Custom Search
|
|
Effective Revision For Public History Exams
As a history teacher I have been surprised how many of my colleagues have told me either they did not feel revision was necessary for GCSE, AS and A level, or that they had no idea how to go about it. Revision seems to me one of the most productive parts of a course and is certainly worth doing properly. It’s a sad element of public exams that they rely entirely on memory. No practising historian ever works from memory. It is perfectly possible to devise penetrating tests of historical skills that do not depend on memorising the facts. Elsewhere I’ve written about how to do it. As it is, public history exams to a large extent test memory – and that also means revision - rather than skill as historians. What’s the best way to go about it? The politically correct answer is that every student is different and will have his or her own best method. I simply do not believe it. My experience is that there is a best way to do revision and, whatever you believe about different styles of learning, it works for pretty well every student. The key is writing. I put a notice on the history department wall at revision time. ‘If you’re not revising with a pen in your hand, you’re not revising.’ However ‘auditory’, ‘visual’ or ‘kinetic’ your learners (if you subscribe to that theory) in the end they have to write exam papers. Only writing things down forces us bring our material to mind and organise it in the way we will have to for a top grade. Three are three stages. The first is making revision notes. Don’t give them the syllabus from the exam board. It’s too vague. Break it down into sections, each small enough to fit into a record card of brief notes. Now give them your own notes for the entire course. Being a good practitioner, you’ve expected them to write class notes as they went along. Good. But (unless you dictated them – and your students have therefore learned nothing about being historians themselves) those notes are going to be a little chaotic and incomplete. They will also be vastly better historians by the end of the course than they were at the start. So well in advance of the exam (Spring half term for Summer exams) give them the whole thing, broken into short, well sign-posted sections. This is their safety net. Now tell them to write their record cards (or half sides of A4) according to your break-down of the syllabus and using both their notes and yours. This is the stage that takes longest but which can be done in a relaxed way over a period of time. It’s also a key time to check for misunderstandings. In class you’ll be going over the material again, making clear the big organising ideas and sorting out any confusions. Every lesson you’ll also be doing practice questions. The second stage is to memorise their brief revision notes. The only effective way to do it is to write them out, or at least summarise them, from memory. Cover, write, test, correct: you know the method. Remember, if you’re not revising with a pen in your hand, you’re not revising. The third stage is easily forgotten. Your students must have time before the exam to go back through the entire thing and check their facts. It may only take a day or two, and may mean just a few scribbled reminders, but it is essential. It works. I’ve seen no-hope louts transformed by making revision notes. I’ve seen over-earnest girls overcome their fear and enjoy the process. I’ve watched groups of students testing each other from their record cards and enjoying revision. And I’ve seen a very gratifying share of excellent results. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Click now for ready-made syllabus breakdowns and course/revision notes. |
|