Study Tips for History
Hi
My 12 year old son is due to take a test on Monday in History. We always struggle to identify the main points to revise as there seem to be many. The eras he will be tested on is the Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenean civilisations. Is there a certain set of questions we can set about asking when reading history that will help us to extract main points on a general level and retain them for revision? Infact, any revision/study tips will be most welcomed.
Thank you for reading.
Jo
Answers
In regards to revision/study tips:What I suggest is firstly attempt to summarise each civilisation. Then, write a few bullet points (3 to begin with) about each of those civilisations. Attempt to remember these by writing or talking about these points. You may even want to put them in a way that it leads onto a story. Then, add a few more bullet points until you are able to tell a story without looking at notes. If your son prefers to write instead of talk, he may write the story over and over until it stays on his brain and he can just recall the facts - like learning a new song. Hope this helps and good luck to your son
01 December 2014
Hi KatThanks for your tips and for your wishes. A great building block for adding details in stages. The story would be a great idea too as he is a very visual/kinestetic learner.
01 December 2014
Hi Jo,With regards to revision tips, you could try 'mind mapping'; creating a diagram of different words and phrases, with a little picture/rhyme/hint next to it so that he can use these to jog his memory.Good luck!
29 December 2014
Hi Jo, The following information is useless for the history test, I know, but hopefully it will help with studying in general. I agree with Lucy B. I have done a lot of work on study-skills and I have found that mind-mapping is probably the most effective note-taking technique for most people, if they are done properly. They should have:the theme or title in the middle; each main idea should be a different colour and the details can then grow and grow from each main idea. It is important to write all words along the branches (not at the ends or in bubbles), to use key words (no sentences) and to add doodles or other illustrations. To use for memory, it is a good idea to get your son to try to re-draw his mind-map from memory a few times: Ten minutes or so after he finishes the original.Later the same day. The next day. One week later. One month later. I still use them when I have something to memorise for exams. Done properly, they are so effectively memorised, it is like taking them into the exam hall with you.If he does this, the mind-map will begin to embed itself in his long-term memory, which means that he will not need to cram the information back in for tests and exams. I hope that's useful. All the best to you and your son for the New Year!
31 December 2014
Hi Jo.I realise it is a while since you posted but I am new to the site and would like to help. Mind mapping was a skill that I used in my history degree as it helps construct the argument. Each 'arm' of the mind map can be a key point or person/event. Under each arm can be a few bullet points of evidence and references to the source which are key historical techniques. There is a software package called Inspiration which is a mind mapping assistive software. It offers you a 30 day trial for free and your son can mind map with pictures as well as words, which it can covert to a Word document with his headings snd bullet points to help his construction. Hope this helpsMichelle
22 January 2015
An excellent way to revise for history is the TEACH approach. Studies have proven that if you can teach somebody a particular topic you will remember 90% of the content you cover. All the bestSam
23 January 2015
A Big Thanks to everyone! Some great advice which I will be using. Jo
04 February 2015
It always helped me to draw a "mindmap". Start with the big events, perhaps eras, and them attach to each era some of the main things that happened and then the reasons, they key people involved. I'm quite a visual leaner, so producing the map helped me to revise and it gave me a tool that I could look at quickly before the exam. You'll find some examples here:http://www.mind-mapping.co.uk/mind-maps-examples/education/humanities/history.htmAnd you might find the following info graphics help:http://www.theguardian.com/membership/2014/sep/10/best-infographic-graphic-design
16 February 2015
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