Sorting Out Key Information
One of the best ways to help students review material for tests is to help them sort out the most important information from the less important. That can take the form of asking them to develop outlines of the information, lists of key concepts and principles, or studying the review questions in a textbook chapter. If outlines or lists do not work for you, suggest—or require—that students develop multiple-choice questions covering key concepts.

A way to help students value these assignments involves using their work. Tell your students that you will collect the questions and consider using them. For example, you might use the list of key concepts in test questions that ask for definitions of a term or concept and examples. (I find asking two parts to those questions promotes their thinking and really assesses if they understand the concept or principle, especially if they cannot use the examples from the reading or lecture or class discussion.) Alternatively, you might say that you will use some of the multiple-choice questions on the test or examination. (When I do that, I always say that I may edit them to make them clearer or to focus them more appropriately, but knowing that they may be used often helps students do them more carefully.)

Another way to make these assignments more valuable is to use them during class time as a way to review the material. Having students create these materials gives them a new perspective on what they have read and makes them review the material more carefully. This process makes them analyze what is important, a key step in learning and remembering the material.

Mind-Mapping
Another approach that can be quite successful involves mind-mapping. Either in class or as homework, have students create a map of the key concepts, principles, procedures or ingredients and their connection to each other. That way, they get to see how the pieces they have learned relate to each other. For example, connecting a general ledger, subsidiary ledgers, types of entries, income statement and the balance sheet helps students understand the logic and order of the various processes and paperwork. It also helps clarify what has to happen first and why. The same is true for taking inventory and ordering supplies or setting up a station in the kitchen to prepare a certain menu item or items.

Once they have done mind maps, then they can share them with each other and compare notes. This activity often points out what one student has focused on and another has forgotten. And it provides a great review of the material, since they are explaining to each other and asking questions–all of which keeps their minds active and their thinking alive.

Games
A different technique I have used with some success is bingo, in which I create a matrix of five by five squares or six by six squares and list a number of key terms, concepts or acronyms on the page. Students then select the words from the bottom of the page and place them, one word per square, into the matrix. Then I give a definition or an illustration of one word, and those students who have that word somewhere in the matrix cross it off. Then I provide another definition or illustration.

It is important to be clear in your definition or example, since some words are very similar. However, that is the point, since students have to know the material to be able to cross off the correct word. The first person to get a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row wins. I check their row each time; sometimes I have found that students have crossed off the wrong terms, and they do not have a real bingo. Of course, students have to cross off words silently and not say the word that they are marking, because some of them may think they know what the word is and some may not know. To make this activity work, you also need a lot more words or acronyms than there are spaces in the bingo matrix.

Making class-review sessions fun and entertaining can be done with other games, as well. Some teachers assign students to make up crossword puzzles using key ideas, authors, ingredients, etc. from the course. Then other students have to complete the crossword puzzles. Some teachers have used small groups to make up lists of terms and concepts so that they discuss what is important and what is minor. Others have various versions of bingo and soduko.

Students Correcting Students
In review sessions in classes, I have asked a question of a student about the material and then called on a different student to tell the group if the first student was correct or if there is something in the response that he or she would improve upon. This strategy has the benefit of keeping everyone alert and listening carefully, since they may be asked to evaluate or correct the answer of other students. While you may need to be careful with students who have certain disabling conditions, most students seem to like this activity, and it keeps them focused on checking their knowledge and understanding.

If you have other ideas or suggestions for helping students study and review, let me know, and I will share them in future Mayo’s Clinics.

Fred Mayo is a clinical professor at New York University and a frequent presenter at CAFÉ events nationwide.