30th April 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
The Easter Holidays are a time when students start to feel the pressure of impending exams, while tutors are called upon to impart their wisdom with regards to revision and exam techniques. This is a very different kind of tutoring; usually when beginning with a student tutors set out long term lesson plans and goals, using a variety of educational techniques. At this time of year, however, it is not unusual for tutors to be contacted with much more specific requests. The requests are usually along the lines of students wanting to know how to write the perfect exam answer, and how to revise.
Each student develops their own way of revising over the years, but many find that they often struggle to make their approach work for them. This is where a tutor comes in, with tried and tested methods that they are willing to teach their students. The most important revision lesson a tutor can impart is that reading reams and reams of text and information is not a productive thing to do. In other words, reading over old essays and lecture notes is not the best way to learn the information necessary. Whilst each tutor has their own method to teach, the general rule is that information must be broken down into memorable bits. I think of this as setting up a train with carriages in the brain. The train itself is a key concept which the student learns, and from there, ‘carriages’ containing additional relevant material can be hooked onto the train. Whatever methods and metaphors tutors use, the important thing is to break down the information into manageable portions.
The same is true for exam answers. Many students make the mistake of trying to write everything they know about the topic in the short time that they have. Tutors must teach their students to answer the question at hand, breaking down the information they have, and deciding what is relevant to the question. The best way for students to ensure that they have achieved this is to plan their answers on paper. That way, they can see that the information is relevant, and have a structure to follow when writing under pressure. Students should spend 10-15 minutes planning for every hour of writing, an approach which students initially find daunting, but pays off in the end. Whatever their approach, this is the time that tutors should be encouraging their students to break up their revision into manageable portions.