Study skills
Weekly outline
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Main Objectives of the course:
is to help students maximize the learning process. They will require ample amount of time and dedication to enable the student to experience university success. This course is designed to help students develop and use study skills that will help them become successful learners.
Learning outcome:
· What is a skill?
· understand the study skills and attributes needed for higher level study
· why study skills matter
Key skill areas: Many different skills can be developed at university and there are many ways of describing them. Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers (2011) proposed a model that can be used by students as a reference checklist when reviewing their skills. They can be involved to reflect on the current status of their skills and how they might improve them.
The model is
based on five key areas in which transferable skills might be positioned. The
five skill areas highlighted are:
Use the following questions to help you to plan. Check off ✓ all items that apply to you. Then highlight those that are most important to you.
Stella Cottrell, 2019, p.21
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Time Management
Tips for getting started on academic tasks and completing them on time
Key topics:
· Advantages of being organised
· Diaries, timetables and planners
· Listing and prioritising
· Routines and good work habits
· How to avoid putting things off
Table 1: Some of the ways in which students’ study time evaporates. Do you recognise any of these traits in yourself (Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers, 2011, p. 71)
Personality type
Typical working ways . . . and the problems that may result
The late-nighter
Lee likes to work into the small hours. He’s got an essay to write with a deadline tomorrow morning, but just couldn’t get down to doing it earlier on. It’s 2.00 a.m. and now he’s panicking. Because the library’s shut, he can’t find a reference to support one of his points; he’s so tired he won’t be able to review his writing and correct the punctuation and grammatical errors; and he feels so shattered that he’ll probably sleep in and might miss the 9.00 a.m. deadline...
The extension-seeker
Elena always rationalises being late with her assignments. She always has good reasons for being late, and it’s never her fault. This is beginning to make her tutors impatient. This time her printer broke down just before submission, last time she had tonsillitis and the time before she had to visit the visa office. She’s asked for an extension, but will lose 10 per cent of the marks for every day her work is late. It’s only a small amount, but as she’s a borderline pass in this subject, it could make all the difference...
The stressed-out non starter
Shahid has to give a presentation to his tutorial group. Only thing is, he’s so intimidated by the thought of standing up in front of them, that he can’t focus on writing the talk. If only he had his PowerPoint slides and notes ready, he’d feel a whole lot more confident about things, but he can’t get going because of his nerves. Maybe if he just goes out for a walk, he’ll feel better placed to start when he comes back... and then, maybe another cup of coffee...
The last-minuter
Mitsuko is a last-minute person and she can only get motivated when things get close to the deadline and then she produces her best work when the adrenaline is flowing. However, her final-year dissertation is supposed to be a massive 10,000 words, there’s only a week to go and she hasn’t felt nervous enough to get started until now...
The know-it-all
Marcus has it all under control. The lecture notes are all on the Web, so there’s really no need to go to the lectures. He’ll catch up on sleep instead and study by himself later on. Then he’ll just stroll to the exam looking cool, get stuck in and amaze everyone with his results. Trouble is, at her first lecture the professor gave out a sheet changing the learning outcomes, missed out one of the topics (which Marcus has revised carefully) and told the other students that the exam format now involves two compulsory questions...
The perfectionist
Elizabeth wants to do really well at uni. She signed up for a vocational degree and has plans to land a top job on graduation to start her climb up the career tree. Her parents want her to do really well in her assignments and it’s vital that the essay that she’s working on starts with a cracking first sentence. Just can’t phrase it right though – she’s tried 15 different ways and crossed them all out. Time is running out now, and she will have to put off going to the Globetrotter’s Dance. Well, who needs a social life anyway...
The juggler
Jeff is a mature student and is working part-time to make ends meet. Although his job started as 10 hours a week, it’s now up to 25. He’s juggling his shifts so he can attend lectures and tutorials, and might be able to do a bit of coursework in the breaks at work, providing the staffroom is empty. He can’t get into the library to work on the short-loan material, so he’ll have to miss that out. And he’s so tired at the end of each day, he just can’t summon the energy to read the core texts. Doesn’t know how long he can keep going like this..
Effective Academic Reading
Tips for getting started on academic tasks and completing them on time
Key topics:
· Advantages of being organised
· Diaries, timetables and planners
· Listing and prioritising
· Routines and good work habits
· How to avoid putting things off
Table 1: Some of the ways in which students’ study time evaporates. Do you recognise any of these traits in yourself (Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers, 2011, p. 71)
Personality type
Typical working ways . . . and the problems that may result
The late-nighter
Lee likes to work into the small hours. He’s got an essay to write with a deadline tomorrow morning, but just couldn’t get down to doing it earlier on. It’s 2.00 a.m. and now he’s panicking. Because the library’s shut, he can’t find a reference to support one of his points; he’s so tired he won’t be able to review his writing and correct the punctuation and grammatical errors; and he feels so shattered that he’ll probably sleep in and might miss the 9.00 a.m. deadline...
The extension-seeker
Elena always rationalises being late with her assignments. She always has good reasons for being late, and it’s never her fault. This is beginning to make her tutors impatient. This time her printer broke down just before submission, last time she had tonsillitis and the time before she had to visit the visa office. She’s asked for an extension, but will lose 10 per cent of the marks for every day her work is late. It’s only a small amount, but as she’s a borderline pass in this subject, it could make all the difference...
The stressed-out non starter
Shahid has to give a presentation to his tutorial group. Only thing is, he’s so intimidated by the thought of standing up in front of them, that he can’t focus on writing the talk. If only he had his PowerPoint slides and notes ready, he’d feel a whole lot more confident about things, but he can’t get going because of his nerves. Maybe if he just goes out for a walk, he’ll feel better placed to start when he comes back... and then, maybe another cup of coffee...
The last-minuter
Mitsuko is a last-minute person and she can only get motivated when things get close to the deadline and then she produces her best work when the adrenaline is flowing. However, her final-year dissertation is supposed to be a massive 10,000 words, there’s only a week to go and she hasn’t felt nervous enough to get started until now...
The know-it-all
Marcus has it all under control. The lecture notes are all on the Web, so there’s really no need to go to the lectures. He’ll catch up on sleep instead and study by himself later on. Then he’ll just stroll to the exam looking cool, get stuck in and amaze everyone with his results. Trouble is, at her first lecture the professor gave out a sheet changing the learning outcomes, missed out one of the topics (which Marcus has revised carefully) and told the other students that the exam format now involves two compulsory questions...
The perfectionist
Elizabeth wants to do really well at uni. She signed up for a vocational degree and has plans to land a top job on graduation to start her climb up the career tree. Her parents want her to do really well in her assignments and it’s vital that the essay that she’s working on starts with a cracking first sentence. Just can’t phrase it right though – she’s tried 15 different ways and crossed them all out. Time is running out now, and she will have to put off going to the Globetrotter’s Dance. Well, who needs a social life anyway...
The juggler
Jeff is a mature student and is working part-time to make ends meet. Although his job started as 10 hours a week, it’s now up to 25. He’s juggling his shifts so he can attend lectures and tutorials, and might be able to do a bit of coursework in the breaks at work, providing the staffroom is empty. He can’t get into the library to work on the short-loan material, so he’ll have to miss that out. And he’s so tired at the end of each day, he just can’t summon the energy to read the core texts. Doesn’t know how long he can keep going like this..
Effective Academic Reading
-
-
Time Management
Tips for getting started on academic tasks and completing them on time
Key topics:
· Advantages of being organised
· Diaries, timetables and planners
· Listing and prioritising
· Routines and good work habits
· How to avoid putting things off
Table 1: Some of the ways in which students’ study time evaporates. Do you recognise any of these traits in yourself (Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers, 2011, p. 71)
Personality type
Typical working ways . . . and the problems that may result
The late-nighter
Lee likes to work into the small hours. He’s got an essay to write with a deadline tomorrow morning, but just couldn’t get down to doing it earlier on. It’s 2.00 a.m. and now he’s panicking. Because the library’s shut, he can’t find a reference to support one of his points; he’s so tired he won’t be able to review his writing and correct the punctuation and grammatical errors; and he feels so shattered that he’ll probably sleep in and might miss the 9.00 a.m. deadline...
The extension-seeker
Elena always rationalises being late with her assignments. She always has good reasons for being late, and it’s never her fault. This is beginning to make her tutors impatient. This time her printer broke down just before submission, last time she had tonsillitis and the time before she had to visit the visa office. She’s asked for an extension, but will lose 10 per cent of the marks for every day her work is late. It’s only a small amount, but as she’s a borderline pass in this subject, it could make all the difference...
The stressed-out non starter
Shahid has to give a presentation to his tutorial group. Only thing is, he’s so intimidated by the thought of standing up in front of them, that he can’t focus on writing the talk. If only he had his PowerPoint slides and notes ready, he’d feel a whole lot more confident about things, but he can’t get going because of his nerves. Maybe if he just goes out for a walk, he’ll feel better placed to start when he comes back... and then, maybe another cup of coffee...
The last-minuter
Mitsuko is a last-minute person and she can only get motivated when things get close to the deadline and then she produces her best work when the adrenaline is flowing. However, her final-year dissertation is supposed to be a massive 10,000 words, there’s only a week to go and she hasn’t felt nervous enough to get started until now...
The know-it-all
Marcus has it all under control. The lecture notes are all on the Web, so there’s really no need to go to the lectures. He’ll catch up on sleep instead and study by himself later on. Then he’ll just stroll to the exam looking cool, get stuck in and amaze everyone with his results. Trouble is, at her first lecture the professor gave out a sheet changing the learning outcomes, missed out one of the topics (which Marcus has revised carefully) and told the other students that the exam format now involves two compulsory questions...
The perfectionist
Elizabeth wants to do really well at uni. She signed up for a vocational degree and has plans to land a top job on graduation to start her climb up the career tree. Her parents want her to do really well in her assignments and it’s vital that the essay that she’s working on starts with a cracking first sentence. Just can’t phrase it right though – she’s tried 15 different ways and crossed them all out. Time is running out now, and she will have to put off going to the Globetrotter’s Dance. Well, who needs a social life anyway...
The juggler
Jeff is a mature student and is working part-time to make ends meet. Although his job started as 10 hours a week, it’s now up to 25. He’s juggling his shifts so he can attend lectures and tutorials, and might be able to do a bit of coursework in the breaks at work, providing the staffroom is empty. He can’t get into the library to work on the short-loan material, so he’ll have to miss that out. And he’s so tired at the end of each day, he just can’t summon the energy to read the core texts. Doesn’t know how long he can keep going like this..
Effective Academic Reading
Tips for getting started on academic tasks and completing them on time
Key topics:
· Advantages of being organised
· Diaries, timetables and planners
· Listing and prioritising
· Routines and good work habits
· How to avoid putting things off
Table 1: Some of the ways in which students’ study time evaporates. Do you recognise any of these traits in yourself (Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers, 2011, p. 71)
Personality type
Typical working ways . . . and the problems that may result
The late-nighter
Lee likes to work into the small hours. He’s got an essay to write with a deadline tomorrow morning, but just couldn’t get down to doing it earlier on. It’s 2.00 a.m. and now he’s panicking. Because the library’s shut, he can’t find a reference to support one of his points; he’s so tired he won’t be able to review his writing and correct the punctuation and grammatical errors; and he feels so shattered that he’ll probably sleep in and might miss the 9.00 a.m. deadline...
The extension-seeker
Elena always rationalises being late with her assignments. She always has good reasons for being late, and it’s never her fault. This is beginning to make her tutors impatient. This time her printer broke down just before submission, last time she had tonsillitis and the time before she had to visit the visa office. She’s asked for an extension, but will lose 10 per cent of the marks for every day her work is late. It’s only a small amount, but as she’s a borderline pass in this subject, it could make all the difference...
The stressed-out non starter
Shahid has to give a presentation to his tutorial group. Only thing is, he’s so intimidated by the thought of standing up in front of them, that he can’t focus on writing the talk. If only he had his PowerPoint slides and notes ready, he’d feel a whole lot more confident about things, but he can’t get going because of his nerves. Maybe if he just goes out for a walk, he’ll feel better placed to start when he comes back... and then, maybe another cup of coffee...
The last-minuter
Mitsuko is a last-minute person and she can only get motivated when things get close to the deadline and then she produces her best work when the adrenaline is flowing. However, her final-year dissertation is supposed to be a massive 10,000 words, there’s only a week to go and she hasn’t felt nervous enough to get started until now...
The know-it-all
Marcus has it all under control. The lecture notes are all on the Web, so there’s really no need to go to the lectures. He’ll catch up on sleep instead and study by himself later on. Then he’ll just stroll to the exam looking cool, get stuck in and amaze everyone with his results. Trouble is, at her first lecture the professor gave out a sheet changing the learning outcomes, missed out one of the topics (which Marcus has revised carefully) and told the other students that the exam format now involves two compulsory questions...
The perfectionist
Elizabeth wants to do really well at uni. She signed up for a vocational degree and has plans to land a top job on graduation to start her climb up the career tree. Her parents want her to do really well in her assignments and it’s vital that the essay that she’s working on starts with a cracking first sentence. Just can’t phrase it right though – she’s tried 15 different ways and crossed them all out. Time is running out now, and she will have to put off going to the Globetrotter’s Dance. Well, who needs a social life anyway...
The juggler
Jeff is a mature student and is working part-time to make ends meet. Although his job started as 10 hours a week, it’s now up to 25. He’s juggling his shifts so he can attend lectures and tutorials, and might be able to do a bit of coursework in the breaks at work, providing the staffroom is empty. He can’t get into the library to work on the short-loan material, so he’ll have to miss that out. And he’s so tired at the end of each day, he just can’t summon the energy to read the core texts. Doesn’t know how long he can keep going like this..
Effective Academic Reading
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Students mustMark as done
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Main objectives:
By the end of this lecture students learn active learning methods and engage in their learning by thinking, discussing, investigating, and creating. In class, students practice skills, solve problems, struggle with complex questions, make decisions, propose solutions, and explain ideas in their own words through writing and discussion.
From the figures below students are going to find their own answers to the following questions:
Ø What is an active learning strategy?
Ø How can students develop their own active learning strategy?
(Available at https://www.twinkl.it/teaching-wiki/active-learning)
Test Yourself
One of the ways to improve your study skills is to evaluate your strengths (and weaknesses). Take this quick quiz to see how your skills rate.
Directions: Circle your answer for each question (1 = never, 2 = sometimes, 3 = always), and then total the score for each section.
The scoring summary is at the end of the quiz.
Sections
Questions
Never
sometimes
always
Planning Your Classes
1. I spend time thinking about what classes I should take based on important factors (versus deciding on a class because it’s easy or at a convenient time).
2. I know the requirements of all the classes I take, including how I will be assessed and what materials I need.
3. I treat my teacher with respect and feel comfortable asking questions if I don’t understand something.
4. I arrive to my classes on time.
5. I have a good idea of what my grades are in my classes at all times (not just when I receive midterm grades or other progress reports).
Organization-al - and Time Management Skills
1. I use folders and notebooks for each of my subjects.
2. I keep an assignment notebook (or similar list) to keep track of my homework and major assignments.
3. I turn in my homework assignments on time.
4. When I have a major assignment, I start working on it well before the deadline rather than the night before.
Reading
1. I can find the main idea in a paragraph or series of paragraphs.
2. I take notes on my reading assignments, and these notes help me later when I have to study for a test or write a paper.
3. I allow plenty of time to do my reading assignments instead of waiting until the last minute.
4. I preview a reading assignment before starting to read, and I note key elements such as the chapter outline, discussion questions, and illustrations.
5. I have a good sense of the important facts, concepts, or ideas in a reading assignment.
Taking Notes
1. I know how to listen for the important information in a lecture and how to effectively record that information in my notes.
2. I look for certain clues (such as charts or information that is repeated more than once) when I take notes.
3. I use some shorthand method (such as using abbreviations) to help me quickly write my notes.
4. I review my notes and organize them, looking for gaps and filling in any missing information.
5. When I study for a test that’s based on notes (from a lecture or reading), I find that my notes help me be well-prepared; that is, my notes are relevant and useful study guides.
Doing Research
1. When given a research assignment, I make sure I understand all the requirements of the assignment.
2. I select a topic that not only meets the requirements of the assignment but also is interesting and relevant to the subject.
3. I know how to use the resources at my school and my local library; if I don’t, I ask for help.
4. I know how to use the Internet to do research, and I also evaluate the source of the information to be sure it’s credible
5. I understand when I need to cite information I include in a paper (to avoid plagiarism), and I know the proper format for including a Works Cited list.
Scoring
Total your scores for each section, and then use the following scale to see how you rate in that particular study skill area.
11–15
You have good to excellent skills in
this area.
6–10
You are average and could work on
improving your skills in this area.
5
or below You need to put more emphasis
on improving your skills in this area.-
Students mustMark as done
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Students mustMark as done
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