Mayo’s Clinic: Organizing Review Sessions
30 March 2011By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT
A variety of review techniques can help students excel.
Last month, we discussed teaching seminar classes; given the time of year, this month we will talk about review sessions. In some ways, it would be nice to assume that we do not need to organize review activities for our students, and sometimes we don’t need to do it. Some of them are very capable to study and remember material without our help, but many students are not used to or skilled in reviewing material for tests and preparing for other demonstrations of knowledge.
Class Review
In class, there are a number of activities that we can use to help students review materials. One involves making a list of key words or terms and then calling on a student to define the word and apply it to an industry situation—using an example not in the reading—and then calling on a second student to accept the response or correct it. Calling on the second student keeps everyone alert since he or she might be called on in either capacity. An addition to this activity involves calling on a third student to explain the significance of the term or concept. Using the application and significance approaches pushes students to expand their thinking and ensure that they really understand the key ideas or techniques in the course.
Another way to review is to play bingo. Make a six-by-six bingo card and list a whole bunch of key terms, conversions, formulas or ideas on the page. Each student fills boxes with the words or formulas, one per box. Then give the class a definition—in your words—and they cross off the term (without saying anything). The first one to complete a row or column wins. It is amazing how powerful this game can be, and I always give a present to the first and second winners. It does not have to be fancy, sometimes it is just stickers. I have found this activity to get a wide range of students fully involved in the ideas; it encourages lots of review since they do not want to lose at bingo.
Homework Review
One of the most energizing review activities for students involves the invitation to develop test questions—short answer, multiple choice, true/false or long essay—for an examination. Whether a quiz, a test or comprehensive examination, the questions get students to review the material and decide what is important and what is minor. When the students hand in questions, you can grade the questions or use them in class for a review activity. If they are really good or worth editing, you can use them for tests. I have told students that I do not guarantee that I will use their questions on tests unless I think the questions are good enough. In most circumstances, that caveat has encouraged them to compose even better questions!
Mind mapping can be another very successful way for students to recognize what they remember about a topic or an area and then compare it with their reading assignments. Mind mapping involves creating a diagram of a topic and then connecting various aspects of that key concept with arrows or other shapes. For study purposes it can involve starting with a blank sheet of paper and placing a key issue in the center, such as HACCP, chicken fabrication or the concept of a salad, and then writing down all the variations, related concepts, key facts and techniques that relate to that concept. Alternatively, students can start with a list of key concepts in an area and then place them in various connections on the pieces of paper with a key idea such as sanitation practices, balance sheet concepts, aspects of service recovery or great chefs at the center of the sheet.
Out of Class Review
Many of us were probably involved in study groups, and we can encourage students to start them up as a way to review for tests. Whether they make flash cards for each other or just test each other orally, students who participate in these discussions typically recall information more clearly and understand it more fully than those who study alone. The practice of explaining an idea or a cooking preparation helps them get clearer. I have offered to be around the area where the study groups are meeting in case the students need extra help, but they often do not want that support. Nevertheless, I sometimes offer since just my willingness usually makes them feel safer and more confident with the material. Even if I am never asked, my offer shows them that I want to help them learn the material.
Thank you for reading this column. If you have other ideas or suggestions about teaching seminar classes, send them to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I will include them in future Mayo Clinics. Next month, we will talk about using field trips.
Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT, is a clinical professor at New York University and a frequent presenter at CAFÉ events nationwide.