Study Skills

HOW LONG SHOULD A STUDY PERIOD BE?

There are no right answers here, much depends on your commitments and the type of person you are. However, there is a basic fact which may help.

Short lengths of time such as 10 minutes are not usually any use. You will not normally retain information studied in a period stuck between other activities.

Now that you have organised your time, you must ensure that you make the most of each of your study periods.

NOTES

A great deal of your time will be spent reading course materials, the course handbook and supplementary materials. You will also spend time on the internet. In order to retain the information gained from reading, most people will need to write some of it down. This usually means making notes.

Why do you need to make notes? There are many reasons. Here are just a few of them:-

1. The actual process of writing the notes helps you to remember them.
2. You can link information from various sources.
3. You can link new information with your own knowledge and previously- learned facts.
4. Personal memory aids give a stronger message simply because they are your own.
5. You can write a simple reminder of points which you find easy. Concepts you find more difficult can be noted in more detail. This alone may help you understand.
6. You may be planning an extended piece of writing for which you need background information and details.

The way you make your notes can be quite a personal thing and there is really no right and wrong way. Try different methods and decide which is best for you. Some people like to scribble all over a text with a pencil and find on line study hard because they cannot do this. In this case print out texts or transfer useful sections and quotes into a word document as a form of note taking.

Writing out everything you read in a slightly different way or a slightly shorter version is not good practice. These notes are virtually useless to you. There are principles for good note-taking which you should follow. First look at what you are doing when you are making notes:-

1. Helping yourself to recall
2. Helping yourself to understand
3. Linking current studies with previous knowledge
4. Highlighting points in your studies

In order to achieve the above your notes should:

1. Break down the materials into small, manageable parts
2. Make things stand out from the rest
3. Link previous and present learning. Cross referencing is very important.
4. Give your learning some recognisable structure

Whatever you do, make absolutely certain that you record the source of your information. Then when you come to writing essays you can reference clearly. Failing to reference information is plagiarism and your work will be sent back to you. So you can save time from the beginning by noting down what comes from where!

CONCEPT MAPS

This is one way of showing the structure behind the subject.

It shows relationships between small parts of your studies, and their link with previously learned units.

Here is a concept map for a reading skills course

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SELF-CHECK 1:5

On an A4 piece of paper, draw your own concept map for ‘managing study time’. What needs to be taken into consideration?

NUCLEAR NOTES

These are similar to concept maps in that they are in diagrammatic form, but they are used for one topic which forms the nucleus, here the central bubble, from which lines are drawn to each major point.

Look at the simple example for a topic on housing:

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1. Space your notes well
2. Use highlighters and colours
3. Use headings
4. Use diagrams
5. Add memorable examples
6. Use mnemonics
7. Add humour - it helps you remember!

MNEMONICS

Mnemonics are memory aids, especially those associated with the capital letter of each word.

Two which many of us were taught at school are:-

Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain

reminding us of the colours of the rainbow.

Every Good Boy Deserves Favours

reminding musicians of the notes on the stave.

MAKING NOTES FROM WEBSITES

Whatever you do, make absolutely certain that you record the source of your information. Then when you come to writing essays you can reference clearly. Failing to reference information is plagiarism and your work will be sent back to you. So you can save time from the beginning by noting down what comes from where! This is particularly important (and easy to forget!) in the case of web-based information.

Some people use the internet for research on this course. You may do this for:

• looking up more information on a key concept (eg error correction)
• getting ideas for lessons
• checking a definition of a key word such as 'functional'

Think of the web as a bookshelf. When you click on a page it is equivalent to taking a book off a shelf. Think about these things:

• If you copy a short section or a key idea, you must show where it comes from.
• Anyone can put up stuff on the web. It is not always accurate or useful, so double check ideas and opinions. Treat materials with caution.

On the other hand, it takes a reputation and considerable influence to get a TEFL book published!

• You won't learn anything by pressing cut and paste.
• You may be a person that likes concept maps, scribbly notes and books. If so, don't be a slave to the computer - move away from it for part of your study time.

SELF-CHECK 1:6