The

Bulmershe

School

INSPIRING POTENTIAL

ACHIEVING TOGETHER

Welcome to ‘How to help with Revision

and Exam Stress’

This Evening’s Speeches

Support your child through the exam period: Tips for Emotional Wellbeing

Study Skills and Revision Tips for Exam Success

Smooth transition from KS4 - KS5

Simon Brett (Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner)

Alice Gray (Head of Year 11)

Tom Lord (Head of Sixth Form)

LIMITLESS POTENTIAL | LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITIES | LIMITLESS IMPACT LIMITLESS POTENTIAL | LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITIES | LIMITLESS IMPACT Copyright University of Reading

HOW TO HELP WITH REVISION & EXAM STRESS: TIPS FOR EMOTIONAL WELLBEING

Simon Brett, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner Anxiety and Depression in Young people (AnDY) Research Unit

andyresearchclinic.com Email: Simon.brett@reading.ac.uk

@Andy_Res_Clin

School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences

Brain development is ongoing in teenage years and continues until our mid-20’s, especially the areas that control more complex behaviours This means teenagers are more likely than adults to: • Act on impulse • Misread or misinterpret social cues and emotions • Find short-term rewards more compelling than long-term gains • Get distracted from tasks that are important

Teenagers are less likely than adults to: • Think before they act • Problem-solve difficulties logically • Monitor and adjust their own behaviours without external input

This is where parents and school staff can help!

A note on the teenage brain

Stress-Performance Curve

Some level of anxiety/stress

helps us focus and allocate resources

to the task in hand

Too much anxiety/stress

leads to feeling overwhelmed & inability to focus

on tasks

Healthy Habits: Sleep

Sleep is extremely important for memory consolidation as well as general wellbeing

Top tips for better sleep:

• Healthy eating

• Cutting down on caffeine (watch for energy drinks)

• Exercising earlier in the day (not right before bed)

• Avoid screentime before bed (blue light filter)

• Having a consistent sleep routine

• Relaxation/controlled breathing

• Doing something effortful but not emotional (e.g. counting down from 1000 backwards in 7’s)

• Changing your surroundings if you can’t get to sleep

Flavonoids

• A group of nutrients found in a wide range of fruits and vegetables (blueberries, strawberries and raspberries)

• Recent evidence suggests that flavonoids improve mood, attention and memory

Complex Carbohydrates

• (Wholegrain breads, starchy vegetables, beans). Digested slowly and help us keep our blood sugar levels steady between meals.

• Simple carbohydrates-refined breads, pastas, sugary foods, provide calories but few nutrients.

Healthy Habits: A diet to fuel the brain

Healthy Habits: Getting the balance of activities right

8

Revision & Exam prep:

• Using School advice & tips

Other activities:

•Exercise

•Relaxation

•Hobbies

•Socialising

•Fun!

Healthy Habits: Challenging anxious thoughts & facing fears

• Anxious thought “I’m going to fail everything” => Avoidance => Lack of revision & negative emotional state => Sense of helplessness & threat

Vs

• More realistic thought “I feel ok about English, but I’m worried I don’t understand what I need to know for Maths” => Problem solving => Facing anxiety-provoking Maths revision with support & guidance => Increased sense of ability & coping

• Anxiety makes it difficult to prioritise and carry out tasks in a methodical order.

• When we feel stressed and anxious thinking through problems can be like wading through a marsh.

• When stress and anxiety interferes it is useful to

breakdown problems into bitesized chunks.

Healthy Habits: Problem-Solving

1) Identify the problem (Be as specific as possible- e.g. “I struggle to revise productively and I don’t know how to stop it getting on top of me.” vs “I hate revision.”)

2) Brainstorm as many solutions as possible (Even if they sound crazy!)

3) Pros and cons of each solution (Is it likely to work? Do-able? Practical? What if I don’t solve? What if I do solve?)

4) Select a solution (Which is the best and most practical solution?)

5) Plan solution (What? Where? When? With whom? What practical steps do you need to take?)

6) Do it!

7) Review (How did it go? If it didn't work, go back to 2 and try another solution)

Healthy Habits: Problem Solving

Resources to help you support your child

The

Bulmershe School INSPIRING POTENTIAL

ACHIEVING TOGETHER

The

Bulmershe School INSPIRING POTENTIAL

ACHIEVING TOGETHER

The

Bulmershe School INSPIRING POTENTIAL

ACHIEVING TOGETHER

The

Bulmershe School INSPIRING POTENTIAL

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How I often see Revision Notes …

The

Bulmershe School INSPIRING POTENTIAL

ACHIEVING TOGETHER Better methods!

Picture mind maps Exam practise questions – with use of the revision guide / internet Sticky notes

USE THE REVISION CHECKLISTS AVAILABLE!

The

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ATTRITION

The

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The

Bulmershe School INSPIRING POTENTIAL

ACHIEVING TOGETHER Example: Chemistry • States of Matter and Changes of State

• Metal Extraction Methods

• The Reactivity Series of Metals

• Electrolysis of Solutions

• Chemical Equations and Calculations (balancing, relative formula mass, reacting masses)

• Paper Chromatography

• Atoms/Ions/Isotopes

• Ionic, Covalent and Metallic Bonding

• Structure and Properties of Materials

• Strong and Weak acids

• Methods of preparing salts

• Development of the Periodic Table

The

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Metal Extraction Methods

The

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Metals - in decreasing order of reactivity Reactivity

•potassium •sodium •calcium •magnesium •aluminium

extract by electrolysis

carbon

•zinc •iron •tin •lead

extract by reaction with carbon or carbon monoxide

hydrogen

•copper •silver •gold •platinum

extracted by various chemical reactions

The

Bulmershe School INSPIRING POTENTIAL

ACHIEVING TOGETHER

The

Bulmershe School INSPIRING POTENTIAL

ACHIEVING TOGETHER

The

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Exam Practise Questions

The

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Exam Practise Questions

The

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Exam Practise Questions

The

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Exam Practise Questions

The

Bulmershe School INSPIRING POTENTIAL

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• Work together on a revision plan and stick to it! • Have a clear working space with all equipment ready

and laid out – pens, highlighters, paper, revision guides, internet

• After your child has completed their revision session

(recommend 45 minute slots) get them to teach you what they have learnt in that time

• Confiscate the phone….

The

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• Studies within KS5 are very different to those at KS4 • What can be done to help students prepare and make a

smooth transition from KS4-KS5 ? • Use these simple tips to help students with life within the

sixth form

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Using this can add structure to their revision and identify weaknesses or areas which they need to focus but try to avoid. Developing their personal study plan can help them organise what they need to study and boost their motivation to revise for exams.

Create a Revision Timetable

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The ultimate learning strategy high-achievers use to prepare for their A-levels is by practicing as many past exam papers as possible. This will give them the opportunity to test our exam-like conditions to ensure that they are fully ready to sit the exam.

Practicing past papers will help them become familiar with:

• Exam format

• Question style

• Time pressure

The

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ACHIEVING TOGETHER Exercise regularly

There’s a reason why PE is integrated into students curriculum.

If they are feeling stressed at the thought of those upcoming exams, staying fit and exercising will help them to balance the tension in their mind.

The

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Everything can be in place working as it should be if they don’t figure out what works best for THEM and how they learn, you’re fighting a losing battle. Everyone wants to discover the ultimate study advice that just works but truth is that each person is different.

Once they understand if their a visual, auditory, reading / writing or kinaesthetic learner then understanding and recalling information will become much easier for them.

Any Questions