The Learning Scientists: Free Revision Resources

Over the past 5 or so years I’ve posted a few times about the revision resources provided by The Learning Scientists: from retrieval practice and spaced study booklets to simple video explainers about the basic science behind successful forms of revision.

This latest post brings together a new set of resources designed to help teachers and students develop successful revision strategies, grouped into 6 separate, but related, topics:

Spaced Practice

Retrieval Practice

Elaboration

Interleaving

Concrete Examples

Dual Coding.

Each of the above leads to a range of resources designed to help you teach / illustrate the topic:

A classroom display Poster

A PowerPoint Presentation that walks students through the basic ideas underpinning the topic.

Cut-out-and-keep Bookmarks that outline the basics of a topic and prompt students to reflect on information they’ve previously read.

A set of sticker templates you’re unlikely to use unless you and your students are Really Into Sticker Culture. And even then, I’d say it was probably marginal.

A short (2 – 3 minute) YouTube video explainer.

While it’s important to note that applying any or all of these revision techniques is no guarantee of exam success – as the Learning Scientists note, “We cannot guarantee success, and we cannot predict students’ grades based on the use of these strategies. There are a lot of variables at play during learning…” – their efficacy is at least based on cogitative psychological evidence about what does and doesn’t work when it comes to effective revision.

Which is, you’ll probably agree, something.