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Study Skills Essay Writing

2. The Student Learning Advisory Service . SLAS Administrator/Receptionist VALUE Administrator Manager Alison Foley Joy Gould Allia Wilson Angela Koch Shaun Theobald.

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Study Skills Essay Writing

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    1. 1 Study Skills & Essay Writing Diploma in Counselling October 6th 2008 Shaun Theobald The Student Learning Advisory Service

    2. 2 The Student Learning Advisory Service SLAS Administrator/Receptionist VALUE Administrator Manager Alison Foley Joy Gould Allia Wilson Angela Koch Shaun Theobald

    3. 3 What we do… Academic advice and guidance Practical advice on study skills Long-term learning development Typical topics we support Academic writing (essays; assignments; reports) Effective reading Note-taking & retrieving information Managing the work-load Organisation & time-management

    4. 4 How to access academic advice and guidance Call in and see us…9-5 Mon-Fri Ask for a 1:1 appointment Access our resources Books to borrow & free leaflets to take away Contact us by e-mail learning@kent.ac.uk Consult our website http://www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/learning Down-load material & explore links Come to our workshops http://www.kent.ac.uk/student/skills

    5. 5 Aims of this workshop To reflect on the experience of returning to study To draw from your strengths as mature students To consider how this experience can be combined with successful study To outline ways of managing your learning and study effectively To outline some specific topics, tools and techniques in study skills E.g. essay writing; time management; effective reading

    6. 6 Build on existing strengths! The “I can do this…” model works by building on experience Time management Organisation Life experience Professionalism Decision-making Analytical thinking Handling information

    7. 7 Information, information, information Most courses/modules generate large amounts of hard copy/on-line documents Periodically, sift through File/organise Discard ‘over-lapping’ information Keep all core documents together Use e-mail to disentangle/answer any outstanding questions Familiarise yourself with course structure/assessment requirements etc

    8. 8 Independent study You are ‘on your own’ much more! There are many demands on your time: study family commitments full-time/part-time work travel time Many decisions (“Is this article worth reading?”, “When should I start that essay?”) are guided… But – ultimately – rest with you

    9. 9 Time and task management This is essential! Draw up schedules Keep all your diary and schedule information together Remember the golden rules of time-management: schedules; priorities; using ‘gap-time’ effectively; targets Plan your work: SMART targets Revise and review your plans

    10. 10 Using the Library Organise library use and research skills Use ‘micro’ literature reviews Use the Academic Liaison Librarians Work collaboratively? Shared copies of journal articles Sharing short-loan resources Constructive/relevant mix of texts; journals and electronic/multi-media material

    11. 11 Managing reading Remember you can’t read everything Be selective Seek guidance Use reading lists selectively and effectively Remember to ‘read for different purposes’:skim – scan – read for detail Read actively Look for topic sentences & evidence Work with paragraph structure Any academic paragraph will focus on one key topic

    12. 12 Activity Extract from- McLeod,J (1998) An Introduction to Counselling. 2nd ed. Buckingham, Open University Press Where are the topic sentences? The evidence? (Supporting sentences? Evaluation of evidence? Links? [See Slide 16] )

    13. 13 Academic writing Seek help where needed Clarifying initial concepts/processes Follow guide-lines Follow style sheets/reference requirements KIHMS = Harvard http://www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/ai/styleguides.html Remember the importance of structure, clarity and focus on the question

    14. 14 Academic writing Remember the fundamental rules of academic writing: independent evaluation evaluation supported by informed reading and preparation evidence always provided citations & references always provided

    15. 15 Essay structure Introduction Explanation of the question Outline of your argument Scope/evidence Development/argument 5-point paragraphs (Signpost statements) Conclusion Summary of argument Overall judgement (Possible development?)

    16. 16 The 5-point paragraph Topic sentence Supporting sentences Evidence Evaluation/discussion of evidence Link/transition > (Mnemonic…STEEL) Use for Planning Writing to the word-limit Editing

    17. 17 The essay-writing process 1.Deconstruct/interpret the title ‘Drives’ the whole process Key instructions/words/terms/concepts 2.Define research/reading Title-defined targets 3.Active reading 4.Planning 5.Early drafts GAP IN TIME…then 6.Final editing process

    18. 18 Other assignments E.g. Case studies/ reflective practice Generic approach - similar to essays Define the task Active reading & research – task-related Accompanied by selective notes Plan Preliminary draft(s) Gap Final editing process

    19. 19 Other assignments Think about style guides/ the writing process In case studies/reflective practice etc academic material must still be referenced You will need to balance an informal reflective approach with an academic model You may wish to use the First Person (“I”) more widely Structure/organisation/clarity of expression are still important

    20. 20 Other assignments Portfolios/reflective practice exercises may require observations/collecting material over time Use time management techniques Beware the back-log of material that needs writing up! Write up as you go along Weekly/monthly reviews

    21. 21 Dealing with lectures/seminars Be systematic Attend! If you have to miss a lecture/seminar (due to e.g unexpected family commitments) try and catch up with a friend’s notes etc. Stay alert and active Notes template? Explore different note-taking techniques Be organised: file away lecture notes; review notes immediately after a lecture

    22. 22 Organisation and information retrieval Organise your desk-top Organise your computer use Organise your notes: e.g. keep dated/numbered files for lecture notes; seminar notes; notes from assignment preparation etc Make sure that all the information and ideas you process can be retrieved later!

    23. 23 Working with others Something mature students are good at! (Re)explore ways of working together Share information/resources and ideas Revise with others Use seminars actively: learn from others

    24. 24 GOOD LUCK for all your studies! The Student Learning Advisory Service

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