The Mr. Men & Little Miss Guide to Study Skills

1. The Mr. Men & Little Miss Guide to Study Skills PREPARE TO SUCCEED!

2. Aims • To identify effective study skills to ensure exam success. • To determine your learning style

3. THE KEY TO SUCCESS • Think Positively! • Accept responsibility for motivating yourself! • Accept the fact that success results from effort! • Everyone can do well like Little Miss Brainy.

4. LEARNING IS DOING – Just like Little Miss Busy Research shows that as learners we take in: • 10% of what we read • 20 % of what we hear • 30 % of what we see • 50 % of what we see and hear • 70 % of what we ourselves say • 90 % of what we ourselves do

5. THE 6 GOLDEN RULES FOR EFFECTIVE STUDY!

6. Rule 1:DON’T WORRY! Help! I don’t understand! Don’t be like Mr Worry – Worrying wastes valuable time & energy!

7. Rule 2: ORGANISE YOUR TIME – To avoid being Little Miss Scatterbrain • USE YOUR PLANNER EFFECTIVELY – NOTE IN DETAIL WHAT THE HOMEWORK IS & WHEN IT IS TO BE HANDED IN. • TRY YOUR BEST TO DO HOMEWORK ON THE DAY IT IS SET – EVEN IF YOU HAVE A WEEK BEFORE IT IS DUE TO BE HANDED IN. • MAKE TIME TO REVIEW AND REVISE YOUR WORK ON A REGULAR BASIS (NOT JUST BEFORE TESTS AND EXAMS) • ALLOCATE TIME FOR LEISURE & FUN ACTIVITIES • GET PLENTY OF SLEEP • DON’T PROCRASTINATE!

8. REASONS FOR PROCRASTINATION • 1. I don’t understand this topic – it’s too difficult. • 2. This is boring. • 3. I’m too tired today. • 4. What if I do badly. • 5. I can’t do this as well as others. • Don’t be like Mr. Lazy or you will fall behind!

9. Rule3: ORGANISE YOUR WORK SPACE • STUDY IN A QUIET PLACE • MINIMISE DISTRACTIONS • Ensure your study area is: • available when you need it • free from distractions and interruptions • contains all your study materials • Is tidy and organised • contains a large enough work space • has a comfortable chair • has enough light • Is at a comfortable temperature Avoid Mr. Noisy! Don’t be Little Miss Messy!

10. Rule 4: DON’T TAKE THE EASY OPTION Don’t be Little Miss Lazy and always take the easy option when it comes to work – always do the best piece of work you can Set yourself challenging goals and work to achieve them. Go the extra mile!

11. Rule5: FIND OUT WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Be ahead of the game: Read around your subjects. Have a copy of the specification so you know what you will be studying. Pre-read your text book.

12. Rule6: BE AN EFFECTIVE NOTE TAKER • Make sure your notes are neat & tidy, complete and in order! This is vital for effective revision. • Don’t just copy word for word – your brain will switch off and you won’t learn very much. • Listen for key words, phrases and note them down. • Use a method which suits you. Be like little Miss Neat – not Mr Muddle!

13. SIX Rules Re-Cap: • Don’t Worry • Organise Your Time • Organise Your Work Space • Don’t Take The Easy Option • Find Out What You Need To Know • Be An Effective Note Taker

14. LEARNING TYPES • KNOW WHAT TYPE OF LEARNER YOU ARE. We all have a preferred way of learning but we may not be aware of it. Get to know your learning style and study in the way you learn best. • Are you an: • Auditory learner • Visual learner • Tactile/kinesthetic learner?

15. Learning Styles Questionnaire • Take 10 minutes to read through all the statements and decide which relate to you. • You can put any number of options a,b,c,d, down for each question. • Follow the instructions at the end of the questionnaire to determine what sort of learner you are.

16. Visual Learners Diagrams Mind Maps Colour Symbols as well as words whenever possible Highlighter Pens Type your notes using different fonts, bold print, italics etc.

17. Posters and post-it notes around the House MFL – have the Spanish / French word or phrase on appropriate objects. Flow charts Mathematical / scientific formulas going up the stairs or along the hallway. Make flash cards with minimum detail on.

18. Auditory Learners Record information to listen to Read your notes out loud Work out maths problems out loud, explaining to yourself the steps you are following Repeat information over and over Create musical jingles Teach someone else what you have learnt Train yourself to use you inner voice Work with others and discuss topics

19. Kinaesthetic Learners • Move around as you study • Re-arrange post it notes, linking them together or labelling diagrams. • Use role play or teach your teddies • Make models • Write practice answers • Brain storm whilst doing physical exercise.

20. ‘Review’ • To see again • To have another look • Revise • Revision is all about giving your brain the opportunity to re-learn, re-think & memorise. • If you review / revise something 5 times you stand a very good chance of remembering it! • So you can be like Little Miss Wise!

21. How Can I Revise Effectively? Everyone is different we will all have different things that work for us. It isn’t a good idea though to simply read through or write out all of your notes over and over again. There are so many things you can try.

22. Revision Methods • List all the different ways you currently revise • How many of those ways would match with your dominant learning style? • Think about which other methods might be worth trying?

23. RevisionCards

24. Revision Cards Write a keyword on a card using your textbook for cues. Read the relevant part of the textbook. Come back to your cards and try to write notes on them (this tests your memory) You can then flick through the cards to help you remember.

25. Mind Maps

26. Mnemonics a learning technique which helps your brain retain information more effectively owing to the fact they rely on you using humour, imagination, personal triggers. Mnemonics rely on us using our senses and emotions to aid our learning:

27. Useful for remembering lists: • RichardOfYorkGaveBattleInVain – the colours of the rainbow. • MRS GREN (Life Processes): Movement, Respiration, Sensation, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition

28. Useful for remembering foreign words: • Linking foreign words to well know English words or pictures:

29. The hebrew word for house is ‘bayit’. That’s a lovely house, I would like to bayit!

30. The Spanish verb ‘estar’ = to be – ‘to be ‘e’ star’.

31. The Spanish word for foot = ‘pie’

32. Highlight Notes • Go through your existing notes with a highlighter. This way your attention is drawn to important bits. Remember – only highlight key words, not the whole page!

33. Use post it notes All around your house – put keywords in the bathroom, on your bedroom wall, on your tv – everywhere you go. Label items in Spanish or French.

34. Use post it notes Make posters – put key information on separate notes and keep matching them up.

35. Read out loud • Record the information onto your iPod or your phone. • Play it back when you are going to sleep.

36. Teach Your Teddies!

37. The Internet There are masses of resources available online – Google what you want to revise and see what you can find: - BBC Bitesize www.revisescience.co.uk

38. Talk To Your Friends Talking about it can help. Have a pizza and have a revision party. It might be sad but it might make the difference.

39. Make A Storyboard • Write and draw key stages as a cartoon strip - this engages both sides of the brain.

40. Practice Papers This will make you feel more comfortable in the exam and will help you practice your technique. Ask your teachers for past papers, or have a look on the exam board websites.

41. TESTS AND EXAMS Don’t be Mr. Worry! Before the Exam • Get good sleep the night before. • Give yourself enough time in the morning for your regular routine. • Eat a good, nutritious breakfast. • Give yourself positive, reassuring statements throughout the day (such as "you can do it" or "you know the material, so relax"). • Quit studying at least half-an-hour before the exam and do something relaxing. • Avoid getting to class too early. (The time right before the exam is usually spent worrying about the test.) During the Exam • Avoid students who'll ask you questions before the exam. (This will only increase your anxiety.) • Be sure to read all directions. • Look over the test and spend more time on questions worth more marks. • Don't change your answers. (Unless you’re sure you were wrong the first time.) • Read each question twice, slowly. • Skip questions you can't answer and go back to them later.

42. TOP TIPS to be like Little Miss Brainy • Establish a routine • Create a study environment • Use a revision timetable • Reward yourself for studying • Have variety in your study program • Avoid interrupting your concentration • Test yourself on what you have studied • Don't panic at exam time • Ask your teachers for help

43. Revision Cards Mnemonics Post-It Notes Internet Storyboard Mind Maps Highlighters Read Out Loud Friends Practice Papers