Assessment: How do you study?
Have you read books about learning and studying skills that promise
you instant success?
I'm afraid it's not that easy, but it will help you to become aware
of how you study and what you could do differently.
Begin by thinking about your past experiences. How have you been studying?
Then decide whether you need to work differently this time.
"Learning to learn" is a very popular concept at the moment
- and there is a point. It's useful to know a bit about your own habits,
preferences and learning style. Think about the following:
Reading, writing and summarizing |
1. Do you like to read? Solve problems?
Memorize? Recite? Interpret? Speak to groups? |
2. Do you know how to summarize
and do you think it's useful? |
3. Do you try to understand the
whole before you go for the details? |
4. Do you review things and rewrite
essays? |
5. Do you ask questions about what
you've studied? |
Tests, where and how to study |
1. How do you communicate what
you've learned best? Through a written test, an essay or an interview/
discussion? |
2. Do you like to study in a quiet
environment or in a study group? |
3. Do you think you learn best
from several brief study sessions, or one longer one? |
4. Do you like having access to
information from a variety of sources or do you prefer to be told
where and how to read? |
Learning styles |
1. How do you think you learn best?
a) by listening, b) by reading, c) by doing something (drawing,
mind-mapping) or by d) watching pictures or a film? |
2. How do you learn new words?
a) by reviewing and writing, b) by watching television, films or
listen to lyrics, c) by reading textbooks, d) by playing games or
e) by reading things I enjoy. |
3. Are you easily bored and need
variation or do you prefer learning a language by doing similar
exercises and knowing what will happen? |
How to study now... |
1. What is your aim with this course? |
2. How much time do you want to
spend learning this? |
3. Do you know what to focus on? |
4. Do you know how to learn words,
idioms? |
5. Do you know how to improve your
language proficiency? |
6. Do you try to make it as fun
and interesting as possible? |
There are some places on the Net where you can take a learning style
inventory and read about studying skills. Here are a few if you're interested:
Learning to learn - information and a learning style inventory
(which is quite difficult to find, go to the site map).
How
to learn - a place with information about learning
styles and a test that you can take on line (they claim NASA uses the
same test).
Submit:
Now write a comment about your own studying habits, learning
style and your aim with this course. Save it in your portfolio.
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