Key Points Summary:

In this video, we begin looking at how to create revision notes - and we start by looking at 3 reasons for when we shouldn't be making revision notes.

1. Guilt: We feel guilty for not having studied enough and feel pressure to get back on track. We feel like we need to put in many more hours of work. Instead of asking ourselves what the most productive form of studying will be, we settle for any form of studying that allows us to tick-off hours and make us feel like we've done enough to alleviate our guilt.

Revision notes fit this criteria - it's easy to spend hours on them, and we have something tangible to show for our work! Unfortunately, making notes isn't always the most productive way to study for our subjects. Don't let guilt fool you into settling for revision notes when there are more productive ways that you can study for your subject.

2. Following The Crowd Mindlessly: We don't know how to revise. We see others making revision notes from their textbooks. We assume they must have thought through their studying process. So, we do the same - but we don't consider whether they're effective or not.

One of the most common ways we make bad notes is mindless transcribing, where we copy out notes directly (e.g. from a textbook) while our mind isn't fully engaged with the content. Note-making is an active process, not a passive one.

3. Creative Expression To Alleviate Boredom: I love seeing beautifully constructed revision notes
(colours, calligraphy, highlight pens) - but the amount of time we spend making these pristine notes isn't always worth it as an effective revision strategy.

There's no point making the 'perfect' notes, only to realise 2 weeks before exams that you'll have no time to finish going through the specification! We need to find the balance between enjoying creative note-making, but also making them effective to learn from as part of a structured revision plan.

For more on creating effective revision notes, check out Videos 05 and 06 of the Study Tools & Techniques section.

Activities:

Having watched this video, reflect on the following:

1. Do I ever make revision notes because of guilt at not doing enough work? How effective are these notes?

2. Do I ever make revision notes because others are doing them and I don't know any better tools to study? How effective are these notes? What would be a more effective way for me to study during that time?

3. Have I ever mindlessly written out revision notes? How well did I remember the content?

4. Do I ever make my notes more aesthetic by putting more time into them than I need to? How can I find a balance between enjoying note-making but also ensuring that the notes are
   effective to learn from (and that I have time to cover all the content of my course?).

When you're ready, watch the following videos on revision notes and the other study strategies Kam outlines - they may help in answering the above questions!

Recommended Reading & Videos:

None.

Studies & Articles Referenced:

None.