This revision app boasts mostly free content and covers GCSE, A level, IB, iGCSE, Common Entrance and more. It works like this: you pick your subject and your exam board, then you take part in quizzes to test your knowledge. Not only do you get instant feedback, you’re also given detailed explanations, so if you go wrong, you can work out why. At the end of a quiz you’re told how many you got right, how long you took and you can review your errors. The app will also track your progress over time so you can identify your best and worst topics.
Mindmaps, on paper rather than a computer, were what got me through my undergraduate exams. I created mindmaps for all the main topics, memorised them and then sketched them out quickly again in the exam and used them for all my essay questions. These days, I might well consider using an app like iMindMap or a web tool like bubbl.us so I could create and share them with friends easily, too. It works the same as it does on paper, but it is more mobile and, arguably, more collaborative.
Quizlet enables students to create their own revision flashcards, as well as to use sets created by others. Teachers can also create sets to share with their students. When you access a set, there are four different modes in which you can use them: cards, learn, match and test.
If learning languages and vocab is your focus, then Memrise is worth checking out. I had a go at an Introduction to Japanese course. It showed me and tested me on the basic vocabulary related to greetings first, but here’s where Memrise is a bit different. You can click on the optional “help me to remember this button”, which then allows you to select a “mem” - an image, essentially - that relates to that particular word and should, theoretically, help you remember it. In fact, the whole way Memrise has been structured is based on knowledge of how the brain works. Interesting stuff.
Whatever apps or tools students use (or don’t use), being organised about their revision is key. So why not create revision timetables using Get Revising’s Study Planner tool?
Claire Lotriet is a teacher at Henwick Primary School in London. She tweets at @OhLottie and she blogs at Teaching, Tech and Reflections
This is an edited version of an article in the 18 March edition of TES. This week’s TES magazine is available in all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here
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