What is the difference between learning and revision?

Learning and revision are two very different processes and often students confuse the two, which can lead to feeling overwhelmed. Once you understand the difference between the two, your approach to learning and revision becomes much easier and more manageable.

What is learning?

We start learning from the moment we are born (in fact, some studies suggest we begin learning from the womb!). For many, learning is an academic process, however the act of learning begins from an early age when we learn to crawl, walk, speak, eat and recognise the differences between big and small, cold and hot...the list is endless. When thinking about the latter, we must understand that learning is not a static process. Everything we learn has a purpose, a goal and a result: to better and improve ourselves. Sometimes, this idea of learning can get lost within the education system and granted, much of what we learn can seem uninteresting. The problems begin when we start seeing learning as 'boring', purposeless and unnecessary, which can happen to several students at school. Therefore, it's important to understand the process: it is not simply academic or there to serve a monetary purpose; we learn to understand more about ourselves. Learning in and out of school helps us understand what we enjoy, our strengths, our weaknesses and about the world around us. When we look at content face value, we may not see or believe these benefits. However, when you ask yourself the question, 'how has this topic supported my learning?', you may think differently.

For example, when thinking about Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, students may question the need to learn about something centuries old in language they feel unable to understand?! Here, students look at the play at face value; within their learning, they are searching for a tangible, immediate outcome. However, if students consider the learning experience regarding empathy, love, relationships, the tragedy of keeping secrets and bearing a grudge (the list is endless), they are more likely to engage with the learning process and recoup its benefits - the learning process helps them engage and, well, learn!

In order to learn successfully, it is helpful to:

• be a key decision maker in the activities associated with your learning;

• relate the learning to your own experiences;

• ask yourself questions about what you are gaining from the learning process;

• develop a positive relationship with the teacher and other learners around you.

What is revision?

Revision is usually associated with exams and a need to remember information, usually for a tangible purpose (an exam or test). Revision can be stressful, demotivating and quite dull! However, it is important to approach it in a different way to learning. Firstly, think about the end goal: this may be to enrol on a particular course, to get into university or, to secure a particular grade for an opportunity you really want. Thinking about the end goal can help with motivation and establishing a 'can do' attitude. We all know that something worth having doesn't always come easily!

Secondly, several students begin revising feeling overwhelmed as they feel they need to 'relearn' everything. This is quite simply, not true! Revision is a process of recall, memory and review. It can be beneficial to work backwards with revision to understand its purpose: look at past exam questions, mark schemes and structures of examination papers to prioritise and streamline your revision. This can help when making lists of key topics and points to remember and revise before an exam.

Below are a list of practical strategies you can use to start revising effectively approximately 3-4 months before your examinations:

1. Decide how you like revising. This is a very personal choice and something you need to decide for yourself as opposed to 'following' the recommendation of someone else. Only you know the revision methods that work for you.

2. Make a realistic revision timetable. Think about your day to day commitments and remember you need to eat, drink and sleep too!

3. Set yourself daily goals, in line with your routine. Think of these goals in a practical sense: on a school day, it may be difficult to revise for more than 30-60 minutes, however on a weekend, you may manage 2-3 hours. If you are practical and realistic in your thinking, you will learn to be kind to yourself to prevent feelings of overwhelm and stress.

4. Make a list of the different topics you need to revise for a particular exam. Putting it down on paper makes it easier to work through in a practical and achievable manner.

5. Begin by taking each topic and mind-mapping or listing everything you remember about it. This can help with feelings of stress and anxiety around the topic as usually you know more than you think!

6. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Prioritise your weaknesses on your revision timetable, so you know where to focus first. This will help split your revision into manageable chunks.

7. Ask yourself questions about the topic. Get your parents and friends to ask you impromptu questions too! This is a great way of training your brain to recall selective information when necessary, which is an important skill when approaching examinations.

8. Spread your revision across a number of days and weeks. When revising a topic, test your memory and recall by revising it on 2 consecutive days, then within a few days and lastly the following week. This will give you personal feedback on your knowledge and memory of the topic too.

9. Revise in a comfortable and productive setting. As silly as this may sound, your environment makes a huge difference to your performance and if you're choosing to revise somewhere with known distractions, you'll just feel demotivated. Think about how you revise and learn best and choose complementary setting.

10. Drink water. Again, so simple, but often when we are stressed, we tend to neglect the things that make us feel better and be more productive. Revision can feel like a slog, but drinking water keeps you awake and your brain functioning!

Can revision and learning complement one another?

Of course they can! Essentially, the process of revision gives you feedback on your learning. You should not need to 'relearn' something when revising, however your revision will help you identify gaps in your knowledge or areas where you are particularly knowledgeable so that you are able to manage your revision accordingly. In fact, there is a reason why your teachers may tell you to begin revising from day one. They do not want to you frantically create mind maps and note cards, rather they want you to continually ask yourselves questions and test your own knowledge from the get go.

In both processes, just remember your purpose and end goal - it will help keep you motivated to learn and revise effectively!