PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Revision strategies to improve student performance in external examinations
Christopher Dunn Head of Faculty – Science and Technology With the introduction of the new Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) Senior Syllabuses in 2019, a raft of structural changes to the education system has followed. Of particular significance is the re-introduction of subject-specific external examinations. Consequently, educators have justifiably focused on practices that best prepare students for external examination success. In an effort to contribute constructively to the evolving pedagogical discourse in Queensland, this article will draw on literature pertaining to effective revision techniques to employ in an external examination system.
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While the standardised nature of an external exam-based curriculum provides both teachers and students with greater purview of course content, it is often the breadth of content that can prove problematic (Geelan et al. 2004). Indeed, it is one of the key reasons why so many studies endorse
SUNATA
Note-taking and Consolidation
the use of explicit learning intentions for every lesson in an external exam curriculum (Rind & Mari 2019; DarlingHammond & Wentworth 2010; Department of Education and Training 2017). Ayres et al. (2004) asserts, however, that the consolidation of content under each learning intention must be a ‘note-making’ exercise rather than ‘note-taking’, in order to maximise a student’s retention and application of knowledge in an examination situation. Note-making is a form of active learning whereby students must take ownership of their academic progress by interpreting, synthesising and consolidating content in order to achieve meaningful comprehension of the subject matter (Dukhan 2018). Cottrell (2012) does, however, recognise that the teacher is still required to play a key role in overseeing the scope and scale of the notes produced. Within a standardised curriculum, teachers must remain vigilant about how much or, indeed, how little, is required to achieve the outcomes prescribed.
