Wellington College Belfast
Learning and Teaching
Revision support bulletin
Summarising
This is the fifth in the series of Revision Bulletins with the aim that you can further understand how to support your child in their revision for upcoming exams.
Previous bulletins can be found on the school website: https://wellingtoncollegebelfast.org/parents/revision-support-bulletins/
This bulletin will focus on Summarising
Summarising is a process we use all the time, as we retell stories, think about earlier conversations and reflect on things we have done the day before. The key elements; we don't go over every detail, we select important points and remove things that weren't important. Summarising in terms of learning is the exact same. information is collated and organised to give it purpose.
Why is it important in learning?
To summarise pupils need to engage and recall key elements of the content - this is essentially retrieval practice.
Summarising has been shown to boost learning and retention as it requires pupils to consider the higher meaning of the content as well as the gist of it.
"students who take notes but couple this with a summary at the end of their notes performed 10-15% better than their peers who just took notes in problem solving assessments" (Peper and Mayer)
Summarising Techniques for revision
Outlining
Outlining is the process of organising information into a clear, structured format.
This technique is especially useful for summarising long passages of text or multiple pieces of information. To outline a piece of text, read it carefully and identify the main points or ideas. Then, create a list that outlines the main points in order from most important to least important. This will help you to quickly recall key facts and information when revising for your exams.
Mind Mapping
Mind mapping involves creating a visual representation of the key points or ideas in a text. It works by mapping out the main points in a “mind map” format, with each point radiating out from the center. Mind maps are great for understanding complex topics and quickly recalling key facts or ideas.
Flashcards
Flashcards involve writing down key facts and information on cards and then reviewing them regularly. This technique is especially helpful for memorising facts and formulas that need to be recalled in exams. Flashcards are also easy to carry around and can be used anywhere, making them perfect for revising on-the-go.
Examples of subjects that summarising can work well in
English: summarising is a key component of one of the assessment objects in GCSE English Language. Summarise key points from a text you are reading and reduce it down to 30... 20... 10 words.
History: Similar to English - reduce down content.
Use a summary pyramid - see below
Science and Geography: after watching a video clip, select the key information and organise it into a summary.
Practical subjects (PE, HE, Technology etc): watch a demonstration and verbally summarise the key elements
Summary Pyramids in History
The activity focuses around a pyramid with four or five layers of empty squares. Each layer has a question and students have to complete each layer by writing a single word in each block in the layer that relates to the question. Students have to start at the top and work their way down with each question or task becoming increasingly demanding.
Cornell note taking
Cornell note taking requires the learner to condense down and organise notes. See the example below from Learn Spark - blank versions can be printed using the link below.
What can you do?
1.Read through the information on summarising and discuss with your child the importance of summarising and how it can be done effectively.
2. Review your child's summary to ensure it includes the correct key information - make sure they haven't included irrelevant information.
3. Make sure summaries are short and not written word for word from a textbook as the engaging and organising of information won't have happened, therefore learning won't take place. See it as a retrieval practice strategy.
4. If they use Flash cards as a method for summarising, use them together- ask your child the question and test how well they know the answer.