GC SE

Revi si on
Ideas, tips and techniques for use in the Humanities
Learning Area
David Drake
Humanities AST Wiltshire
http://humanitiesastwiltshire.blogspot.com
Use the whol e l earni ng
envi ronment - Cl assrooms &
around th e school
 Write important words and phrases on
sticky notes or A4 sheets that can be
stuck where students see them every
day. On your walls or doors... anywhere
will do. It works!
 Why not get students to make them and
place them around the school! (Canteen,
Learning Centre, Toilets?)
Te chniques
 Mind Mapping is a powerful technique
that allows you to make the best use of
your brain power. The Mind Mapping
technique harnesses the full range of
your cortical skills, making you more
productive and creative.
 Resources:
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~rwilliams/t
eaching.htm
Lesso n id eas
Exemplar material
 Collect the best answers from students
 Photocopy the work and give to students who
have to identify why they are good answers by
underlining in one colour RE vocabulary, in
another colour underlining connectives, in
another circle examples used etc. Don’t just
read it – do something with it!
 Build up an exemplar student booklet which
can be distributed within and between classes
Lesso n id eas

Fill in the gaps

 Give students a written answer which has
chunks of text missing
 Students fill in the gaps to make an A*-C grade
answer, clues dotted around the room on the
walls, only allowed to get up and look once
though! Allows everyone to be successful.
“Look, you’ve just created a C grade answer –
you see, you CAN do it! (SEAL)
Lesso n id eas

Grade it and feedback activity

 Students answer a written question
 Answers swapped and peer assessment
takes place
 Verbal feedback to be given by student
to their partner
 Opportunity to rewrite using the feedback
they have been given
Lesso n id eas
Consequences game
 Supply a question
 Students create an introduction on the top the paper
and fold over
 Pass to next student who writes next stage (describe
the location), then fold over
 Pass to next student who writes an explanation, fold
over
 Pass to the next who writes a positive impact on the
environment, fold and pass on.
 Game continues until the requirements of the question
have been met.
 Final person unfolds the answer and reads. Examples
read to class and students decide if a good answer and
why/why not
Lesso n id eas

Pub quiz
 Create questions for homework
 Create teams of 5
 Have a round per lesson and record
scores on a leader board
 Successive rounds lead to a grand final
between highest scoring teams
Lesso n id eas

The student as teacher

 Create a new seating plan where
students of different abilities are sat next
to each other. Reading each others work
regularly to feedback. Get the students
to do the teaching!
Lesso n id eas
Using previous exam papers
 Only use exam papers when success will
result.
 Avoid lessons which involve student just
answering questions. They will just keep
making the same mistakes or continuing to fail.
 There needs to be the opportunity for
success in every activity. Less able students
need small achievable targets (SEAL)
Lesso n id eas

Game-show Geography/History/RE
 Students to create a game-show format
as a vehicle to deliver revision questions
 Could be done as whole class, but best
within groups
 Process of making the format and
questions is as important as the final
game
Lesso n id eas

Steps to success
 Create ‘steps to success’ templates or
‘success ladders’ to show students what they
have to do in stages when answering a
question
 Model the requirements through question and
answer starters and pleneries

 Describing locations.doc
Lesso n id eas

Building an answer as a team

 Set a question
 Each student can only contribute one
word each time to the answer
 Go around the room building an answer.
The teacher intervenes as appropriate
points to provide structure through the
use of sentence starters and connectives
Ot her b asic i deas
 Copying out key points from notes onto small revision
cards.
 Make use of diagrams. Draw diagrams so that students
can remember ideas, words and concepts better.
 Use mnemonics to help remember certain patterns or
sequences. A mnemonic is a way of helping you
remember information using abbreviations, words or
phrases. For example, to remember the colours of the
rainbow, you could use the mnemonic: Richard of York
Gave Battle In Vain, using the first letters of each word
to remember the colours Red, Orange, Yellow, Green,
Blue, Indigo and Violet. Simple!
Ot her b asic i deas

 Create a blog for students to access

online revision materials

For example:
http://abbeyfieldhumanities.blogspot.com/2009
Re member
 We all learn in different ways (visual,
kinesthetc etc)
 Create lessons which offer a variety of
approaches
 Avoid “read this for homework” or “learn
this” as most student won’t, you might not
like it but accept it!
 Students will be revising in all lessons not
just yours. If you have already had 5
lessons that day answering practise papers,
would you want to do it for another 50
minutes? Make your lesson memorable!
Re member
 Some lesson won’t work for all students, but if
you use a variety of techniques, there should
be something for everyone.
 Build achievable goals and chance of success
into every lesson (SEAL), Otherwise, why
would they bother to behave and try hard if
they think they will fail – would you?
 Build the students up, establish self-belief.
 Ask the students!