PEDAGOGY
in association with
“Highlighted notes don’t tell students what they can and can’t recall, instead it provides a false sense of confidence and the ‘illusion of knowing.’”
A good idea is to colour code highlighting. Whilst studying history, for example, the following information can be categorised and colour coded using highlighters; • KEY HISTORICAL DATES • KEY EVENTS • KEY INDIVIDUALS • KEY TERMS • CAUSES • EFFECTS Once that information has been highlighted it can be used to
HWRKMAGAZINE.CO.UK
create flashcards; with a key term on one side and correct definition on the flip side. Another idea would be to create a quiz based on the highlighted content for students to self test at a later date.
Professor Robert Bjork states, ‘Using your memory, shapes your memory. Using your memory, changes your memory’ . Regular retrieval practice can result in students being able to recall content with greater ease and confidence in the future.
Unlike highlighting, retrieval practice will explicitly show students what they can and cannot recall from long term memory. This identifies gaps in knowledge, therefore students know where to focus their next stage of revision.
Highlighters don’t deserve to be ditched but they do need to be understood and used in a way to support effective study strategies, ensuring learners are revisionready and become successful students.
N OV E M B E R 2 0 2 1 // H W R K M AG A Z I N E // 2 9
