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End of Term 2 Review Wednesday 16 March 2016 Please note the workshop on the day may be delivered in a different format Adam Sandelson LSE Student Counselling Service. Aims. Revision strategies Revision psychology/ Practical tips Stress management skills. Revision Strategies.
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End of Term 2 Review Wednesday 16 March 2016 Please note the workshop on the day may be delivered in a different format Adam Sandelson LSE Student Counselling Service
Aims • Revision strategies • Revision psychology/ Practical tips • Stress management skills
Best use of time • Complete and practise exam tasks • Produce answers to show • You can think (answer the question) • You’ve done the reading (references / context) • Expertise (detailed knowledge, locate the debate etc)
Revising • How many topics – 2n + 1 • Look for repeated questions on same topic • Find links, key ideas – see the whole • Pareto Principle – 20% gets 80% of marks • Reduce each week to a single page • Pare down further as you get closer • New material if necessary and interesting • Find work you enjoy – motivation is key
Resources • Each other – read each others essays, try the same questions and talk through the solutions (good end of day task) • Revision sessions – examiner’s mindset, marking preferences etc. • Office hours – take answers / plans rather than questions of detail
5 minutes exercise • What are your top revision tips? • Revision strategies • Planning last two months • Managing workload • Use of time • Keeping fresh
Practical approaches • Time management skills • Set realistic and achievable goals • Plan short term targets and longer term strategies • Recognise your achievements • Talk to others • Concentrate on the task, not the outcome
Focussing on the task • Monitor perfectionism • Remember past successes • Recognise you are likely to pass • Be methodical, and allow time for breaks and space to breathe and think • Use mind maps, scribble ideas • Go for a walk, talk out loud
Procrastination top tips • 10 minute rule –at least make a start! • Time scheduling – SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timetabled (by when) • Utilise when you work best • Practice imperfection – aim for 80% or even 60% • Imagine looking back on this task in 3 months, 1 year • Talk to others/ check out if your fears are reasonable – can help get a sense of perspective
Perfectionism • Perfectionism can reduce achievement • Trying to be perfect can reduce your satisfaction and make you achieve far less • It’s an undesirable illusion • Experiment with your standards for success • Try for 80% or even 60% • Focus on the process of doing an activity not just the end result. • Evaluate the outcome - what did you achieve? • Did you enjoy the task?
Underlying dynamics • The family / historic context for your success • Wanting to be the best • Trying to please others • Setting yourself impossible targets • Re-enacting anxiety, fear of failure …
What are you top 3 tips for good revision Psychology? 5 minute exercise
Stress Management Skills • Regularly switch off with some kind of physical activity • Good self care – sleep, diet, caffeine, alcohol • Allow yourself time out without guilt • Acknowledge anxiety, rather than denying it. • Ask if your negative thoughts are realistic
Challenging negative thoughts • Apply ‘Socratic reasoning’ or imagine this being tested in a Court of Law • Identify the negative thought • Eg, I am going to fail the Course • Ascertain the evidence For and Against • Ask if you are making a ‘thinking error’ • Propose a more reasonable alternative thought
All or nothing thinking Discounting the positive Believing a catastrophe will happen Emotional Reasoning If I feel it then it must be true Overgeneralizing Because something bad happened in the past it is certain to happen again Thinking errors
LSE Student Counselling Service • Free and confidential • Short term counselling • Appointments need to be booked in advance • Drop in sessions – each day at 3.00 • Relaxation MP3’s • Links to self help resources on a wide range of student issues, including study – related and personal difficulties