Optimising Revision Using Learning Science, and You Tube!

 “Revision?”

I’m not a huge fan of the term ‘revision’ as it can imply that one should leave reviewing, recalling and, essentially, learning material until the last minute before an examination. However, it’s probably realistic to think that, regardless of what has happened during earlier months of their studies, most students are likely to want to increase efforts towards cementing their knowledge and exam skills in the final few months, weeks and days before they are tested. So, I figure it’s best to make sure that I maximise their chances of success seen as I now have this additional enthusiasm to play with!!

I have been employing a whole variety of learning science inspired strategies throughout the course of the programmes of study I teach, so students I teach will have already benefitted from regular retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving, use of concrete examples, encouragement to elaborate, and careful thought about visual presentation (considering benefits of dual coding, careful visual organisation of ideas, and a deliberate effort to avoid extraneous cognitive load from split attention and redundancy). More on this here and throughout many of my blog posts! 

In addition to employing my usual exam preparation resources and strategies, for the final weeks of study that remain this year I will be encouraging students to also use a series of new You Tube videos I have created to do the following to help them learn how to draw and use economic diagrams:

Review and Recap 

• Recap of diagram topics they have missed and are less comfortable with. This might be alone or with me. My silent You Tube diagram series shows students how to draw many required diagrams for their economics course. Each one plays out exactly how I would draw it and how I have taught it so they can recap any they are not confident with by watching through repeatedly. Students can also then review booklet materials I have created - for example from my Theory of the Firm Foundations booklet available here free - should they need further explanation.

• I have specifically designed my You Tube videos to ensure minimal split attention effects* occur by ensuring labelling takes place exactly where things are happening to avoid students’ attention being diverted to labelling at the sides of diagrams (as is often the case in economics!). I have also omitted written notes on the slides used, to eliminate redundancy. When working with students I voice over these videos live (dual-modality) to ensure efficient instruction and optimal cognitive load (as much as I can anyway!). My comparative advantage video here demonstrates these principles - minimal and carefully planned words, timed to explain visual changes as they occur. Video provides the facility to sequence instruction in a way that is very difficult to replicate with and win out with using paper materials alone.

• Economics teachers might find these videos useful for their revision sessions as they can quickly bring up diagrams to show and draw upon, and they can voice over live themselves (concentrating fully on the words they use as the ‘drawing’ is happening automatically).

• Economics students might find these videos useful as they can see, gradually, exactly how to draw static diagrams that appear in their textbooks when studying alone. More voiced videos hopefully coming soon to further support independent study!

Retrieval Practice 

• I have a huge variety of retrieval resources that students have used throughout the course such as booklet question pages, self-test PowerPoints and definition testing tables. I will be encouraging them to continue using these, but also (especially when revising themselves at home) to use my You Tube diagram playlists. Students can open a playlist, read the description of the required diagram on the title screen, pause, draw the diagram on paper/mini whiteboard, then play to check it is correct (and amend as required).

• Spacing - Of course, I will continue to encourage students to space out all of their practice over coming weeks by planning revision, and by revisiting topics and practice. 

• Interleaving - I am also producing some interleaved You Tube playlists so students are tested on different topics in one session. I will also be encouraging use of the ‘shuffle’ function on You Tube to help students to mix up practice for themselves. You can read more about the interleaving here.  

Writing on motivation and forming habits suggests that making activities easy helps in the adoption and formation of habits, so I am hopeful that offering learning opportunities in a manner that is easily accessible on many devices, as well as capitalising on features such as playlists with the evidence in mind, will help reduce some of the friction that might have prevent students in engaging in their own intervleaved, spaced retrieval practice by themselves. 

Of course, some critics will question the rationale of directing students towards their devices, and You Tube in particular, due to the risk of temptation to engage in other distractions. However, having weighed this risk, I feel it is better on balance to provide ways for students to learn and learn more effectively, that to shy away and just let them sit with less effective static paper-based resources alone. 

Students, and, frankly, working adults, in these times have to work on finding ways to channel their attention to the activities that they must do or want to do. It is likely naive and unrealistic to think that many students are going to be able discipline themselves to completely disconnect from their devices during periods of revision, or to not go looking for resources from elsewhere (which might not contain the learning science benefits I have included in mine) if I don’t provide my own. So I am optimistic that capitalising on the engaging and pacy benefits of video playlists will in fact be a useful way of keep them going in an evidence-informed and effective manner, despite the distraction risk. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

I would very much appreciate any constructive feedback from education professionals, economics experts, and students as to the usefulness and further improvement of these resources. Other than that though, all that remains to add, is please, ‘like, share and subscribe’! 😁

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Thanks, as always, to:

• The Learning Scientists - CogSci Pros - who introduced me to a world of new theorists and new strategies, and taught me invaluable things about the nature of learning and memory.
• Kate Jones - Retrieval Practice Guru - whose writing encouraged me to get going on blogging and sharing online, as well as providing me an opportunity to contribute to one volume in her excellent book series on retrieval.
• Pooja Argawal and Patrice Bain - Powerful Teaching Dream Team - whose clear explanations and practical ideas helped me understand how to simply apply theory in my classroom. 
• Oliver Caviglioli and David Goodwin - Visual Legends - who taught me, kindly, what a mess I was making of my visual communication and how to sort it out!
• Ollie Lovell - King of Efficient and Effective Presentation - who opened my eyes to some serious inefficiencies in my lesson delivery and inspired me to make resources to change things.
• Daniel Willingham - Psych Superstar - who really got me thinking about what my students are thinking. 
• Tom Needham - Example Expert - who taught me more than anyone about to precisely order instruction with examples.

*This continues to be work in progress - I am currently working on how to include information about efficiency conditions (e.g. P=MC for allocative) and business objectives (e.g. Revenue Max is MR=0) within the diagram, instead of in the titles!

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