Christmas time, mistletoe, mine pies…and all that IB revision. Whilst the Winter break is often filled with joy, celebration, and lots of food, some of you might be dreading the studying that also needs to happen. But try and view the festive holidays as a positive. You have all this time to recap and revise your knowledge from the Autumn term. Which I promise will make your life easier in the long run! But do remember to relax too! For now, let’s take a look at some festive revision techniques you can try over the vacation.
1. Treat Yo’self
For me, Christmas time means TONS of chocolate. So why not use this as an incentive to revise! Set up a reward scheme for yourself. After you’ve studied a certain number of topics, or read a certain number of pages you can have a treat. Of course, if you’re not a fan of chocolate, use another sweet treat to motivate you to learn!
2. Get Everyone Involved
The Winter holidays often means spending time with family and friends. So think about using this company to your advantage! Why not get a family member or friend to quiz you on some of the topics you are revising. I find that processing my thoughts and answers verbally is a great way to memorise information. In addition, I often asked one of my parents to create a crossword for me based on one of my IB topics! Or why not create a quiz or crossword for yourself, and then come back to it in a few days time to see how much you can successfully answer!
3. Xmas Tree of Facts
Put a spin on your revision notes! If you have a Christmas tree, write information on sticky notes and then attach them to the decorations on your tree. When you revise, start at the top of the tree and circle it, working your way down. Pay attention to which note is on which decoration, and the next time you go through your notes, try to guess which fact is coming up next. If you don’t have a tree you can still stick the notes to tinsel and other decorations, or simply to different things in your house.
4. Catch Up Time
Perhaps you missed one or two days of school this Autumn term. Maybe you were ill, or I’m sure a few of you might have missed classes due to University interviews. If this is the case, it’s important to use some time during your Winter vacation to catch up on topics you missed in class.
Don’t be afraid to ask a friend for their notes or speak to your teacher about accessing their resources – this could be a handout with information, or slides from a Power Point presentation. Take the time to read those notes or resources. If there’s something you don’t understand, why not consult a textbook or revision guide. Don’t forget to check out our Free IB Resources for even more support. We also have awesome IB Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths videos, and webinars that can help you revise or catch up!
It’s worth pointing out that not all of these techniques will suit everyone. That’s why it’s really important to use the Christmas holidays as a time to test out which of these revision techniques work for you. Why not try out these different methods over a period of two weeks, and then evaluate which ones were successful, and which ones less so. Grade each technique from 1-5 according to three categories:
- Information retained
- Speed
- Fun.
5 is good, 1 is bad.
Add up the points for each technique. The ones with the highest scores are the ones that work best for you!
More Festive Revision Techniques this way!
