International School Parent Magazine - Autumn 2019

Why revision needs
to start NOW!
IB DP Coordinators share tried and true advice on
how to revise over the long-term.
I
certainly know when I was in my final year of school
the synonym for revision was “cram” – trying to revisit
EVERYTHING you’d learnt in the past 1.5 years in that
month before the exams. It’s an impossible task and I’m glad to see
the tone has since changed. Although, it’s entirely possible that my
teachers insisted on regular revision, but I didn’t pay attention…
Does that sound a little bit like your child?
In any case, the IB Diploma Coordinators we spoke to are
unanimous in their agreement that the best revision is cyclical,
frequent and regular. Not only does it help keep the foundations
of your child’s learning strong, it avoids the stress of a situation
ahead of the exams where a student realises they don’t remember
something crucial in the curriculum. So, whether your child is in
first year or second year of the IB, or in their final years of another
programme of study, here’s how you can encourage them to revise
regularly.
Be clear on what revision DOESN’T look like
While it may seem obvious, Keith Sykes, IB Coordinator at Collège
Champittet, still often finds himself impressing on students and
parents that studying and revision isn’t hours and hours on end
flicking through textbooks and notes, while lying on the bed,
updating Snapchat and Instagram, with the TV or music on in
the background. “My advice is short, sharp bursts. I’m not saying,
leave Insta, Twitter alone totally. I’m saying 25-30 minutes, real
focused concentration. Good quality work. Committing things.
Memorization techniques. Then take a 10-15 minute break, and
go back and do it again. This is better than hours and hours of
mediocre ‘revision’ ”. Every student by this stage should have a
better idea of what approach to study works best for them. What
works for one, might not work for the other. Identifying what
quality and effective revision looks like for your child is the first
step.
Be organised and create a schedule
Dr. Eugene Stevelberg, IB DP Coordinator at Institut
Florimont, insists that students keeping up with their work is very,
very important. “Students should request of their teachers, if their
teachers don’t do it already, that before they start a new lesson to
go over very quickly, what they’ve done in a previous lesson.” He
says students should expect at least two hours of homework every
night for day to day work, plus the right time put aside for Internal
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