3 Ways to Switch Up Revision ??
Yao-Jin Choong
Senior Academic Head: Teaching & Learning at Westlake International School
“If you haven’t failed in the classroom lately, you aren’t pushing the envelope far enough. 'Safe'?lessons are a recipe for mediocrity at best.”
― Dave Burgess
Now that most teachers have completed the year's syllabus, and are gearing students up for year-end assessments, most lessons will be focused on revision of topics covered.
As important as it is to recap important content before testing, revision activities should not be limited to reteaching topics and sets after sets of worksheets or past-year papers, which can be tiring and dull for students.
Here are three ways to switch up revision so that students are engaged and more motivated to participate, so that learning is more?impactful (it's also great stress relief for the kids!).
#1 Make it a game
Oftentimes, important content can be assessed in a gamified environment, reducing test anxiety?and increasing motivation, all while injecting an element of fun and healthy competition!
Got important key vocabulary students need to know or define??Use them as clues in Taboo, Pictionary, or Charades. I like to also throw random clues into the mix to keep them on their toes!
Does your subject have a multiple-choice component??Switch up past paper practice by putting up the questions on an online quiz site! This way, students will also get instant feedback on their answers!
Game shows are always fun!?Ask your revision questions in the style of a TV quiz show. Examples of great game shows to model?are University Challenge, Mastermind (for small classes), or just a good old British pub quiz (minus the beer)! Again, I like to throw in the odd general knowledge question, because it's appalling how many students do not know the state capital of Penang! Up the fun by incorporating physical or digital buzzers!
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#2 Make it a physical and mental challenge!
Incorporating physical movement has been shown to enhance learning, so why not get the kids moving about during their revision?
Scavenger hunts around the classroom or school can be as simple as going around looking for questions to answer, or more elaborate (solving clues and riddles to get to the next location and question).
Escape rooms do take time and effort to create, but the look of intense concentration and enjoyment on students' faces make them well worth it! The puzzles should require content knowledge in order to solve.
Want to start small? Consider a digital escape room to begin with! This can be created using Google Forms, like this Harry Potter themed one! ??♂?
#3 Get students to contribute and collaborate
Take a break from the heavy lifting and get students to take ownership of their revision by contributing towards a class set of valuable revision resources!
Create a questions bank. Assign each student a topic on which they will create a set of questions. These questions may then be submitted and used in a quiz, gamified or otherwise, for example:
Create a revision guide. Assign each student or group of students a topic. They have to create a one-page summary of all important points from that unit.? You can incorporate retrieval practice by limiting their use of notes and textbooks during the activity. I like to add the element of collaboration by turning this into a round robin activity, where students pass their notes to the next group, who will check and improve on them. At the end, compile all the notes into a class-created revision booklet.
Fun interactive sessions that help beat the revision blues could be the boost your students need to finish the race strong!
How do YOU switch up revision?