International Student Orientation Making the Most of Lectures and Tutorials

1. International StudentOrientationMaking the Most ofLectures and Tutorials Dr Julia Miller School of Education

2. Welcome to Adelaide • Where is home for you? • What are you studying? • Did you go to university in your country?

3. International Student Transition What do you think are the major differences between learning in your home country and learning in Australia? • Role of teacher • Student-centred approach • Critical thinking • Active learning • Independent learning

4. Outline 1. Lectures 2. Note taking 3. Language clues 4. After the lecture 5. Seminars and tutorials 6. Other small-group formats 7. Practice 8. Reflection

5. What’s the difference between a lecture, a seminar and a tutorial? • Lecture - larger - varying interaction. • Seminar - smaller - more interaction. Students may take it in turns to present. • Tutorial - even smaller, with more interaction and discussion.

6. Lectures, seminars and tutorials

7. 1. Lecture formats • Stand up and talk • Stand up and talk with PowerPoint • Engage students by questions • Discuss things with students

8. Getting the most out of your lectures Prepare: • Readings • Revision • Location • Equipment

9. Engage • Listen • Consider • Question • Think

10. 2. Note taking in lectures • Don’t try to write everything down. • Don’t simply copy the PowerPoint slides. • Do listen before you start to write.

11. Note • Abbreviations (egabbrs) • Short phrases, not sentences •  symbols • Look for possible exam topics

12. Mind map

13. Action column Choc from Mexico Media egs – newspaper, mags Reps of choc in media Health problems Oral pres. More egs? Signif?

14. Problems with note taking The lecturer is too fast • Write down questions for later • Try to follow the structure • Prepare before the lecture

15. You don’t understand • Write down your question. • Ask - lecturer - tutor - other students • Check - readings - topic guide

16. 3. Language clues Start of lecture • Let’s start with . . . • The first thing . . . • Today we’ll be looking at . . . • I’d like to think about . . . Topic shifters • So let's turn to . . . • The next thing . . . • Now I'd like to consider . . . • Another important point is . . .

17. More language clues Summarisers • So now we can see . . . • Let's round this off . . . • What have we been looking at this afternoon? Exemplifiers • One example is . . . • If we look at X we can see that Y . . .

18. More language clues Relators • This ties in with . . . • This relates to . . . • Keep in mind that . . . • OK (falling intonation, pause) . . . Evaluators • No problem with that . . . • This all looks fine . . . • This is an important point . . .

19. More language clues Qualifiers • This is true, but . . . • That's all very well, but . . . • Having said that, . . . • Although . . . • As far as we know . . . Asides • Where were we? • That reminds me of . . . (All language clues are from DeCarrico, J & Nattinger, JR 1988, 'Lexical phrases for the comprehension of academic lectures’, English for Specific Purposes, vol. 7, pp. 91-102.)

20. 4. After the lecture • Read • Highlight • Summarise • Discuss • Look for possible exam questions • Revise before the next lecture

21. What do you remember?

22. 5. Seminars and tutorials • How could you participate? • Prepare – do the readings • Ask questions • Sit near the front • Join in group discussions

23. 6. Other small-group formats Laboratories • Science-based • Bigger and longer than most tutorials • Focus on processes: using equipment, conducting experiments • Run by demonstrators

24. Laboratory Health and Safety • Listen carefully to safety procedures and always follow them exactly. • Treat all equipment, chemicals and samples with care and respect. • Don’t take food or beverages into a lab (unless they’re part of your experiment!). • Wear protective clothing when appropriate, and especially wear appropriate shoes (sturdy, closed-in with non-slip sole).

25. Different Small-Group formats Workshops: • Like tutorials, but even more active (i.e. you do more work) • You will often be asked to complete a piece of work or bring one with you • You will then share it with others in the workshop • Example: creative writing workshop

26. More advanced formats • Conference (experts in a field) • Symposium (like a conference but smaller) Papers: like a seminar – 20 minute presentation followed by questions Posters: on display and author is available to answer questions

27. 7. Practice Practise taking notes with: 1. a mind map 2. an action column

28. 8. Reflection • What 2 things will you remember from this session? • Is anything still unclear? Writing Centre learning guides:www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre Further practice: http://www.uefap.com/listen/listfram.htm

29. Further listening practice • Recorded lectures on My Uni • Radio 5RPH on frequency 1197 (AM) for readings of The Advertiser and The Australian

30. Need Further Help? Writing Centre Location: Level 3, Hub Central East Website: www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre