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Learning resources On this page:
1. Textbooks 1. TextbooksA good textbook is the most important learning resource you can buy.
Textbooks are not the same as revise guides, key-facts books or study
guides! You may be lucky and the school gives you a new textbook, but that's unusual. It is much better that you have your own, up-to-date copy. You can write in it, cross things out when you've learnt them and not worry about keeping it in good condition for handing back to the school. Syllabuses may change a little now and then and you might be given an old (2-3 years or more) book that misses part of the new syllabus. The safe and simple rule is, find out what exam board and syllabus you're taking for each subject, and then buy a book that is written for that syllabus. Make sure it is right up-to-date. Publishers You can look up books on the publishers' websites, and buy from them. Or, note the ISBN numbers and then use these to look up the books on Amazon or another online store. Heinemann Publisher
for AQA If you have a problem finding the type of book you want, call the publisher. Always get the advice of your teacher - if you have one of course! 2. Buying books onlineSearch on GCSE and subject; then, if you can, sort on publication date. Try amazon first. Amazon.co.uk If your exam board can't help you, do a search on one of the online booksellers listed above. Search on the subject, exam board and level; then look for the most recent publications and those that mention your syllabus and exam board. If all else fails, either just use a good revise guide, or buy the text book that looks closest to what you're studying. 3. Revise guidesRevise guides are much better now than they used to be. However, the number and variety of syllabuses is greater. This makes it difficult for a general revise guide to cater for everyone. This is particularly true for modular sciences. Ideally, find a revise guide that is written for the exact syllabus you are studying. Your teacher should be able to advise you. Phone the exam board if in doubt. Letts Educational and Longmans publish good guides which are very clear and attempt, with varying success, to point out the differences between syllabuses. However, I'm very impressed with the new Collins guides, which often come with CDs and back-up information on the Collins website. The guides include extra information, such as comments from chief examiners on common mistakes. The CDs include lots of practice questions. They are my number one choice. You can find them at WH Smiths and other good book shops. Letts Educational 4. Internet sites for revision and studyThere are no websites that come close to being as good as an up-to-date text book with a revise guide and maybe a CD ROM. However, they are OK if you want something different - and revision can get a bit dull if you're just doing it from a book. So here are some of the better ones. www.s-cool.co.uk Good and FREE! (unlike ww.samlearning.com which is used by schools and requires payment or a school password) Collins revision site - the new kid on the block - goes along with their revision guide and CD. Looks promising. CSE.com - bits and pieces of guidance for revision. Some very good, some not, some missing. GCSE Bitesize - also good for SATS. www.gcsescience.com is very good, although a bit of a mess. Learning skills websiteshttp://www.studygs.net/ - lots of good advice, mainly directed at university students, but good stuff. And lots of links to other learning and study skills sites. http://www.thelearningsociety.com - new research in learning skills - especially for people with learning difficulties such as ADD, Dyslexia, and so on. http://www.ldpride.net/learning_style.html Maths on the webMathsnet - As well as being
Head of Maths at the Hewett Comprehensive School in Norwich, Bryan
Dye is one of the pioneer developers of educational websites. His
fantastic MathsNet website is a tremendous resource for all teachers
and students of mathematics. Features include: Interactive, Articles,
QuizBank, Magic Grid, MathsNet Art, Puzzles and Maths Links. The website
also contains reviews of software and books for mathematicians. Geometry - some neat animations. Needs Java. Conversions - good clear site Cut the knot
- a very BIG database of games and puzzles that require deductive
skills. All levels. Science on the webEnglish on the webwww.englishbiz.co.uk excellent website written by an English teacher 5. Other useful sitesDfes report on helping borderline students - a very useful collection of pdf files from the Dfes covering revision, common exam mistakes, and more. Largely aimed at teachers, but useful non-the-less. Report on helping to prepare for GCSEs [-> OK, on to the learning bits - go to the section on learning about learning - How your brain learns ] |
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