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Exam Preparation Techniques for Different Learning Styles By Claire Winter
Whether it be for SATs, 11+ or school exams, your child is likely to need to do some preparation at home. So how do you help equip a primary school child with the techniques they need to revise? One popular theory on the different ways people learn, the VARK model, identifies four primary types of learners: visual, auditory, reading/ writing, and kinesthetic. Each learning type responds best to a different method of teaching. Most pupils don’t learn in just one way, so often using a combination of techniques will work best. Once you have established your child’s preferred learning style, you can try a variety of these methods to help your child prepare successfully for exams.
Mind Mapping A mind map is a visual representation of information, introduced in an organised, but innovative method and is great for visual learners. Mind maps can organise notes and suggestions
around bigger, connecting ideas, around one idea, or around several topics. They can enhance memory and learning by 15%.
Creating Visual Reminders Note-taking and highlighting are mainly reading-based learning techniques, but flashcards, post-it notes, and mind maps all take advantage of visual recognition too. If your child is naturally creative, then making flashcards with essential keywords or formulas on them can help them recall learning. Try sticking flashcards or post-it notes around the house and when your child comes across one, encourage them to describe them in more detail.
Organising Information Children who learn by reading and writing will like planning their work by topic. This not only helps them access the information much faster, but the act of planning can make a child feel more in charge of their learning. Visual learners can use colour coded post-it notes about the different topics too.
Building Happy Life Habits
Note Taking Taking notes on important facts from current classwork can be a good way for your child to keep the essentials in mind. If your child likes writing and reading, then they may find this highly effective. For younger children, highlighting important information can be just as efficient.
Verbally Explaining Another great revision technique for auditory learners is to ask your child to verbally explain something as they retain more information revising this way. Asking your child questions about their classwork such as: “Can you tell me more about Xyz?” will encourage your child to use memory recall to remember the important facts. You can also use questions to identify any gaps in their knowledge. An excellent revision game is to make your child the teacher and get them to talk about certain topics as if they were teaching themselves. This is a great learning technique for primary school kids that enjoy drama and acting things out.
We all want our children to be happy. We want them to be confident and be able to deal with the everyday challenges of life. Trick Box, as seen on South today and BBC Online News, aims to equip children to do just that. Evidenced with over 1,000 children, Trick Box offers interactive stories, fun activities and engaging ‘tricks’ to help children to develop a range of positive personal habits and skills. Accessed through Nurseries/Pre-schools, First and Primary Schools and supported at home by
Listening to a Recording or Watching a Video Auditory learners can record information (even in the form of songs they make up!) and listen to it. Watching videos is also a good way to revise.
Assembling Charts and Diagrams Kinaesthetic learners learn by assembling charts and creating diagrams. Flashcards can also help kinaesthetic learners; if you physically turn them over and write on them, it engages many different parts of the brain. Keeping fingers busy, tracing words or tapping out sequences can help your child retain knowledge too. Using a mixture of many learning techniques is the most successful way to help your child retain information. You will soon learn what they like doing and what helps them most.
parents, Heads have described it as “inspirational” and “a powerful whole child approach” with the Nursery Manager of the Year saying, “Children love it! It makes a positive impact, bringing children, parents and practitioners together.” With wellbeing high on the agenda we could all do with a few tricks up our sleeves. Ask your Nursery or School about Trick Box or visit trickbox.co.uk
Skills for Life at Sheiling School & College The Sheiling Ringwood School and College offer a broad, balanced, developmental curriculum, covering all the subjects in the national curriculum, including the ASDAN Personal Progress qualification and the OCR Life & Living Skills qualifications. At the Sheiling, students are encouraged and supported to become resourceful and caring individuals, to explore the world of feelings,
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behaviour and values. We focus on building confidence and skills in different environments and social groups, whilst also developing functional independence, in preparation for adult life. We build positive relationships with students that acknowledge their value, believing that every young person can be empowered to find meaning and purpose in life.
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