We all want to do well in our studies, and one way we can do this is by working independently – on your own, with self-motivation. But if someone says: “Get on and study!” what do you actually do?

The first problem is managing your time – how long should you study, when should you take a break, when should you start? Doing a Pomodoro is a way to organise your time so that you work hard for a set amount of time and then reward yourself:

Doing a Pomodoro

Once you have organised your time, you need to think about what you do. We’ve spent a lot of time working out what research tells us, and the three techniques outlined below have been proved to be the most effective. These techniques are not just for revision, they are for life! If you learn these techniques you will use them as a Heathfield Learner, but you will also use them when you go to college and university in the future:

Creating and Using Flash Cards

Here is a classic revision strategy: flash cards. To help you get to grips with this technique I have made a video above explaining how to make and use them. 

Creating Mindmaps to Aid Revision

This is a great technique that requires only a revision resource, a couple of coloured pens and some paper. Creating a mind map should only take 20 or 30 minutes, so it’s a good activity for a 30 minute slot in the revision timetable, or to give you an activity in between your lessons on Teams. It’s actually a really good technique to help secure learning, and would ideally be part of a your independent study routine.

Using Cornell Notes to Revise

This revision tip is using the Cornell Notes method. This is a useful way to create notes that you can revise from. One of the best features of this method is that it requires nothing more than a piece of paper, a pen and a ruler, and it works for any subject.