Teach Secondary 13.7

When I think back to my secondary school days, especially the lead-up to exams, I shudder. Whatever I was doing in those last few weeks, you couldn’t call it ‘revision’ by any standard definition. I was highly unfocused, and my notes were a joke. Back then, it was O Levels, but the principle remains the same with GCSEs; you get taught, you revise, you sit exams. Trouble is, you’re fed with more information than a distracted teenage brain can handle. Which is why the quality of students’ revision has such impact on their success. That’s where the Organise and Retrieve your Knowledge workbooks from Collins come in. I’ve seen a fair few revision guides in my time, and many that were very good – but there’s something about these workbooks that immediately made me feel ‘ Yes, I can do this! ’ I’m not sure I’ve felt that reaction quite so strongly before. With the learning content having to be consistent, the main differences with these revision guides come down to their presentation and organisation. And these ones just feel extremely helpful and sensibly laid out. Firstly, there’s the size. Their A5 format somehow makes them feel less intimidating, as well as easily pocketable, making it possible to do a page or two while on the bus or train and feeling like you’ve achieved something worthwhile in your downtime. Best of all, though, is the layout. Each curriculum topic is given its own two-page spread. On the left is an ‘Organise’ section, presenting the clearest, most concise set of notes you could ever imagine trying to copy from more diligent classmates, with crucial key points clearly indicated. Higher tier content is appropriately marked out, and the workbooks’ diagrams and illustrations, where needed, are both visually appealing and useful. There are also some worked examples when the content calls for them. On the right-hand side you’ll find a ‘Retrieve’ section. This is designed to test students’ understanding and powers of recall via questions concerning the information covered on the opposite page. These are set out in ways that pupils might expect to see in exams, adding to the sense that these books will prepare students appropriately (with model answers found at the back). The Organise and Retrieve your Knowledge series therefore succeeds in its aims. While no substitute for a good, inspiring teacher – there’s little room for extended explanations – they are an excellent tool for those students who have been paying attention in class. If you want Compact and cleverly presented revision workbooks for GCSE maths and science A T A G L ANCE MA THS | S C I ENC E • Focused revision of key concepts • Designed for the systematic embedding of learnt knowledge • Complete curriculum coverage • Available for maths, physics, chemistry, biology and combined science learners • Separate editions for AQA science and AQA and Edexcel maths From £3.50 per book for schools; find out more at collins.co.uk/revision ✓ The compact format makes them practical for everyday use ✓ All content is cleverly organised and structured ✓ The text contained within the workbooks is consistently concise and to the point ✓ Illustrations are suitably clear and deployed well ✓ The workbooks represent great value for money … you want an efficient and convenient revision support and practice tool for your maths and science students. V E RD I C T UPGRADE I F . . . REVIEW BY MIKE DAVIES Collins GCSE Organise and Retrieve your Knowledge to boost students’ recall when it matters most, you’ve come to the right place. R E V I E W teachwire.net/secondary 80