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This unit w ill provide some useful skil ls that helpw ith your studies w ithout neglecting your other

responsibilities and activities.

We w ill discuss setting personal goals andmotivational strategies to help you achieve your goals.

To help you learn better, we w ill provide tips oncreating a conducive study environment, variouslearning styles as well as techniques to enhance yourmemory.

You w ill also learn how to take notes effectively.

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1. Identify and set goals for your U studies.

2. Apply motivational strategies for managing

your learning.

3. Apply techniques to enhance memory skil ls inlearning.

4. Manage your stress level.

5. Allocate time for study, work and other daily

tasks.6. Differentiate the various personal learning

styles.

7. Take notes effectively.

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Objectives:

1.Explain the meaning of a goal.

2. Identify and set effective goals for your Ustudy.

3. Differentiate between short-term goals(STG) and long-term goals. (LTG)

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1.In football players chasing a footballhoping to score a goal.

2. You are just like them, working very hardto score a goal too.

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1. Goals are wants

2. Many people fail to achieve their goals because they do nottake the necessary effort towards achieving them.

3. In business environment, theres only 1 goal = tomax imise profits - via hard work and effective strategies.

4. As a student your main goal is to secure a degree.

5. To begin, it is important that you have clear and specificgoals.

6. You are more likely to succeed academically if you areaware of the reasons for signing up at WOU.

7. The reasons could be career, personal satisfaction orsocial aspirations.

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Career Personal satisfaction Social

To getpromoted toa higher

position.

To do somethingpositive with my life.

To be equal withmy friends.

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Fill in the box below w ith your reasons for taking upthis degree programme at WOU.

Career PersonalSatisfaction

Social Others(fill in)

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1.Having clear goals and putting in the right

effort w ill help you achieve them.

2. Hence it is important to have goals!

3. Locke (1968,1990) : individuals makecalculated decisions about their desiredgoals. Once they determine the goals they

intend to achieve these goals andintentions direct and motivate efforts toattain them.

4. Thus sett ing goals affects the behaviour ofindividuals and their job-relatedperformance.

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1. Challenging and realistic

your goal must not be so easy

your goal must not be too difficult or impossible

set a goal w hich is slightly difficult and challenging

You must know your own abil ity Getting a degree at WOU is both realistic and

challenging to you ??????

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1. Success = a series of little victories.

2. Effective goals encourage steady progress-

DAD,WAW.3. Make small goals which you can achieve

weekly.

e.g. From Mon to Fri , I must read thru section1.3 of Unit 1. I must also complete the 3activities and the self-test paper.

4. This means you must read the entire uni t andwrite down all the answers.

5. Whenever you have progress, rejoice, feel

proud of what you have done and you w ill feelmotivated.

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1. A +ve goal = getting high marks in exam =positive state of mind = pleasant memories and

experiences.

2. -ve goals = unpleasant memories.

3. Success = we focus on striving towards +veoutcomes

Let us think which is +ve or ve.

a. I do not want to fail WUC 131b. I w ant to get a Grade A in WUC 131.

Which of the above is a +ve goal ?

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It is good to set a starting point and a finishingpoint for your goal.

E.g.Instead of saying : I w ill get my ODLassignment done this month,

You may want to say: I w il l start my oDLassignment on 10 October and complete it by 21October.

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1. STGs are also called objectives.

2. They are stepping stones to meeting LTGs.

3. LTGs comprises of plans you make for yourfuture.- family,career and retirement.

4. People set LTGs by imagining where they wantto be 5 to 10 years from now .-They use STobjectives.

5. Objectives consist of goals regarding education,part-time or ST jobs and projects.

6. Each of these = LTGs

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Determine your LTGs

In the space below , w rite your LT education goal.Bear in m ind the 5 charateristics of effective goalsmentioned above, w rite down your LTG.

My LTG is

_________________________________________

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Plan to achieve your long term goal

To attain your LTG, you need to make STGs or objectiveswhich w ill lead you to that LTG. List the STGs orobjectives that w ill help you achieve the LTG you havestated above.

My ST objectives towards getting my degree are:

1. ____________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________

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1. Know ing your goals and objectives w il l help youmaintain your focus on life and guide you along youracademic and career path.

2. I t w ill prevent you from drifting aimlessly in life.

3. Balance your personal goals and your academicgoals.

4. Discuss your goals w ith your family members.

5. Stating your objectives and goals is an importantstep towards your academic success.

6. There are challenges and some people view theseas barriers or obstacles.

7. How are you going to view them ?????

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Have you faced any barriers in achieving any of your

goals during your school days or in your career ?Now that you are a student again, can you think ofany potential obstacles which you feel are likely toprevent you from achieving your academic goal ?

________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

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You need to ident ify your potential obstacles so that you can beginto prepare to overcome them. You may do this by learning useful

strategies, which we shall discuss in other sections in this course.

When you have set your goals, you must always review them todetermine how you can achieve them. To help you focus on yourgoals, ask yourself the follow ing questions:

What goal related skil ls or know ledge do I have?

How do I get additional skil ls or know ledge?

What resources do I need and w here can I get them?

What help or assistance do I need? What obstacles w il l I face in achieving my goals?

What can I do to reduce or overcome these obstacles?

Remember you do not need to achieve success all the time.

Bill Lim , Success is not the goal, but the journey tow ards the goal.

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Find out how being positive can bring you

success.

Bili Lim Dare to Fail- His positive attitudehas led him to success.

Web Reference:

i. http://www.daretofail.com/theauthor2.html

ii. www.moresales.com.my/ catalog/ entry/ lkjjrivs.shtml.

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In this section, you learnt about

goals and the characteristics ofeffective goals such as challenging,realist ic, measurable, posit ive, etc.We also discussed the differencesbetween STGs and LTGs. STGs,

which are referred to as objectives,lead you to your LTGs.

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Please answer the follow ing questions and compareyour responses to the suggested answers at theend of this unit.

1. Why are goals important ?

_____________________________________

2. Discuss the characteristics of an effective goal.

_____________________________________

3. According to Bili Lim, The w illingness to failbreeds success. What do you think this statementmeans in relation to achieving the goals you set?

_______________________________________

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Objectives:

1. Explain the meaning of motivation.

2. Apply motivaional strategies in your learning.

3. Apply techniques to enhance your memory skil lsin learning.

4. Evaluate your stress level and allocate your timefor study, work and other daily tasks.

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1. Success in your studies does not happen by itselfor by chance.

2. To succeed, you need to make effort.3. You need to organise yourself so that your

efforts are focused towards earning your degree.

4. Rearrange your daily schedule

5. Make certain sacrifices.

6. Making new arrangements for family,work or

even socia l life. e.g. pick up children from school,cut down overtime etc.

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1. Tools or ways to motivate yourself tounderstand, learn and integrate new material or

skil ls.

2. Learn how to learn

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1. an encouragement.

2. Extrinsic motivation = encouragement from

outside or external force.3. Is the driving power behind all our actions.

4. Intrinsic motivation = motivation from w ithin

5. I f you are intrinsically motivated you do notneed wxternal encouragement or rewards tostudy hard.

6. Motivation is a goal-directed behaviour.

7. Our motivation depends on our own individualvalues and beliefs.

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What is your motivation ?

Take a look at the reasons you listed in Activity 3 .1 on

why you signed up for this degree course at WOU.Among all the reasons you gave, w rite down your mostimportant reason. This could be the motivation for youto work towards your degree!

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1. how you do your work

2. when you do your work

3. how long you concentrate on your work

4. what study strategies you use

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1. Have a conducive environment to study

e.g. library

Activity 3.5

Ident ifying a conducive study environment

1. By now you should have a better idea of a conducive studyenvironment. In column A of the table below , l ist down theconditions in an environment which w ill make it ideal for you tostudy. Write them dow n in order of importance, from the most

important to the least important.

2. Look around your environment. How many of the conditions youlisted are present in your environment. In Column B, put a tick (/ )for those that arepresent and a cross (X) for those that are not.

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Column A

My ideal condition

Column B

Put a / in this column if the

condition is present in yourstudy environment

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

910

3. List down the changes that you think you have to maketo your study environment.

_______________________________________________

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2. Break down the bigger tasks

break down the big tasks into smaller tasks so that they aremore manageable-e.g. for working person, break dow n taskinto revising one section of the unit at a time.

3. Set a realistic learning goal

setting effective and realistic goals w ill enhance yourmotivation

4. Have incentives

give yourself a reward when you have achieved an objectiveand this will motivate you greatly.

5. Be posit ive

Be positive when faced w ith unpleasant incidents anddisappointments.

When faced with problems seek solutions by taking

advantage of the support of your friends, colleagues, familymembers and tutors.

6 L ti l

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6. Learn actively

take initiative to look for additonal references in the library or

Internet.

Ask your tutor or friends for assistance

Form discussion groups w ith your course mates to discuss topics you

do not understand or problems you cannot solve.

7. Relax and exercise regularly

Relaxation is important

There are many forms of exercises, choose one you enjoy doing.

8. Have group discussions

Speaking to someone in the same situation is a great motivator

Sometimes listening to someone elses problem can also give you

ideas and solutions.

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Refer to the telephone numbers you have compiled from yourcourse mates during the first tutorial . Identify names of a fewpeople whom you think may be included in your buddy group. Thepurpose of this group is to help each other through discussions.Write down their names and contact numbers in the spaces below.Ask them their convenient or preferred time for having discussions.

Contact Numbers Preferred Time

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

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1. Go through the checklist below on motivational strategies to see

how many of the strategies you have used so far. Put a tick (/ ) inthe boxes concerned.

____ Do I have a conducive environment to study?

____ Do I normally break dow n the big tasks into smaller pieces ?

____ Do I have realistic goals ?

____ Do I give incentives to myself from time to time when I haveachieved something ?

____ Do I have positive attitudes most of the time ?

____ Do I learn actively ?

____ Do I discuss my difficulties or problems w ith my friends?

2. What are the strategies I have not tried so far. How can I use them

in future ?

________________________________________________

Web Reference: To read up about the principles of motivation, refer to this w ebsite:

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/m

otivate.htm

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Memory is the retention of, and ability to recallinformation, personal experiences, and procedures

(skill s and habits) .

Memory may be divided into :-

i. short-term memory or recent memory (STM)

ii. long-term memory (LTM)

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1. STM or working memory = last for a few seconds toa minute. e.g recall a telephone no.

2. LTM = lasts from a minute or so to weeks or evenyears. e.g memory of past experiences etc

3. ix. Mnemonic devices

4. Techniques to improve your memory:-

i . Make the material meaningful

ii. Organise info

iii. Use pictures

iv. Use mnemonics

v. Elaborate rehearsal

vi. Study actively

vii. Study regularly

viii. Space out studies

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Make an effort to understand the info before you try toremember it.

To make meanings of what you read, you should:-

i. Understand as much as possible the meaning of the content.

ii. Put the info into your own words as your words are likely to

be more meaningful than the authors.

ii i. Think of your ow n examples and relate it to other info you

ve learnt and/ or your own life experiences.

Example:

Motivation is something which makes us want to dosomething.

Your ow n e.g of motivation = getting a higher salary whenyou have earned your degree at WOU.

Remember, examiners l ike answers that are not memorised.

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1. Organise the materials into meaningful categories.

e.g. if you have numerous vocab terms to learn, groupthem into categories according to textbook heading.

See table 3.2

Types of Families Types of Residences Types of Marriages Marriage Customs

Egalitarian Matrilocal Monogamy Endogamy

Extended Neolocal Polygamy Exogamy

Matriarchal patrilocal Polygyny

Nuclear polyandry

patriarchal

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1. A picture is worth a thousand words

2. graphic memory

3. If you remember pictures better, create mental pictures to

enhance memory especially learning abstract words.

4. Include a mental picture w ith the definition = encoding theinfo into your memory systems in tw o ways.

e.g. rejo ice = be happy to help you remember better,you might relate to your friends cheering and jumping.

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1. Take the first letter of each word in the info to help youremember.

e.g. The characteristics of effective goals can be

remembered by using the mnemonic SMART.S Specif ic

M Measurable

A AttainableR Relevant

T - Time

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Now , take some time off your studies andplay some games to test your memory.

There are many interesting games availableat the follow ing site. Try them to seewhether your memory fails you:

http:/ / staff.washington.edu/ chudler/ chmemory.html

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1. Rehearsal = the repetition of information

2. 2 types :

i. rote rehearsal- repeating the same words over andover again not effective cos not meaningful

ii. elaborative rehearsal expanding on info byanalysing it further and relating to info already stored in

memory. much more effective for LTM.e.g. the term norm to help you remember better,elaborate by relating its meaning to something youalready know : Norms are sets of desirable behaviour

that people are supposed to follow in their interactionsw ith others.

# The more you elaborate , the more likely you are to rememberthem and get high grades too.

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1. Explain the info out loud to yourself using yourown w ords.

2. Explain the info several times,but try to recitethe info a little differently each time by rewordingit or think ing of different examples.

3. Think critically about what you study. Note therelationships among ideas, ask yourself how and w hy, compare and contrast info,determining the significance of events, etc.

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1. You have to study regularly.

2. To achieve high marks you need to:

i. Read through your notes and highlight key points and / or use the left

margin of your paper to indicate important info such as major concepts

vocab, etc. Each time you read it is good to w rite out the dates by the side

of each section.

ii. Reread the headings and subheadings, portions of the text that you have

highlighted or marked and finally , read the summary.

3. You need to repeatedly go over the materials

4. Frequent revision helps to keep the info fresh in your mind.

5. Know what you do not know.

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1. Using note card to enhance memory is basically based on the flash cardconcept.

2. Formulas, concepts or important dates are w ritten on one side of the cardwhile their difinitions, details, meanings or elaboration are w ritten on the

other side.

3. Different colour pens may be used for different types of terms orconcepts.

4. Reading through these note cards saves time and increases efficiencyduring revision.

e.g.

Front of card:

Overcome The Hurdleto Academic Success

Critical Thinking

pg. 27

Source from w hich thisphrase i s taken,e.g, title

of book

Page of the book fromwhere this phrases isfound.

Back of card:

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Back of card:

Process of thinking to evaluate whether

info is :

Accurate

Complete

Trustworthy Applicable

to a particular situation

Elaboration of CriticalThinking

9. Spread out your study avoid cramming

spread out your studies over several days

materials should be studied in small amounts try to revise the materials that you studied the previous day.

even when you think you know the material, study it.

learning and remembering require a great deal of time and effort.

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To read more about how memory works and alsotechniques for memorising, please visit :

http:/ / www .thememorypage.net/ tut.htm

1. Think of the days when you were in school. How did you remember whatyou learnt in History or Science? List down the methods you used.

_________________________________________________________

2. Which of the methods you used was the most effective for you ?

Does your list match any of the methods mentioned above ?

________________________________________________________

3. Choose two 500 -word articles from a magazine or newspaper.

Read each article twice. Select one method w hich you think w ill help

you remember the concepts or facts contained in the article. Using one

article at a time, try to recall the concepts or facts 24 hours later. Can

you remember better?

________________________________________________________

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Have you ever w ished that you had 48 hoursinstead of 24 hours ?

How many times have you said: I dont have timeto do my

assignments. Why are you always short of time?

Perhaps, it is due to your inability to manage yourtime well.

As a result you you not seem to have time for your

studies or work.

Lets find your management score.

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take charge of your time.

have fun and also meet your obligations

control of your t ime, stress level and energy level

make progress at work

maintain balance between work, personal and familylives.

enough flexibil ity to respond to new opportunities orchallenges

Poor TM = stress

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Use of calendar or planner and taking time tow rite down everything you must do so that it getsdone.

e.g. going to class, eating, athletic events, socialactivities, personal hygience, time-in-transit,studying, student organizations and telephone and

TV time, and everything in betw een.

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use a wall/ desk calendar for major exam,TMA due dates +meetings

keep a pocket/ month calendars in a planner as reminder of

tutorials, appts, meetings + errands.

record all class assignments-quizzes, tests, projects + papers.

make a big note on calendar on dates of exams.

set own dates for starting + completing the assignments.

remember to update your semester schedule.

record also work hours, meetings + social commitments.

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Make a simple semester calendar. Jot down the important datesfor every month. They may include dates for your major exams,assignment due dates, tutor ials, tests and meetings. These are

basically the events that you must do and which are quite fixed.State the event, the exact due date, and its percentageweighting.

This process will help you to identify times in the semester

when several assignments may bedue at or around the sametime. I f this is the case, you w ill need to set earlier deadlines forcertain work. In order to manage your time successfully and toavoid stress, it is important to pace the workload more evenlyover the semester. You need to refer to your Student Handbook

for all exact dates of your semester break. You may make asample planner as shown below.

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Date

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

AAssign.

10%

Assignments

20 %

BTest-20%

C

D

Others

Date of each semester week

In the planner above, write dow n the dates for a particular w eek in the Date column, fore.g., for Week 1, you may w rite: 2nd 8 th Oct. Four separate row s in the planner, namelyA,B,C and D have been drawn for the 4 courses you are taking for the semester. Increasethe no. of rows if you take more courses. The last row, labelled Other has been included

for your work, family and social events. In this case, you may w rite, for e.g. meeting orwedding.

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A weekly schedule should be used , which should be made once a week preferably on aSunday night before the w eek begins. This includes:

a. al l classes

b. exercise rout ine

c. w ork

d. extracurricular activities

e. housekeeping duties

f. sleeping

g. eat ing

Make sure to leave blank spaces to fit in necessary activities as they come up. These blanksshould be utilised for studying and the completion of assignments. Study time should bescheduled for at least two hours a day. Do you sti l l remember the total number of hoursyou need which was mentioned in Unit 2?

Make a list of w hat you have to complete during the coming w eeks, including assignmentsand office work . Include also your family and personal activites. In other w ords, identify

and take note of deadlines. It is important to estimate how long each task w ill take.Prior itise your activities. List down the activites in order of importance. Give priority to those

activities which are important and must be done during the w eek. The less importantacitvites can be done in another week or when you have less load. Remember, as parttime student, it is advisable to set aside at least an hour everyday for your studies! Thenidentify the day on w hich you w ill accomplish each task, keeping in mind the amount of

time the task w ill take and other things you must also do that day.

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Based on your semester planner which you havecompleted in Activity 3.11, create one weeklyschedule for the first month of your semester.When you prepare the weekly schedule, bear in

mind the tips you have just learnt in the previoussection. You must remember to include two hoursstudy time for each day!

After you have completed it, you can compareyour weekly schedule w ith your course mate. Youw ill ntice how different their weekly schedules arecompared to yours. Again, you may use the

sample below. Remember, you can modify it tosuit your needs, especially the time slots.

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Day/Time 8-10am

10-11am

11-1pm

1-3pm

3-5pm

5-7pm

7-9pm

9-11pm

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

After you have prepared the schedule, go through i t to see how you can re-scheduleit to make it more effective. You may also keep your schedule in a visible place, fore.g. next to your desk / pin it on a board. Look at it everyday to remind yourself of

your proposed schedule.

Before you start your day every morning write out a daily schedule

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Before you start your day every morning, write out a daily schedule .Include uncompleted tasks from the previous day as well as new tasks.The list of tasks to be done should be kept short, about 5 or 6 items,both academic and personal. The items should be small specific goalssuch as : Read 5 pages in Learning Skills.

It should not be a whole unit of the course materials. As you w rite out

your daily schedule, arrange them in order of importance. Someactivities must be done on a particular day while others may be done onanother day. This can definitely reduce your stress level.

Then, you must use your schedules every day and learn to say no toacivities which are not relevant.

In this way, you are more likely to keep to your schedule. For everyitem w hich you have accomplished, draw a line across the item. Themore lines you see on the list, the more you feel satisfied you shouldfeel.

Take a break w hen you have finished all the tasks for the day. If youoften find you cannot finish all the tasks most of the days, you need toreview youe schedule.

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After you arrange your daily schedule, review it.

Ask yourself whether the schedule for the day is realistic.

If it is not, remove some of the less urgent items.

Every evening, look through the schedule. Ask yourself:

Have I done everything on my list ?

If not, why ?

Was the schedule unrealistic or was my time managementineffective ?

What adjustment can I make in future to make my schedulework better for me ?

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A sample of a daily schedule is given below:

List of Things To Do Order of Priority

1 Lunch with Judy, an old classmate. 4

2 Visit RO to find out about the comingtest on Learning Skills.

2

3 Read Unit 1 of Learning Skills, section1.2

3

4 See the plumber about water leakage intoilet.

1

5 Shop for a pair of shoes for work. 5

Use the sample above to create your own daily schedule list.

Look at the chart below. It gives you a summary of the TM youshould do so that you can manage your learning more effctive.

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Create a semester schedule

Assess and plan your work load each week

Adjust your plan each day

Evaluate your schedule

Chart 3.1 Time Management

After you have made your semester plan, weekly plan and daily plan, the next most important thing to do is tostick to your schedule. it is a common weakness among students to forget about hteir schedule after a few weeks

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of drawing it up.Following a regular schedule has many advantages:

It will help motivate you

When you plan and carry out your study in frequent but small,manageable chunks, it makes your life easier.

A study schedule means that you dont waste time but rather have time

for other commitments.

A schedule also helps you to track your progress. You can see that you

have achieved set tasks, completed assignments on time and made goodprogress.

1 St i t f lif

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1. Stress is a part of everyones life.

2. It is a response of the body to a variety of internal and externalstimuli.

3. External stimuli job change, move to city, death of a loved oneor an il lness in family.

4. Internal stimuli physical/ mental discomfort.

5. Happy as well sad events can create stress.

6. Stress = need to strive for perfection or to please others.7. Stress has effects on health and performance.

8. Sometimes, stress helps people attain difficult goals and performwell.

9. Total absence of stress would make life very boring.

10. Each person handles stress differently so it is important torecognise your lim it.

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Stress

Good Stress

(Eustress)

Bad Stress

(Distress)

1. Good Stress = getting up on time and attending all your tutorial classes.

2. Stress challenges students to do their best and keeps learning and growing.

3. Final exams are an especially stressful time.

4. This stress prompts students to study harder, longer and learn more = +ve stress trigger =functional stress.

5. Stress that lasts a short period of time can rapidly motivates us.

6. A stress that lasts too long, happens too often, or is too strong may bring us physical,behavioural, and psychological problems = -ve stress = dysfunctional stress.

7. Examples of bad stress = going to class unprepared, your health, financial problems,or evena hungry stomach.

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1. What do you consider to be good stress in your life since you startedstudying at WOU ?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why are they good ?

__________________________________________________________

3. What is bad stress ?

__________________________________________________________

4. Who can you consult for help on this matter ?

___________________________________________________________

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Do you w ant to find out your stress level ? There is a test to findout your stress level at this website :http://www.lessons4living.com/stress_test.htm

All you have to do is to provide a Yes or No answer to 20simple questions about yourself. You w ill know you stressimmediately after you submit your answers online. Your score

shows that you are stressed, then you need to take some action.

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Feelings

Anxiety

Irritability

Fear

Moodiness

Behavioural

Crying

Acting impulsively. Nervous laughter

Increased smoking

Increased alcohol

Increased/decreased

appetite

Thoughts

Difficulty inconcentrating

Forgetfulness

Preoccupationw ith the future

Fear of failure

Physical

Tight muscles.

Cold or sweaty hands.

Headache.

Back or neck problems.

Sleep disturbances

Indigestion problems.

Rapid breathing

Fatigue

Trembling

Figure 3.2 Stress signals

* Consul t a doc t or i f you have any symptom s w h ich d is turb you

severely.

Mak ing mistakes is terrible

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Mak ing mistakes is terrible.

It is essential to be loved by everyone.

I must always be competent.

Every problem has a perfect solutions.

If others criticise me, I must have done something w rong.

I cant change the way I think.

I must rarely show weakness or cry.

Strong people do not ask for help.Everything is w ithin my control.

Other people should see things the same way I do.

People should do what I want because they love me.

The world ought to be fair

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Writing down your thoughts w ill help youprocess and understand what causes you

stress and why. Understanding these twothings is fundamental to managing yourstress.

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Three types of approaches to managing stress:1. Action-or iented ; confront the problem causing stress,

changing the environment/ situation.

2. Emotionally-oriented: we manage stress by changing our

interpretation of the situation and the way we feel about it.

3. Acceptance-oriented: Where something has happened overwhich we have no power and no emotional control, and whereour focus is on surviving the stress.

How other people manage stress:

a. think of positive events children getting award in school

b. engage in physical exercises- a walk in park, shopping

c. meditat ion

Now that you have learnt about some of the things that cause you stress

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Now that you have learnt about some of the things that cause you stress

and about a few coping strategies, it is time to do some brainstorm ing.Share w ith your friends your experiences on coping w ith stress. You maybe surprised to learn of interesting ways that people use to reduce theirstress. You may find their stress. You may find their methods effective.Now , l ist down the methods which you would l ike to try out.

1._________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

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This section introduced you to efforts which you can taketo succeed in your learning activit ies. In particular youlearnt strategies to enhance your motivation and memoryfor learning. I t taught you about good stress and bad

stress and how to deal w ith them. Finally, you wereintroduced to tM and how to control your stress level sothat you can study more effectively.

Read the case given below and answ er the questions as follow.

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Rose is a thirty year old married woman. She has just signed up for a computing course at a local college. As she has been away from school for a long time, she isconcerned about how she can manage her many family and social responsibilities while attending college.She has two young children to take care. In addition, she does notemploy a maid to help out in her housework. While she aims to do well in her studies, she also wants to be a good wife to her husband and a good mother to her twochildren. As she is experiencing a drastic change in her lifestyle now that she has enrolled as a student, she is feeling rather stressed out.

1. If you were Rosie, what would you do to manage your time effectively so that you will be able to cope with

your hectic schedule and study well at the same time ?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. If you were Rosie, which two methods will you use to reduce your stress. Explain how you will do it.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Objectives

By the end of th is section, learners should be able to :

1. Explain the meaning of learning style.

2. Differentiate the 3 types of learning style.

3. Apply appropriate strategies to your learning style.

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The way you prefer to learn is your learning style.It refers to how your brain works most efficiently to learn new

info.

Success comes w ith many different learning styles

There is no such thing as a good or bad learning style.

We have our own particular way of learning new info.

The most important thing is to be aware of the nature of yourlearning style.

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learn from texts.

learn by doing.

objects are presented in the form of pictures.

we may classify leaning styles into 4 broadcategories.

Case A

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Case A _____________________________________________________

Rachel understands and remembers best what she studies by doing something active with it. She also likes to discuss with others

what she has learnt. She likes group discussions. And, when in a group , she often likes to lead the group by saying, Lets try it

out to see how it works.

On the other hand, Rachels close friend, Samantha, is just the opposite. She prefers to think over what she has learnt quietly first.

Therefore, she usually does not join Rachels discussion group. She prefers to study alone. Both of them always argue over whether

to try find out some topics they have learnt first or to spend more time thinking over the topic first.

However, both of them have one thing in common, that is, they are not able to sit still throughout a lecture to take notes, more

so for Rachel.

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Rajoo and Siva alw ays study together though they have differentlearning styles. Rajoo likes to memorise facts, and is very particularabout any single details in what he studies. He is a very practical andcareful person. Solving Mathematical problems using the same oldway is his favourite. He cannot tolerate even a slight difference in

learning style. As such, he likes courses which have connection to thereal world.

Sivas learning style is slightly different. He likes to discover newideas on his own compared to Rajoo; to obtain new know ledge. Healso likes new ideas and innovation. Unlike Rajoo, Siva is able tograsp new concepts. He is more comfortable w ith abstractions andmathematical formulation.

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Ali tends to gain understanding through linear steps;w ith each step following logically from the previous one.He is also very particular about solving solutions step bystep.

Fatimah, on the other hand, tends to learn in big jumps,understand w ithout seeing connections. She is able tosolve complex problems quickly though she is not very

particular about the details. So, very often, she is notable to explain how she solves certain problems.

Mazlan is a person who simply likes garphics. Anything in

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pictures will be best for him. He just remembers whatever hecan see, like graphs, diagrams, demonstrations and so on. Whenhe studies, he likes to transform facts into diagrams oril lustrations.

Some people learn better when they get w ritten explanation.Soo Keong is one of them. Oral explanations are equally goodfor him. I f he gets both, that is even better.

By using a search engine (Google or Yahoo) in the Internet, try to identify the different types of learning styles.Find out the type of learner for each of the four groups mentioned above. Then, write the types on the blanklines provided at the top of the description for each group.

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Case A : Active and Reflective LearnersCase B : Sensing and Intuitive Learners

Case C : Sequential and Global LearnersCase D : Visual and Verbal Learners

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1. Find out your particular learning style by answering thequestions at this website:

http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/i lsweb.html.It is called Index of Learning Style Questionnaire and

contains 44 questions. I t w ill only take a few m inutes tocomplete. It is fun because you get to know your learning

style immediately when you submit your answers online.2. Ask your course mates about their learning style. Can you

find anyone who has the same learning style as you?Perhaps, you can choose to be in the same group for

discussion or other group work later in your course.

The follow ing table suggests the strategies you can use to help you get the most out of

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your studies.

Learning Style Strategies

Active Learner Have group discussions. Group members can take turns to explain different topics to each other.

Group members can also try to predict potential test or examination

questions and discuss answers to these questions.

Reflective Learner Always think about what you read quietly. Stop periodically to review what you have read by thinking of possiblequestions or applications.

Memorisation method does not work for you.

As you read your course materials, write short summaries of readings or

tutorial notes in your own words.

Sensing Learner Find many facts about the topic to be learnt. You need specific examples of concpts and procedures.

Try to find out the applications of concepts.

Try to find out its application in the real world.

Use brainstorming methods with friends or classmates among the application

of those concepts.

Intuitive Learner Like to discover possibilities. Ask your instructor for interpretations or theories that link the facts or try tofind the connections yourself.

Take time to read the entire questions before you start answering and besure to check your results.

Learning Style Strategies

Visual Learner Try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photograph, flowcharts, or other visual representation of course materials.

Get relevant videotapes or CD-ROM related to the course

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materials Prepare concept maps by listing key points, enclosing them inboxes or circles, and drawing lines with arrow s betweenconcepts to show connections.

Highlight important points.

Use different coloured highlighter for different main points.

Verbal Learner Write summaries or outlines of course material in your ownwords.

Have group discussions.

Take turns to explain to your classmates.

Sequential Learner Copy every step to a solution carefully. Fill up any missing

ones by making additional references. Take time to outline the course material for yourself in logicalorder.

Relating each new topic you study to things you already know .

Global Learner You need the big picture of a subject before you can masterdetails.

Before you begin to study the first section of a chapter in a text,skim through the entire chapter to get an overview .

Instead of spending a short time on every subject every night,you might find it more productive to immerse yourself inindividual subjects for a longer period of time. Try to relate thesubject to things you already know, either by asking your tutorto help you see connections or by look ing up references

Choose one section of any of your course materials.

B d l i l h i

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Based on your learning style, try out the strategiessuggested above and see if you can learn moreeffectively. You may do your jott ings in the spaceprovided.

____________________________________________________________________________________

SUMMARYIn this section, you learnt w hat a learning style is. Youwere also introduced to the 4 types of learning styles

and how you can make use them to study effectively.You also had the opportunity to identify yourdominant learning style- the style that defines thebest way you learn new information.

Objectives:

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By the end of th is section, learners should be able to :

1. Explain the important of taking notes.

2. Apply the 5 methods of taking notes effecively.

3. Identify the 3 steps involved in tak ing notes fortutorials.

1. When you were in primary/ secondary school, you were notd k h

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required to take much notes.

2. But in a higher level of education, you have to do more notetaking.

3. Having good lecture notes to revise can determine how well youare able to perform during exams.

4. As an ODL, one effective way to learn is to take notes from thematerials.

5. You may take down the important points or summaries the text.

6. Taking notes effectively is a skill which you have to develop tohelp you improve your studies and remember important facts.

Make you concentrate on what you are learning.

Enable you to put ideas into your own w ords

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Enable you to put ideas into your own w ords.

Help you remember things better.

Are excellent for revision.

o Read w ith a purpose in mind.

o Identify the main points.

o Use your own w ords.

o Understand first and use own words to explain it.

o Write the notes in own words to remember better.

o Notes are shorter than original materials so easier to revise.

Take notes effectively during tutorials.

S d ti b f t t i l i t t

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Spend some time before tutorial sessions start.

3 steps to take good notes: 1. Prepare 2. Listen 3. Revise

1. Prepare Before Tutorial :

i. Have know ledge about the tutorial topic.

ii. Read up on the topic in the reading material.

i i i. Get additional info about the topic Internet/ related

books/ other sources.

iv. Think about own experiences related to topic.

Refer to your Semester Planner to identify your next tutorial

topic

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topic.

Use a table below to help you prepare for the tutorial.

Topic of discussion:__________________________

Action to be taken Benefits ?

Read up on the topic in the course material.

Read up on topic from other resources, e.g.Internet,books.Think of examples or experiences related tothe topic.Questions to be asked.

1. Go to tutorial w ith +ve mind.

2 Make a conscientious effort to pay attention

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2. Make a conscientious effort to pay attention.

3. W ithout concentration there is no focus, and without focus there isno learning?

4. Follow closely what your tutor says.

5. Bring highlighters to highlight important points.

6. How tutors give clues to important points:-

a. Material writ ten on blackboard.

b. Repetition

c. Emphasis tone of voice & gesture, time spent on points

d. Word signa ls There are 2 pts. of view ,the 3rd reason is..Inconclusion...

e. List of things w hich are being discussed.

f. Summaries given at the end of class.

g. Review s given at the beginning of class.

a. Start on a new page.-date/ number on page

b Write on one side of paper

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b. Write on one side of paper.

c. Leave blank spaces- to add comments/ note questions later.

d. Make notes brief.

e. Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols.

f. Note all unfamiliar vocab or concepts you dont understand look them up later.

By now you have probably noticed several terms and/ or phrases that

each of your tutors uses regularly

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each of your tutors uses regularly.

1.Take a moment to think about some of the terms and/ or phraseswhich you use regularly. Then list them in the left column below.

Frequently used terms/ phrases Abbreviations

2. Now , consider abbreviations that you might use for each of the terms

and/ or phrases you have listed. For example, if one of the terms is studyskills you might consider using the abbreviation SS to represent that

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and/ or phrases you have listed. For example, if one of the terms is studyskills, you might consider using the abbreviation SS to represent thatphrase in your notes. After considering possible abbreviations for the termslisted in the left column, place the corresponding abbreviations in the rightcolumn above.

3. Compare your list w ith the lists generated by your classmates. Writedown some of the additional abbreviations they have come up w ith thatyou find useful.

Look through the notes.

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g Edit words and phrases that are il legible or to do not make sense. Write outabbreviated words that might be unclear later.

Rew ork your notes by adding extra points and spelling out unclear items.This is important because we tend to forget fast. Allocate enough time for this

step.

Verify your notes by reading the recommended texts.

Edit with a different coloured pen to distinguished between what you wrotein class and what you fil led in later.

Note anything you dont understand by underlining or highlighting to remindyou to ask the instructor.

Compare your notes with the tex tbook reading and fil l in important detailsin the blank spaces you left.

Consider rewriting or typing up your notes.

Revise your notes regularly. This is the only w ay achieve lasting memory.

1. Outline method

o dash (-) or indentation is commonly used.

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( ) y

o jot down points in an organised pattern based on space indentation.

o Write major points on the far left.

o Indent each of the more specific points to the right.o Minor points w il l be placed further away from major points

Transport

Definition : means of carrying objects from one place toanother

- three modes

- air transport

- land transport

- sea transport

Figure 3.3 Outline method of taking notes

2. Summary method

Write in note form, in own words, the essential facts and ideas from

your reading.

Example : The following is a paragraph taken from your

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Example : The following is a paragraph taken from yourreading material on Strategies to enhance motivation forlearning.

Big tasks may worry you. Break down the big tasks intosmaller ones so that they are more manageable. Forexample, as a working person, it may be too demandingto revise one whole chapter at one tme for your test. Youmay w ant to break dow n the task into revising onesection of the chapter at a time.

A sample of the note made using the summary method:

Break dow n big tasks into smaller units so that you canmanage it better.

Figure 3.4 Summary method of taking notes

3. Annotation method

o The blank space in the margins are commonly used.

o Can w rite down the main points, question marks, ticks or crosses to

show various meanings.

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o e.g. for important points, put asterisk beside the point in the margin.

o For a point which needs more explanation, you may put a questionmark in the margin.

o You may also highlight or underline important points.

o Refer to Figure 3.5 on page 52

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5. Mind map method

Created by Tony Buzan

a very effective method of taking notes.

show not only facts but also overall structure of a subject and relative imporance of individualparts of it.

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show relationships between ideas and/or conceptsand the connections between or among them.

Main top ic placed in centre,main topic linked to 6 main ideas and main idea linked to other subideas.

Strategies to enhancelearning motivation

Breakdown bigtasks

Set goals

LearnactivelyHave incentivesPositive

Conduct studyenvironment

No distraction

Suitable time

To learn more about m ind maps go to w ww .mind-map.com

Mind Map Tips

Use titles, subtitles and bullet points.

Look for key issues and main details which form the focus of the reading

materials/lecture.

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Use short sentences.

Underline key points in red or with a highlighter.

Produce a summary list/ table at the end of a section.

Leave lots of blank space while taking notes- add addtional notes later

Leave out full descriptions and explanation- notes short and to the pt.

Dont be afraid to produce table e.g. Advantages & Disadvantages of...

Include topical examples and case study references in your notes

Be selective not jot everything you read/ hear.

Write memory jogs to yourself in the margin e.g. Good diagram p.146 in

Book X Keep notes in order and in one place.

Develop own short forms which you can use all the time e.g. i.e.- in otherwords, @ - at etc.

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Read the article and make notes of the important ideas.

Article 1. Regional haze Health effects

i i l l l i h ib i l h ff l h l h l

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Fine particle pollution, that contributes to regional haze, can affect peoples health. People mostat risk include those with:

heart disease

lung disease

respiratory conditions (include asthma)

diabetes, as well as

older adults and children.

Fine particles are deposited deep into lungs where they can accumulate on the surface or be absorbed by

underlying tissue and enter the bloodstream. People with heart or lung diseases and respiratory condit ions, suchas coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, areat increased risk o f serious effects, because particles can aggravate these diseases.

In people with heart disease, particles have been linked to heart attacks and cardiac arrhythmias (irregularheart rhythms). Recent evidence suggests that some of these cardiac effects may result from very short-termexposures, possibly as short as one hour.

People with diabetes may be at increased risk of serious effects from regional haze, possibly because of

underlying cardiovascular disease.

Older adults are at increased risk from regional haze possibly because they may have diagnosed heart or lungdisease or diabetes.

Children are likely to be at risk from regional haze for a number of reasons. For example, they may be morevulnerable to fine particles because their lungs are still developing. Also, childrens breath ing rates can be asmuch as twice as rapid as adults under resting conditions, and children tend to have far higher activity levels

than adults on any given day, which w ill result in more particles being deposited in their developing lungs.

Long-term (years) exposure of healthy people to particles has been associated w ith reducedlung function and the development of chronic bronchitis.

Peoples chances of being affected by particles in increase the longer they are active outdoorsand the more strenuous their activity. This is because the harder we work or exercise, the morerapidly we breathe and greater concentrations of particles reach the deepest and most sensitiveareas of the lungs

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areas of the lungs.

People involved in an activity that requires heavy or prolonged exertion can reduce the timethey spend on the activity or substitute another activity that requires less exertion, especiallyon days when particle pollution levels are elevated. For example, alking instead of jogging toreduce the impact of fine particles on their health.

Symptoms of exposure to fine particles include:

Even healthy people may experience temporary symptoms from exposure to elevated levels ofparticles. Symptoms may include: irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, phlegm,chest tightness, and shortness of breath.

People w ith lung disease may not breathe as deeply or as vigorously as normal, and mayexperience respiratory symtoms including: coughing,phlegm, chest discomfort, wheezing,shortness of breath and unusual fatigue. These symptoms are an indication to reduce exposureand to follow the advice of their doctor.

People w ith heart disease can have serious effects, such as heart attacks, with no w aningsymptoms. If people with heart disease have symptoms of breath, or unsual fatigue, these may

indicate a serious problem and should follow the advise of their doctor.Asthmatics should already have an asthma action plan that they routinely follow , but may needto follow it more carefully when particles levels are high.

Source: http://www.maine.gov/dep/air/meteorology/regionalhaze/reghealth.htm(Apr 2006)

In this unit you learnt many skills which will enable you to

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In this unit, you learnt many skills which w ill enable you tomanage your learning more effectively. It started by explainingthe meaning of a goal and more important ly, an effective goal. it

also suggested ways to enhance your motivation and memoryskills so that you can learn effectively. To help you cope w ith yourbusy schedule, suggestions to enable you to manage your time andstress level were provided.

For individuals w ith different w ays of learning, strategies tomax imise your learning using your styles were explained. Finally,this unit ended w ith an explanation on the importance of takingnotes as well as ways of taking notes. By mastering all thesestrategies, you would be able to go through your long journey of

obtaining your degree much more smoothly. You w ill therefore beable to achieve your goal faster and through a more enjoyableprocess.

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