Revision Strategies

Acronyms

An acronym is an abbreviation used as a word which is formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. Usually these components are individual letters (as in NATO or laser) or parts of words or names (as in Benelux). Acronyms are best used when you make them up yourself. They can be used to help you remember the key points on a topic or event. The IGCSE revision website by John D Clare is famous for its use of acronyms to help remember key points. For example that acronym, 'MAIN' can be used to remember the long-term causes of the First World War:

M - Militarism, A - Alliances, I - Imperialism, N - Nationalism

Animations

Creating a revision animation on a particular topic or question does seem like hard work. However there is now plenty of user-friendly software packages that can allow you to create simple animations which can help visualise a topic.

Goanimate.com, Toonboom,com and Toufee,com are all fairly simple to use animation packages that can help create your design. Alternatively, and more simply, Prezi.com, Moovly.com and even the latest versions of Microsoft PowerPoint allow you to animate your presentations and record them as videos.

Comics

Creating revision comics is a great way to remember key events, situations and changes in history and other subjects.

You can even use them to break down key concepts and ideas into easily remembered sections. The combination of images, diagrams and text can really bring a revision comic to life.

Try Comic Life, Pixton.com or Toondoo.com to help you great some fantastic looking revision comics.

Concept Mapping

At first glance, a concept map looks like doodling or just a page with circles and lines. But a concept map is actually a highly effective note-taking strategy. In essence, a concept map allows you to organize information in a manner that enables you to make connections between facts and ideas, thereby making course material easier to remember. It is easy and fun to make a concept map. Mindmaple.com and bubbl.us are two computer concept mapping programs that are worth checking out. To create a concept map, try these steps:

List the key concepts. Look over your textbook or notes and isolate a key concept. Write the most important ideas related to the concept on a sheet of paper. Include relevant terms, proper names, dates and details in the list. Limit each item on the list to three words in the interest of saving space on the concept map.
Arrange the concepts in order of importance. Write the main concept at the top of a separate sheet of paper. Jot down specific elements across the bottom of the paper. Write the supporting details throughout the middle of the paper.
Frame each concept. Use a pencil to draw a circle or square around each concept.
Connect the concepts. Draw lines between the concept circles. Add words that explain the relationships between the concepts. Use verbs, verb phrases or prepositions to describe how the concepts are related.
Review the concept map. Check the concept map for accuracy Fix errors and delete any redundancies. Add missing concepts to the map.

Flash Cards

Flash cards can be used to summarise key events or topics on small cards which can be great for quick-fire remembering activities. Websites like Cram.com and Studyblue.com can help you to create flashcards. Try to produce flashcards on the key events and individuals from each unit and use them to test each other.

Flash Cards - Timelines

A revision activity for remembering key dates and chronology is to create timeline flashcards. Simply, create a series of flashcards with a picture of each key event/invention/publication/speech/birth/death etc. printed on the front of the card with the name of the event clearly stated. On the back of each card, copy the same image and title but also include the date of this event. When done, you can play a version of timelines!

The Rules: Place one of the event cards date-facing upwards in the middle of the table. Deal 4-5 events cards to each player, dates-facing downwards. Each player takes it in turns to place the event on the timeline, deciding whether they believe it happened before or after the starting event. When they have made their choice, the card is flipped over to reveal the true date. If they were correct, the card stays on the timeline and the next player takes their turn. If they were incorrect, the event cards is placed in the discard pile and the player has to draw a new event card from the deck. The aim of the game is to be the first one to correctly lay all your event cards!

Glossaries

Learning Event Generator (LEG)

The Learning Event Generator is a “fruit machine for learning” that was invented for teachers, parents and learners. A shake-me-up box of delights for the iPhone, it generates a fresh learning challenge each time it is shaken. You shake it, the cards spin and you are presented with a learning challenge.

The LEG is great for revision, especially when you are revising with others. Simply type in anything to do with what you are learning and it will generate a new activity each time. It's great for giving you new ideas on how to think about a subject and to think 'outside the box'.

Click on this link to go to a webpage version of the LEG or alternatively you can download the app version for Apple devices.

Living Graphs

Living graphs are great at summarising topics in visual form, whilst helping you to consider the significance of each event, as well as the chronology. To construct a living graph, the horizontal axis is used as a timeline whilst the vertical axis can be used to convey emotions, attitudes or debates. Common uses for living graphs can be to chart: success/failure; emotional reactions; good/bad reputations; and long-term patterns. Check out this webpage from thinkinghistory.co.uk for more ideas.

Try creating living graphs for different periods within your history topics. For example you could create one for Hitler's Rise to Power, charting the popularity of the Nazi Party over time. You would need to decide how each event increased or decreased the popularity of the Nazi Party. They are also great for summarising long-term changes over time which is perfect for the China unit.

Memory Maps

Memory maps or mind maps are visual ways of thinking which are used to help you summarise your revision notes. They are usually created by drawing or writing a single concept in the middle of a landscape-orientated page. Associated representations of ideas such as images, words and parts of words are then added around the central concept. Major ideas are connected directly to the central concept and other ideas branch out from those.

Online mind mapping software includes mindmeister.com, novamind.com, and coggle.it. Also read this step-by-step guide to creating your own mind maps.

Mnemonics

Mnemonics are memory devices that help learners recall larger pieces of information, especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts, phases, etc. Many types of mnemonics exist and which type works best is limited only by the imagination of each individual learner. Try making your own mnemonics for the topics you are studying by visiting the mnemonicgenerator.com:

Name Mnemonics - In a Name Mnemonic, the 1st letter of each word in a list of items is used to make a name of a person or thing. Sometimes, the items can be rearranged to form a more recollectable name mnemonic. Examples include: 'Roy G. Biv' for the colours of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). .
Expression or Word Mnemonics - This is by far the most popularly used mnemonic. To make an Expression or Word mnemonic, the first letter of each item in a list is arranged to form a phrase or word. For example: The order of operations for math is Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, and Subtract = Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally
Image Mnemonics - The information in an Image Mnemonic is constructed in the form of a picture that promotes recall of information when you need it. The sillier the Image Mnemonic is, the easier it is to recall the related information. These images may be mental or sketched into text and lecture notes. Don't worry about your artistic ability. As long as you know what your sketch means, Image Mnemonics will help you learn and remember.
Model Mnemonics - In a Model Mnemonic, some type of representation is constructed to help with understanding and recalling important information. Examples include a circular sequence model, a pyramid model of stages, a pie chart, and a 5-box sequence. Models should be used in addition to words and lists because they make recall at test time much easier.
Rhyme Mnemonics - An Ode or Rhyme Mnemonic puts information in the form of a poem. Examples include: 'In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue'.

Podcasts

Quizzes and Games

In the run up to exams, you will need to test yourself regularly to ensure that your memory skills are on top form. Remembering the key facts, details, statistics, names, dates and events is vitally important in history and is key to getting a top grade. If you do not trust testing yourself, them work with another person to test yourself. Try to make revision quizzes and games as fun as possible. Try these examples:

A-Z - Write out the alphabet and for each letter, think of a specific word related to a topic.
Bingo - Create a bingo grid of any size. Write down key words, concepts, ideas or events. Teacher reads out definitions. Winner is first to correctly tick-off all their words.
Carousel Questions - Split into 8 groups, 4 on each side of classroom. Stick 2 exam questions onto an A3/A2 sheet for each group. They have the time it takes for one song to play to answer the question. After music finishes, groups move to next question/group. Play next track and students add to/correct answer of next question. Repeat until all groups have seen/edited each question. Give out mark schemes and peer mark each question.
Create Your Own - Revision games are easy to create and can be based on any other game. Check out this game board and instructions for a simple example.
Pictionary - draw out a concept, event, person or idea: others have to guess what it is.
Story-Time - Re-tell an event as a story, ensuring you have a beginning, middle and end.
Taboo - Describe a key word, concept, idea, event or person without using that word.
Trivial Pursuit - Use a copy of the board game. Create questions related to your subjects/topics for each colour. Play as per rules!

Revision Calendar

Timelines

Timelines are of course very common revision tools in History for remembering chronology but can also be used in many other subjects to help you remember key dates and the order of events.

Sequences in a timeline, where some events happen before others, also suggest the possibility of cause and effect. They suggest that events exist in relationship to one another, in a context. Thematic timelines suggest turning points, linear trends, and progressions, whether or not these exist in fact. Making a timeline therefore allows one to plot events in a graphic way, to see possible relationships, to help memory, and to grasp sequence. In the process, culling from the many possible dates sharpens one’s appreciation for the dates necessarily excluded.

Timelines can be turned into really useful revision tools by considering how you could use them in a thematic way. For example, try creating timelines to show economic, political or social changes. By using different colours and labels, you can help draw out connections between certain events. Also remember to annotate each event with some useful details. Check here for more timeline ideas.

There are plenty of software packages on the internet to help you create timelines, which can also be embedded into websites or just printed off. Tiki-toki.com is the most visually stunning program but the free options are limited. Hstry.co is a great new package also. Preceden.com, timeglider.com, dipity.com, myhistro.com, timetoast.com, and capzles.com are all great timelines programs to try as well.

Using pictures to trigger your memory

Another way of organising, learning and remembering things is to use pictures when creating revision materials. Visual images can represent complex ideas or concepts very simply and can serve to cut down the amount of words you actually need.

Using tables and charts to organise revision

Making tables and charts can help you to organise and remember the key points for any topic or question. Tables are great for all sorts of organisational tasks. Comparing, categorising, contrasting and evaluating are all processes which can be done with tables. Try to consider the purpose of your table. For historical events, tables can be used to categorise the different types of causes or effects of an event.

The key to remember when making tables and charts is to think - is it necessary? Tables and charts are great for organising information into specific categories and themes. This is great for complex topics or open ended essay questions. But not so great if the table doesn't have an over-arching purpose. Have a look at some table examples below:

Word Clouds

Word clouds (also known as text clouds or tag clouds) work in a simple way: the more a specific word appears in a source of textual data (such as a speech, blog post, or database), the bigger and bolder it appears in the word cloud. Word clouds are great as simple visual reminders when revising. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and colour schemes to help give them the 'wow' factor.

Word clouds are best used when you base them on a key exam question such as 'What is the most important thing about..'. You can then base the words used on the most relevant key terms and concepts related to that question, giving you a quick visual reminder.

Wordle.net is one of the easiest to use websites for creating your own word clouds. Tagul.com is also great for creating more visual appealing word clouds.

Word/Analysis Mats

Word mats are basically just lists of words, concepts, command terms and any other important key terms that you can quickly refer to when revising or completing any writing tasks. You can even create analysis mats to help you when completing tasks in history such as source analysis and evaluation. They are often used in English lessons as well to help you deconstruct texts and to help with extended writing.

Word mats are often printed on A3 paper and laminated so they can be used as reminders whenever you are doing work or revision.

When making word or analytical mats, try not to just fill them with everything about a topic. Instead, use them to communicate steps you may have to take for a particular question or even equations and formulas. They are particularly useful when they contain information about different writing styles or essay types.

Try browsing sparklebox.co.uk or use this word mat designer to create your own. Alternatively, just use Microsoft Word or Apple Pages to design word mats for A3.