Time for Reflection
Exams can be stressful. Some students may have felt rushed or anxious, made careless mistakes, ran out of time, experienced their mind going blank or misinterpreted a question. There are strategies and solutions to overcome all of these problems. So, with the examinations and assessments for Semester 1 complete, it is a great time for students to critically reflect on their experience.
Exams and assessments can be valuable learning opportunities and for many students, the preparation process would be worthy of some reflection. Two techniques are particularly effective – testing yourself and spreading out your revision over time. Research has shown that repeated testing works as the student is more engaged and it is harder for the mind to wander – reading texts, making flash cards of critical concepts and testing yourself is a suggested process. The most powerful of all strategies which helps to retain materials, according to research carried out by Professor Dunlovsky, is distributed practice, that is to spread out revision over time and not do it all in one block. Small but regular doses of revision will lead to better recall and deeper understanding – this is a practice all our students can initiate and maintain with some planning and discipline.
In addition to effective preparation, strategies to enhance performance during an exam or assessment is also a vital component for consideration. After these reflections, students should besetting some goals and focusing on making a positive start to the second half of their academic year.