse, you might have been right!
Write neatly so examiners dont waste time deciphering and then feel your work is disjointed.
Allocate and plan out your time before you start. Keep a watch in front of you at all times and dont spend
too long on just one question.
If you finish early, check and check again, especially the details. Attempt EVERY question dont leave
anything out.
If you have a mental blank, leave it and come back: let your subconscious work on it. Stay hydrated though,
dehydration causes massive reduction in short term memory.

GOOD TECHNIQUES COMMON MISTAKES

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.



1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Can you list 5 examples of good exam techniques and of common mistakes students make in exams?
You may decide to spend 20 minutes on
Part A, 35 minutes on Part B and 25
minutes on Part C so you have 10 minutes
left for checking.
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COULD YOU BE MORE ORGANISED?




- Do you paste in your loose sheets or keep them in a folder? Y / N
- Do you keep your locker at school tidy and organised? Y / N
- Do you date all of your work and sheets? Y / N
- Do you use a consistent pen colour in your work? Y / N
- Do you make headings clear? Y / N
- Do you have all the stationery you need to stay organised? Y / N


SETTING UP YOUR OWN ORGANISATION AND FILING SYSTEM AT HOME


- Do you have a good sized work space? Y / N
- Do you have adequate storage or shelving space? Y / N
- Do you have a supportive chair? Y / N
- Do you have adequate ventilation (fresh air)? Y / N
- Do you have good strong lighting and a desk lamp? Y / N
- Do you have a visible calendar or term planner showing
when things are due? Y / N
- Do you have somewhere to keep assignments or projects
you are working on? Y / N
- Do you have somewhere to keep the books you dont need to
take to school the next day? Y / N
- Do you have somewhere to keep past tests, assignments,
old exercise books so they are all together for each
subject? Y / N
- Do you take everything out of your bag when you get home
and get out the work you need for that night? Y / N
- Do you paste in any loose sheets each afternoon or put
them into folders at home? Y / N
- Do you pack your bag each night with everything youll need
for school the next day? Y / N












What could you do to
be more organised?
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CAN YOU IMPROVE THE WAY YOU
MANAGE YOUR TIME?

How much time? ..
What work should you be doing?
1. ______________ all the papers etc. from the day. Paste in any loose sheets and file away others (have
folders at home to file away work that wont fit into your school books).
2. Next work on the ________________from the day.
3. Then work on ___________________ or prepare for any upcoming tests or quizzes.
4. Available time after this should be used to work on ______________, review difficult areas or reading.

Allocate set times for schoolwork.
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
3.30-4 8-9
4-4.30 9-10
4.30-5 10-11
5-5.30 11-12
5.30-6 12-1
6-6.30 1-2
6.30-7 2-3
7-7.30 3-4
7.30-8 4-5
8-8.30 5-6
8.30-9 6-7
9-9.30 7-8
9.30-10
8-9

Buy or make a wall planner.
This way you can see at a glance when things are due and when the heavy weeks are.

Use a system to decide WHEN you will do all of the work.
Use your diary as a planner. Estimate the time it will take and allocate when you will do each step. Remember,
everything ALWAYS takes longer than you will think. Keep track, highlight what you complete and reschedule the work
you run out of time for! Dont write in your homework on the day it was given to you, write it in on the day you will plan
to actually do it.
Sat 1
Do research, collect materials for assign
Sat 8
Finish 1
st
section of assignment
Sat 15
Put in pictures assignment
Sun 2 Sun 9
Start 2
nd
section of assignment
Sun 16
Mon 3

Mon 10

Mon 17
Tues 4
Start 1
st
section of assignment
Tues 11

Tues 18
Finalise presentation assignment
Wed 5 Wed 12
Finish 2
nd
section of assignment
Wed 19
Thurs 6 Thurs 13 Thurs 20
Fri 7 Fri 14 Fri 21
Assignment Due Today



Highlight the work you complete that day. Cross out incomplete work or work you did not have time for and
allocate it to another day. This way you never have to look back to see what you need to do.

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STEP 5: Manage your time on a daily basis.

As soon as you get home (or even better, before you leave school), look through the work in your diary
(the homework from the day, and the work you had scheduled out). Prioritise, by numbering from 1 (most
important) to the least important task. This way youll do what is important rather than doing the things
you like first! (The exception to this is that if you have a few easy and quick tasks, you might want to
allocate a half hour to do as many of these fiddly things as possible before moving to the bigger more
important tasks.) Estimate how long each task will take and if you struggle to make yourself do the work,
write down times next to each task. Try and work in half hour blocks.





If you are feeling overwhelmed:

Weekend = organize, study notes, catch-up, assignments.

If you have no time during the week, set aside a few hours every weekend to organize your papers and
start making study notes (you should be doing them each time you finish a topic). Also allocate time on the
weekend for catch-up, to do the things you didnt have time for during the week. Try and get ahead in
your assignments and knock over big chunks of the work.

Make lists and make decisions.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, write out a list of everything you have to do under these headings:
URGENT: Needs to be done
asap.
COMING UP: Assessments or
assignments that you should
start preparing for
POSTPONE: Things that you
simply dont have enough time
for now and can be left for the
holidays.
Take the urgent tasks and fill up in your diary when you will do them.
Now take the tasks coming up and allocate those as well. Once you have a plan in place, even though it
means lots of work, you will feel much better.




Your top distractions:
What changes could you implement to manage
your time and workload better?

1.




2.




3.





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2008 TARGETS!
Place this page where you will see it every day during 2008 so you will be reminded of the areas you
need to work on in order to improve your results in secondary school.

What are your goals in each of these areas?

What do you need to do/remember
to make the improvements needed?
Classroom Skills
Do you listen to your teacher
and not talk when you
should be focusing? Do you
work well in class and make
the most of classtime? Do
you participate and get
involved in the lesson? Do
you respect others ideas?


Homework Skills
Do you complete all the
homework that is set by the
due date? Do you try and put
effort into your homework
and do it properly? Do you
ask your teacher for help if
you cant do or understand
some of the homework?


Assignment Skills
Do you complete all
assignments in time by the
due date? Do you start
assignments early rather
than leaving them to the last
minute? Do you break your
assignments down into
smaller more manageable
steps?


Study Skills
Do you start studying for
tests early? Do you make
study notes on a regular
basis so they are ready at
exam time? Do you do lots
of revision questions, asking
for help if needed? Do you
test yourself on your study
notes?


General Skills
Are you on time for school
and classes and bring
everything needed? Are you
able to turn off distractions
when working at home?
What else could you do to
improve your results?