Effective Exam Revision – ‘Drill Baby Drill!’ It is that time of
year already. The weeks have suddenly crashed forward like waves
and exam dates loom bleakly in the distance. Of course, we start
looking for creative ways to sustain the interest of students.
We look to engage them in their learning so that they may pay
some attention to our relentless pleading for effort and
revision. We explain the grandiose importance of said exams and
those simple letters on certificates that provide their ticket
to their future lives. I have taught for a decade now and I may
despair of the examinations themselves, and the crass system of
judgement that is league tables, but if our students are to
succeed in these exams then as we approach exam season the
answer is simple. In the words made famous by that famous sage –
Sarah Palin(!): “drill baby drill!” Let me explain my rationale
for what may seem a simplistic and backward looking approach.
Yes, there are many constructivist techniques that will aid the
mastery of knowled