ICYMI: Exam-related blog posts

Are you feeling stressed out by the exams? Here is a round up of our most popular exam-related blog posts in case you missed it.

No matter your learning style, we’ve got handy exam revision tips for you:

Tips for visual learners

Tips for auditory learners

Tips for kinaesthetic learners

If you’re organised, you’re more likely to be productive, which reduces stress and anxiety. Set up a study timetable – it’s not too late.

Are exams already in session? Read these two blogs to help you get through it:

The art of writing exams

Coping with exam stress

Tips for kinaesthetic learners

This is the last post in a three-part series, where we explore study techniques for the three main learning styles. If you aren’t sure what your unique learning style is, click here to find out. If you are a visual learner, click here for study techniques to suit that learning style. And if you are an auditory learner, click here.

So you’ve done the quiz and you’ve figured out that you have a kinaesthetic learning style.

To recap: People with a kinaesthetic learning style learn best when they are able to manipulate, engage with or actually do the thing that they’re learning about. If you find that you’re unable to fully grasp content unless you can touch and explore it, then you’re probably a kinaesthetic learner.

Here are some study techniques that you could try. These techniques help kinaesthetic learners to make sense of content and concepts by making sure that your brain engages with information in a way that it can process.

Do something while you study

Because you are easily distracted, it’s a good idea to do something while you’re studying. Fidget spinners are the latest trend but a good old-fashioned stress ball or simple elastic band will also do the trick. You could also take your notes to the gym, and try to get some studying in while you’re walking on the treadmill. You could also just pace up-and-down wherever you are studying.

The point is that your attention needs to be on your study notes, so calm your inner fidget by giving it something to do while your brain focuses on the important stuff!

Practise HIST (High Intensity Study Intervals)

Because you are easily distracted, it’s no use trying to get a straight four hours of studying in. You will only end up frustrated. Rather study in short but effective bursts. This gives you an opportunity to focus on the task at hand, knowing that a 5-10 minute break is coming up.

Set a timer for 25 minutes and use the 25 minutes to give your revision all of your energy and attention. Once the buzzer goes, set another timer for 5-10 minutes (no longer!). Use this time to do whatever you like – make a sandwich, make a call or take a quick swim. Then go back and do another round. Do this until you’ve hit your study target for the day.

Prepare a presentation

Pretend that you are the only person in your class that has received the study notes. It is your responsibility to teach the content and skills to the rest of your class. Prepare a presentation on what they need to know. Use any presentation aids that you choose: PowerPoint, flipcharts, flash cards, etc. The act of putting the presentation together will help to solidify the content in your mind.

Take a look at this post: Tips for auditory learners, where we discuss putting together a study club. A study club is the perfect audience for a presentation like this. And, best of all, you’ll be helping learners with different learning styles (like an auditory learning style) at the same time too!

Watch videos and tutorials online

Long written descriptions will probably bore you, and you will end up not fully grasping complex content and concepts. Use YouTube and other reputable educational websites to find explanatory videos. This will go a long way to helping you decode the content.

It is also a good idea to look for online tutorials on DIY projects. This method won’t necessarily suit all of your subjects but you may be surprised how many fun and interesting projects there are online to help you with your learning. An example might be to build a DNA model to help you understand the helix structure (Life Sciences).

Here is a good example of this type of project: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Model-of-DNA-Using-Common-Materials

(We have a full post on study techniques using technology coming up on the blog so look out for that.)

Use rhythm and rhyme

(This study technique is also suitable for auditory learners.)

Mnemonics (pronounced ni-mon-iks) are a great way to remember lists of facts or information, and are ideal for kinaesthetic learners because the act of making something up yourself often makes it easier to remember. Have fun making up your own mnemonics to remember certain facts.

For example, a good way to remember the three main learning styles might be to remember this rhyme: Vuyo Kicks Ants. (V = visual, K = kinaesthetic, A = auditory)

TIP: Try not to depend on mnemonics too much as a study technique, as you may end up forgetting which mnemonic to use!

How to use your Ace it! study guide

Hopefully this post has given you some good ideas about study techniques to use when you’re a kinaesthetic learner. Don’t forget that the Ace it! study guides have all the content you need to know for your exams.

Here’s how a kinaesthetic learner can use the Ace it! study guides to their best advantage:

  • Use the practice exam questions. Practice exams are a great tool for kinaesthetic learners.
  • Prepare your own quiz based on the content in the study guide.
  • Use sticky notes to remember which mnemonic to use for which section. And sing/chant your mnemonic out loud with actions and clapping for maximum impact!

What’s your learning style?

Some people love pineapple on their pizza, while others can’t stand the thought. Some people like hip-hop, while others prefer pop music. Boxers or briefs; bikinis or a one-piece; Marvel or DC Comics… why is it that we accept people’s differences in almost every aspect of life, and yet think that every high school kid learns and studies the same way?

We’re all wired differently, so it’s no surprise that we have different learning styles. Here’s a secret: if you can figure out your unique learning style, you’ll be able to learn better, study smarter and do better in your exams.

Your teachers might not have the time to adapt how they teach to suit every single person in the class but, if you know your own learning style, you can empower yourself to revise the content in a way that makes sense to you.

More efficient revision = Better grasp of the content = Easier studying sessions = Better exam results!

Take a look at the three main learning styles below, and try to figure out which describes you best. If you’re not sure which you are, try to work it out by deciding which study technique you prefer. If you still can’t work it out, there’s a handy quiz in every Ace it! study guide.

The auditory learning style

If you are an auditory learner, you probably learn best when you hear what you are trying to learn. You’re the kind of person who actually listens in class, and remembers what the teacher has said. You’re also the kind of person who talks to yourself (we’re not judging) and reads things out loud when you’re trying to understand them.

Recommended study technique: Reciting study materials.

The visual learning style

If you prefer using a map to following written instructions or if you have a pencil case full of highlighters, you’re probably a visual learner. In order to understand something, you need to see it or observe it. You prefer using colourful charts, pictures or diagrams to study. You also prefer to use visual aids when you’re giving a presentation.

Recommended study technique: Mind mapping and highlighting key facts.

The kinaesthetic learning style

Let’s break down the word ‘kinaesthetic’:  kinetic, as in movement and aesthetic, as in the senses. You need physical experiences to help you make sense of new information. You’re probably fidgety in class and wish that teachers would let you do, rather than just telling you. If you’re really interested in a subject, you can learn more about it in two hours of doing, fiddling, interacting, researching and exploring than a teacher can tell you in a week of classes.

Recommended study technique: Role-playing or model building.

Remember that you can be a combination of two or three of these learning styles and that it might change depending on the subject. So, you might prefer a visual study technique for most subjects but kinaesthetic study techniques for Technology or Physical Sciences. You just have to try to understand yourself better so that you can do better.

Once you know your learning style, you’ll be ready to ace your exams!