Year 12 Transitional Study Skills Programme Name: Tutor:

Transcription

1 Year 12 Transitional Study Skills Programme Name: Tutor:

2 Year 12 Study Skills Term 1 10 minute tutor sessions Week 1 Orientation Encourage students to bring in a folder next week to demonstrate how they are organising themselves Week 2 Organisation Brainstorm: Checklist of essential equipment: files, dividers, pens, highlighters, diary, note pad, quiet place to work Self assessment against list Check individual folders/ students are organized Target setting for self (what do I need to do to improve?) Week 3 Time management Brainstorm: Ways of managing time: diary; apps; timetable; lists Brainstorm: Consequences of mismanaging time Look at subject specific timings (handout) Self assessment and personal target setting Week 4 Note taking Brainstorm: Why are notes important? What makes a good set of notes? Handouts: examples of different note taking methods (Cornell, Linear, mind maps) Week 5 Week 6 Research/ wider reading Revision skills Brainstorm: Where do we find information? Libraries; books; articles; magazines; newspapers; online; teachers; professionals Personal target setting Handout on research skills and referencing Brainstorm: ways of revising: revision buddies; highlighting and condensing notes; mind maps; past papers; word walls; teaching someone else; listening to pod casts; revision websites; Discussion: keys to success: start early; eat right sleep right; take regular breaks; be organized; reward yourself; manage stress (exercise, watch a film, listen to music, take a bath etc..) Week 7 Exam technique Brainstorm: what is important to remember in an exam? Timing; reading questions; keeping calm; planning answers; checking work; enough sleep and food before hand; not cramming night before Self assessment: what works and doesn t work for me? What do I need to do better?

3 Session 1: Organisation Check list for good organisation: Folders Dividers Highlighters Planner/ diary Dead lines for work written in to diary Note pads Pens Quiet place to work Reflect on your own organisation: How organized are you? Are you equipped to be organized? Does your folder should good organisation? How could you improve this over the coming term?

4 Session 2: Time Management TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE Reflect on your own TIME MANAGEMENT: How well do you think you manage your time? What are the challenges for you of achieving good time management e.g. part-time employment, friends etc? What could you do to improve your time management?

5 Subject Expectations for A level Study Subject Home work per week Wider reading/ research Music 3 hours 30 minutes per day (instrumental practice) Geography 2-3 hours 2 hours History 2-3 hours 2 hours CCLD & HSc 5 hours (coursework) 2 hours (work experience) French 5 hours hours Sociology 2 hours 1 hour Physics 2-3 hours RPE 3-5 hours 2-3 hours Photography 4 hours 1 hour Travel and Tourism 5 hours (coursework) Art 3-4 hours minimum (6 hours for students aiming for A grade) English 2 hours 2 hours Chemistry 2-3 hours 1-2 hours Business studies 2 hours 1 hour Applied Business 5 hours of work (coursework led) IT 2 hours Whatever necessary to keep up with deadlines for coursework 2 hours recommended on av. Product Design 5 hours Maths 2 hours per teacher n/a Performing Arts 2 hours Extra hours dependent on forthcoming rehearsals/ practical assessment Biology 4 hours Psychology 30 minutes per day (1 hour per day January and June) PE 1 hour 1-2 hours Media Studies 1 hour (though this will 2 hours increase dramatically during coursework module) Economics 3 hours

6 Session 3: Note Taking WHY IMPORTANT? Helps you pick out key points Focuses your attention Helps you understand text Helps you memorise things you need to learn Helps with research Helps you see main picture and fit parts of your work together Sense of achievement! HOW? Highlight or underline key ideas Be selective don t highlight too much Use highlighted ideas to make your notes Present them neatly and clearly Ensure your notes are simplified version of original Use subheadings Number or bullet your points Add your own comments or observations where appropriate Keep them in relevant folders in date/ subject order STYLE? Ensure your notes are of a style that suits YOU. You could try: Conventional notes with subheadings and key points (linear notes) Cornell method (see template) Spider diagrams Mind maps to show connections between ideas Visuals eg story board, A3 paper with pictures File cards BENEFITS? If you consistently take good notes from your lessons, wider reading and research, they will be of enormous help when it comes to revision. They will be the back bone for your learning.

7 Note-taking and Note-making - Note-Taking Template 1. Module Lecturer, lecture or text and date. 2. Preparation (what do I want to get out of this derive from this lecture/text?) 3. Main theme of lecture/text. 4. Overview of lecture (maybe the lecturer provides this) or overview of text (a rough outline of the contents you are using). 5. Main points made in lecture/text; examples or evidence given. 6. Question raised by lecture/text. 7. References to sources.

8 Note-taking and Note-making - Cornell Note-Taking Template 1. Course, Lecturer/Text, Date: 2. Make notes during the lecture or reading here. 3. After the lecture/reading go through the notes you made; extract key concepts and questions and write them here. Then cover your notes in column (2) and try to recall their detail using the words visible in this column as cues vocalise this detail in your own words

9 4. Summarise the content of your notes in three or four sentences here. Story boarding Example:. Mind mapping

10 Example:

11 Session 4: Research and wider reading How Do I Start My Research? The steps below will help you complete your paper or assignment. 1. Researching a topic 2. Create a search strategy 3. Find information 4. Evaluate information 5. Cite your sources 6. Ask A Librarian 1. Researching a topic You can get ideas from: Your class discussions and lessons Your reading (in and out of class) Your interests and life experience Background information on people, issues, and events. You can find this information in: o Your textbook o General encyclopedias like the Encyclopedia Britannica Online o collections of online reference books: o Print encyclopedias or other reference books at the library 2. Create a search strategy After a topic is chosen, you ll need to form a search strategy. This step can help you effectively do your library research. 1. Identify the main ideas in the question or statement you have been given. 2. Brainstorm alternative arguments for your main ideas. 3. Does your assignment call for a specific kind of information? 4. Decide where you will find the information 5. Ensure you have a central place or note book for keeping all the information you collect

12 3. Find information The Library provides a wide range of resources for your research. Library Guides Books Articles journal, magazine and newspaper articles on your topic Hint When you find a book or article you like, check its references to find more information on that topic. Hint You could also look in other local public or university libraries to further your research. 4. Evaluate information After finding potential sources of information, you need to evaluate them to see if they are worthwhile for your research assignment. Consider the following: Accuracy: Is the information correct? Can you verify the facts somewhere else? Does the source cite other sources that you can check? Is the information supported by enough evidence? Authority: What are the credentials of the author, the publication? Are they an expert? Are they trustworthy? Audience: For what audience is the source intended? Is it at the appropriate level? Is it an academic or popular source? Can you understand it? Objectivity: Is the author impartial or is there evidence of bias? Does the author have a personal interest in the subject? Is the piece based on opinion or fact? Currency: When was the source published? Is it up-to-date? Is it too old?

13 It's especially important to evaluate websites since anyone can publish information on the Web. Look for the following: Does the web page indicate when it was last updated? Do you know who wrote the page? Can you find any information out about this author? Does the page come from a reliable source (i.e. a major news site, the government, etc.)? Do the links on the page work or are they broken? Is there an "about" page that gives information about the organization providing the information? What is the domain of the URL? (.gov,.edu,.org,.com, etc.) 5. Cite your sources In order to avoid plagiarism, you need to acknowledge use of another person s work. This requires you to cite any sources you use in your assignment, paper, or project no matter what you use from that source: an original idea, a direct quote, research methods, or even innovative terminology. Your teacher will tell you which citation style to use. 6. Ask A Librarian Not sure where to start or stuck searching? Ask A Librarian!

14 Session 5: Revision Skills REVISION STRATEGIES What revision skills/ techniques have you used in the past? Do you feel that they worked? Are they still appropriate for A level? What other strategies could you try? How? Where? By when?

15 REVISION TIPS AND SKILLS Start early - Don t leave it to the last minute Make a timetable be productive in your free time Understand what techniques work best for you and use them (see below) Look after yourself eat well, exercise, get enough sleep Find out! Are you a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner? Here are a range of techniques that you could use to revise more effectively. Try some of them out and see what works best for you: Highlight key points Colour code important aspects of work. Use to chunk your work down, giving you key information to process. You can keep going back to this throughout your revision period. Make a mind map Like a spider diagram. You could use colour coding and pictures as well as words. This could be used as a summary from highlighting key points. A good way to remember things visually. The shrinking mind map The aim of revision is to shrink as many key points down into a small space. The process actually helps you learn the information. The result is that you have a portable device that you can carry around with you. Cut off the legs of your spider diagram and use the main stems to stimulate your brain to remember the other parts. Cassette tapes/ ipods Record your key points onto a tape/ ipod. Get other people to do some so you have a variety of voices to listen to. Try using background music it might help you make associations with particular bits of information. Another useful revision resource to carry round with you during dead time, on the bus, walking home etc Song and rhyme

16 Making up catch phrases or rhymes can help with crucial bits of info. Eg: to help you sort out which is the x and y axis on a graph, how about, x below y because y goes up high! Don t worry about what other people think about your silly rhymes, as long as it helps you in the exam! Menomincs and acronyms A mnemonic is a word or abbreviation that helps you remember An acronym is a word make up using the first letters of a series of other words eg to remember the advantages of carrying credit cards (for a business studies question) COPSE Convenient to carry Outlets for use everywhere Pay later Security Extras, insurance air miles Flash Cards Flash cards can be a big help in remembering information Try using different colours for different subjects Wall posters (large scale flash cards!) Put these up around your bedroom and in your house. You will subconsciously look at these points each day You could use different rooms for different subjects the kitchen is maths room etc Word walls Clusters of key words for each topic are a great way to learn the language you need for your A level course. Cover your walls with these too Lists, charts and notes More traditional methods still work! Bullet pointed lists are a good way to summarise information Charts are a great way to memorise info again, you could make them big enough to put on your wall! Concentrate on shrinking down the information down as far as possible.

17 Eliminate excessive words from lists, focus on key terms Visual and pattern notes Good if you re a visual learner. This is like a mind map but with more images to help things stick in your mind. Fact sheets Keep fact sheets of key information, dates, formulas etc to hand. You could use clipboards, ring binders or cards. This is like making revision cards but just for key bits of info that are essential. List of key exam words for example: analyse, compare, contrast, describe, justify, evaluate..know what they mean and understand what examiners are looking for. Study buddies One of the most effective ways to learn is to teach someone else This helps you process information yourself as you explain it to others Use friends and family to test you Practicing past exam questions Test yourself against the clock These give you a great idea of the style of question, how many questions in each section and timing It gives you an excellent experience of decoding the trigger words Show you know Show yourself that you know your stuff! Don t fool yourself that you know something because you spent 2 hours reading it! How effective was that time? Recite things out loud Write down lists after revising to see if you can recall things Take a break People learn best at the start and finish of revision sessions, so have lots of starts and ends! The maximum time you can concentrate is 40 minutes Reward yourself by finishing something and then taking 5 minutes out for a coffee then back to it!

18 Session 6: Exam technique Preparation check list for your forthcoming exams: Exam time table Specification for each subject printed Past papers printed Mark schemes for past papers printed Past papers completed Marked own past papers using mark schemes Revision time table ready Quiet place to work Reflect on exam preparation and technique: Have you begun to prepare for the exams? If so- what have you done? What do you need to do to prepare for your exams- today? How? What do you need to do to prepare for your exams- this week? How?