RuruStudies

23/1/2016 - days of productivity 23/100

1/100 days of productivity 01/23/2015| Reread I am Malala yesterday. It made me realize how privileged I am to be able to go to school. It’s an inspiring book and I really recommend you to read this book. I also started the 100 days of productivity challenge with an amazing group. 😁

Let me know if your doing the challenge too, we can motivate and encourage each other on days we feel like doing nothing productive☺️

19.01.16 2/100 days of productivity

18.01.16 - 1/100 days of productivity

How I take notes

I thought I would share my method of note taking with the Studyblr community! 

1. Class notes: At sixth form most of my teachers recommend us to take notes before the class so that in class we can consolidate everything and do past paper questions. I wish that I had done that from the start of September because now I am trying to catch up with my class notes (I guess you learn from your mistakes). Subjects such as Biology and Chemistry, I use the online Kerboodle textbook to take notes.

2. CGP Revision guide: After taking my class notes, I will read through the CGP revision guide and condense the information onto a flashcard and staple that on the top of the page. I find that this helps me remember the important “bits” rather than the unnecessary information. I have always loved the CGP revision guides and find that the jokes and puns inside actually help me remember concepts! 

3. Specification and revision notes: I use both the revision guide and class notes to make pretty illustrated notes. I also use the specification to make sure that I have all the required information. 

4. Flashcards: Lastly, I will summaries what I’ve learnt by making flashcards. Normally I will just draw graphs, write formulas, make case study flashcards or draw the structure of things on it. 

I’ve had quite a few of you message me asking for tips about studying Biology. These are a few things I do/find helpful to me, and I hope this post is useful to you too :)

TAKING NOTES:

I definitely think that before you even pick up a pen you should read the entire section/chapter you are about to make notes on. Reading the information once through means that it will be easier for you to summarise information better in your own words. It will also mean that you don’t repeat yourself at all, if you have a clear idea of what you’ll be making notes on.

Definitely use diagrams and flow charts etc. when making notes. There is a huge volume of information when it comes to biology, so it’s useful to display it in different ways, or manage it more easily when contained in a flow chart/table etc.

Some of the processes you learn about in biology can be quite difficult to grasp or understand. Sometimes you won’t understand something in your textbook or revision guide, but you might read a really clear summary online which makes it ‘click’ in your head - so don’t rush to write down the first info you read on something, take time to look at a range of resources.

KEY WORDS:

It is so important to learn all the new key words and terminology in biology, with accurate definitions. There are a lot of key words that you need to be able to understand if they;re used in a question, and to be able to use them in your answers (e.g. lysosome, exocytosis, triglyceride)

You could start a keyword list/glossary yourself in a notebook, or store definition in a word document and continually add to them throughout your course. It’s whatever works best for you, but it is important that you learn them understand them, and can use them in context in exams.

MIND-MAPS/DIAGRAMS:

When revising for biology I find that making mind-maps are really useful. It is easy to put a topic like ‘carbohydrates’ in the centre and then jot down all the relevant topics under that heading (polysaccharides, binding and structure, uses etc.) You can do this for each topic you study; and you can make detailed colourful ones using the textbooks, or make quick/scribbly ones to test yourself before a test.

Using diagrams when studying biology is so so helpful, because a lot of the processes and concepts you study can be explained easily in diagrams. For biochemistry you can draw out displayed formula of reacting biological molecules, you can draw diagrams of the heart and lungs for human biology, or diagrams of the xylem and phloem for plant biology. If you a visual learner this is especially useful.

EXAM PAPERS/QUESTIONS:

I find that one of the best ways to study and revise biology is to do past exam papers/questions. Even if you are in year 12 now (so doing the new A-Level and don’t have any past papers) definitely use archive papers, because a lot of the information is still relevant. 

Try out some questions on the topics you are currently studying, and then by looking at the mark scheme you can start to recognise what exactly the examiners are looking for when they ask particular questions.

Through doing pat papers you can improve your exam technique; in terms of time management for the exam, as well as little things like knowing what to do when you see a command word in a question (explain, suggest, describe etc.)

STUDYING BIOLOGY ONLINE:

The GCSE Guide - This youtube channel has loads of short/snappy videos on biology (and the other sciences) which are around GCSE level.

Youtube is generally a really good resource, so just look up whatever you’re studying at the moment and you’ll find loads of useful videos

Biology Guide - There are loads of general biology notes on this website; as well some notes specific to the AQA syllabus

Pass My Exams - This site has clearly set out notes on loads of different topics: human and plant biology, biochemistry etc. pretty much anything you could need