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Study SkillsName: Tutor:

Study SkillsStudy Environment

Creating a study environment Your study environment

Reading How to read actively Academic reading

Learning Styles What is a learning style? Identifying your learning style Learning style strategies

o Visualo Auditoryo Kinaesthetic

Study Notes/Revision Strategies An Introduction to Study Notes. Frequently Asked Questions Paraphrasing Mind Mapping Note-taking from Verbal Sources Compiling Lesson Notes Other Note-Taking Methods

Online Research Directories and Search Engines What can I research? How do I research? Research task

Assignment Writing Structuring an Assignment Planning an Assignment Harvard Referencing

Punctuation and Technical Accuracy Punctuation Overview Punctuation Exercise & Answers Apostrophe Exercise & Answers Quotation Marks Exercise & Answers Proof Reading

Time Management Time Management Tips Producing a Revision Timetable

Study Environment3

Creating a study environment

Before you begin home-learning it is wise to organise a place where you can work at home. You will find you need a place that is yours for at least part of the day and which is understood to be your dedicated study space. You should aim to have the following:

A space that is quiet and where you can work undisturbed. A table or desk that you can keep your work on. A chair which is comfortable and the right height. Shelves for your books and files. Good lighting.

Consider if you need a computer or Cardinal Newman’s facilities will do. If you have one at home, you will need to have priority of use and you must always take back up copies of your work so that it is not sabotaged by technical faults or other users!

It is important that your space is organised and as uncluttered as possible for this will enable you to think clearly and work efficiently. Your study space will also act as a trigger – when you enter it you will be helped into the right frame of mind for work.

Reading

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Describe your current study environment.

How will you improve your study environment?

How to Read Actively

The biggest change in your life on returning to study will probably be the amount of reading that you do. You can prepare yourself immediately by setting aside some time of each day to read – the more reading you do, the more quickly you will be able to read and absorb information. It is like anything else you do, proficiency comes with practise.

Get used to reading material that is a bit more challenging than that which you normally relax with. Read a ‘quality’ newspaper daily. Read a book a week. Try to read at a faster pace.

When you are reading for academic purposes, you are reading with a particular framework of knowledge – the subject area – and you are reading for a particular purpose. Academic reading is selective reading. You are reading to gain specific ideas or information. For your reading to be effective you must be active and to be active you must be doing something.

Get in the habit of always having a notebook and pencil to hand whenever you are reading and practise!

The more of this you do, the more natural it will become.

Academic Reading

Unlike novels, academic books are not best read by starting at the beginning and continuing

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Task: ● Highlight, or make a note in pencil on the piece you are reading the key points of a page, or article.

● Note down the key points of what you are reading – try to write down a few key words rather than copying out chunks.

● If you are unsure of the meaning of certain words, try to follow the meaning of the sentence as a whole. Keep a dictionary to hand.

● What is the general point of view, or argument of the section you have read? Write a sentence in your notebook which sums this up in your own words. If appropriate, note whether you agree, or not.

● Note down your thoughts on the piece/book you are reading.Reading in this way ensures that you are actively sifting the information and thinking about what you have read.

to the end. You must take on the role of the detective and seek out the bits and pieces that will serve your own purpose. For example, if you are reading a book from a reading list for an essay you will find that the most useful information can be found by using the following:

The contents pageThis can save you hours of wasted effort. The contents outlines will guide you to the section of the book most relevant to your topic, or alert you to the fact that your topic is not covered.

The indexThe index is at the back of the book and it is very useful indeed. It is an alphabetical listing of the key words used in the book and gives the page numbers where these are located. You can look up the keywords which you have in your assignment title, or the key words for your topic. The index will point you to related ideas but it will certainly save you time by taking you directly to the topic you are studying.

The bibliography and referencesThe bibliography and references will allow you to speed up your search for other information on your topic. By starting with a relatively recent book, you can use the author’s own research efforts by noting the references that have been cited for information which is particularly relevant to your purposes, and looking up the full publication details in the bibliography. If you are lucky, your library will stock some of these books too. The bibliography is an excellent way to read more widely as it will lead you to other writers whose work may be of interest.

Learning Styles

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What academic reading do you currently need to carry out or could you carry out for your academic subjects?

Subject 1:

Subject 2:

Subject 3:

Subject 4:

Have you ever wondered why you have difficulty learning from a particular teacher, whereas another seems to explain things in just the right way?

Did you ever question why the subject that your friend said was so easy, turned into a struggle for you?

Do you notice that you and your friends have different opinions on whether or not to have the radio on while you're studying?

The reason behind some of these discrepancies may be differences in learning styles!

What is a "Learning Style"?

To put it simply, your learning style (or learning preference) is the way you tend to learn best. It involves your preferred method of taking in, organising, and making sense of information. Learning styles do not tell us about a person's abilities or intelligence, but they can help us understand why some tasks seem easier for us than others. There are several benefits of thinking about and trying to understand your learning preferences:

People learn most effectively when the strategies used are closely matched with their preferred learning style.

Sometimes we can improve our learning by knowing what our strengths are and then doing more of what we're good at.

Often we can improve our learning by knowing what our weakness are and trying to enhance our skills in these areas.

Different situations and learning environments require different learning strategies, so it's best to have a large repertoire from which to draw.

Expanding Your Learning PreferencesThere are 3 learning style preferences outlined here:1. Auditory (learning by hearing)2. Visual (learning by seeing)3. Kinaesthetic (learning by doing)

If you're looking to improve your effectiveness as a student, choose the learning preference category that you feel best matches the way you like to learn (e.g. visually), and check to see if you follow the suggested strategies (e.g. enhancing visual learning).

Then, look at the strategies for the other two learning styles and try to implement some of these ideas into your repertoire as well.

Identifying your learning style

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Before we go any further, how do you think you learn best?

This chart helps you determine your learning style. Read the word in the left column and then answer the questions in the successive three columns to see how you respond to each situation.

Learning style strategies

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Highlight or circle your response. Your answers may fall into all three columns, but one column will likely contain the most answers. The dominant column indicates your primary learning style.

What is your primary learning style?

_________________________

To improve your effectiveness as a student, you must make the most of your learning style.

On the following pages you will find useful strategies which will enable you to access and retain information easily.

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Highlight the strategies which you will attempt in the upcoming weeks.

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Highlight the strategies which you will attempt in the upcoming weeks.

Study Notes/Revision Strategies

An Introduction to Study Notes

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Highlight the strategies which you will attempt in the upcoming weeks.

Your brain is an amazing organ. You may have heard the brain being compared to a computer but that is actually not a totally apt comparison. The brain does not assemble data from bits and pieces of information. Instead, it relates whole concepts to one another and looks for similarities, differences or relationships between them.

If you organise and structure the material you need to learn, finding ways that concepts are related, it will assist your brain in remembering and recalling the information. Within each subject you have a huge amount of theory to learn and remember. The reality is, you simply do not have the time to keep re-reading every chapter in your textbook, every handout and every note you have ever taken in order to revise. Instead, you need to start sifting through the material, working out what you need to know, what you already know, and what is not relevant. Identifying what is important allows you to reduce the volume of your notes. You need to gather all the related pieces of information together and organise them in a logical manner.

The process of making study notes is actually a form of studying. It helps you concentrate on what you are learning and improves your understanding, as putting information in your own words and making links between new knowledge and what you already know helps you distinguish between important points and supporting details. It enables you to find out if you do really understand the content and it forces you to think about the topic in its entirety. As you break the topic down into headings and subheadings, you then focus on different aspects in turn, and through making study notes develop a solid base of knowledge to build upon.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What are your current study notes/revision strategies?

This initial section aims to answer the most commonly asked questions surrounding study notes.

However, before we begin experimenting with different studying methods, it is important that your comprehension and retention skills are sharpened.

When should I make study notes?

Ideally, every time you finish a topic. This is the perfect time to look at the topic as a whole and create a basic set of study notes for this topic. It is also OK to make study notes as the topic progresses, but the end of a topic acts as a reminder to you to get started if you haven’t yet done so. The advantage of doing study notes at this time is that you are making your study notes while the topic is fresh in your mind and you can deal with anything you are unsure of in a timely manner rather than months later. In addition to this, you have an enormous time advantage closer to the examinations and can spend time updating and reviewing your study notes rather than creating them from scratch.In reality, most students do not do this. Some may prepare study notes haphazardly for particular tests or assessments. Others do none at all. Most students are just struggling trying to stay on top of the increased workload as compared to the previous year.It is never too late. It is, of course, preferable to have as much time as possible, so if you haven’t started, start now! Allocate some time to working on study notes during the term. Even if it is just half an hour each afternoon or an hour or so on the weekend. Maybe you could allocate time between now and the examination to make summaries of the topics you have covered so far. Aim to complete a certain number each week.If it feels like there is just too much to do at least start by doing an overview of each-topic and the main points. You can add in more detail later. Develop the habit that every time you finish a topic, you make a set of study notes for that topic.

How do I make study notes?

Making study notes is all about chunking the work down into smaller and smaller pieces.First gather all the material on that topic eg. notes, handouts, textbooks and supplementary material.

Usually there is one resource in particular that forms the basis of your study notes. Maybe your textbook covers that topic very clearly or perhaps you have a well set out study guide. Maybe the notes that you made in class are the best resource to use as your basis. Look quickly through all the material for an overview of the topic and to decide if you have a resource that you can use in particular for the core of your study notes.

Next take a piece of paper and write down what the main headings are for the topic. Under each heading, list any subheadings you will need to cover. For example, if your topic is WW1 the headings might be Causes, In the War, Effects. Under the heading Causes, you would then list the main causes of the war that you will need to be familiar with. It is a good idea to

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This initial section aims to answer the most commonly asked questions surrounding study notes.

However, before we begin experimenting with different studying methods, it is important that your comprehension and retention skills are sharpened.

When should I make study notes?

take this list of headings and turn it into a one or two page Mind Map. A mind map gives you a visual overview of the topic as a whole and is a useful technique for study notes. It allows you to see at a glance what the topic is all about and you can then follow this with more detailed study notes or mind maps. It also is a way of integrating the left hand side of the brain (that likes details) with the right-hand side (that likes the whole picture) which makes learning more efficient.

Once you have completed the mind map overview, take each heading and subheading and make notes, preferably in point form (either handwritten or on computer). Look through all your additional resources to ensure you haven’t left out any information that is related to this ‘heading. You may find that including a mind map on a particular heading is also useful as images can be more memorable than words.

How do I improve my study notes?

Make them as visual as possible. The more organised they are, the more structured and visual they are, the more your brain will respond and remember. Make it easy for your brain:

- use wide margins so you can add in extra information as your understanding grows- use bullet points and abbreviations rather than long sentences and paragraphs- highlight or box important points and formulas- rewrite any sections that are not clear (but don’t rewrite it all just for the sake of it)- use sub headings, indenting, numbering: the more they are broken down, the easier to learn- complete sentences should be rare - key phrases are better- legible, neat handwriting- use clear and noticeable topic headings

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How do I make study notes?

How do I improve my study notes?

How do I use study notes?

The process of creating the study notes is the first stage of learning the material so you can recall it. It is important that you do not just read your study notes. Of course, reading your notes is useful, but in order to ensure information moves to long-term memory you need to make your study active.

Some ways you can do this are to read a section of your notes then put them to one side and see what you can write out from memory. Or you may try and speak out loud what you have read without referring to your notes. You can also try writing out the information in your own words or using your study notes to jot down sample essay plans.

How can I do study notes for subjects like English?

Many students find it difficult to do study notes for subjects like English as there is such a huge quantity of material studied for each topic or piece of literature. One way to approach study notes for English is to try and do one-page summaries on particular aspects of the novel and organise your thoughts in this way. For example, you may do a page of notes on each particular character, a page on themes, a page on the author’s techniques, a page on the plot and so on. Make sure you avoid long wordy paragraphs and stick to point form as much as possible. It is likely you will still need to read many of your notes again but these single pages will help you consolidate your ideas and remember the key points and quotes for essays.

Should I include examples in subjects like Mathematics?

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How do I use study notes?

How can I do study notes for subjects like English?

This is very much a personal decision. Some students like to keep the examples separate from the formulas they need to memorise. Other students like to include examples of questions they find difficult.One way to do this is to have a separate section of examples of questions you find difficult and you can cover the answer and attempt the question again. Most students find including some examples beneficial. Another way to do it is to place your summaries in a display folder with the rules to memorise on the left-hand side and examples on the right-hand side. You could also create a list of the types of questions you find difficult and so need to review.

Why don’t I just buy the study guide for the subject?

You can! But don’t just use this as your summary. You may use it as a basis for making your summary or check to see if you have included everything you should have, but the process of actually making the summary and understanding the connections and links is probably the post important thing. It is during this process that you discover any holes in your understanding and start the memory process. If you let someone else do this for you, the understanding will still be in their head, not yours. This is why even if your teacher gives you a great summary or you find a fabulous book, you can incorporate it into your summary but you need to add something of your own to it or rewrite part of it in your own words to make it work for you.

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Should I include examples in subjects like Mathematics?

Why don’t I just buy the study guide for the subject?

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is saying the same thing as someone else in your own words (i.e. nottheirs). In the previous section you have begun to acquire this skill.

Here is a passage to paraphrase. Note: the ideas in the passage below should beretained but those ideas should be expressed in new words (i.e. yours) which retain theoriginal ideas.

ORIGINAL PASSAGE:

“Actually, this is how it happened. We were standing by the road waiting for my lift.The weather was shocking. The driving rain was being whipped around by the galeforce wind. A vehicle drove by and it’s big wheels sped through a deep puddle,splashing muddy water into my face. A small stone, too, had been thrown up and hadsmashed my glasses. There I was stranded in the howling rain. I couldn’t see anythingbecause of my broken glasses. A car pulled up and Mum let me in. She wasn’t happyat all when I told her about my expensive glasses being broken like that. But after all,it was an accident.”

Now read the following passages. Attempt to paraphrase each passage without looking back at the extract:

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Paraphrased:

1. "The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate," [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. "The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17.

2. "The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad

joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past." From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.

3. "Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head." From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.

4. "Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-known

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Paraphrased:

Paraphrased:

Paraphrased:

Paraphrased:

gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate." From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50.

Mind Mapping

What are mind maps?

Mind maps, also known as concept maps or spider diagrams, help you to get ideas down on paper when you can't think where to start. They help you see connections and provide an overview of key points.

Mind maps are also used as a visual technique in revision.

The topic for the example below is taken from the study material for Y156, Understanding Children (Rai and Flynn, 2001). It is about attachment relationships in young children and babies, and this forms the central idea and starting point in the mind map.

Other relevant ideas and information from the study material are connected to the central hub and to each other. As the mind map grows and changes ideas are organised to reflect the main points in the materials, such as how the quality of the attachment relationship in early life can affect the ability to form an attachment relationship to babies and children later in life. If it helps visually you can use colour to represent different ideas.

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Paraphrased:

This computer-generated mind map uses nodes and links between them to illustrate ideas about attachment relationships.

How can you mind map?

Below is a step by step process on how you can create a mind map. The example used is preparing an event (i.e. school ball), but you could mind map anything else (e.g. subjects).

Step 1: Grab some coloured pens/pencils, a blank piece of paper and turn it sideways. In the centre of the page draw the first image that comes to mind on the topic you are mind mapping. Label the image.

Step 2: Branch off from your central image and create one of your main ideas (think of each branch as being like a chapter in a book). Label the branch. You can also draw a picture for it.

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Give an example of a time you have constructed a mind map.

Step 3: From your main branches draw some sub-branches and from those sub-branches you can draw even more branches. What you are beginning to do is create associations between ideas.

Step 4: Draw pictures for each branch or for as many branches as possible. Make each picture as absurd, funny and/or exaggerated as possible. The reason for this is that we think in pictures and remember vivid, exaggerated images more easily.

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Step 5: Draw another main branch but this time use a different colour. Colour helps to separate out different ideas and keeps your mind stimulated). Draw sub-branches and pictures. If you get bored at any stage, move on and create another branch.

Stage 6: Keep repeating the above process (different colours, main branch, sub-branches and absurd pictures). Make sure each branch is curved and not a straight line. The brain is more stimulated by curved lines.

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Step 7: Voila! You have created a mind map. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a work of art. Allow yourself to be as messy and creative as you like. It doesn’t matter if other people can’t understand your mind map. You just need to be able to.

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Make a list of potential mind maps you could create:

Mind map task

The Australian Identity at the Goldfields

When gold was first discovered in New South Wales and Victoria in 1851, Australia'spopulation increased dramatically. People from all over Australia and from overseasrushed to the goldfields hoping to strike it rich. The diggers were almost all men because the conditions were so harsh. At first everyone had to live in tents and cook meals over campfires. It wasn't until later when towns, such as Ballarat, were built near the goldfields that women began arriving in large numbers.

On the goldfields, there was a strong spirit of community and loyalty among the men.Teams of at least two or three men could do mining from the creeks more effectively. The diggers were helpful to each other. One digger might be the tent-keeper and cook while the other members of the group looked for gold.

Group loyalty was made even stronger by the government's demand that each gold-digger must have a licence. The police (some of whom had been convicts) would raid the goldfields and check that everyone had a licence. However, many gold-diggers could not afford one because they had not found enough gold, and the police treated these men brutally. Each digger helped his mates escape the police by calling out 'Joe! Joe!'- the nickname for the police-when they saw them coming.

Though behaviour on the goldfields could be wild, the diggers looked after each other. They would not go to the police when there was trouble, preferring to solve their own problems. The diggers were independent-they did not like the police or government inspectors.

The men on the goldfields were bound together by tough living and working conditions. This kind of friendship and loyalty became known as 'mateship'.

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Make a list of potential mind maps you could create:

Instructions:

1. Using the underlined words draw up a mind-map to help you to make notes. A scaffold is provided for you over the page.

Mind map task scaffold

Now complete the mind map below.

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Mind map- Subject 1: __________________

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Mind map- Subject 2: __________________

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Mind map- Subject 3: __________________

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Note-taking from Verbal Sources

During Sixth Form study, you may find that your teachers offer lecture style lessons. This will involve the teacher reiterating a large amount of information to you. It is important that whilst you are listening you are also able to take notes that you can refer back to in the future.

Your tutor will play you a clip of their choice from the news or a documentary, you are to make notes from the information. Try practicing this at home too particularly using the television news and documentaries.

Compiling Lesson Notes

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Instructions:

1. Listen to the clip carefully, making notes as it plays. 2. You may want to do this in the form of bullet points or a spider gram.

Instructions:

3. Compare your notes with a fellow student. How do they differ?4. Discuss the advantages and problems with the methods you have used.5. How helpful are your notes?6. What might you do to improve on your technique?

Notes:

Each lesson you may feel bombarded with information. To make sense of this information and to make it worthwhile it is beneficial to write a brief summary of each lesson.

Other Note Taking Methods

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Task: Following your next lesson, complete the following record sheet with the relevant information.

Subject: Date: Teacher:

Focus of lesson:

Preparation: (What reading/HL did you have to complete?)

Lesson Objective: (opening comments from the teacher)

Main topics addressed in the lesson:

New information acquired:

Questions raised:

Further research needed:

Research has also listed the following methods as being practical for refine and retaining information, particularly with regards to new terms and theories. Read the following examples and consider how you could use them in your lessons.

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Online Research

As we all know, computers are everywhere. The skills that you will develop through the need to work with computers during your Sixth Form studies will prove to be invaluable in the work place. This section of the package contains some tips for those who are still relatively unfamiliar with some of the advantages and challenges that computers offer as aids to study.

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There are thousands of web sites on the internet. The amount of information available on these web sites is staggering, and the internet is a great resource tool for research. Unfortunately, sorting through these websites to find the exact information you are looking for can be time consuming and difficult. Search Engines can be your best tool for doing research on the web, but you need to learn a few ‘power tips’ to make the most of your searches.

One key concept to understand is that there are two main types of search tools: Directories and Search Engines.

DirectoriesUse a directory when you have only a vague idea of what you want and when you would appreciate prompts to guide you along.

For example:Yahoo (www.yahoo.co.uk/) is a vast directory that covers a wide range of subjects, which are cross-referenced. It is very easy to use to find a general topic.

Others you might try are: bubl.ac.uk/link/subjects/ for looking up general subject areasacdc.hensa.ac.uk/indexs.html – UK academic directory

Search EnginesUse a search engine when your goal is to get to a particular piece of information quickly.

For a search engine to find a specific topic try Alta Vista(www.altavista.digital.com/).

Other useful search engines to try are:www.askjeeves.com/ www.google.com/ www.dogpile.com/

What can you research on the internet?

The internet is more than a series of wordy web pages, you will find there are:

• Web sites devoted to particular topics, including text, graphics, movies, music files.• Databases such as journals, newspapers or professional documents.• Government documents, forms, laws, policies, etc.• Services and information by non-profit organizations and by for-profit businesses.• Directories of names and personal information.• Personal web pages or vanity pages.

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• Communications through e-mail.• Discussion groups or Listservs.

How do I search the internet?

• Narrow your topic and its description; pull out key words and categories.• Begin with known, recommended, expert, or reviewed web sites.• Use a search engine: enter your key words. Find the best combination of key words to locate information you need; enter these in the search engine.• Review the number of options returned. If there are too many web sites, add more keywords. If there are too few options, narrow/delete some keywords, or substitute other key words.• Review the first pages returned: if these are not helpful, review your key words for a better description.• When you are feeling fairly confident you can move on to advanced search options in search engines: Research using several search engines. Each search engine has a different database of web sites it searches. Some ‘Meta-Search’ engines (e.g., www.dogpile.com) actually search other search engines! If one search engine returns few web sites, another may return many!•Track your search, list resources you checked and the date you checked them.• Bookmark the site: your computer has the facility for you to keep a bookmark of the sites that you wish to be able to return to again quickly and you should organise your bookmarks according to topics.

You must accurately cite (reference) your internet source in the references and bibliography of all your assessed work, including the date when you accessed it. So, make sure you always keep a record.

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Make a list of useful websites below and the dates accessed:

If you are confused or unsure about online research, practice using the simple exercise below.

Structuring an Assignment

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It is often daunting when faced with an academic assignment. You may even find that the expectations are different to GCSE study. Therefore you can use the following guide to inform your planning and the structure of the assignment.

Assignments normally have 4 main parts:

Your aim here is to provide a context for the ideas which will be examined in the main body, and there are a number of ways of doing this. For example, many essay titles include terms which will require careful definition, and this should be done in the introduction so as to lead onto more detailed analysis later. Similarly, some titles might refer to expressions of established opinion on the topic concerned. A brief interpretation here can pave the way for more detailed examination of the useful arguments later. The essay may also require a space/time location to provide a brief introduction to where and when the ideas discussed in the main body came about. This may be particularly relevant to essays on literary, sociological, historical, political or economic issues which can often be introduced through brief references to related events / activities / speeches / groups / movements.

This is your opportunity to demonstrate skills in selecting, organising, interpreting and analysing material relevant to the question. As discussed above, it is important to maintain a logical and coherent structure to your ideas, and this is where time spent planning will really pay off.

When examining conflicting or controversial ideas, you are required to deal adequately with all relevant ideas, not just those that seem worthy of support. Some questions ask for a personal judgement or the expression of your own opinion. Your individual experience and personal view have a part to play, but alone will be insufficient to form the substance of an essay, and will need to be underpinned by evidence based on your reading and research.Remember, you are being judged on your ability to weigh up viewpoints on the basis of available evidence, to evaluate source material and to spot flaws in arguments.

The structure of the argument should Be consistent. Link ideas together.

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IntroductionYour approach to the question, your understanding of the question and the content you intend to cover. (It is about one-tenth of the essay in length).

Main bodyIn paragraph form. Each paragraph should contain a theme or topic, backed up by supporting arguments and analysis. You should include other writer’s ideas and arguments, but you must acknowledge the source or you are guilty of plagiarism. You need to analyse the material and give your views.

Proceed, step-by-step, to a logical conclusion.

The paragraphs that form the main body are structured in this way:

Paragraph 1Covers the first thing that your introduction said you would address and the first sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. Other sentences develop the topic of the paragraph with evidence, details, quotations, references. The end of the paragraph leads to the next paragraph.

Paragraph 2 and following paragraphsThe first sentence links the paragraph to the previous paragraphs, then introduces the main idea of this paragraph. Other sentences develop the topic as before.

All essays should lead to a well-founded conclusion, drawing together the ideas examined in the preceding text. Where the title invites the writer to express a personal opinion, this can be presented most fully in the conclusion.

A bibliography is a list of everything you read for the assignment, whether or not you have directly referred to it in your writing. This is required in addition to your reference list and is always presented in the alphabetical order of author surnames. A reference list is a list of all the sources that you have directly referred to. You only include sources which you have used and you should use a conventional system for citing these sources.

Planning an Assignment

Introduction

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ConclusionA summary of the essay, showing the conclusion of your analysis of the evidence presented. (It

is about one-tenth of the essay in length).

References and Bibliography

Bullet point your initial approach to the question and the content you will cover.

Main Body- Paragraph OneMain ideas discussed in the paragraph.

Link: What is your link to the next paragraph?

Main Body- Paragraph TwoMain ideas discussed in the paragraph.

Link: What is your link to the next paragraph?Main Body- Paragraph ThreeMain ideas discussed in the paragraph.

Link: What is your link to the next paragraph?Main Body- Paragraph FourMain ideas discussed in the paragraph.

ConclusionConclude your argument and summarise.

References & BibliographyWhat resources have you used? This includes websites.

Reviewing Your Assignment

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By now you couldn’t be blamed for wanting to call it a day, but research shows that time spent on a final review can reap notable rewards in terms of both content and presentation. This also forms an important part of the learning process: reviewing and reflecting on your own work are important habits to develop. Again the benefits will be noticeable in the long-term, as reviewing at this stage will help commit the subject matter to memory and make it easier to remember in exams.

Check that the content is organised and presented in a logical and coherent manner to provide an adequate response to the question, looking out for gaps in the content, inaccurate information and incomplete analysis. This is also an opportunity to proof read for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. (See upcoming SPAG tests).

If using a word-processor, use spell-checker. Check your grammar and punctuation. Make sure you read it through and that you understand it. Make a copy.

Academic writing style is more careful and considered than everyday writing (as, for example, in letters) and, obviously, more considered than everyday speech.

Academic language tends to: Use formal English. Be precise and accurate – not chatty! Be cautious rather than very direct or bold (use terms such as ‘appears to’, ‘may’,

‘seems to’ etc.) Be careful and clear in establishing links between ideas, evidence and judgements. Be concise, edit out unnecessary words: [A book called] Study Skills. Take care to distinguish facts from opinions. Be objective rather than emotional or rhetorical (avoid terms such as ‘nice’, ‘natural’,

‘wonderful’). Avoid sweeping claims or statements. Avoid using colloquialisms. Avoid all abbreviations such as ‘dept’ for department or ‘didn’t’ for ‘did not’, ‘they’re’

for ‘they are’, ‘e.g.’ for ‘example’. Avoid personal pronouns such as ‘I’/’we’ and ‘you’. Instead use ‘It can be seen that’

‘There are a number of’ etc.

Making a good impression on your reader through careful proofreading and attention to accuracy and style is very important. The reader who feels that care has been taken with the work is more likely to be sympathetic to the content. They will not be irritated and distracted by errors in presentation and can give their attention to the argument being presented. Never skimp or compromise on proofreading and editing and always allow time for this.

Assignment Checklist

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Review the latest assignment you have completed. Make a note below of any reoccurring mistakes you are making.

Following each assignment, use the following checklist to ensure you have met the assignment’s criteria.

Harvard Referencing

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Harvard is a style of referencing, primarily used by Sixth Form & University students, to cite information sources.

Why reference?

Enables others to find and use the sources that you cite Supports your arguments Enables teachers to check the accuracy and validity of your evidence Gives credibility to your conclusions Demonstrates the range of your reading/research Acknowledges the work of others Avoids plagiarism Essential skill for Higher Education

When should I reference?

When you use somebody else's words or ideas from a book, journal, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, web page, computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium.

When you use information obtained through interviewing another person. When you copy the exact words or a "unique phrase" from somewhere. When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, and pictures. When you use ideas that others have given you in conversations or over email.

What does a reference list look like?

Examples:

Borsay, A. (1986) Disabled People in the Community. London: NCVO

Boswell, D & Wingrove, J (eds) (1974) The Handicapped Person in the Community. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Brisenden, S. (1986) 'Independent living and the medical model of disability'. Disability, Handicap & Society. Vol. 1, No 2, page nos.

Guthrie, D. (ed) (1981) Disability, Legislation and Practice. London: Macmillan.

Oliver, M. (1991) 'Multispecialist and Multidisciplinary - a recipe for confusion?' Disability, Handicap & Society. Vol. 6, No 1, page nos.

Acknowledgements: S North, R Williams, 1984 Modular Scheme Handbook 1994/95

.

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Type of resource Format (what should it look like?

Your example

Book (1 author) Surname, initial. (Year). Title (in italics or underlined). Ed number (if it has one or is not a 1st ed). Place of publication: Publisher.

Book (2 authors) Surname, initial. and Surname, initial. (Year). Title. Ed number. Place of publication: Publisher.

Book (3 or more authors)

Surname, initial., Surname, initial. and Surname, initial. (Year). Title. Ed number. Place of publication: Publisher.

Book (Editors only) Surname, initial. and surname, initial. (ed. Or eds.). (Year). Title. Place of publication: Publisher.

Book (Chapter within a book)

Chapter author(s) surname, initial. (year). Title of chapter. In: ed name and surname (ed). Title of book. Ed number. Place of publication: Publisher, page range.

Journal/magazine Surname, initial. (Year). Title of journal article. Title of journal (in italics or underlined), volume number (part/issue/month/season number goes here) page range.

Punctuation and Technical Accuracy42

Task: Find a range of resources that are relevant to your subjects and write the reference in the

table below. Follow the format guidelines.

Why use it? Its purpose is to guide the reader in the natural pauses in writing. It is also there to show how the grammar of a sentence is supposed to work: a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and a full stop at the end.

Punctuating your sentence may involve a selection of the following:

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Colon (:)Is most often used to introduce a quotation or a list.

Full stop (.)Use full stops more than you expect to. When in doubt, your instinct should always plump for a full stop.

Semicolon (;)Represents a pause longer than a comma but shorter than a full stop. (If in doubt about it’suse don’t use it.)

It is used between clauses when the second clause expands or explains the first e.g. Neither of them moved; they waited to see if the intruder made a quick exit.

It is also used before clauses which begin with ‘nevertheless’, ‘therefore’, ‘even so’, and “forinstance” e.g. He looked before he leaped; even so he landed in the water.

It is used to mark off a series of phrases or clauses which themselves contain commas. e.g. You will need the following ingredients: four eggs, preferably size 3; 4oz caster sugar; a few drops of vanilla essence; and 2oz almonds, which must be ground.

Question mark (?)Use a question mark every time there is a genuine direct question. That means Are you going? but not I asked if he was going? (wrong because it is a reported question).

Dashes (-)Use dashes but don’t overdo them. You can use a pair of dashes - in place of brackets - or a single dash to mark a break in the sentence before a punch line or a throwaway remark: In life, two things are never with us - death and taxis.

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Apostrophes (‘)

They should not be used to make things plural e.g. 1990’s, MP’s HQ’s.

The general rule is: if something belongs to someone you write someone’s or e.g., the student’s.

If it belongs to several people (the students), you write the students’. Plurals like people and children, that aren’t made with an s, take apostrophes i.e. children’s.

Apostrophes are also shown where letters are missed out - can’t play, won’t play. It’s is short for it is. Beware of: its, (meaning “of it”) yours, hers, ours, theirs, and whose. None of them takes an apostrophe.

Commas (,)

Commas, like buses, often come in pairs. It is wrong to write ‘The reason is as it always was, to save money.’ Two commas should be used, like brackets, either side of the phrase as it always was.

The test is whether, grammatically, the sentence would hold up if the section between the commas were removed. The common mistake is to forget the second comma.

Commas are needed, and are not optional, when someone or something is being addressed. Kiss me, Hardy must take the comma after me. Yes Minister should have Yes, Minister.

Pairs of commas should be used when however, say, meanwhile and for instance are interjected into sentences - he might be paid, say, £50,000 a year.

At the beginning of a sentence, these words or phrases need to be cordoned off with a single comma - However, investigations into... For instance, if we look at.....

Commas are used to mark off separate items in a list, except between the last two items. You can put a comma in before and if it’s needed to make the sentence clear - Goods are transported by lorry, horse and cart, and even handcart.

A strong adjective usually takes commas after each one except the last - old, crabby, pedantic Dr Johnson.

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Quotation marks (‘) / Speech marks (“)

Use speech marks to enclose direct speech. Use a colon, not a comma before quotes - Mr Smith said: “This is good news for all poor students.”

Use a comma after speech (before the second speech marks) – “It will help many students,” said Jim.

Quotations direct from a book or journal can use quotation marks but you must maintain consistency throughout a response.

Davis et al. (1991, p243) stated that ‘Equilibrium is the sense which tells you when your body is balanced and when it is tipping, turning or inverting.’ Unless the length of the quotation is more than three lines of your text, in which case it is indented and no quotation marks are necessary.

Brackets ( )

The use of brackets (whose technical term is parenthesis) should be kept to a minimum. They are used to indicate a supplementary remark, or a qualification of some sort. Grammatically they work like commas, but the remarks inside the brackets tend to be less important than those inside commas.

Brackets are always used in pairs.

If the brackets surround an entire sentence then the full stop at the end of the sentence stays within the brackets. (This is the procedure you should follow.) If the brackets only surround part of the sentence, the full stop goes outside. This is the procedure you should follow (under normal circumstances).

Square brackets [like these]

Square brackets are used to indicate your changes or your own comments on somebody else’s writing. The report that 25000 had been killed in battle [a figure shown to be greatly exaggerated] changed the course of the war.

Now practice your punctuation and technical accuracy on the following pages.

Punctuation Exercise

1. The men in question Harold Keene, Jim Peterson, and Gerald Greene deserve awards.

2. Several countries participated in the airlift Italy, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg.

3. Only one course was open to us surrender, said the ex-major, and we did.

4. Judge Carswell later to be nominated for the Supreme Court had ruled against civil rights.

5. In last week's New Yorker, one of my favorite magazines, I enjoyed reading Leland's article How Not to Go Camping.

6. Yes, Jim said, I'll be home by ten.

7. There was only one thing to do study till dawn.

8. Montaigne wrote the following A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.

9. The following are the primary colors red, blue, and yellow.

10. Arriving on the 8 10 plane were Liz Brooks, my old roommate her husband and Tim, their son.

11. When the teacher commented that her spelling was poor, Lynn replied All the members of my family are poor spellers. Why not me?

12. He used the phrase you know so often that I finally said No, I don't know.

13. The automobile dealer handled three makes of cars Volkswagens, Porsches, and Mercedes Benz.

14. Though Phil said he would arrive on the 9 19 flight, he came instead on the 10 36 flight.

15. Whoever thought said Helen that Jack would be elected class president?

16. In baseball, a show boat is a man who shows off.

17. The minister quoted Isaiah 5 21 in last Sunday's sermon.

18. There was a very interesting article entitled The New Rage for Folk Singing in last Sunday's New York Times newspaper.

19. Whoever is elected secretary of the club Ashley, or Chandra, or Aisha must be prepared to do a great deal of work, said Jumita, the previous secretary.

20. Darwin's On the Origin of Species 1859 caused a great controversy when it appeared.

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Answers: Punctuation Exercise

Semicolons, colons, dashes, quotation marks, Italics (use an underline), and parentheses are added in the following sentences.

1. The men in question (Harold Keene, Jim Peterson, and Gerald Greene) deserve awards.

2. Several countries participated in the airlift: Italy, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg.

3. "Only one course was open to us: surrender," said the ex-major, "and we did."

4. Judge Carswell--later to be nominated for the Supreme Court--had ruled against civil rights.

5. In last week's New Yorker, one of my favorite magazines, I enjoyed reading Leland's article "How Not to Go Camping."

6. "Yes,"Jim said, "I'll be home by ten."

7. There was only one thing to do--study till dawn.

8. Montaigne wrote the following: "A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself."

9. The following are the primary colors: red, blue, and yellow.

10. Arriving on the 8:10 plane were Liz Brooks, my old roommate; her husband; and Tim, their son.

11. When the teacher commented that her spelling was poor, Lynn replied, "All the members of my family are poor spellers. Why not me?"

12. He used the phrase "you know" so often that I finally said, "No, I don't know."

13. The automobile dealer handled three makes of cars: Volkswagens, Porsches, and Mercedes Benz.

14. Though Phil said he would arrive on the 9:19 flight, he came instead on the 10:36 flight.

15. "Whoever thought," said Helen, "that Jack would be elected class president?"

16. In baseball, a "show boat" is a man who shows off.

17. The minister quoted Isaiah 5:21 in last Sunday's sermon.

18. There was a very interesting article entitled "The New Rage for Folk Singing" in last Sunday's New York Times newspaper.

19. "Whoever is elected secretary of the club--Ashley, or Chandra, or Aisha--must be prepared to do a great deal of work," said Jumita, the previous secretary.

20. Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) caused a great controversy when it appeared.

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Apostrophes Exercise

1. Whos the partys candidate for vice president this year?

2. The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the traps jaws.

3. Our neighbors car is an old Chrysler, and its just about to fall apart.

4. In three weeks time well have to begin school again.

5. Didnt you hear that theyre leaving tomorrow?

6. Whenever I think of the stories I read as a child, I remember Cinderellas glass slipper and Snow Whites wicked stepmother.

7. We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the Smiths children looked so disappointed that we found another spot.

8. Its important that the kitten learns to find its way home.

9. She did not hear her childrens cries.

10. My address has three 7s, and Tims phone number has four 2s.

11. Didnt he say when he would arrive at Arnies house?

12. Its such a beautiful day that Ive decided to take a sun bath.

13. She said the watch Jack found was hers, but she couldnt identify the manufacturers name on it.

14. Little girls clothing is on the first floor, and the mens department is on the second.

15. The dogs bark was far worse than its bite.

16. The moons rays shone feebly on the path, and I heard the insects chirpings and whistlings.

17. Theyre not afraid to go ahead with the plans, though the choice is not theirs.

18. The man whose face was tan said that he had spent his two weeks vacation in the mountains.

19. I found myself constantly putting two cs in the word process.

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Task: Punctuate the following sentences with apostrophes according to the rules for using the apostrophe. Then check and mark your answers using the correct responses on the following

page, do not look ahead!

20. Johns 69 Ford is his proudest possession.

Answers: Apostrophes Exercise

The following sentences are punctuated with apostrophes according to the rules for using the apostrophe. Correct answers are in bold.

1. Who's the party's candidate for vice president this year?

2. The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the trap's jaws.

3. Our neighbor's car is an old Chrysler, and it's just about to fall apart.

4. In three weeks' time we'll have to begin school again.

5. Didn't you hear that they're leaving tomorrow?

6. Whenever I think of the stories I read as a child, I remember Cinderella's glass slipper and Snow White's wicked stepmother.

7. We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the Smiths' children looked so disappointed that we found another spot.

8. It's important that the kitten learns to find its way home.

9. She did not hear her children's cries.

10. My address has three 7s, and Tim's phone number has four 2s.

11. Didn't he say when he would arrive at Arnie's house?

12. It's such a beautiful day that I've decided to take a sun bath.

13. She said the watch Jack found was hers, but she couldn't identify the manufacturer's name on it.

14. Little girls' clothing is on the first floor, and the men's department is on the second.

15. The dog's bark was far worse than its bite.

16. The moon's rays shone feebly on the path, and I heard the insects' chirpings and whistlings.

17. They're not afraid to go ahead with the plans, though the choice is not theirs.

18. The man whose face was tan said that he had spent his two weeks' vacation in the mountains.

19. I found myself constantly putting two c's in the word process.

20. John's '69 Ford is his proudest possession

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Quotation Marks Exercise

1. Mary is trying hard in school this semester, her father said.

2. No, the taxi driver said curtly, I cannot get you to the airport in fifteen minutes.

3. I believe, Jack remarked, that the best time of year to visit Europe is in the spring. At least that's what I read in a book entitled Guide to Europe.

4. My French professor told me that my accent is abominable.

5. She asked, Is Time a magazine you read regularly?

6. Flannery O'Connor probably got the title of one of her stories from the words of the old popular song, A Good Man Is Hard to Find.

7. When did Roosevelt say, We have nothing to fear but fear itself?

8. It seems to me that hip and cool are words that are going out of style.

9. Yesterday, John said, This afternoon I'll bring back your book Conflict in the Middle East; however, he did not return it.

10. Can you believe, Dot asked me, that it has been almost five years since we've seen each other?

11. A Perfect Day for Bananafish is, I believe, J. D. Salinger's best short story.

12. Certainly, Mr. Martin said, I shall explain the whole situation to him. I know that he will understand.

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Task: In the following sentences put in quotation marks wherever they are needed, and underline words where italics are needed. Then check and mark your answers using the correct responses on the following page, do not look ahead!

Answers: Quotation Marks

1. "Mary is trying hard in school this semester," her father said.

2. "No," the taxi driver said curtly, "I cannot get you to the airport in fifteen minutes."

3. "I believe," Jack remarked, "that the best time of year to visit Europe is in the spring. At least that's what I read in a book entitled Guide to Europe."

4. My French professor told me that my accent is abominable. This sentence is correct as is.

5. She asked, "Is Time a magazine you read regularly?"

6. Flannery O'Connor probably got the title of one of her stories from the words of the old popular song, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find."

7. When did Roosevelt say, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"?

8. It seems to me that "hip" and "cool" are words that are going out of style.

9. Yesterday, John said, "This afternoon I'll bring back your book Conflict in the Middle East"; however, he did not return it.

10. "Can you believe," Dot asked me, "that it has been almost five years since we've seen each other?"

11. "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" is, I believe, J. D. Salinger's best short story.

12. "Certainly," Mr. Martin said, "I shall explain the whole situation to him. I know that he will understand."

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Proof-reading

Nothing detracts from students’ work more than careless errors. This is your chance to play the role of the marker and see if you can spot the errors in this part of a carelessly written student essay.

You should practise this kind of proofreading on your own work and may find your grades improve quite dramatically.

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The process of law is slow. In court your hope lies with a dozen of your fellow citizens brought together at random to here what the prosecution and defense has to say and to determine whether they think the prosecution makes such a strong case that your innocence is denied.

Your case might instead be tried by barristers and judges alone. These are people drawn from the upper classes. They spend much of there lives considering the fate of those bought before them. By contrast, a jury as a group of people who lead ordinary lives and can bring their experiences to the court room. The right to a trial by jury was established by the magna carta for the protection of acused people. The jury does not decide the guilt or innocense of the accused. The accused is presumed innocent. What happens is that the prosecution tries to persuade the jury to overturn the presumption of innocence the jury tries the case of the prosecution. The defense points out flaws in the prosecution case and points the jurors attention to other possibilities so that they can test whether the prosecution has persuaded them that their case is beyond reasonable doubt. The jury must not merely believe that accused is guilty but it must do so without any doubts. It is therefore hard for the prosecution too prove guilt and this is why the police say that the odd’s are against them in court. This is because the system is geered towards protecting innocence, even at the cost of letting the guilty go free.

How many errors have you spotted?

Where do you stand as a proof-reader on the scale given below?o 20: Excellent

o 17-19: Could improve on this

o 0-16: Need to be much more careful

Proof-reading continued

The corrections are in bold with punctuation underlined:

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This essay has been corrected for spelling, punctuation and paragraphing.

You might like todevise a suitable question for this answer, and to write the missing introductory paragraph.

Time Management

How will you manage to get the assignments done?There are some simple things which you can do to lessen the panic of running out of time for assignments.

Use a year planner to mark all the actual deadline dates for the term. Mark all of your personal commitments that you know will prevent you from working

on assignments, e.g., family birthdays, weekends away etc. Share out your own assignment deadlines and tasks into the spaces. This will give

you time for working on assignments through the term. Help yourself by being organised. Try to visit the library on the same days as your teaching sessions. Keep a diary with a list of everything that you hope to achieve in that day. If you

need to meet certain people, tutors, other students, arrange to see them at times close to your teaching sessions. In other words, capitalise on the time when you are in school to make the best and fullest use of your time.

Wherever possible avoid duplicating effort by teaming up with a study partner and attacking the library together, sharing lesson notes and ‘brainstorming’ ideas.

In order to prepare your time-management skills you might consider the following points: When you first return to formal study you will find tasks take you longer as you are

not used to these activities, and will not be quick at finding resources and using them. Many aspects of study will take much longer than expected.

As you progress you will find that you can get tasks done in less time but schedule time for unforeseen events and for time off.

Prepare yourself by working through and getting used to ways of saving time researching, reading, and writing notes.

Prepare your friends and family by making sure they are very aware of the commitment that you are going to be making. Make your time planner very visible to all so that they are aware of the periods when you will be most in need of their support.

You have to find out what works for you, and for those close to you. The same pattern of work doesn’t suit everyone.

You will find some weeks will be more or less productive than others during theterm.

Think about the 3 D’s – what can be deferred until the holidays, what you can delegate to other people, what you can delete completely.

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What are your current time management strategies?

Revision Timetable

Having a revision/work timetable will give you the structure needed to excel academically and socially.

How to create a revision timetable: Get all the information you need - this includes your exam dates, lesson timetable,

shifts at work and when you’re meeting your friends. Block out the times you can’t study - be realistic, if you’re not going to work before

10am on a Sunday block that time out. Pick a revision start date - pin down a day to get started and think about your

revision priorities. Some subjects and topics will take longer than others. Plot your revision sessions - decide how much time you’re going to spend on each

topic and schedule in breaks. Display your plan - a plan is no good if you don’t check it. Print it out and put in on

your wall so that you can remind yourself what you’re studying and when.

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On the following page you will complete a revision timetable. Follow the tips above.

In the space below begin to list/draft any weekly commitments etc. before completing the grid.

DAY / PERIOD MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1

2

3

4

5

After-school Session

Evening

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2