Learning New Content | Studying Effectively for GCSE's & A-level's

Summary

This educational video guide offers a structured approach to learning new content for GCSE and A-level students. The host emphasizes the importance of understanding material during class, suggesting note-taking should be balanced with active listening. They advocate for digital flashcards and note organization using tools like Anki for effective learning through active recall and spaced repetition. The script details creating a study system with Google Drive, incorporating resources like online guides and videos, and refining notes into concise flashcards. The process is designed to be iterative, allowing for continuous learning and adaptation.

Takeaways

• 📝 Taking notes during class helps with attention and future reference, but avoid writing down everything verbatim to maintain focus on understanding the material.
• 🤔 Focus on understanding the content first before trying to remember it, and use the opportunity to ask questions during the lesson.
• 🔄 Alternating between periods of writing and listening can prevent getting caught up in the act of writing and ensure better comprehension.
• 📚 Distractions like neatness and color-coding with highlighters can detract from the primary goal of understanding the material.
• 📈 Diagrams are particularly important, especially in subjects like math and science, as they can summarize a lot of information concisely.
• 📑 After grasping the big picture, it's beneficial to focus on smaller details to build a comprehensive understanding of the topic.
• 💻 Utilize digital tools like Google Drive for organizing notes and flashcards, which can facilitate active recall and spaced repetition techniques.
• 📝 When creating flashcards, keep them concise and focused on key concepts, avoiding trivial information that may not be necessary for higher-level understanding.
• 🔍 Cross-checking notes with various resources like revision guides and online videos helps in reinforcing understanding and filling knowledge gaps.
• 🔄 Regularly review and revise flashcards, refining them as you realize what is useful and what is not, based on practice and understanding.
• 📈 Spaced repetition through tools like Anki is crucial for effective long-term learning and retention of information.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video series 'Installing Effectively for GCSE's'?

The main focus of the video series is to guide students through the process of learning new content in a chronological order and utilizing effective learning techniques such as active recall and spaced repetition, particularly for GCSE level studies.

Why is it not recommended to write continuously during a lesson according to the video?

Writing continuously during a lesson can lead to focusing too much on the process of writing and may cause anxiety if one can't keep up with the teacher's pace. Instead, the focus should be on understanding the content itself.

What is the suggested approach to taking notes during a lesson as per the video?

The suggested approach is to pay attention and listen to the teacher for about five to ten minutes, and then jot down a few notes or draw sketches when the teacher pauses or finishes explaining a concept. This helps in understanding the material before focusing on remembering it.

Why are diagrams considered important in subjects like maths and science according to the video?

Diagrams are important because they can summarize a lot of information concisely, making complex concepts easier to understand and remember.

What is the role of digital flashcards and notes in the learning process as described in the video?

Digital flashcards and notes are used for active recall, which is a powerful learning technique. They help in reinforcing the material learned and testing oneself on the content.

Can you explain the process of creating flashcards from class notes as described in the video?

The process involves reviewing class notes, adding extra information if needed, and turning them into flashcards. These flashcards are then imported into a program like Anki for spaced repetition, which is an effective learning technique.

What is the significance of using a program like Anki for learning?

Anki helps in making use of spaced repetition, an effective learning technique that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time, which enhances long-term retention.

How does the video suggest organizing digital notes for different subjects and topics?

The video suggests creating a folder for each subject on a platform like Google Drive, with subfolders for each module. Within these, create documents for flashcards and organize them under specific headings and subheadings related to the course syllabus.

What is the purpose of using resources like CGP revision guides and textbooks in the learning process?

CGP revision guides and textbooks are used as reference materials to cross-check information and ensure comprehensive understanding of the topic. They are especially useful for getting diagrams and additional details that may not be covered in class notes.

How should one approach the use of videos and online resources for learning according to the video?

One should use videos and online resources to help understand concepts and ideas, and then explain them in their own words. It's also suggested to watch these at higher speeds if the content is covered too slowly and to add any useful information or diagrams to personal notes.

What is the importance of reviewing and editing flashcards during the learning process as mentioned in the video?

Reviewing and editing flashcards is important as it helps in refining the content, making it more concise and relevant. It also ensures that the flashcards cover all the necessary points from the syllabus and can be adjusted based on what is useful for exam preparation.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Effective Note-Taking and Learning Strategies

This paragraph discusses the importance of focusing on understanding content during class rather than just taking extensive notes. The speaker suggests taking notes in bursts after the teacher pauses, which helps in grasping the concept before writing. It emphasizes the use of digital flashcards and notes for active recall and space repetition, and introduces the process of organizing notes and creating flashcards using Anki, a spaced repetition software. The paragraph also touches on the significance of diagrams in subjects like math and science.

05:02

📚 Organizing Class Notes and Utilizing Resources

The speaker describes the process of organizing class notes in a digital format, using tables to separate concepts and bullet points. They mention reviewing the material while typing, using various resources such as online guides and videos for additional information, and the importance of not getting lost in details. The paragraph also covers the use of a kanban board in Notion to manage resources and the strategy of skimming through videos for further understanding. It advises against relying too heavily on textbooks and instead using them for confirming understanding and capturing diagrams.

10:04

🔍 Selecting and Combining Study Resources

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of selecting a few high-quality resources for studying, such as CambridgeEvidently and MyChemGuy for OCR chemistry, and avoiding an overwhelming number of resources. It details the process of combining notes from various sources, ensuring no duplicate information, and structuring them for clarity. The speaker also discusses the iterative nature of refining notes and flashcards, and the gradual process of learning through reviewing material, doing practice questions, and engaging with past papers.

15:05

🚀 Embracing the Learning Process and Using Anki

The final paragraph addresses the gradual nature of learning, encouraging learners not to wait until they know everything before starting to practice with questions and past papers. It acknowledges the challenges in the learning process and suggests seeking help from friends or online forums when stuck. The speaker also previews the next video in the series, which will delve into using Anki for reviewing flashcards and leveraging spaced repetition for effective learning.

Keywords

💡Active Recall

Active recall is a learning technique where learners actively attempt to retrieve information from memory, rather than passively rereading or reviewing it. In the video's context, active recall is used as a powerful learning method to reinforce the understanding of new content. An example from the script is when the speaker mentions using digital flashcards to make use of active recall, which is a strategy to test oneself on the material learned.

💡Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning method that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time, which helps to move the information from short-term to long-term memory. In the video, the speaker discusses using a program called Anki to implement spaced repetition, highlighting its effectiveness as a learning technique. The script mentions importing flashcards into Anki to make use of this method.

💡Notes

Notes are a record of information taken during a lecture or while studying, meant to serve as a reference for later review. The video emphasizes the importance of taking notes during class to aid in attention and retention. However, the speaker advises against writing excessively during lessons, as it can detract from understanding the material. Instead, they suggest focusing on comprehension first and then jotting down key points and sketches.

💡Flashcards

Flashcards are a study tool consisting of cards with information on them, typically used for memorization and review. In the video, the speaker describes the process of turning class notes into flashcards to facilitate active recall. The script provides an example of how to organize these flashcards in a digital format and how to use them for effective studying.

💡Classroom Learning

Classroom learning refers to the process of acquiring knowledge and skills within a classroom setting, often under the guidance of a teacher. The video script discusses the initial encounter with new content typically happening in class and the importance of focusing on understanding the material during this time. The speaker also mentions the value of asking questions during lessons to enhance learning.

💡Understanding

Understanding, in the context of learning, means comprehending the material or concepts being taught. The video script stresses the importance of understanding over the process of writing down everything during class. The speaker's approach involves focusing on grasping the concepts first before worrying about remembering them, which is a key strategy for effective learning.

💡Content

Content refers to the subject matter or information being taught or learned. In the video, the speaker talks about learning new content for the first time and the importance of focusing on understanding this content. The script also mentions the process of adding extra information to class notes to enrich the content and prepare it for active recall through flashcards.

💡Distractions

Distractions are anything that diverts attention away from the task at hand. The video script warns against the potential distraction of trying to be too neat with notes or using different colored highlighters, which can detract from the process of understanding the material. The speaker suggests focusing on comprehension and then using digital tools for organization.

💡Diagrams

Diagrams are visual representations used to explain or summarize complex information. The video emphasizes the importance of diagrams, especially in subjects like math and science, as they can condense a lot of information into a few clear visuals. The speaker mentions using diagrams in class notes and finding or creating images for inclusion in digital flashcards.

💡Revision Guides

Revision guides are resources designed to help students review and consolidate their knowledge of a subject. In the script, the speaker discusses using revision guides like the CGP guide as a final check to ensure all content has been covered and understood. They caution against using revision guides as a primary learning tool, instead recommending them for reinforcing existing knowledge.

💡Practice Questions and Past Papers

Practice questions and past papers are tools used by students to test their understanding and prepare for exams. The video script mentions that learning is a gradual process and that engaging with practice questions and past papers is an integral part of this process. The speaker advises not waiting until everything is 'perfectly' learned before starting to engage with these materials.

Highlights

The importance of understanding material during the first exposure in class rather than focusing on note-taking.

Taking notes should not be an end in itself but a means to aid understanding and later reference.

The pitfalls of writing continuously during lessons, which can lead to anxiety and distract from content absorption.

The strategy of alternating between periods of writing and listening to enhance comprehension.

The suggestion to not be overly concerned with neatness while taking notes to avoid distractions.

The role of diagrams in summarizing complex information, especially in subjects like maths and science.

The process of creating digital flashcards to leverage active recall for effective learning.

Using Anki, a spaced repetition program, to enhance learning efficiency.

Organizing notes by modules and sub-modules for structured digital flashcard creation.

The method of reviewing class notes and adding them to flashcards for active learning.

The practice of cross-referencing notes with external resources for comprehensive understanding.

The caution against relying solely on revision guides without a foundational understanding of the topic.

The approach to combining bullet points and structuring notes for clarity before creating flashcards.

The emphasis on using quality resources and avoiding information overload.

The iterative process of refining flashcards during review to improve their effectiveness.

The integration of flashcards with Anki for consistent review and spaced repetition.

The acknowledgment that learning is a gradual process involving review, practice, and continuous improvement.

The encouragement to seek help when stuck and to utilize community resources for learning support.

Transcripts

hey friends and welcome back to our

series installing effectively for gcse's

nail levels

in this video i will be going through

the process by which i learned some new

content

in a chronological order as well as

including an example

as always timestamps will be in the

description down below so do check those

out during the video

so for most of you the first time you

will learn about a new piece of content

will be during class and the most

natural thing to do is to take notes

during the lesson now whilst taking

notes during a lesson is good

because it helps you pay attention and

gives you something to reference later

i find that many people take this to

extreme and are writing almost

everything the teacher is saying

throughout the lesson now i think there

are a few issues with writing

continuously throughout the lesson

the main issue i found is that by

writing throughout the lesson you end up

focusing too much on the process of

writing and can get quite anxious if you

aren't keeping up with the speed of the

teacher instead we should be focusing on

the contents itself

and not the process of writing down

content our aim when learning about

something for the very first time should

be to first

understand the material and especially

when the teacher is presenting it

because you can ask them questions

during the lesson and only after we

understand material shall we focus on

remembering it so personally what i do

during lessons is that i pay attention

and listen to a teacher for about five

to ten minutes

and when they take a pause or finish

explaining a concept or an idea

then i will jot down a few notes and

draw some sketches explaining the same

concept i find that alternating between

periods of writing and periods of just

paying attention allowed me not to get

caught up in trying to copy down

everything that was

being said but actually allowed me to

focus on first understanding the

material being presented

rather than just writing it all down now

since we should focus on

understanding and as we will be using

digital flash cards and notes as you

will see later in the series

i didn't concern myself with being too

neat i think that trying to be neat

and switching between different colored

pens or highlights is just a distraction

from the whole process of understanding

i think that different colored

highlighters are only useful when

drawing complicated diagrams and marking

work and on that note diagrams are

especially important because for

subjects like maths and science

you can summarize a lot of information

into just a few good diagrams

ultimately this meant that most of my

time in class was

spent on understanding the material and

asking questions and the small amounts

of time was actually

spent on making bullet points of the

information being presented in my own

words i didn't worry too much about

trying to get every little detail down

during the lesson

instead i focused on getting the overall

idea of what was going on in the topic

as you will see later in the video

we focused on smaller details later

after we built up a bigger picture i

then repeated this process for every

lesson during the week

and made an effort to understand the

content presented in each lesson

after a few lessons when a subject teach

had finished teaching a topic

or a large enough chunk of a topic i

usually had a big picture of what was

going on in the topic

investment that can now focus on smaller

details so these are some of my class

notes from a-level chemistry

and as you can see we were learning

about the topic of phenol and its

reactions in class

this is a topic from the second year of

a level country so don't worry if you

haven't seen this before i'm just using

as an example here

now if i were to add some extra

information onto these notes and perhaps

rephrase some things

then this piece of paper is going to get

pretty cluttered besides there's no

point in doing any of that if i'm not

going to then later test myself on the

material

to make use of active recall the goal

here is to add any extra information

that we want to onto these nodes

and then turn them into flash cards so

we can make use of active recall

which as we've established in earlier

videos is one of the most powerful

learning techniques

then we will import these flash cards

into a program called anki

which will help us make use of the over

effective learning technique which is

space repetition

so let's switch over to computer to see

how this is done now i created a folder

for the subjects on my google drive

and i saved the specification into this

folder as well so if i look at the

specification

i can see that i have six modules for

chemistry

and i have made a folder for each of

these modules so if i look up where the

top coffee nose is by

uh doing ctrl f and then search phenol

uh you can see it's in module 6

organic chemistry and analysis and is

in section 6.1 aromatic compounds

carbonyls and acids

so if i then go into module 6

and i create a new document

and i'll call this document flashcards

so after creating this flash cards

document what i do is i write out the

modules

so you can see i have 6.1 aromatic

compounds carbonyls and acids so

just add a dash in here and turn this

into a heading one and then i

use a sub module as well so i have the

sub module 6.1.1 aromatic compounds

so if i just paste this here and turn

that into

a heading two and if i just repeat this

for everything else from the

specification

under this module so so after writing

out all the sub modules and sub sub

modules

i check where phenol is on the

specification

and you can see if i scroll up it fits

under 6.1.1 aromatic compounds

um so underneath aromatic compounds what

i like to do is

i insert a table uh two columns any

number of rows because we can always add

more rows later

and then i make the first column about a

third of the length and the second

column about two-thirds

and then i just pasted this table

underneath for the rest of the

headings what i do now is i type up my

notes from class

under 6.1.1 aromatic compounds

whilst adding more rows to this table if

needs be

i make sure each row is roughly split by

concept

and i bullet point my notes from class

into right hand column

this process is quite nice because it

gives me a chance to review the

information that i

learned from class as i type it up if

there are any diagrams that i need to

use

then i find an image of something

similar of google images

and i copy into here or i would take a

picture of the diagram on my phone

upload it to google drive using the app

on my phone

and then import it into notes after i

finish the process of typing all these

notes i'll make any corrections to any

spelling mistakes and then also

change the font to proxima nova because

i prefer that font

now it's so much easier to add any extra

content i need to

to these notes and it gave me a chance

to review the material as i was typing

up so now what i would usually have is a

list of sources i can cross check with

and i would store these on a kanban

board on notion which i mentioned in my

previous organization video

for example in chemistry for module 6

i have these sources which i need to use

in turn by turn

so i've added some from class and do

bear in mind that i won't

watch all the videos um or use all the

sources

if i feel pretty confident that i

understood something

pretty well from class and i've covered

all the content then i

generally wouldn't use it and i just

skim watch these videos um

like on double or triple speed so now if

i look up the first source which is

camera vise

and then i can find the ocr revision

guides on camera vice because i'm doing

ocr here

and then i would go down to aromatic

compounds

here and let's find phenol on here

so these are the phenol notes from

cameravise and what i would do

is i would just add any extra

information on these onto my notes

from these camera visor notes so if i do

that now

so now that i finished using these notes

to add any extra information that i

needed to which were

a few more bullet points i would go back

to the board

and then see that i also have to add

from

my chem guys so i've added from camera

boys um so now if i search

my chem guy phenol um you can see he has

a few videos in phenol

so i'm not gonna watch this now but

usually what i would do is

i'd watch through this um and i think he

has it on his playlist as well

so ocr module one if i go here

then you can see he has two videos in

phenol and

a few others so usually what i would do

is i'd watch this

and if it's covering things too slowly

then i would

just speed up the video by going um and

setting the speed a bit higher

and then make any more notes from the

video which i would then add

on to these to make sure i've have fully

understood everything

and any diagrams that i like i would

screenshot as well and add it onto

those notes too and i think these videos

are pretty good at generally helping me

understand concepts and ideas

that i can then explain into my own

words uh on the notes

so after i've added some information

from my chem guy

i would go to the cgp revision

guide and because i have the digital

version i can just log in and access it

from here

so you can see this is a phenol section

and it explains more about phenol and a

few other things here and i would

basically use this to cross check any

information i had by reading for it

and i would do a similar process for the

textbook as well um and the reason i use

the cgp revision guide in the textbook

as the final checkboxes um is because

i think the main mistake people make

with cgp revision guides is using them

to learn the content they're meant as

more of a revision guide which means

they're only useful if you have some

understanding

or an idea of what the topic is on about

if you open the cg

revision guide without understanding the

topic and the big picture

and it's quite easy to get lost in a lot

of these bullet points and details and

not knowing what's going on

so here i mainly use a cg provision

guide to make sure i've learnt on the

content

and using it as a reference and getting

any images that i find useful from it by

screenshotting them

but i would never really put too much

effort into using it and

place too much emphasis on like the

mining details in the revision guide and

as for the digital version of the

textbook

i would check that at the end as well to

screenshot any more diagrams that i find

useful and can add onto my notes

but usually videos and online notes

distill the concepts very well

i find that the textbook tends to go all

over the place and in my experience

it wasn't too useful i would often skim

read it and

barely add anything onto my notes after

that because a lot of places like the

videos

and the uh notes on camera voice it's

tended to simplify the information quite

well but unfortunately

most gcse a-level students don't know

what good textbooks are like

as the only time i think people really

put effort into writing the textbook is

for university textbooks

so it's quite easy to sell off with

something mediocre which isn't too

helpful

and using something that ends up causing

more issues than

it actually solves ultimately remember

that if a resource isn't working for you

it isn't your fault provided you're

putting some effort into understanding

it

so all i can say is that if you find the

textbook useful then use it if not don't

bother

personally i only found it useful for

skim reading to make sure i had covered

most of the

main ideas and for screenshotting any

diagrams so after working through the

cgp revision guide and the textbook and

adding any

extra small things onto my notes they

were pretty much done so i can check off

these two boxes

and after writing down all the

information from these various resources

now i can combine many of the bullet

points together because there may be

some duplicate information and then give

the notes a bit more structure

which makes the next step easier which

is this process of turning

these notes into flashcards and during

the combining process

um when combining any bullet points

together it gives me

a chance to actually make sure i have

understood all the material

and can turn it into a more coherent

structure so then when i learn these

later topics as well in class then i

would

repeat a similar process and use these

notes

uh these uh resources that i mentioned

on notion

and obviously uncheck all the boxes and

recheck them again for that topic

uh just make sure i'm doing the order

correctly also i would recommend that

you stick to a few good resources such

as cameravise and mychem guy

if you're doing ocr chemistry rather

than a lot of

poor quality resources and i would aim

for about three to five

because i find any more than that can be

overwhelming and besides for like any

minor detail which is

very important and you may have missed

somehow um because it wasn't in any of

these resources

you will encounter in an exam question

after doing some past papers

if it's that important and then you can

add that onto your notes as well

so now using all these resources to

review and understand the material

next up is turning these notes into

flashcards because there isn't much

point in making notes unless we test

ourselves on them

using active recall and space repetition

and having

flashcards an additional app like anki

is a great way to do both

in case you don't know what ikea is the

following video in the series will

explain anki

and the basics of using it in this video

i will just be

turning these notes into flashcards so

usually i like to stick to one concept

for card and like to ignore any trivial

information by that i mean if you're

doing a level chemistry then there's not

much point in making a flash card

called what is a relative charge

dominant electron because that should be

pretty obvious to you

at that point if you're doing any level

chemistry but of course if you're doing

gcse chemistry and learning it for the

first time then it may not be obvious

and likewise making a flashcard such as

what is phenol when you're first

learning about phenol

uh can be helpful but if you then go

into the chemistry university

then you don't really need that

flashcard anymore because you should

know what phenol is by that point

anyways try not to worry about getting

the level of detail just right in each

flashcard

you always have an opportunity to edit

and trim down the flashcard each time

you review it

and as you do more exam questions in

past papers you get an idea of what sort

of things are useful and what sort of

things will never come up

my flashcards weren't perfect the first

time and sometimes when i was going

through them then i would edit them

and make improvements to phrasing or

make it a bit more concise

i think it's much better to make

improvements on the fly when you're

reviewing the flashcards

uh whenever you realize something rather

than staring at this document for ages

and hoping some

improvements or suggestions come to mind

also turning the content to flashcards

helps me to continue to engage with the

material as i think about how to

rephrase it into a question

so now that i finished telling my notes

flashcards i check again with the

specification

uh underneath the phenol section to make

sure i've covered

all the points they want me to know

about in my flashcard somewhere and once

i've finished checking it it basically

means my flashcards are ready in the

next video we will be learning about

anki and in the one after

i will show you how to add these

flashcards in tanki and use anki for

reviewing the flashcards and making use

of space repetition

so this is essentially a process i would

repeat every weekend or every other

weekend or even on some weekdays

uh depending on my mood and how ahead or

on top i wanted to feel the process was

basically reviewing the material i

learned some lesson by making

notes on my computer and then adding on

to those notes

uh and then turning those into

flashcards which i would then

consistently

use throughout the year so by the time

my nwa exams came around

i basically knew everything i needed to

and it's important to remember that this

process

does not mean you've learned everything

perfectly remember that

ultimately learning as a gradual process

reviewing the content and making and

going through flashcards and doing

practice questions and past papers is

all part of a learning process

it's not like you have to first learn

something before you do

practice questions and pass papers on it

sure you have to know

most of it but it doesn't mean you have

to know everything before you can

um start doing those questions it's not

like there's some

magic off on switch where at one moment

you don't know something and the next

moment you've learnt it and remember

that learning can be a difficult process

too so don't be discouraged

you will get stuck a few times you won't

understand the teacher

or a video and your explanation on the

flash card may be unsatisfactory

in which case it can be useful to ask

your friends or do some research online

or

ask in an online form to um for people

to help you but yeah that's basically

for this video and i'll see the next one

in which i will talk more about using

anki