year 7 and "teaching" revision.

[bizzey]

Hi...ds1 has a maths test/exam? on Monday. His homework is to revise for it .
Ds thinks it is not "real"homework as the teacher does not have to mark it or see it (!)

I have explained that the teacher will know if it is not done as his marks will not be good.
"un"/fortunatly I have a ds who has one of those brains that retains information and understands things very easily(not a stealth boast as he still forgets to use paragraghs properly in English !)

But anything maths /science/geography ...he finds really easy.

What I want to know is "how do you teach them to revise stuff they know "

I think it is a useful skill to learn from the begining...as thing are going to get harder...but how /where do you start.

I know many of you will say just leave him...he will get a bad mark then he will learn...but over 1/2 term he was supposed to have revised for a science test that was not in his book and forgot...and got the 2nd highest mark !!(so that back fired on me !!)

So he is doing well for now ...but he really does need to understand what revision means
any thoughts ??
Thanks !

I get DS to teach maths topics to me, as a way for him to revise. It seems to work for him. So I choose a topic which we know will be on the test, he prepares for 10 mins and then he has 10 mins to make me understand it. And he like testing me after!

Thank you Lizzie...yes that would work with us as he someone who"just gets it"
Having to explain it to me would be good as well as long as i do not zone out

It works well because then you know he's actually done it IYSWIM . And my maths has definitely improved! DS asks to do this now when he has a test, and he was a very reluctant "reviser" to begin with.

What a great idea, think i'm going to try with with my DC..

DD has always liked index cards with the key points of a topic put on using colour coding for differenbt things, eg. terminology etc. Not great for maths, but works for content driven subjects.

Maths - do questions. It's really the only way. Although I like the idea of teaching it to someone else as well.

I've purchased some ks3 books from WH Smiths, so when my DS has a maths tests, he does the relevant questions from them. It helps a lot. The best way to revise maths is to actually so it.

OP, your post made me laugh, what a nice problem to have!

But you are right he needs to learn how to revise and also I might be a little concerned that the tests are not challenging enough if he can do that well with no revision.

Maths, I agree, practice questions are the only way. They are very helpful in science too I think.

Maths practice questions in the CGP books and on bite size,
Science this plus mind maps and record cards of facts.

English CGP publish lovely copies of Shakespeare with the notes down the side, which are even vaguely funny, I'm told.

And yes, yes to explaining to someone else.
DD1 sort out a nasty bit of homeostasis explaining it to me. There are bits of A level chemistry I can still remember because I made models out of pencils and rubbers to explain it to some friends.The maths master was late and very puzzled as to why the back table looked like a, very untidy, stationary shop.

If he doesn't like doing it to you, get him to try it on 'teddy' first. DH always tells their junior techies to explain the problem to an 'imaginary' cardboard cut out boss first. Often having to put it in words sorts the problem out if it doesn't they know what they are trying to ask.

Likewise it's very good for getting exam answers in a brief logical form.

Friends are great, especially for topics you hate, if you are actually going to work. BF and I both have As for English lot because we quoted it endlessly at each other on the school bus. Drove everyone else nuts.

Lit. not lot.

Thank you everybody for your imput !! We are liking the idea of explaining things to someone else...he has decided it will be his younger brother(yr 5) though and not me !!

I will look for those books as well so he is not just "repeating" the questions he has already answered for homework.

Thank you all again for taking time to reply !