大象传媒

Exams. Although it can be torture for many, some people enjoy the challenge. Whatever your take on exams, there鈥檚 no doubt they often cause angst way before you hear those immortal words: 鈥淭urn over the exam paper!鈥�. The problem is one of revision. How much, how often, how detailed, how...? For many of us who left school decades ago, revision is a hit and miss affair generally 鈥� and, in any case, as with most things educational, the methods and advice given out nowadays could be completely different.听

One thing鈥檚 for sure. Even if you鈥檙e feeling nervous about how your child will acquit himself, it鈥檚 crucial that your sense of impending doom isn鈥檛 transmitted to your child. Try to keep a sense of perspective, too: if they鈥檝e revised for three evenings on the trot, let them go out on the fourth. It鈥檚 also counter-productive to expect teens to cram for hours; they are as and after about 45 minutes the brain loses its ability to retain information.

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Common sense should also prevail. Breaking is vital to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Adopting a methodical approach is another essential tool 鈥� a scatter approach will leave your teen feeling that he hasn鈥檛 got a real grip on the subject.

There are, however, certain tips that seem to hold true. Revising facts 鈥� dates, formulae, vocab 鈥� just before bed is a good idea as the brain absorbs information during sleep. Getting plenty of sleep and really good nutrition goes without saying: a meal of oily fish such as mackerel or salmon just before an exam, will ensure plenty of omegas! will also facilitate the brain to be effective. If they鈥檙e sporty, encourage them to keep on playing rugby or go swimming during revision time as exercise is good for blood flow to the brain and will give them a mental rest.

Revision guides have their place too and there are good online sites such as 大象传媒 Bitesize. Find out which exam board and syllabus your school is following before buying or your teen may end learning the wrong things or becoming confused. Friends can help too: especially with languages and vocabulary,as they can test each other. You can think you know something but it鈥檚 always valuable for someone to test you. (You can reward them with pizza if they do well!)

Some teens insist on revising in front of the TV, often with their iPod plugged in at the same time. Too much extraneous noise can be a distraction but for many people, some background music 听is helpful 鈥� and, after all, the world of work is rarely silent.

Another good idea is to try to . Many schools will run questionnaires to identify whether they鈥檙e visual, aural, verbal or kinaesthetic 鈥� or a combination. Once you know this, you can .听

A visual learner will work well with colour-coded flashcards and notes stuck up around the house. Try to come up with word tricks and mnemonics to help those who don鈥檛 have a naturally good memory. Aural learners may benefit from recording facts on an audio file then playing it or you can read out information and test them. The most fun is if you have a kinaesthetic learner, as I do. She will lie on my bed with her legs straight up in the air, doing various yoga-like positions, or walking round the room. Shame she has to sit still for the exam.听

Jo Lamiri is a freelance writer.

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