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MACKILLOP CATHOLIC COLLEGE
MACKILLOPCATHOLICCOLLEGE
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Dear Student,
ThisguideisaimedatstudentswhoarestudyingSACEforthefirsttime.Studyingin
theSeniorYearscanbeareallydifficultandchallengingtimeforyoungpeople.Many
youngpeoplereallystrugglewithbeingintheSeniorYearsandoftenfinditdifficult
tobalanceallthethingstheyneedtodo.ThisStudySkillsbookletisdesignedtohelp
andsupportstudentsintheirgoaltocompleteYear12.
StudentsatMacKillopCatholicCollegeareexpectedtoplanandstructuretheirstudy
sothattheycanachievepersonalsuccess.Theyareexpectedtostudyefficiently,take
usefulnotesandtomakethemostofteaching,assessments,groupworkandstudy
sessions.
Thisbookletisdesignedtoofferourbestadvicetoourstudentsabouthowbestto
plan,andundertaketheirfinalyearsofstudy.Whilewehavedoneourbestto
includemostoftheimportantinformationyouwillneed,thereareofcoursemany
wonderfulresourceswhichcanassiststudentsintheirlearning.Wehavedoneour
besttoincludeacomprehensivebibliographyattheendofsomesectionswhichcan
offerfurthersupporttoourstudents.
Wewishyouallthebestofluckwithyourstudies.
Pauline Watson Christopher Trevillion
SeniorYearsCurriculum DeputyPrincipal:AcademicStudies
MacKillopCatholicCollege MacKillopCatholicCollege
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Contents Page
Item Page
LearningStyles 4
LearningStylesQuestionnaire 5
StudyStrategiesfordifferentlearningstyles 7
Multi-sensorylearning 8
FocusandConcentration 10
Quicktipsandimprovefocusandconcentration 10
ConcentrationWorksheet 12
Strategiesforimprovingconcentration 14
ConcentrationTechniques 15
Motivation 17
Strategiesforsuccess:Motivation 17
GoalSetting 21
TheBigPicture 24
TimeManagementandOrganisation 27
MakingandUsingNotes 30
ReadingSkills 36
Assessment 41
EssayWriting 43
ResearchSkills 46
PlanningyourEssay 47
Structureofanessay 48
ParagraphRules 49
UsefulWordsandPhrases 51
ReportWriting 53
Planning 53
Research 55
ReportStructure 56
ScienceWriting 57
WritingaLiteratureReview 60
ACriticalApproachtoWriting 62
ABasicGuidetoReferencing 65
Examinations 68
SchoolBasedTrialExaminations 68
Test-wiseSkills 68
ExaminationGuidelines 70
Revision 74
BreachofRules 77
AppealsProcess 80
Spelling,GrammarandPunctuation 81
InformationTechnology 86
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Learning Styles
AtMacKillopCatholicCollegeyouwillbeexpectedtobeanindependentlearner.Therefore,it
is advisable to think carefully about your learning style and how best you can use your
learningstrengthstosupportyouracademicstudies.Usethispartoftheguidetohelp you:
• Tothinkaboutthedifferentwaysyouperceiveandunderstand information;
• Consideryourmostappropriatelearning environment;
• Toidentifyhowyouprocessinformationmost effectively;
• Toidentifydifferentstrategiesandskillsthatwillbenefityouasa learner;
• Tounderstandmulti-sensory techniques.
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LearningStylesQuestionnaire
Ticktheresponsewhichbestsuitsyou.
1. Doyouusuallyremembermorefromalesson when:
a) Youdonottakenotes,butlistenvery carefully
b) Yousitnearthefrontoftheroomandwatchthe teacher
c) Youtakenotes
2. Doyouusuallysolveaproblemby:
a) Talkingtoyourselfora friend
b) Usinganorganised,systematicapproachlikelists,etc.
c) Walking,pacingorsomeotherphysical activity
3. Doyourememberphonenumbers(whenyoucan’twritethemdown)by:
a) Repeatingthenumbers orally
b) Seeingorvisualisingthenumbersinyourmind
c) Writingthenumberswithyourfingeronthetableorwall
4. Doyoufinditeasiertolearnsomethingnewby:
a) Listeningtosomeoneexplainhowtodoit
b) Watchingademonstrationofhowtodo it
c) Tryingit yourself
5. Whenyoutrytoremembersomethingdoyou:
a) Trytoseeithappeninyourmind
b) Hearinyourmindwhatwassaidorthenoisesthatoccurred
c) Feeltheway‘it’reactedwithyouremotions
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6. Ifyoudon’tknowhowtospellaword,doyou:
a) Soundit out
b) Trytoseeitworkinyourmind
c) Writethewordinseveralwaysandchoosetheonethatlooksright
7. Doyouenjoyreadingmostwhenyoucan read:
a) Dialoguebetween characters
b) Descriptivepassagesthatallowyoutocreatementalpictures
c) Storieswithlotsofactioninthebeginning(becauseyoufinditdifficult to
concentrateearly on)
8. Doyourememberpeopleyouhavemetby their:
a) Names
b) Faces
c) Mannerisms,movements,etc.
9. Areyoudistractedmainlyby:
a) Noises
b) People
c) Environment(temperature,comfortoffurniture, etc.)
10. Doyouhaveproblemssittingstilltoread?Ifso,do you:
a) Talkwithafriend
b) WatchTVorlookoutofthewindow
c) Fidgetinyourchair,orcan’tliestillin bed
Countthetotalnumberwhichfallintothefollowingcategories
a) ……………Auditory(byhearing)
b) ……………Visual(byseeing)
c) ……………Kinesthetic(bytouching,doingor moving)
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StudyStrategiesfordifferentlearningstyles
Auditory
Ifyouareanauditorylearner,itmeansyouwilllearnbestbyhearinginformation.Consider
makinguseofsoundinthefollowingways:
• Talkorreadaloudtoyourselfasyoulearninformation;
• Talkthroughand/orreviewinformationwithfriends;
• Recordinformationontotapeordisctoenableyoutolistenbackoverinformation;
• Askafriendtoreadtextorlecturenotesaloudtoyou;
• Havemusicplayinginthebackgroundwhileyoureadorwrite;
• Workinasilent room.
Visual
Visuallearnersoftenlearnbestfromseeinginformationpresentedindiagrams,chartsor
pictures.Tryusingsomeofthefollowingvisualtechniques:
• Planworkusingspiderdiagrams,listsortables,pictogramsandmind maps;
• Writedownallinformation;
• Usecolouredpenstohighlightimportantinformationwhenreadingandtolinksimilar ideas
andargumentsasyouidentifythem(Butonlyifyouareusingyourowntext);
• Usecolouredpaperfordifferentmodulesorsubjects;
• Uselargewallchartsorplannerstoorganiseyour work;
• Trytovisualiseinformationandideasinyour mind;
• Varytheenvironmentorpositioninwhichyouworkasthismaycreatealinkbetweenyour
visualsettingwithaparticularsubject area.
Kinesthetic
Akinestheticlearnerwilllearnbestbytouching,doingormoving.Trytothinkphysicallyby:
• Discussingideaswithfriends;
• Puttingdifferentargumentsandideasonseparatepiecesofpaperwhenplanningessays,
allowsyoutophysicallyorganiseyouranswer;
• Goingoverinformationinyourmindwhilewalking,joggingorswimming;
• Usingcolourordrawpicturesanddiagramsalongsidewritten notes;
• Movingaroundyourenvironmentduringindependentstudy time.
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Multi-sensory Learning
Itdoesn’tmatterhowyoulearnaslongasyouusethemethodswhichsuityou.
However,acombinationoftheuseofallthesensesisthebestwayto learn.
Itappearsthatonaverageyouwillremember:
• 20%ofwhatyouread;
• 30%ofwhatyouhear;
• 40%ofwhatyousee;
• 50%ofwhatyousay;
• 60%ofwhatyoudo.
Butyouwillremember90%ofwhatyousay,hear,seeand do.
Multi-sensorylearningcanhelpanyonetoenhancetheexperienceoflearningand
improverecallofimportantinformation.Informationisreceivedbythebrainthrough
thesensorychannels.Thesechannelsare:
• Visual (seeinginformation)
• Auditory (hearinginformation)
• Kinaesthetic (touching,movingor doing)
• Olfactory (smellingandmakingassociationsrelatedto smell)
• Taste (whatweexperiencefromthemouthandtongue)
Considerhowstronglyasmell,tasteorhearingapieceofmusiccanremindyouofa
previoussituationorevent.Thisisbecauseallyoursensorychannelshaveworked
simultaneouslytolinkintoyouremotionstocreatethatexperience.
Multi-sensorylearninginvolvesactivatingasmanyofthesensesaspossibleatthesame
timetoaidunderstandingandrecall.
Otherstudytipsforeffectivelearning
• Remembertotakeregularbreaks.
• Createorchooseanenvironmentwhichsuitsyourlearning needs:
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- limitnoiseand distraction;
- roomtemperatureisnottoohotortoo cold;
- comfortableseating arrangement;
- goodlighting.
• Breaklargetasksintosmallermanageable chunks.
• Eatregularlyanddrinkplentyofwater.
• Usetechnologytohelpyou:
- PersonalComputer;
- Tape,digitalorminidiskrecorders;
- Assistivesoftware.
Thesenoteshavebeenadaptedfrom:
http://www.jcu.edu.au/wiledpack/modules/fsl/JCU_090460.html
HELPFULWEBSITES:
http://www.jcu.edu.au/wiledpack/modules/fsl/JCU_090460.html
http://learning-styles-online.com/overview/
http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles-quiz.shtml
http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/
http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-assessment
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FocusandConcentration
Quicktipstoimprovefocusandconcentration
YourHealthHabits
• Eatregularlytomaintainadequatelevelsofglucoseinyourbrain
• Sleepenoughtomaintainregularbodyrhythmsandenableyoutofeelrestedandalert
• Exercisetoreducerestlessness,managestressandfeelgood.Gettingfreshairbeforeclass
orastudyperiodwillhelpwakeyouupandincreaseyourlevelofalertness.
Motivation
• Connectyourpresentactivitytoyourshort-termandlong-termgoals.“Keepyoureyeonthe
prize”.
• Setaspecifictargetintermsoftimespentonthecurrentactivity,oramountofworktobe
completed
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• Doyourworkbeforeyourplay.Buildinarewardforsuccessfullyreachingyourgoal:a
coffee,chat,walk,orsomethingyouenjoythatyoumustearnbeforeyouhaveit.
StudyHabits
• Developaroutineplace,time,andpatterntoyourstudysessions
• Blocksofstudytime(2+hourseach)dividedinto30-50minuteperiodswithashortbreak
(5-10minutes)areeffective.
• Tryvaryingthesubjectsyouarestudyingoractivitiesrequiredineachlongstudysession.
• Breakuplargeprojectsintomanageablesections.Congratulateyourselfforcompleting
individualsections.
• Wheneverpossiblescheduleyourmostchallengingworkduringyourpersonalbestlearning
time.“Dothehardstufffirst,andtheeasystuffwilltakecareofitself”.
GettingStarted
• Keepallnecessarysuppliescloseathandtoavoidendlessset-uptimeanddistractions.
• Trythe“5MoreRule”.Committoworkingsolidlyfor5(minutes,pages,sentences…)and
thenDoIt…andthenintentionallydecidetoworkanother“5More”ornot.
• Starteachworksessionwith10minutesofreviewofthemostrecentmaterial.This
reinforcespreviouslearningandboostsyourconfidence
ConcentratinginLessons
• Reducedistractions:Gettoclassintimetopickyourbestseat…closetofront,offtooneside
ornearto/farfromawindow…whateverworks
• Stayawake:Takenotesduringthelesson,oraddtonotesfromthewebormanual
• Useacodeinyournotestomarkthingsyoudon’tunderstand(eg.usea?orhighlighttext
inred),ormarkthingstheteachersaidwerereallyimportant(eg.withan**,orhighlight
textingreen)
• Iftheteacherisadoubleclass,trytogetsomefreshaironthebreak
• Engageyourmind.Activelyparticipateinclassanduseyourbrainmoreactively:
• offeryouropinion
• thinkabouthowthematerialrelatestowhatwasrecentlycoveredinlecturesorreadings
• trytoanticipatewhatdirectiontheprofessormightgoin
• askquestionsrelatedtothematerialbeingpresented,outloudorinyourmind.
ControllingDistractions
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• Workwithinyourpersonallimitsofstayingfocused,andgraduallyexpandthelimit.“The
journeyofathousandmilesstartswithasinglestep”(LaoTzu).
• Whenworryingthoughtscomeintoyourmindduringclassorwhilestudying,recordthem
onyour“distractionpad”:
• jotthoughtsonaslipofpaperandputitinyourpocket,tobedealtwithlater.Sayto
yourself“I’llgetbacktoyoulater”andreturntoyourtargetactivity.
• ifthethoughtsaren’timportant,justletthempassthroughyourmind.
• atadesignatedtimeofdaywhenyouhave15-30minutesofuninterruptedtime,lookover
yourday’sconcernsanddecideifthereisanythingyouneedorwanttodealwith.Isthe
worrystillrelevant?Aretherepatternstoyourworryingthoughts?Anythingyouneedto
settle?Ifso,talktosomeoneorsolvetheissue.Youmayhavereallygreatthoughtsabout
anotherpaperyouarewriting,thatjustcametoyouatthewrongtime.
ConcentrationWorksheet
Self–AssessmentExercise:
Tickthestatementsthatapplytoyou:
IameasilydistractedwhenIstudy.MymindwonderswhenIread.
Ican’tseemtofindthetimetostudy.
Itendtoprocrastinateandputoffstudyingtodosomethingelse.Mymind
goesblankonatest.
IfIdonotliketheinstructor,Iloseinterestanddonotpayattention.Ifthe
subjectdoesnotrelatetomycareergoals,Iloseinterest.
Ifanassignmentistoodifficult,Iusuallydonotstickwithit.Idonothavea
careergoal,orareasontostudy.
It’shardformetotakenotesandlistenatthesametime.Others:
IameasilydistractedwhenIstudy.MymindwonderswhenIread.
Ican’tseemtofindthetimetostudy.
Itendtoprocrastinateandputoffstudyingtodosomethingelse.Mymind
goesblankonatest.
IfIdonotliketheinstructor,Iloseinterestanddonotpayattention.Ifthe
subjectdoesnotrelatetomycareergoals,Iloseinterest.
Ifanassignmentistoodifficult,Iusuallydonotstickwithit.Idonothavea
careergoal,orareasontostudy.
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Possiblecausesforpoorconcentration:
(Checkthestatementsthatapplytoyou).
InternalFactors:
Physicaldistractions–Irregulareating,sleeping,andexercise
patterns,
depression,anxiety,chronicpainorotherrelatedhealthandmental
healthissues.
Emotionpreoccupationordistraction–Personalissuesorcrisis
ie.relationshipbreak-up,jobloss
Excessiveworry–Preoccupationandfearaboutfuture,failure,etc.
Negativeself-talk–Critical,comparativeorperfectionistthinking
Lackofcareerdirection
Lackofclarityorconfusionregardingcourseworkorexpectations
Other:
Physicaldistractions–Irregulareating,sleeping,andexercise
patterns,
ExternalFactors:
Peopletalking
Noisedistractions–TV,peopletalking,music,telephone
Lighttoodim/bright
Temperaturetoohigh/low
Timepressures
Socialdistractions–invitations,familyneeds,timewithfriends
Discouragingwordsfromothers
Lackofadequatematerialsorresourcestocompletethetask
Physicaldangerorthreat
Other:
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Spontaneouslyanswerthefollowingquestion:
IammostfocusedandalertwhenI……………………………………………..
StrategiesforImprovingConcentration
Remember:Concentrationstrategieswillrequirepracticebeforetheybecomehabitual.
Considerablechangewilllikelyoccurwithin4-6weeksofpractice.
Environment - Findacomfortableandventilatedstudyenvironment
- Findaplacethatyouuseexclusivelyforstudysothat
theenvironmentbecomesassociatedwith
concentration
BeComfortable - Makesureyouhaveadequatelight
- Situpstraighttoaidconcentration
- Avoidstudyinginbed,soitisassociatedwithsleep
ReduceDistractions - Takethephoneoffthehook,turnofftheTV,etc.
- Clearawayclutteranddistractions
- Trynottogetannoyedwithdistractions,thatwill
makethemmoreinfluential
“Park”YourWorries - Createa“concern”notebookandeverytimeyour
mindwanderstoaworry,recordyourthoughts
- Noticethemesandtakeactiontoaddressyourconcerns
Schedule“Worry”Time -Setasideaspecifictimeeachdaytothinkaboutconcerns
ScheduleYourTime - Estimatethenumberofhoursyouwillneedtostudy
foreachcourseeachweek;identifyotherfixed
obligations
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GoalSetting Goalsshouldbe:
- Meaningful&Desired -Realistic&Achievable
- Specific&Defined -StatedinthePositive
- Internalized -InWriting
- Measurable -Prioritized
ThinkSmall -Breakstudygoalsintosmallachievabletasks
HonourYourBody - Eathealthy,getenoughsleepandexercisefrequently
- Attendtoanymedicalorhealthconcerns
- Allowforlove,laughter,leisureandpersonalinterest
timeTakeBreaks - Takeshortbreaks;concentrationtimeisapprox30-
90min
Takeawalk,oxygenateyourbrainwhichhelpsalertnessChangeisGood - Everycouplehourschangethesubjectyou’reworkingon
- Youpaymoreattentionwhenyourmindischallenged
withnewinformation
RewardYourself - Giveyourselfarewardwhenyouhavecompletedatask
- Keepthetasksmallandrewardmeaningful
- Formajorassignmentschoosespecialincentiverewards
ActiveStudyMethods -Askyourselfquestions,dialoguewithyourmaterial,
quizyourself,summarize,takesidesofanargument,
ChartEnergyLevels -Notewhenyoustudybestandscheduleyourmore
demandingorlessinterestingmaterialforthese
ConcentrationTechniques:
Ifyoufindyourmindwanderingtrysometechniquestogetyourmindontherighttrackand
payingattentiontoyourstudymaterial.
“BEHERENOW”TECHNIQUE:
• Whenyounoticeyourthoughtswandering,saytoyourself,“BEHERENOW”
• Focusonyourstudyorlectureandmaintainyourattentionaslongaspossible.
Whenyourmindwandersagain,repeat,“BEHERENOW”.
• Eachtimeyourmindwanders,gentlybringitbackbyrepeating“BEHERENOW”
• Donottrytokeepspecificthoughtsoutofyourmind.
- Themoreyoutrynottothinkaboutsomething,themoreyouendup
thinkingaboutit
- Simplyrecognizethethought,allowittobeanderaseitfromyoumindby
saying,“BEHERENOW”
• Itisnormaltohavetodothisseveralhundredtimesperweek
- Withpractice,youwillnoticethatyourattentionbecomesmorefocused
andyourwanderingthoughtsbecomelessfrequent
• Youmayalsousethistechniquetoregainyourconcentrationwhenyoubecome
distractedbyanexternaldistraction(ie.backgroundnoise)
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- Justsay,“LETTHEMBEOUTTHERE”,andredirectyourfocustoyourstudy
orlecture
PRACTICERELAXATIONANDMEDITATION:
• LearnCONTROLLEDBREATHING
• Putonehandonyourupperchestandoneonyourstomach,the
handonyourstomachmovesoutasyoubreathein
• Trybreathinginforacountof4andouttoacountof4for4min.
• Thistechniqueoptimizesoxygenintake,helpingthebraintobealert
• LearnPROGRESSIVEMUSCLERELAXATION
• Tenseandrelaxeachmajormusclegroup(ie.feet,calves,thighsetc)
• Tenseeachmusclegroupfor5seconds,relaxfor10-15seconds
• LearnMEDITATION
• Imagerymeditationinvolvesactivelyvisualizingscenesthatare
tranquil,safeandrelaxingtoyou
• Choosescenesthatareimagined/rememberedandincorporateas
manyofyoursensesaspossible(smell,taste,tactile,visual)
Withpractice,thesetechniquesmaybeeffectivelyimplementedduringalecture,study
periodorexam.
Thisinformationhasbeentakenfrom:http://www.lib.sfu.ca/slc/strategies/learning-studying/concentration-
strategies
HELPFULWEBSITES:
http://www.freebrainagegames.com/games/attention_recognition.php
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/slc/strategies/learning-studying/concentration-strategies
http://www.happy-neuron.com/concentration-games
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Motivation
StrategiesforSuccess:Motivation
NEEDS/VALUES+FOCUS+POSITIVEATTITUDE=MOTIVATION
(IDENTIFYPRIMARYNEED)+(SPECIFICGOALS)+(POSITIVEOUTLOOKONLIFE)=(MOTIVATION)
Howmotivatedandpositiveareyou?Assessingyourattitudewillhelpyoucreateaplantobecomemore
positiveatschoolandatwork.Foreachofthestatementsbelow,selectthenumberthatmostclosely
reflectsyourpresentoutlook.
• 0=Thestatementisnevertrue.
• 1=Thestatementisrarelytrue.
• 2=Thestatementissomewhattrue.
• 3=Thestatementisoftentrue.
• 4=Thestatementisalmostalwaystrue
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1. Iwakeupinagoodmood. 0 1 2 3 4
2. Ilookforwardtogoingtoschool. 0 1 2 3 4
3. Ilookforwardtogoingtowork. 0 1 2 3 4
4. IfeellikeIammakingacontributionat
work.0 1 2 3 4
5. IbelieveIamlearningvaluableskillsat
school.0 1 2 3 4
6. Ihavehighenergyandenthusiasm. 0 1 2 3 4
7. IfeelIhavedirectionandgoals. 0 1 2 3 4
8. Isetgoalsandhaveapurposeinlife. 0 1 2 3 4
9. Igetalongwellwithmostpeople. 0 1 2 3 4
10. Ienjoymanysimplethingsinlife. 0 1 2 3 4
11. Ifeelpositiveandoptimisticaboutmy
future.0 1 2 3 4
12. IbelievethatIamincontrolofmy
attitude.0 1 2 3 4
13. Iknowwhatittakestobecomemore
motivated.0 1 2 3 4
14. Iamresponsibleformyeducationand
career.0 1 2 3 4
15. Iameagertogrowandlearn,but
comfortablewithmyself.0 1 2 3 4
16. Iamabletolaughatmymistakes,learn
fromthem,andmoveon.0 1 2 3 4
17. Iamsupportiveandhappywhenothers
succeed.0 1 2 3 4
18. IfeelasifIammakingacontributionto
theworld.0 1 2 3 4
19. Icanexpressmyemotionswithoutlosing
control.0 1 2 3 4
20. Irespectmyselfandothersrespectme. 0 1 2 3 4
21. Iknowhowtoovercomesetbacksand
disappointments.0 1 2 3 4
22. Ilookforwardtolearningandgrowing
anddevelopingmyfullpotential.0 1 2 3 4
23. Iamgoodatcreativeproblemsolving. 0 1 2 3 4
Yourmotivationscoreis:_____________
Ifyouscored75orabove,youhaveaparticularlypositiveattitude.
Ifyourscoreisunder60,youmaywanttolookatwaystoimproveyourattitudeandbecomemore
motivated.
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IncreasingMotivationThroughNeedsIdentification
MASLOW’SHIERARCHYOFNEEDS:
5. Self-Actualization Needs
These include the need to develop and pursue:
Potential Talent Fulfillment regarding fate or destiny.
Unity/Peace Knowledge “Musicians must make music, artists must paint, and poets must write if they are to be ultimately at peace with themselves. What human’s can be, they must be. They must be true to their own nature.
This need we may call self-actualization.”
- Maslow
4. Esteem Needs The individual is driven more by internal or intrinsic needs
These include feelings of:
Adequacy Competence Independence
Confidence Appreciation Recognition by others.
3. Relationship and Belonging Needs The individual at this level participates for personal/intrinsic rewards
These include the need for: Socialization Affection/Love Companionship
Friendship Intimacy
2. Safety Needs There is a dependence on the external environment to provide this support. Personal
motivation may include peace of mind as a result of these needs being secured.
Security Stability Structured and safe environment
Predictability
1. Physiological Needs These needs are very basic and until an individual has access to these necessities,
further movement up the needs scale is difficult
Food Water Shelter Self
Clothing Sleep Money Actualization
Esteem
Relationship & Belonging
Safety
Physiological
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Note:Thefurtheruponemovesontheneedsscale,themoreinternalized(intrinsic)
therewardandmotivationbecomes.Motivationatthehigherlevelsisstrong
andnoteasilyinfluenced.
Self-AssessmentExercise:
Usingtheabovechecklist,markwitha./,thoseneedsthatarebeingmet.Mark
withanX,thoseneedsthatarenotbeingmet,orarepresentlybeing
threatened.
Unmet/ThreatenedNeeds:
1. (ie.Socializing) 3.
2. (ie.Competence)4.
IncreasingMotivationthroughGoalSetting
GuidelinesforGoalSetting:
GoalExamples(fromunmetneedschecklist):
1. SocialisingNeeds–IamawarethatmylifehasbecomeunbalancedandthatIwant
toexperiencemoresocialinteractioninmylife.OverthenextmonthIwillenhancemy
satisfactioninthisareabycommittingto,andarrangingweeklyluncheswithfriends.
The4peopleIwouldliketohavelunchwithoverthenextmonthare:Michelle,Susan,
Peter,andMatthew.Iwillinviteeachofthemtoanoffcampuslunchatoneofmy
favouriteplacestoeat.ThoughIoftenfeelguiltywhenIamnotstudying,Iknowthat
onceImaketheeffortandgetout,Iwillfeelhappierandmorebalancedinmylife.
2. NeedforCompetence–Iamcurrentlynotfeelingconfidentinmymath400course.
Iwouldliketoseemymarksat80%;however,currentlytheyareat72%.Iamspending
anadequateamountoftimeonmycourseassignmentsbutamhavingdifficulty
understandingandapplyingcalculusapplications.FortheremainderofthesemesterI
willspend15min/dayreviewingcalculustheory.OnceIhavedoneallIcantoincrease
mygradesandtolearnthematerial,IknowthatI’llfeelbetteraboutmyselfandmore
competentinmyabilities.Successwiththisgoalwillalsohelpmovemecloserto
completingtheGradschoolrequirementsformy2005application.
Meaningful,Desired&Internalized
Believable,RealisticandAchievable
Concrete,SpecificandClearlyDefined
StatedinthePositive
Inwriting&Measurable
Prioritized
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GOALSETTING:
Self-AssessmentExercise:Addgoalstoyourunmetorthreatenedneedsfromabove.
Mygoalsare:
1.
2.
3.
IncreasingMotivationthroughNeeds-BasedRewards
Immediaterewardsthataremeaningfullyconnectedtoyourneedsprovidea
“motivationboost”tohelpcompletethosetasks/goalswhichyoufind“mundane”and
youeasilyavoid.
RewardGuidelines:
1. Therewardneednotbebig,aslongasitispositiveandmeaningfully
connectedtoyourneedsanddesires
2. Therewardshouldbesomethingthatisanimmediateresultofstudying
3. Theamountofworkneededtoobtaintherewardshouldbesmallinthe
beginningandincreasedwithtime
4. Nocheating!
5. Youshouldletyourbehaviourbeyourguide.Ifyoursystembeginstobreak
down,adjustitaccordingly
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MyFavouriteRewardsare:
EXAMPLES:
• Walkwithafriend(socialization/exercise) •Arcadetime(pleasure)
• TVtimewithpartner(relaxation/companionship) •Coffeebreak(rest)
• Scholarship(delayedreward–recognition/money/competence)
• Goodmarks/Praisefromparents(delayedreward–recognition)
1. 4.
2. 5.
3. 6.
Self – Assessment Exercise: Identifymundane tasks and create goals by adding needs-
basedrewards.
EXAMPLE:IwillcompletetheeditingformyBiologyresearchpaperbyFridayJune6th.
Iwillworkfrom4-7pmonWednesdaynighttofinishtheproject.OnceIamfinishedI
willrewardmyselfbymeetingBobatStarbucksforalatte.
1.
2.
3.
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IncreaseYourMotivationthroughPositiveThinking
ChallengeYourself - Haveaclearvisionofwhatyouwanttoaccomplishand
setatimeframe
- Challengeyourselftobeyourbestbysettinggoalsthat
aremeaningfulandpurposeful
FindtheLoveFactor - Surroundyourselfwithlovingsupportivepeople
- Stayawayfrom‘dream-stealers’&peoplewhobringyou
down
DedicateQualityTime - Lifeisprecious;makethemostofeachday
- Spendqualitytimebyyourselfaswellwiththoseyoucare
about
- Workhard,playhard,restwellStretchYour
ComfortZone
- Doatleastonethingadaythatmakesyoufeeluneasy
- Pushyourself:youwillbeamazedhowfaryoucango
BePassionate - Showpassioninallthatyoudo
- Lettheworldseeandhearyourenthusiasmandpassion
ServeOthers - Bearolemodelandmentorforpeople
- Volunteerinyourcommunity;helpothersachievetheirgoals
Don’tSweatthe
SmallStuff
- Letgoofthelittlethingsyoucan’tcontrol
- Recognizethatperfectionisn’ttheonlyoption
- Lightenupandseethefunnysideofthingswhentheygo
wrong
- Betolerant,smileanddon’twasteenergyonthesmallstuff
LiveWithIntegrity - Alwaysbetruetoyourself;takeprideinwhatyoudo
- Beproudofwhoyouareandwhatyourepresent
- Livealifeofpurposeandbeproudofyourvalues
ShowGratitude - Showgratitudeandsaythankyoutothepeoplewho
havehelpedyoualongtheway
- Showpeopleyouappreciateandcareaboutthem
- Actsofkindnesscostnothingandmeaneverything
CelebrateSuccess - Beproudofyourachievements;taketimeto
recognizeyourselfandothersforeventhesmall
successesExudeaPositive
Attitude
- Believeinyourselfandbepositive
- Youcanbewellintentionedanddetermined,butwithout
apositiveattitudeaboutyourselfandaboutlife,your
successwillbelimited
- Rememberpeoplewillsometimesforgetwhatyousay
toordoforthem,buttheywillnotforgetthepowerof
yourpresenceandhowyoumadethemfeel
Takenfrom’11WaystoMakethisYearyourBestYearEver’–CharlesM.Marcus
24
GoalsWorksheet–“TheBIGPicture”
Self–AssessmentExercise:
1. Whatareyourlifetimegoals?
2. Whatareyourgoalsforthenext3-5years?
3. Whatareyourgoalsfortheupcomingacademicyear?
4. Listthethingsyouwilldothisweek,andthethingsyouwilldotodaythatrelatetoyourgoalsfortheyear(ie.courseassignments,speakingwithprofessors,research
atthelibrary,etc.).Addanythingelseyouwanttoaccomplishduringtheweek.This
isyourtodolist.
25
5. Howdoyourgoalsrelatetoyourneeds(seeMaslow’sneedscale). Howwillyoufeelwhen
youaccomplishthem? Whatwillbetherewards?
6. Identifythosetasksyoufindyourselfavoidingbecauseyoudonotenjoydoingthem.Which
needs-basedrewardmightbeaddedtoboostmotivation?
26
GetMotivated
Gettingmotivatedisaboutfindingyourwillpower,discipliningyourself,gettingupoffofthatcouch
anddoingwhatyouknowyouneedtodo.Butit’snotalwayssoeasyasthat,soherearesometips
togetyougoing.
« Makeapromise.Promiseyourself,promiseyourclassmates,promiseatrustedfriendthatyou
willgetsomethingdone.Sometimesgettingmotivatedisaseasyasbeingclearaboutwhat
youwantandsayingitoutloudtosomeoneelse.
« Changeyourbodytochangeyourmind.Whenyoufindyourselfslumpedinachairovera
textbookyoudon’twanttoread,improvethesituationbysittingupstraightorstandingupto
readit.
« Gosomewhereelse.Ifyoudon’tlikethespaceyounormallystudyin,changeit.Gotothe
libraryoradifferentroom.Youmayevenbeabletorearrangethespaceyouhavesoyoulike
itbetter.
« Findareward.Ifyoucan’tseemtomakeyourselfgetstartedonsomething,findsomekindof
rewardtogiveyourselfwhenthetaskisfinished.Promiseyourselfatriptothemovietheater,
twohoursofdoingabsolutelynothing,ordinnerout.
« Gototheextreme.Onewaytogetpastanegativeattitudeistotakeittoofar.Start
complainingandtakeitalltheway:“ThisassignmentistheworstthingI’veEVERhadtodo!
Lookatthis!It’sabsolutelyimpossible,andnotevenEinsteincouldhaveworkedthisout!”
Thiskindofthingcanrestoreyourperspectiveandmakeyourealizethatyou’renotdoingthe
impossible.
« Askforhelp.Youmayneedtoaskforhelpwithaparticulartask.Ifthat’sthecase,ask!You
mayalsoneedasupportgrouptohelpyouimproveyourmotivation.Getagroupofpeople
you’reclosetoandaskthemtoholdyouaccountableforwhatyousayyouneedtodo.
« Turnupthepressure.Takeoutyourplannerandsettheduedateforabigassignmentone
weekbeforeit’sactuallydue.Thiswilltellyourmindthatyoudon’thavetimefordelays.
« Turndownthepressure.Getapieceofscratchpaperandwritedownthenameofalargetask
youhavetoaccomplish,thenbreakitdownintobabysteps.Next,takeoutyourplannerand
assignoneortwobabystepsadayuntilyougettheprojectdone.
« Findamodel.Findsomeoneyouconsidertobesuccessfulandstartspendingtimewiththem.
Watchthemandusethemasamodelforyourownbehavior.
« Comparethepayoffstothecosts.Ifyouskipdoingyourhomeworksoyoucangotothe
movies,youmaygetsomemuchneeded“downtime,”butyou’llbeunpreparedforyour
class,andyoumayhavetospendextratimecatchinguplater.Isthecostworththepayoff?
Makesureitisbeforeyouact.
ThisisadaptedfromBecomingaMasterStudentbyDaveEllis,9thedition.
27
TimeManagementandOrganisation
Misuseoftimeisprobablythemostcommonformofsabotagethatstudentsuseto
underminetheirattemptstostudy.However,planningyourtimemakesyouthinkabout it
strategicallyand,evenifyouhavetoalteryourstudyplans,youwillbenefitfrom having
previouslydefinedyourtasksandprioritisingyouractivities.
CommonTimeProblems Possible Solutions
Areyoudisorganised and
frequentlymisplacethings?Organiseyourlearningspace.Takecontrolof where
youworkandyoucanthencontrolhowyou work.
• Keepacleardesktop
• Placepens,pencilsetcinadesktidyorjar
• Organiseyournotesbyusingaseparate ring
binderforeach subject
• Usecoloureddividerstoseparatelecture notes
intodate order
• Filehandoutswiththeappropriatelecturenotes
28
Putoffdoingcourseworkand
assignments
• Useadiaryorwallplannertoclearlymark
assignmentdeadlinesforeverymodule
• Starttaskssoonerratherthan later
• Berealisticabouthowlongthingswilltakeand
setappropriatetimeslotsforspecifictaskse.g.
planninganessaywilltakelongerthanreading
ashortextract
• Breaktasksdownintomanageablepartsand
allowtimetotacklesomeofiteveryweek
Easilydistracted • Negotiatestudytimewithfriendsandflatmates
sothattheyknowwhenyouarenotto be
disturbed
• Beawareofthetimesofdayyoucanlearnand
concentrate
• Setclearstartandfinishtimesforeachstudy
session
• Takeregularshortbreaks
Overcommitmentandleaving
thingstothelastminute
• Trynottoovercommityour time
• Plansocialtimeintoyourweekandmark clearly
inadiaryorwall planner
• Prioritisetasks;dothemosturgenttasks first
Rememberyouareexpectedtobeanindependentlearneratuniversity.Therefore,make
surethatyoutakecontrolofyourtimeanduseiteffectively.
29
Study/Revision Planner
Week beginning ……./ ……./ …….
Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
8-9a.m.
9-10a.m.
10-11a.m
11-12
12-1p.m.
1-2p.m.
2-3p.m.
3-4p.m.
4-5p.m.
5-6p.m.
6-7p.m.
7-8p.m.
8-9p.m.
9-10p.m.
10-11p.m.
30
MakingandUsingNotes
Beingabletomakegoodnotesefficientlyisakeyskillforstudyingat university.
Youwillneedtomakenotesindifferentsituations:inlectures,seminarsandtutorials;when
workingingroups;whenplanningandwritingessays;onfieldtripsandplacementsandwhen
revisingforexams.
Puttingintopracticesuggestionsinthisguidewillhelpyouto:
• Noteimportantinformationforuseinyouracademicstudiesincludingessay
writingand revision;
• Keeparecordofyourlearningandwhereyouobtainedyourinformationfrom;
• Planandorganiseessays,assignmentsandpresentations;
• Focusonaspecificsubjectandrememberkey facts;
• Reviseeffectivelyforyourexams.
Generalnotetakingtips
• Notethedate,subjectandpagenumberatthetopofeach page;
• Ifyouareinalecture,seminarortutorial,notethenameofthelecturerortutor;
• Ifyouaremakingnoteswhenworkinginagroup,notethenamesofyour colleagues
inthe group;
• Itisimportanttonotethesourcesofyour information;
• UseA4paper.PutdifferentheadingsformainsubjectareasonseparatesheetsofA4 paper.
Youcanthenfilethesenotesstraightaway(orwhenyouhavemadenotesonthesesheets
31
youcanfilethemstraight away);
• Usethemargin.Youcanputreferencesinthemargin,notekeywords,indicateifyou have
handoutsonthesubjectoraddinformationlater;
• Leaveblankspacesonyourpage;aftereachnoteforexample.The‘visualimage’ofnotes
andblankspacesmayhelpyouremembertheinformationyouhaverecorded.If necessary
youcanusethespacetonoteinformationyouwishtoaddlater;
• Useasystem.Numberand/orlabelyournoteswithheadingsandsubheadings. Use
indentationsandbulletpoints.Thevisualimageyouhaveofyournotesmayhelpyou to
recalltheinformationtheycontain;
• Tryusinghighlighterstopickoutkeywordsandphrases.Writemainpointswith a
colouredpenorunderlinethemwithcolour.Somepeopledrawpicturesor diagrams
toaidtheirrecall;
• Linkrelatednotesbyusingarrows,lines,brackets,enclosingtheminarectangleor any
othertechniqueyoufindhelpful.
32
Notetakingmethods
Itisimportantthatyouchooseanotetakingmethodwhichsuitsyourlearning style.
Considerwhetheryoupreferlinearmethodsorvisualformatssuchasspiderdiagrams.
Linear methods
Linear
writedo
w
w
write ther
33
Spiderdiagrams
per
impor
General
wpictur
34
Lessons
• Whenmakingnotesinlessons,don’ttrytowritedowneverythingtheteachersays,not
evenwholesentences.Notephrases,mainpointsandkeywords;
• Usesymbolsandcommonabbreviations,yourownabbreviationsandsubject
specificabbreviations;
• Dotakedownquotationsandphrasesexactly;
• Beawareofateachersignallinganimportantpointbyuseofbodylanguageandemphasising
orusingparticularwordsorphrasesbystandingup,lookingup,pausing,usingalouderor
quietervoice.Bysayingeg:
“Thereareanumberoftheoriesastothepossible
causesofdyslexia.Theyare…..”
“Theimportantfactorsare…….”
• Ifyouareunsurethatwhatyouhavenotediscorrectorifyoudonotunderstanda
particularpoint,puta?inthemarginandcheckwiththeteacher,inyourbooksorwith a
fellowstudent later.
Makingnotesfrombooks
• Thekeyisnottocopydownchunksoftextfromabook. Youraimistomakeclearnotes
usingafewofyourownwords.Youmayalsowishtonoteyourownideasthathavebeen
stimulatedbytextyouhave read;
• Beselective.Writedownthemainsubjectandimportantheadingsbeforeyoustart,then
fillinnotesontheseareas;
• Focusontheessaytitle.Keepreferringbacktothisandmakesureyournotesarerelevant;
• Ifyoucomeacrossinformationyouthinkmaybeusefulinadifferentsubjectoressay,make a
separatenoteofthereferenceandreturntoitlater,attheappropriate time;
• Don’twritethesameinformationdowntwice.Ifmorethanoneauthormakesthesameor
asimilarpoint,notedownthereferencesfortheworkofthe2nd,3rdauthorinthemargin
nexttoyournotesontheworkofthe1stauthor;
• Itisusefultoreadthroughspecificchapters,handoutsorotherinformationbeforea lecture.
Notedownobvioussubjectheadingsandleaveblankspacestofillinwithyourlecturenotes.
35
Organisingyournotes
• Readthroughandcheckyournotessoonafteryouhavewrittenthem,preferablyon the
sameday.Followupanypointsyouneedto;informationyoumayhavemissedoutor did
notunderstand.Checkreferencesandkeyspellings;
• Filenotesasyouhavemadethem;
• Usecolourcodes:differentcolouredfilesfordifferentsubjectareas,colouredfiledividersfor
sub-sectionsofa subject;
• Filerelatedinformationwithyournotes:handouts,photocopiesofjournalarticles,
newspaperandmagazinecuttings,andreferencestonotesfromdifferentbutlinkedareasof
study;
• Developafilingsystemthatiseasyforyoutouseandrefertowhenplanningandwriting
essays,andrevisingforexams.
Otherusefultips
• Useavisualimageorpictureonthefrontofyourfiles/notebooksrelatingtoyourtopicarea.
Thiswillhelpyouquicklyidentifythesubjectareainthefile;
• IfyousaveinformationtoCDordisktrytouseacolouredCDordiskthatmatchesthe
colourofyourfile.Forexample,ifnotesforHistoryarefiledinaredfolder,usearedCDor
disk.
• Usethisspacefornotingyourowntipsand strategies
Thesenoteswereadaptedfrom:
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/slc/strategies/learning-studying/concentration-motivation
36
ReadingSkills
Aimtodevelopyourreadingskillstohelpassimilateinformationandunderstand ideas.
Readingissimplyatoolwhichhelpsyouaccessthethoughtsof others.
Academicreadingwillrequireyouto:
• Identifyarguments;
• Recognisewhethertheysupportoropposethemain premise;
• Identifythe evidence;
• Identifyconclusionsandwhethertheevidencesupportstheconclusions;
• Beacriticalthinker.
InformationSearching
Readingforstudyistimeconsumingandtiring.Therefore,beforeyoubeginreading ask
yourself:
• WhatinformationdoIneedto find?
• WillthistextprovidetheinformationIneed?
37
Todecideifatextbookcontainstheinformationyouneedusethecluesprovidedin:
• Contentspage;
• Preface;
• Index;
• Introduction;
• Chapterheadings;
• Illustrationsand diagrams;
• Sectionheadings;
• Summaries;
• Referencesection.
Cottrell,S.TheStudySkillsHandbook,Palgrave,1999
38
SQ3R
ToimprovereadingcomprehensiontheSQ3Rtechniqueisrecommended.ApplyingSQ3R will
slowyoudownwhenreadingbutwithpracticeyoucanestablishgood,productivehabits
whichwillimproveyourrecallandcomprehension.Remember,effectivereadingisnot fast
reading.
Survey
Skimthewholebookorrelevantchaptertogetanoverviewofthetext. Thiswillprovide
yourbrainwithaframeofreferencefortheinformationitwillbereceiving.
Question
Isthisreallytheinformationyouneed?Arethereanywords,technicaltermsorphrasesthat
youdonotunderstand?Checkunknownmeaningsatthisstagetoavoidabreakinyour
concentrationwhenyoureadthefull text.
Read
Readslowlyandbeawarewhenyourconcentrationgoes.Readinshortburstswith frequent
shortbreaksifnecessary. Trytovisualisewhatyouarereadingorcloseyoureyesandpicture
thelayoutofthepage.
Recall
Stopattheendofeachparagraphorpageandsayoutloud,inyourownwords,whatyouhave
justunderstoodfromwhatyouhavejustread.Thiswillhelpmonitoryourcomprehensionof
thesubject.
Review
Takenotes. Notetakingisanactiveformofmemoryandensuresyoumakeaconnectionwith
whatyouarereadingandunderstanding.
39
• Annotateyourtextwithyourownnotes;
• Labelorreferencekeychaptersandpages;
• Underlineorhighlightkeywordsorfactsoneach page;
• Usecolouredhighlighterstoidentifythedifferentarguments;
• Summariseoutloudandthenmakenotesusingyourownwords;
• Asyoufindtheanswerstoquestions,writethemdown.
Thesenotesareadaptedfrom:http://www.lib.sfu.ca/slc/strategies/learning-studying/concentration-
motivation
40
Cluewordstohelpyouread
Continuationsignals–warning!Therearemoreideastocome
andagainfurthermoresecondlylastofallafinalreason
andfinallylikewisefirstof allinadditionsimilarlyonereason
Changeofdirectionsignals–watchoutwearedoublingback
althoughhoweverconverselyinspiteofincontrastbut
despiteneverthelessyetonthe contrarytheopposite
Sequencesignals– thereisanorderto theseideas
First,secondlastABCforonething
nextinthefirstplacebeforeafter
Illustrationsignals– hereiswhatthat principlemeansin reality
ForexampleFor instanceSuchas
toillustratemuchlikesimilarto
Emphasissignals–this isimportant
AmajordevelopmentAkeyfeatureAdistinctivequalityImportanttonoteaprimaryconcernacentralissue
asignificantfactoramajoreventespeciallyimportantthebasicconceptthechiefoutcomeespecially
Cause,conditionorresultsignal
becausethereforeconsequently
sothatthusyet
Spatialsignals–answersthe‘where’question
betweenoppositenexttoalongside
herebeyondrightadjacent
Comparisonor contrastsignals–compareideaAwithideaB
eitherorlessratheranalogoustomorethanbutsame
lessthanmuchasdifferentfrombetterbutoppositehoweverhalf
Conclusionsignals–endsthediscussionandmaybeimportant
Asa resultFromthiswe seeLastof allConsequently
Henceinsummaryinconclusionfinally
Fuzz signals – idea notexactorauthorwishestoqualifystatement
almostmaybeexceptseemslikesortof
wasreportedprobablypurportedlooks likealleged
41
Assessments
Time,Procedure,Penalties
1. Allworkisexpectedtobesubmittedontheduedateatthetime
specifiedeitheronthenotificationassessmentsheetoronthe
calendar.
2. Allworkshouldgothrougharigorousself-editingprocesswhich
includescheckingspellingandgrammar,wordlength,task
requirementsandcriteriaforthetask.
3. Allstudentsareexpectedtosubmitacompleteddrafttotheteacher
foreditingandadvice.Studentsareexpectedtotakeactiononthe
editingpriortosubmissionofthetask.
4. Workmustbehandedtotherelevantteacherorsubmittedonline
whenrequested.
5. Itistheresponsibilityofthestudenttoensurethatworkhasbeen
receivedbytheirteacher.
6. Therewillbeconsequencesforlatesubmissionornon-submissionof
work.Thisbedeterminedbytheprofessionaljudgmentofclassroom
teachersandmaytakeintoconsiderationthefollowingfactors:
a. theageofthestudent
b. previousoccurrences
42
c. thestudent’sacademichistory(e.g.whetherthestudenthas
specificlearningneeds)
d. otherpersonalcircumstances
e. TeachersareencouragedtoliaisewithHeadsofDepartment
and/orYearLevelCoordinatoriftheyhaveconcernsover
late/non-submissionofstudentwork.
f. Parentswillbenotifiedinwritingwhenassessmentisnot
submittedontheduedate.Teachersareexpectedtoraisean
AcademicConcern:LateSubmissionLetter(page15)regarding
thestudentwhichspecifiesthenatureoftheconcernandthe
consequencesoftheassessmentbreach.Inseriousinstances/re-
occurrences,theYearLevelCoordinatorwillmeetwithstudents
andparents.
g. Worknotsubmittedontime(withoutadequateexplanationor
beingunreasonablylate)willbemarkedsolongasthestudentis
notinbreachofSACEsetdeadlinesandexpectations.
h. Thistaskwillalsoberecordedasalatesubmissionandwill
impactoncommentswithinthesubject’sreport.
i. Ifastudentisabsentonthedayworkisdue,he/shemust
submittheassessmentitemthefollowingschooldaytothe
teacher.Thetaskisstilltobecompletedinorderto
demonstrateanabilitytomeetthecriteriaforthetaskandto
meettherequirementsofthecourse.
j. Extensionsmustbesoughtatleast24hourspriortothe
assessmentdeadline.Extensionsmustbesoughtinwriting
eitherviaemailortheschoolsExtensionApplicationForm(page
16).Studentmaybeawardedupto5schooldayssolongasthe
SACEdeadlinesarestillabletobemet.
k. Ifataskdeadlinecannotbemetduetoillnessorothermedical
reasonthenamedicalcertificateisexpectedtobeprovided
priortothegrantingofanextension.
l. IfastudentisinbreachofSACEguidelinesthenarecordedmark
of“I”(noresult)maybegiven.Inextremecircumstances
studentswhocannotcompletetheentirecourseassessment
maybeeligibleto“pend”theirworkuntilthenextmarking
cycle.DeputyPrincipal:PastoralCareandDeputyPrincipal:
AcademicStudiesunderconsultationwiththePrincipalwill
determineifastudentmay“pend,”receivenoresult“I,”orifa
markisawarded.
43
EssayWriting
Essaywritingistimeconsuming,maybefrustratingandisgenerallyhardwork.Thissection
hasbeendevisedtohelpyoutodevelopyouressayplanningandwriting skills.
Essaywritingrequires:
• Analysisandanunderstandingofthe questionorprompt;
• Research–readingandcollatingrelevantevidence;
• Evaluationtoensureidentificationofthemainargumentshasbeenmade;
• Planning–creatingalogicalstructureofinformationand ideas;
• Writing;
• Referencing;
• Proofreading.
Theessaytitle
Essaytitlesincludekeyverbsandwordswhichinformyouofhowthequestionmust be
answered.Itisthereforeimportantthatyouunderstandthequestionbeforeyoubegin to
write.
• Keyverbsaretheinstructionalwordswhichtellyouhowthequestionmustbeanswered;
• Keywordsprovidetheframeworkforyour answer.
44
Samplequestion:
‘DiscusstherelevanceofclassintheanalysisofrecentsocialmovementsinAmerica.’
KeyVerb
• Discuss.Thiswordinstructsyoutoinvestigateorexaminebyargumentordebate.
Alistofkeyverbsoftenfoundinessaytitlesisprovidedonthenextpagewithadescription
ofhoweachoneshouldbeinterpreted.
Howtoidentifykeywords
• Thesubject word (class)
• Lookforplace/location (America)
• Lookforatime element (recent)
45
IdentifyingKeyVerbsinEssay Questions
Identifyingthekeyverbsinaquestionisessentialbeforeplanningyouranswer.The following
listshowssubtle,butimportantdifferencesbetweenthecommonkeyverbs.
• Analyse Breakupintoparts, investigate.
• Compare Similaritiesanddifferences–perhapsreachaconclusion to
showyour preference.
• Contrast Showdifferences.
• Define Setdownmeaningofwordorphrase.
• Describe Givedetailed account.
• Discuss Investigateorexaminebyargumentor debate.
• Distinguish Showthedifferences between.
• Evaluate Giveyourjudgement–backbydiscussionofevidence.
• Examine Lookclosely into.
• Explain Makeplain–interpret.Givereasonforsomething.
• Interpret Makeclear–showthemeaning of.
• Justify Showadequategroundsfordecisionsand conclusions.
• Outline Givemainfeaturesorgeneral principles.
Leaveoutminordetails.Emphasisestructureandinter-relations.
• State Presentinabrief,clearform.
• Summarise Giveaconciseaccountofthemainpoints.
Leaveoutdetailsandexamples.
• Trace Followthehistoryordevelopmentofatopic from
pointof origin.
46
ResearchSkills
Researchinginformationcanseemanimpossibletask.Therefore,knowinghowandwhereto
findrelevantinformationarethekeystepstoacquiringgoodresearchskills.
Wheretofindrelevantinformation
• Coursereading lists; •Internet;
• Journalsandperiodicals; •Textbooksandbooks.
Howtoselectthemostrelevantinformation
• Checktoseeifthereareanytextsonyourreadinglistthathavebeenmarked
asessential reading;
• Checkthedateofpublication;
• Scancontents,referencesectionsandintroductionstocheckifthebook contains
informationyouneedandtolookforthemostrelevant chapters;
• UseLibrarycatalogues(online)tofindthemostrecentjournalsinyoursubjectarea;
• Usereliablesources,e.g.wellknownjournals;
• Selectthemostup-to-datematerial;
• Ifuncertain,clarifyinformationwithyourlecturerorsupervisor.
Ifyouhavedifficultylocatingtexts,journals,periodicalsandcomputerisedcataloguesystems,
librarystaffandteachersarealwayswillingtoassistyou.
47
PlanningYourEssay
Itisadvisabletobreakdownthelarge,complextasksofproducingalongpieceofwritinginto
manageable,smallerchunks.
Usethefollowingchecklisttohelpyoukeeptrackofyour progress:
• Examinethe question
Thisshouldincludeyourfirstthoughts,askingyourselfwhatyoualreadyknow
aboutthistopic.
• Re-examinethe question
Doyoureallyunderstandallthetermsusedandhaveyouhighlightedthekeyverbs?
• Identifygaps
Whatelsedoyouneedtoknowortofindoutbeforeyouareabletoanswerthequestion?
• Prioritisetasks
Howlongwillittakeyoutogettheinformationyouneed?Doyouneedtoworkwith
othersorseeyourlecturertoclarifyinformationatthisstage?Actnowtokeepyour
attitudepositive–don’tletlittlesnagsbecomereasonsfornotworking.
• Setrealistic targets
Youwillnotwriteagoodessayquickly.It isalsoveryunlikelythatyouwillbeabletowrite
coherentlywithoutaplan.Remember,giveyourselfenoughtimetothinkandorganiseyour
thoughtsbeforeyoustarttowrite.
• Completereadingandnotetaking
Setyourselfadeadlineforcompletionofbackgroundreadingandresearch.Makesure you
takeadequatenotesandmakeanoteofreferencesforyourbibliographyorreference
section.
• Deviseyour plan
Useanymethodyouwishtoprovideyourselfwithaframeworkforyourwriting.Makesure
youareawareofwordlimits.Beforeyoustarttowriteyoushouldhaveagoodideaofthe
maintopicofeveryparagraphorsection.
Remember,doyourthinkingbeforeyourwriting.
48
StructureofanEssay
Remember,theruleisoneideapersentenceandonetopicperparagraph.Alsokeepreferring
backtoyourplantomakesurethatwhatyouarewritingisrelevantandanswersthe
question.
Introduction
Thepurposeofanintroductionistoprovidethereaderwithanoutlineofthemain
arguments.
• Createahypothesiswhichshouldanswerthequestionsetoroutlinestheessaysmainpoint
orargument.
• Outlinethemainideasormainpoints;
• Statethepurposeofthe essay;
• Whatschoolofthought/ideology/theme/mainresearcharea/typeofanalysisareyou
usingtoguideyouressay?Eg:humanism,history,scientificpremise,author’sintentions,
businessconcept,laworlegaladviceetc.
49
AGuidetoParagraphStructure
50
Example
Humanities:
TopicsSentence: Inalmostallthenationsabouttobeengulfedbywaraspiritofsupremeconfidence
prevailed.
Evidence: Atthetimeofthecrisisitwasnotsomuchtherealityofthe“balanceofpower”that
counted;ratheritwashownationalleadersthoughtitwasdistributed.(George,1999,
pg.25)AsrenownedhistorianCowriestated“enthusiasticgroupsofmenpacedthe
streetssingingandcheering,andshowinginunmistakablefashionthatthewaron
whichGreatBritainhasembarkedwaspopular.”(Cowrie,1986,pg128)
Analysis: Theoptimismwithwhichthemajorbelligerentsenteredthewarinexpectationof
quickvictorysurelyrevealsabeliefthatawarcouldbringbenefitstothevictors–a
beliefthatwasoneofthemajorcausesoftheconflict.Tostatethat‘thebreakdownof
diplomacyledtowar’istotransformadescriptionofwhathappenedintoareason.Itis
perhapsmorevalidtostatethatover-optimisticestimatesoftherelativeweaknessof
opponentswereavitalpreludetothewar.
Link: Whileover-optimismbygovernmentschangedinternationalrelations,ofequal
significancewasthepotentbutincalculableinfluenceofpublicopinion.
Writing Conclusions
• Summarisethemain arguments;buttrynottojustrepeatwhatyouhavealreadywritten;
• Showhowyourarguments/examples/textsarerelevanttotheessaytitle.Makesureyou
endyourconclusionwithastrongsentence,givingyourfinalview.
51
UsefulWordsandPhrases
Itcansometimesbedifficulttothinkofthecorrectwordorphrasetostartanewsentence
orparagraph.Thewordsandphraseslistedbelowmayhelp.
Tointroduceasimilaridea
AlsoBesidesFurthermoreInadditionToo
MoreoverAnotherAnadditionalSupplementaryevidencesuggest
Tocomparethings
AlsoSimilarlyAndbothButalsoSimilarto
LikewiseTooAndnot onlyNeither,nor
Tointroduceanoppositeidea
However,InsteadNonethelessOn the contraryWhereasDespite
Thisdiffers fromIncontrastNeverthelessOntheother handAlthough
TointroduceanexampleForexampleSuchasAnexampleof
ForinstanceLike
ToemphasiseInfactIndeed
Toreiterate
Tointroduceanalternative
OtherwiseIf
OrUnless
52
Tosignalchronologicalorder
FirstFirstofallNextGraduallyFinally
SecondThenMeanwhileLast
Toindicateorderofimportance
AboveallMostimportantlyPrimarilySignificantly
Themost importantFirstandforemostAmoreimportant
Tointroduceacauseorreason
ForSinceBecauseofDue to
TheconsequenceofTheeffectofAsa result
Tointroduceaneffectorresult
AccordinglyAsaconsequenceHenceTherefore
AsaresultConsequentlyThus
Toconclude
InconclusionIndeedAllinallInsummary
InbriefItisclearthatTheevidence suggestsTheseexamplesshowthat
Thesenoteswereadaptedfrom:http://www.lib.sfu.ca/slc/strategies/learning-studying/concentration-motivation
53
ReportWriting
Areportisaformalpieceofwrittenworkandpresentedinadifferentstylefromanessay.
Reportsareusuallywrittenforaclearandspecificpurposeandarelikelytobeaimedata
particularpersonorgroupofpeople.Areportmayneedtomakerecommendationsforaction.
Thestructureofareportismoredetailedthananessaywiththeuseofheadingsa n d sub-
headingstointroducepiecesofinformation.Youmayfindithelpfultoconsider thefollowingareas
whenreportwriting:Planning,Research,Structure,WritingandLanguage.
Planning
Answeringthesequestionswillhelpyouinplanningyourreportandorganisingyourwork:
Who
• Whohasrequestedyouproducethereport?
• Whoisitaimedat/willbereadingit?
• Whomightberequiredtofollowupanysuggestionsor recommendedactionsinthereport?
Why• Whyisthereportbeing produced?
• Thinkaboutthepurposeofthereportandpossible outcomes.
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What
• Whatarethetermsofreferenceoraimsofthereport?
• Thetermsofreferenceoraimswillidentifywhatthereportshouldbeabout,therangeofwhatitshould cover.
• Itislikelythatthetermsofreferenceoraimsmaybedefinedbywhoeverisrequestingthereporteg.Supervisorortutor.
• Whataretheobjectivesofthereport?Whatmightbeexpectedasaresult?Itmaybeaconclusion,recommendationsand/orsuggestedactions.
When
• Timescale–keepinmindyour deadlines
• Identifyarealistictimetable.
• Scheduledeadlinesforobtaininginformationfromexternalsourceseg.interviews,dataprovidedbyothers,aswellasfromyourownresearch.
How
• Thestructureofyourreportmaybegovernedbyyoursubject.Scientific,medical,laboratory,engineering,management,businessandplacementreports(andothers!)mayrequiredifferentformatsandarelikelytorequiredifferenttypesof information.
• Yourreportwillneedtofollowalogicalsequencewithclearly identifiedsectionsfordifferentsubjectareas/partsofthe report.
• Youwillneedtouseheadingsandsub-headingsandpossiblyanumberingsystem.Anexampleisgivenbelow:
1 Introduction
1.1 Theproblem
1.2 ThepurposeoftheResearch
1.3 Objectives• Youdonotneedtowriteeachsectionintheorderofthe plannedstructureofthereport.Writedifferentsectionsasyouhavetheappropriateinformation,youcanorderit later.
• Beawarethattheformatofyourcompletedreportmaychangefromyouroriginalplanned format.
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Research
• Method(s)of research
- Interviews
- Questionnaires
- Tests
- Experiments
- Audio-visualmaterial
- Accessinginformationfrombooksand journals
• Howtoconduct research
- collectingappropriateandsufficientevidence
- writingstyleand conventions
• Aimtoachieve:
- accuracy
- objectivity
- reliability
- validity
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Reportstructure
Yourcoursehandbookortutorsmayprovideguidanceonthestructureofreportsforyour
fieldofstudy.Ifthisinformationisnotprovidedfollowtheorder below.
• TitlePage
• Acknowledgements
• ContentsPage
• Listtablesandillustrations
• Abstract - brieflyoutlineyourreportwiththe conclusions
• Introduction- outlineresearchinthisareaanditssignificancewithinthe
contentofyourreport.
• LiteratureReview-discussthemostimportant/relevantandup-to-dateresearch linked
toyourresearchandintroduceargumentssupportingoropposing
researchopinion.
• Methodology- adescriptionoftheresearchmethodsyouused
• Results- statethemain findings
• Analysisofresults-discussthemainfindings,analysingresultsagainsttheresearch
coveredinyourliteraturereview.Dothefindingsagreeordisagree
withthose findings?
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Appendices
• References- alistofauthorsorsourcesciteddirectlyinyourtext.
• Bibliography- alistofthegeneralreadingmaterialyouhave used.
• Glossary
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ScienceWriting
Producingapieceofwrittenworkforascience-basedsubjectusuallyrequiresa particular
styleanduseoflanguage.Theaimistobefactualandreportobservationsand conclusions
basedonalogicalevaluationofresearch.Avoidusingdescriptiveorpotentiallyambiguous
language.
Reportformat
• Aims
• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Analysis
• Discussion
• Conclusion
Youshouldalsoconsiderthefollowingpointswhenassessing resultsfrom
existing research:
Analysethearguments:
• Aretheargumentsbasedontheoryorexperiments?
• Canthesourcesusedbeeasilyidentified?
• Aretheconceptsdefined?
• Lookforevidencetosupporteachofthe arguments;
• Identifystrengthsandweaknessesin arguments.
Lookatthemethodsusedandconsider:
• Samplesize;
• Thecontrolofvariables;
• Reliabilityof evidence/results;
• Validity;
• Theadequacyandaccuracyoftechniques used;
• Wasthemethodologyobjective?
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Questionthe conclusions:
• Aretheconclusionslogical?
• Isthereadequateevidencetosupporttheresults?
• Dotheresultsleadtoanyimportantorsignificant findings?
Otherpointstoremember
• Beconcise-putdownthefactsandavoidirrelevantdetails;
• Usediagrams-thesecanreducetheamountofwordsyouneedtouse;
• Splitthetextintosectionsunder headings;
• Readothersciencereportsforyoursubjecttogainanunderstandingofthetone,style and
presentationrequired;
• Checkthatyouhaveusedtheguidelinesorexamplesprovidedbylecturingstaff-especially
referencingstyle;
• Startpracticalworkassoonaspossibletoallowsufficienttimetoobserveandcollateyour
informationandtoconsiderthesignificanceoftheresults.
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KeyVerbs
Sometimeschangingthewordinginasentencecanhelpyoutoexpresswhatyou mean
moreclearly.
Example: ‘Therewasnotabigchange inweight’canbeexpressedmore
effectivelyas‘Therewasnosignificantchangeinweight’.
Thefollowingverbsmaybeusefulwhenyouarewritingasciencereport.
• Indicate Thefiguresindicatethat…
• Represent Thebluelineonthechartrepresents…
• Illustrate Thetestillustratestheimportance of…
• Prepare Thesolutionswaspreparedforthetest…
• Produce Themachinewasproducedby…
• Compose ThesolutioncomposedofXand Z…
• Form Thefossilswereformedinside…
• Process Theinformationwasprocessed…
• Determine Therightdensitywillbe determined…
• Operate Thebatteryoperatedthedevice…
• Calculate Thenumberswerecalculated…
• Maintain Thesolutionmaintaineditstemperature…
• Monitor Theexperimentwasmonitored…
• Sample SolutionAwas sampled…
• Stabilise Thetemperaturewasstabilised…
• Measure Thecorrectheightwasmeasured…
• Removed Theimpuritieswereremoved…
• Apply Thegelwasappliedtotheside…
• Suggest Theresultsuggestedthat…
• Estimate Thefigureforthatyearwasestimated…
• Observe Thechangeincolourwasobserved…
• Absorb Thematerialabsorbedthe liquid…
• Require Theresearchrequiredmore funding…
• Release Theratwasreleasedfromthecage…
• Modify Theformulawasmodified…
• Preserved Theremainswerepreservedinthelab…
• Specimen Agoodspecimenwaschosenfor…
• Substance Thesesubstancesweretested…
• Property Therock’sunusualpropertiesare…
• Compound Itwasacompoundof materials…
• Quantity Thequantityofmaterialswasmeasured…
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WritingaLiterature Review
Aliteraturereviewshouldbe:
Analytical,critical,important,evaluativeandrelevanttoyourareaofstudy
Aliteraturereviewshouldcover:
• Recentorrelevantresearchinyourareaof study;
• Identifycontrasting views;
• Describeresearchmethodsusedinpreviousstudies.
Makesurethatyou:
• Criticallyevaluatepreviousresearch;
• Determinethestrengthsandweaknessesofpreviousresearch;
• Decidewhetherpreviousresearchresultsarevalid;
• Discusstherelevanceofpreviousresearchtoyourareaofstudy.
Sourcesofinformation
• Books
• Journalarticles
• On-linedata bases
• Webpages
Skillsrequired
• Knowledgeofhowtosearchusingcomputerdatabases;
• Knowledgeofdatacollectionmethods;
• Anunderstandingoftheresearchmethodsusedinyourareaofstudy;
• Tobeabletoidentifycomparisonsandlistthem;
• Toorganisethe arguments;
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• Awarenessof plagiarism;
• Accuratereferencing.
Trytoavoid
• Addingtoomuchdetail;
• Writinglong,ramblingsentenceswhichmayconfusethe reader;
• Makingittoovague;
• Includingirrelevant information.
Thevolumeofreadingrequiredforaliteraturereviewmaybehigh.Thereforeyoumightfind
theinformationonmakingnotesandreadingskillscoveredinthisguidehelpful.
Thesenoteswereadaptedfrom:http://www.lib.sfu.ca/slc/strategies/learning-
studying/concentration-motivation
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wellbeing/assets/documents/StudySkillsGuide.pdf
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ACriticalApproachtoWriting
IntheSeniorYearsyouwillbeexpectedtocriticallyevaluateexistingresearchknowledge.To
showyouunderstandhowdifferentargumentsareconstructedyoushould:
• Lookatthedateofthepublication.Thismayhelpyoudecideiftheliteratureisup-to-date
andrelevanttoyourareaofstudy;
• Lookforthemainargument;
• Lookatthereasoningbehindtheargument;
• Doestheargumentsupporttheauthor’sconclusions?
• Lookatthetypeofevidencetheauthorhasusedtosupporttheirargument;
• Istheevidencestrongor weak?
• Youshouldstatewhytheevidenceisstrongorweak;
• Compareandcontrastthedifferent arguments;
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• Comparetheconclusions.Dodifferentauthorsagreeor disagree?
• Bepreparedtostatewhydifferentauthorshavereacheddifferentconclusions.
Tohelpdetecthiddenbiasintextsyoushouldbeawarewhenyouarereadingthatopinions
canbecommunicatedby:
• Strongvisual imagery;
• Referencetoleading authority;
• Useofconvincing language.
You should
Makesureyourownopinionissupportedbyreliableevidenceand/orauthority.
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SignalWords
Makesureyourownopinionissupportedbyreliableevidenceand/orauthority.
Itisimportantthatyoudevelopyourownargumentsand conclusions.
Signalwordstoshowyourownopposing opinion:
argued
asserted
claimed
Itmaybe/couldbe/mightbe that……
contended
maintained
said
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BasicGuidetoReferencing
Itisimportantthatyouaccuratelyreferenceyouracademicworkbothwithinthetextandina
bibliographyorreferencesectionattheendofyourworktoavoidlosingmarksand
accusationsof plagiarism.
HowtoreferenceusingtheHarvardsystem
Book Journal
- Nameofauthor(s)/ Editor(s)
- Theyearofpublication
(placedinparentheses)
- Thetitleofthebook
- Thenameofthepublisher
Cottrell,S (1999)TheStudySkills
Handbook. PALGRAVE
- Nameofauthor(s)/ editor(s)
- Theyearofpublication
(placedinparentheses)
- Titleofthearticle
- Titleofthejournal
- Volume/issue number
- Pages
Chinn,S(2003)DoesDyscalculiaAddUp?
DyslexiaReview,14(3),pp.4-8
ReferencinginText
Whenreferringdirectlytoanauthor:
Inherbook,Cotrell(1999) advises...
Whenreferringtoaparticularissue/argumentputforwardbyan author:
Itisarguedthatreferences(Cottrell,1999)are needed…
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HowtoreferenceusingtheAPA
Book Journal
- Nameofauthor(s)/ editor(s)
- Yearofpublication
- Title
- Publisher
- Place
Pegrum,M.(2009).Fromblogsto
bombs:Thefutureofelectronic
technologiesineducation.Crawley,
W.A:UWAPublishing.
- Nameof author(s)
- “Thearticle title”
- Thejournal title
- Volume/issue number
- Yearofpublication
- Pagenumber(s)
Sohrabi,H.R.,Weinborn,M.,
Badcock,J.,Bates,K.A.,Clarnette,R.,
Trivedi,D.,...Martins,R.N.(2011).
“Newlexiconandcriteriaforthe
diagnosisofAlzheimer’sdisease.”
LancetNeurology,10(4),(2010)299-
300.
ReferencinginText
Youshouldusetheauthor’sname,yearandpage(ifrelevant)attheendofthesentence
inwhichthequoteorinformationappears.
(Keyormarsi,O’Leary,&Pardee,2007)
(Keane,2010,22)
Youmaycompleteintextreferencinginsteadofintextreferencing
Thecompletereferencewillappearatthefootofthepage.1Keane,2010,22.
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Youwillalsofindreferencinglesstimeconsumingifyoumakeanaccuratenoteofthe
referenceonaseparatepieceofpaperorindexcardasyoureadandresearchinformation for
essaysandassignments.
Youmustalsorememberto:
• Putreferencesinalphabeticalorder;
• Notetheorderof information;
• Notetheuseofpunctuation;
• Notethetypefaceand style;
• Grouptogetherreferencingsourcesinyourlist,e.g.allbooksthenjournals etc.
Thissectionhasbeenadaptedfrom:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wellbeing/assets/documents/StudySkillsGuide.pdf
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Examinations
Failureinexaminationscanbeattributedtoexamnervesorasaresultofthenegative
effectsofstress.However,itisusuallypoorpreparationandplanningwhichresultsin
examfailure. Itisthereforeimportantthatyoutakecontrolandorganiseyourtime
andemploystrategiestoensurebetterperformanceinexaminations.
SchoolBasedTrailExaminations
InrecognitionoftheneedtoprepareforexaminationsintheSeniorYears,studentsneedto
beexposedtoexaminationassessment.Asamodeofassessment,aformalexamination
providesusefulinformationforteacherstohelpinformtheirprofessionaljudgmenton
studentachievementagainstpublishedobjectives.Theschoolbelieves,however,that
summativestudentachievementlevelsshouldbebasedonarangeofbalancedstrategies
andnotsolelyonexaminationperformance.
Test-WiseSkills
Inorderforstudentstoperformwellinallareasofstudytherearecertainstudyskill
requirementswhichstudentsshouldfollow.TheseTest-WiseSkillswillassiststudentsto
studyandpreparefortheirexaminationsbothtrialsandfinalexaminations.
Studyandfindingyourrhythm
Thekeytomakingthemostoutofseniorschoolingitisessentialtostriketherightbalance
early.Astructuredroutinewillensurestudentsmakethebestofthetimetheyhavefor
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learning.Itisimportanttobalancetimebetweenstudies,sociallife,family,sleep,work,and
sportingcommitments.
TestSkills
Takingtestsandexaminationsarespecificassessmenttypeswhichrequirethestudentto
answerquestionsinapressurisedandstressfulenvironmentwithinaspecifictime
requirements.Thiscanbeagreatchallengeforstudentsandisaskillwhichisacquiredover
timeandwithpractice.Eachsubjectareawillrequireaseparatesetofskillsinorderto
undertakethetest.Thesubjectteacherwillspecifytherequirementswhicharespecificto
thesubjectandeachtesttypeshouldbepractisedthroughoutthe2yearcoursetoensure
successinthefinalexaminations.
Findtherightenvironment
Thefewerdistractionsstudentshavearoundthem,theeasieritwillbetofocusontheir
studies.Thinkaboutwherestudentsstudybest,whetherit'sintheschoollibrary,bedroom,
orelsewhere.Switchoffphonesandavoidsocialmediatohelpminimisedisruptionwhile
studying.
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Plan
Makealistofpriorities;itwillhelptomanagetimemoreeffectively.Asstudentsworkout
studyschedules,remembertomaketimeforcatchingupwithfriends,playingsport,orjust
watchingTVandrelaxing.
Lookafteryourself
Exerciseandahealthydietcanhelpimproveconcentration,reducestresslevels,and
improvegeneralwell-being.Gettingagoodnight'ssleepisalsoimportantinhelpingto
concentrateandfeelalertwhenstudying.
Askforhelp
Helpisalwaysavailableifstudentsarefeelingoverwhelmedorparticularlystressed.Family
membersandfriendscanhelptestknowledge,andteacherscanadvisewhichareasof
studystudentsneedtoconcentrateon.Familyandfriendscanalsoprovidesupportand
adviceiffeelinganxiousorconcerned.
ExaminationGuidelines
1. Youwillreceiveanexaminationattendanceslip,whichshowstheexamrulesand
listsyourexaminations.Bringthisslipwithyoutoyourexaminations.
2. Therewillbe10minutesofreadingtimeforexternalexaminations.
3. Youarenotallowedtowritein,mark,orhighlightinanyway,yourscriptbooks
orquestionbooklets,oruseacalculatorduringreadingtime.Youmaywriteon
thecolouredscribblingpaperprovided.
4. Youwillbegiventhefullperiodoftimescheduledfortheexaminationafter
thisreadingtime.
5. Thefollowinggeneralrulesalsoapply:
a. Thedoorsoftheexaminationroomwillbeopened10minutesbefore
theexaminationstarttime.
b. Youwillnotbeallowedtoentertheexaminationroommorethan40
minutesafterthestartingtime.
c. Youwillnotbeallowedtoleavetheexaminationroomuntil40minutes
afterthestartingtime.
d. Youmusthandyouranswerbookstotheexaminationsupervisorbefore
youleavetheroom.
e. Someexaminationshaveaseparatescriptbookorquestionbookletfor
71
particularsections(orquestions).Ifyoudonotattemptsuchasection(or
question),youmustwrite'BLANK'onthecoverofthescriptbookor
questionbookletbeforehandingitin.
Conductatexaminations
Duringanyexaminationthefollowingconductisrequired.Youmustnot:
1. submitworkthatisnotyourown
2. haveinyourpossessionanybookornotes(apartfromthematerialspermittedfor
thattest,assignment,orexamination)oranyothermeansthatwouldimproperly
helpyouinyourwork
3. haveinyourpossessionanyelectronicdevice(includingmobilephonesand
electronicdictionaries)apartfromapprovedcalculators(wherepermitted)
4. directlyorindirectlyhelpanyotherstudent
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5. permitanyotherstudenttocopyfromorotherwiseuseyourpapers
6. directlyorindirectlyaccepthelpfromanyotherstudent
7. useanypapersofanyotherstudent
8. byanyotherimpropermeanswhatever,obtainortrytoobtain,directlyor
indirectly,helpinyourworkorhelportrytohelp,directlyorindirectly,anyother
student
9. colludewithanotherstudenttotakeyourplaceinanassessment(e.g.
anexamination)
10. beguiltyofanybreachofgoodorderorpropriety.
Useofnotesinanexamination
Notesofanykindaregenerallynotpermittedinexternalexaminations.Thefollowing
subjectexemptionsapply:
§ ForMathematicalApplications,youmaybringoneunfoldedA4sheet(twosides)of
handwrittennotes.
§ ForMathematicalMethods,MathematicalStudies,andSpecialistMathematics,you
maybringtwounfoldedA4sheets(foursides)ofhandwrittennotes.
§ ForInformationTechnology,youmaybringoneunfoldedA4sheet(twosides)of
handwrittennotestotheexamination.
§ ForMusicalStyles,youmaybringtotheexamination,andreferto,unmarkedscores,
transcriptions,orcharts.
Notes
§ Calculatormanualsarenotpermittedinexaminations;howeverdifficultkey
sequencesmaybeincludedinthehandwrittennotes.
§ Handwrittennotes,unmarkedscores,transcriptions,andchartsshouldnotbe
laminatedorplacedinplasticsleeves.
Declarationatanexamination
Ifoneormoreofyourexternalassessmentsisanexamination,youwillberequiredtosign
theexaminationattendanceroll.Thisisaformaldeclarationstatingthatyouwillcomply
withtherulesprintedontheexaminationattendanceslip,includingtheconditionsforthe
useofcalculators.
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Studentswhodonotcomplywiththerulesandconditionsprintedontheexamination
attendanceslipwill:
§ beinbreachoftherules
§ havetheirmarksfortheexaminationcancelledoramended.
§ beliabletofurtherpenalty.Thismayinvolveexclusionfromfutureexaminations
orotherwise,asdeterminedbytheSACEBoard.
Useofcalculatorsanddictionariesinexaminations
Forwrittenexaminationsinlanguagesubjects,youmayuseanybilingualormonolingual
printeddictionary.Electronicdictionariesarenotpermittedinexaminations.
Specificguidelinescanbefoundat:https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/students/assessment-and-
results/examination-information#title#section6.Thesedocumentsalsooutlinethe
conditionsofuse.
Latearrival
Noadditionaltimewillbeallowedforstudentsarrivinglatefortheexamination.
Temporaryabsence
Duringatemporaryabsence,astudentmustnottakeanymaterialoutoftheexamination
room,haveaccesstomaterialduringtheabsence,orreturnwithanymaterial.
Malpractice
Duringtheexamination,andatothertimesspecifiedbytheexaminationsupervisor,a
studentmustnotcommunicatewithanyothercandidate.Failuretoobservethisregulation
mayconstitutemalpractice,resultinginnogradebeingawardedfortheexamination.Ifa
studentfindsthatheorshehasaccidentallytakenunauthorizedmaterial(papers,books,
notesofanykind)intoanexamination,thismaterialmustbegiventotheexamination
supervisorimmediately.Failuretodosomayleadtonogradebeingawardedforthe
examination.FurtherinformationisprovidedinPenaltiesforBreachofRules.
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Endoftheexamination
Noexaminationmaterials–examinationpapers,answerpapers,roughworking–maybetakenout
oftheexamination.Studentsmustleavetheexaminationroominaquietandorderlymanner.
Revision
Gettingstarted:
• Drawuparealisticrevisiontimetable–thisshouldincludesomesocialtimetoallow
youto relax;
• Organiseyournotesbymoduleortopic–ifyouhavefollowedadviceintheNoteTaking
section,youwillfindgettingstartedonrevisioneasier;
• Decidewhattopicstorevise;
• Usepastexampaperstoguideyourrevision;
• Howmanyquestionsdoyouhavetoanswerforeachpaper?
• Usepastpaperstopracticewritinganswerstoexam questions;
• Bepositiveaboutyourlearning;
• Asktutorsforhelportoclarifyinformationif necessary.
Memory
Recallofinformationisessentialforsuccessfulperformanceinexaminations.Betterrecallcan
beachievedbytimemanagementofstudyperiodsandregularoverlearning.
• Trytokeepconcentratedstudytonomorethan40minutesatonetime;
• Takeregularshortbreaks;
• Overlearningisessentialforrecallofinformation:
- Aftereachbreakspend10to15minutesreviewingwork
coveredinthepreviousstudy period
- Reviewagainafter24 hours
• Beawareofwhenyourconcentrationslips–itmaybeshorterthan40minutes;
• Findaquietplacetoworktoavoidbeingdistractedduringrevisionperiods;
• Makesureyoudrinkplentyofwatertokeepyourbodyhydratedandeatregularly.
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Tryoneofthefollowingtechniquesto helpmake
informationmemorable
• Usemulti-sensorymethods–writeit,sayit,seeit,hearit;
• UseSurvey,Question,Read,Recall,Review,whenreadingthrough text;
• Summarisekeyinformationontoonepageusingcolouredpaper;
• Usemindmaps;
• Putkeyinformationintoposterformatandstickonyourwall;
• Usecolouredpenstohighlightimportantfacts,tolinkideasortoseparate arguments;
• Usetechnology–TextHelpRead&Writeprogrammeallowsyoutohearandread
informationsimultaneously;
• Recordyourrevisionnotesoranswersontototapeordisc.Hearingtheinformation may
helpyoutoremember it;
• Grouprevision–youmayfindithelpfultospendsometimerevisingwithfriends.
Timedexaminations
• Makecertainyouknowwhereallofyourexamsarebeingheldinadvanceofthestart time;
• Organisepens,pencils,rulersetc.thenight before;
• Don’tletotherpeoplepanicyouandifnecessaryavoidthem.
Intheexam
• Beforeyouturnovertheexampaper,writedownkeydates,definitions,quotesnamesor
otherinformationyoufeelyoumayforget;
• Readtheinstructionsonthequestionpapercarefully.Theywilltellyouifthereisa
compulsoryquestionandhowmanyquestionsyoumustanswer;
• Scanthroughthepaperandtickallquestionsyoucould answer;
• Calculatethetimeneededtoanswereachquestionandtheorderyouwishtoattemptthem;
• Readeachofyourselectedquestionscarefullyunderliningkeywordsorphrases.Also check
howmanypartstherearetoeachquestion;
• Planyouranswertothefirstquestionandwriteit.Keeptotheplanandavoidincluding
informationwhichisnotrelevant;
• Planyouranswersforalltheremainingquestionstoavoidpanictowardstheendoftheexam.
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Remember
• Writeinshortclearsentences;
• Ifyouforgetaword,spellingorchunkofinformation,leaveagapandcomebacktotryto fill
inthedetaillater;
• Makeyourwritinglegible;
• Lessinformationandevidenceisneededincomparisontocourse work;
• Essaysare shorter;
• Allowtimeforproofreading.
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PENALTIESFORBREACHOFRULES
SACERecommendations
InabilitytoVerifyWork
Ifateacherisunabletoverifythatworksubmittedisthestudent’sown,a
penaltymaybeappropriate.Thestudentshouldbegiventheopportunity
toprovideevidencethattheworkpresentedishisorherown.Iftherehas
beennodiscussionwiththestudent,andtheteacherhasnotseenthe
workduringthedraftingprocess,thestudentisinbreachoftherulesand
theassessmentisliabletoreceivearesultof‘I’(noresult),equivalenttoa
valueofzero.
Iftheteacherisabletoverifypartofthework,aresultcanbeawarded
basedontheproportionoftheworkthattheteacherisabletoverify.
Wheretheteacherbelievesthattheworkisnotthestudent’sownorthat
thestudenthasreceivedundueassistancefromanotherperson,the
studentshouldbeinterviewedtodeterminehisorherknowledgeofthe
contentoftheworksubmitted.
Plagiarism
Ifplagiarismisdetectedinadraftsubmittedbythestudent,teachers
should,whereverpossible,givenofeedbackotherthantoadvisethe
studentthatoneormorepartsoftheworkhavebeenidentifiedasbeing
plagiarised.Thestudentthenhastheopportunitytorevisethedraft,
includingremovalofanyplagiarisedmaterial,andsubmitadraftfor
commentbeforetheduedate.
Apenaltyforplagiarismshouldbedeterminedbyboththeteacherand
DeputyPrincipal:AcademicStudiesinaccordancewiththeperformance
standards.
Ifplagiarismisdetectedintheworksubmittedformarking,teachers
shouldallocateagradebasedontheworkthathasbeendonebythe
student.Asaguide,wheretheproportionoftheworkthathasbeen
plagiarisedismorethan80%ofthecontent,thestudentislikelytoreceive
aresultof‘I’(noresult),equivalenttoavalueofzero.Apieceofwork
shouldnotautomaticallybegivenaresultof‘I’.
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CollusionbetweenStudents
Whenworkcompletedbytwoormorestudentsunderindirectsupervision
istoosimilar,itmaybeappropriatetoimposenopenaltyonthestudent
whoseworkisusedbyanotherstudent.Theteachershouldascertain
whethertheworkofonestudenthasbeenappropriatedwithoutthat
student’sknowledgeorapproval,orunderduress.Ifafterinvestigationitis
concludedthattheworkisacombinedeffort,theteachershould
determineanappropriatepenaltyandresultfortheworkofeachstudent,
dependingonthecontributionofeach.
Ifstudentscolludeduringanassessmentunderdirectsupervision,the
studentsinvolvedareliabletoreceivearesultof‘I’(noresult),equivalent
toavalueofzero,forthatassessment.Theteacherinconsultationwith
theHeadofFacultywouldneedtoascertaintheextentofknowledgeof
thecollusionamongallstudentsinvolved.Itisabreachofrulesfora
studenttoknowinglypermitanyotherstudenttocopyorusehisorher
work.
PossessionofUnapprovedMaterialsorDevices
Ifastudentisdiscoveredwithunapprovedmaterialsorusingelectronic
devicessuchasmobilephones,electronicdictionaries,unapproved
calculators,orotherequipmentthatmayprovideundueassistancetothat
studentinaschoolassessment,apenaltyshouldbeapplied.Thestudent
shouldbeinterviewedandtheunapprovedmaterialexaminedto
determinetheextentofanyundueassistance.Ifitcannotbedetermined
whetherornotthestudenthasreceivedinformationthatmightassisthim
orherinrespondingtoeithercompletedoryet-to-be-completedpartsof
theassessment,thestudentmaybeliabletoreceivearesultof‘I’(no
result),equivalenttoavalueofzero,forthatassessment.
DeputyPrincipal:AcademicStudiesmustsubmitaBreachofRulesForm
(page42)ifastudentisdiscoveredinpossessionofunapprovedmaterials
ordeviceswhilecompletinganexternalexamination.Schoolsmustcontact
theSACEBoardforadviceifastudentisdiscoveredinpossessionof
unapprovedmaterialsordeviceswhilecompletinganyotherexternal
assessment.
BreachofGoodOrderorPropriety
Ifastudent’sconductisinappropriateduringtheperiodoftimethe
assessmentisunderway,thestudentmayneedtoberemovedandgivena
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resultof‘I’(noresult),equivalenttoavalueofzero,forthatassessment.If
thecircumstancesneedfurtherinvestigation,thestudentmaybe
permittedtocompletetheassessmentunlessitwouldinanyway
prejudicetheotherstudents’chancesofcompletingtheassessmentunder
therequiredconditions.Insuchacase,thestudentmaybepermittedto
completetheassessmentundersupervisioninaseparateroom.
SchoolsshouldcontacttheSACEBoardforadviceonanypotential
breachesofgoodorderorproprietyinmaterialsthatstudentssubmitfor
assessment.
Misrepresentation
StudentsconductingresearchthatcontributestotheirSACEhavea
responsibilitytosubmitonlygenuinefindingsorresultsoftheirresearch.If
astudentsubmitsworkthatfabricates,falsifies,ormisrepresents
evidence,apenaltymaybeappropriate.
Iftheteacherisabletoverifytheaccuracyofpartofthework,aresultcan
beawardedbasedontheproportionoftheworkthatisgenuineand
correct.
InformationhasbeentakenfromtheSACEwebsite:
https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/
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APPEALPROCESS
Astudentisabletoappealadecisionmadebytheschoolwhenheorshe
believesthatthedecisionsorotheractionstakenbytheschoolhavenot
beencarriedoutinaccordancewiththeSACEBoard’sSupervisionand
VerificationofStudents’Workpolicyandprocedures,ortheSACEAssuring
AssessmentIntegritypolicy.
Forschoolassessments,appealsaredirectedinthefirstinstancetothe
principaloftheschool.Insuchcases,schoolsareadvisedtofollowthe
resolutionproceduresoutlinedintheSACEAssessmentResponsibility
PolicyCircularNo.10(January2015).
Studentsmayappealthedecisionoftheprincipalorschoolbywritingto
theChiefExecutiveoftheSACEBoard,statingdetailsofthedecisionor
actionbeingappealedagainstandtheredresssought.
Within7daysofreceivingacomplaint,theChiefExecutivewillinitiatean
investigationintothedecisionordelegateresponsibilityforthis
investigation.Aletterissenttothestudentstating:
- thatthecomplainthasbeenreceived
- thenameofthepersonwhoisinvestigatingthe
complaintandpreparingareport
- thatconfidentialityisassured.
Theinvestigatingofficermaytakesuchactionsasarenecessaryandmay
interviewanypartiesinvolvedinthecomplaint.
Althoughtheaimoftheappealistoresolvethematterwhereverpossible,
theactionordecisioncomplainedaboutmaybeconfirmed,varied,
overturned,orsentbackforconsideration.AnydeterminationbytheChief
Executiveasaresultoftheinvestigationisbindingonallparties.
ThisinformationistakenfromtheSACEwebsite‘BreachofRules’
InformationSheet3/15.
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Spelling,GrammarandPunctuation
Thefollowingisintendedasabriefguidetobasicspellingandgrammarrulesandpunctuation.
BasicSpellingRules
The‘buildingblocks’ofEnglishwordsarethe vowels
a e i o uThesevowelshave2sounds–longand short acorn/ant
evening/egg
iron/ink
open/on
university/up
Butyisunusualbecauseitcanbeusedbothasavowelandaconsonant.Theletteryisused
toreplacetheletteriinwordsofEnglishoriginthatendwithalongorshortvowelisoundas
inhappy,cry,baby.Butforwordssuchasyellow,yolk,yachttheyisusedasa consonant.
Thesimplewordno,containsaconsonant(n)andavowel(o). Thevowelinthiswordsounds
longbecauseitisnotblockedinbyaconsonantcomingafter it.
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Thewordnot,containsaconsonant(n)vowel(o)andconsonant(t). Thevowelinthisword
soundsshortbecauseitisblockedinbyaconsonantcomingafter it.
However,ifyouwanttosaynote,youneedawayoflengtheningthevowelsound whilst
keepingthe(t)soundattheendoftheword.Weaddan(e)totheendofthewordtoenable
thevowel(o)tosoundlong.Therefore,ifthereisonlyoneconsonantseparating2vowels
thenthefirstonewillsoundlong.
Examplesofthisruleare: Hope/Hop
Scrape/Scrap
Dine/Dinner
Usingtheierule
Thestandardruleisibeforeeexceptafterc.Thisrulecreatesalongesoundasinnieceand
receive.
Wordsusingtheeilettercombinationcreatesalongasoundasineight,weight,sleigh,foreign,
vein,their,freight,neighbour.
Usingthe-ce/serule
Theruleiscforanounasinadviceand practice.
Usesforaverbasinadviseand practise.
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Multi-sensorytechniquesforspelling
Ifyouregularlyexperiencedifficultywithaparticularspellingorcourse-relatedwords try
employingthefollowingmulti-sensorytechnique.Rememberbyactivatingallfoursensesat
thesametimewillhelpyoutobeabletolearnandrecallspellings.Strategiesshouldemploy
theuseofcolour,shapeorsymbolrepresentationtohelpmakethewordmorememorable.
Word Strategy Meaning
Picasso Pic/ass/o
Artist’sname
though though Despitethefactthat
through th/r/ough Goinginatoneside and
comingoutanother
thought though/t Pasttenseoftothink
Keystages
• Lookatthewordandsaythe strategy;
• Saythewordandthensaythe strategy;
• Coverthewordandthe strategy;
• Saytheword,saythestrategyandpicturethe strategy;
• Writetheword,sayingthestrategyasyouwrite it;
• Checkletterbylettertomakesureyouhavewrittenwhatyouintended.
(AdaptedfromtheMulti-sensorySpellingProgrammedevisedbyJennyLee)
BasicRulesofGrammar
Thebaseruleisthateachsentencemustcontainasubjectandverbelement.Abasicexample
ofthisis: Theworldconsistsofmanydifferent cultures.
subject verb
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• Thesubjectelementiswhoorwhatthesentenceisabout.
• Theverbelementprovidestheactionorprocessina sentence.
Informationcanbeexpandedinasentencebyusingcommas,and,but,or.
Examples: Anovelmakesthereaderseeconnectionsamongvariousphenomenaandlook
atsomethinginawayneverthoughtaboutbefore.
DatawascollectedinearlyFebruary2003,duringmildwinterconditions.
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Punctuation Guide
FullStop .
Identifiestheendofasentence
Semi-colon;
Indicatesabreakorinplaceof and
Usedtoseparateitemsina list
Colon :
Usedtoseparateastatementfromanexplanation
Usedtointroducea list
Comma ,
Usedtobreakclausesinasentenceormarka list
orrunof phrases
Bracket()and[]
( ) Usedinplaceofcommasorfor
referencing
[ ] Usedbyyou,thewriter,to clarify
orcomment
Hyphen -
Usedtoconnectcompoundwordse.g. multi-sensory
Dash _
Usedinplaceofbrackets
Toseparatedatesornumbers,1999–2002,40–50%
Apostrophe‘
Toshowpossession(theman’shat)plural(themanagers’
reports)
Usedwhenwordsarecontracted (can’t)
Informationfromthissectionhasbeenadaptedfrom:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wellbeing/assets/documents/StudySkillsGuide.pdf
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Information Technology
Usinginformationtechnologyisanimportantpartofstudyatsecondaryschool.Programsyou
willencounterinclude:
- MicrosoftWord
- Publisher
- PowerPoint
- MovieMaker
- Excel
TakingadvantageofWordfunctionsforediting
SpellandgrammarCheck–ClickonREVIEWandthenselecttheABCSpellingand
Grammarcheckoption.Gothrougheachwordandphraseandcorrectfollowingtheprompts.
WordPrediction-phoneticandgrammarbasedwordpredictionwilloffersuggestionsas
youtypeoryoucanclickonthewordandthenrightclickandoptionsmayappear.
Thesaurus-providessynonymsforwordswithdescriptionsandsamplesentencestoaid
understanding.ClickonREVIEWandthenclickonThesaurusoption.Youcannoweithertype
orclickonthewordyouwouldliketoreplace.Optionswillcomeupinthewindowpaneon
therighthandsideofthescreen.
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