Chapter 5 Study Skills GR10 PDF

Chapter 5 : Study skills 1. Study skills = your abilities to listen, read, understand, concentrate, remember and organise your learning material, and manage your studying time. 1.1. Improve your listening, reading and comprehension skills ∙ Listening - Listen carefully to what is said...

Chapter 5 : Study skills 1. Study skills = your abilities to listen, read, understand, concentrate, remember and organise your learning material, and manage your studying time. 1.1. Improve your listening, reading and comprehension skills ∙ Listening - Listen carefully to what is said - Look and listen. - Make notes. - Ask questions. - Repeat content in your own words. ∙ Reading and comprehension - Read more slowly than usual. - Read the material more than once. - Reading out loud may help you understand. - Ask who?, what?, where? and when? , while you are reading. - Make notes and underline important words. - Look up new words in a dictionary. - Make sure you understand what you are reading. - Read small sections at a time. 1.2. Increase your concentration and memory skills ∙ Avoid distractions. ∙ Find a quiet place to study ∙ Switch off cell phone ∙ Put up a “do not disturb” sign ∙ Take deep breaths and stretch regularly ∙ Take a 5 minute break every hour ∙ Try studying in a group ∙ Reward yourself when you have completed a section ∙ Understand what you want to remember ∙ Make summaries and learn them ∙ Make a mind picture of what you want to remember ∙ Learn actively ∙ Tell someone else what you have learnt ∙ Make acronyms 1.3. Organise and manage your time ∙ Watch out for the following time wasters : ∙ Computer games ∙ Cut / file your nails ∙ Read all the messages you have send and receive on your cell phone ∙ Let people interrupt you ∙ Get organised: ∙ Draw up a table / schedule and stick to it ∙ Balance study time with rest and exercise ∙ Take regular short breaks ∙ Spend more time on weaker subjects ∙ Study during the time of day that you have the most energy ∙ Keep all the things you need to study in one place ∙ Avoid time wasters ∙ Once a week, have an overview of the next weeks responsibilities 2. Study methods = ways to study, learn and remember 2.1. Note taking ∙ Listen carefully to the teacher ∙ Listen with an aim ∙ Use abbreviations and symbols when you take notes ∙ Use short sentences and key words ∙ Write down only the main points ∙ Group ideas together ∙ Use your own words ∙ Connect ideas with arrows and lines ∙ Underline / highlight important facts 2.2. Mind mapping ∙ Write the topic in the middle of the page  ∙ Write the heading / subheadings around the topic ∙ Group similar headings together ∙ Join the topic and headings with lines / arrows ∙ Add facts and ideas, only using keywords ∙ Use colour / different fonts ∙ The mind map should be an “at glance” summary of the content 2.3. Construct an essay / assignment ∙ Understand the topic ∙ Olan your task / essay ∙ Write an introduction ∙ Write the body of the essay ∙ Show what you know ∙ Stick to the topic ∙ Write a conclusion 2.4. Select concepts and content ∙ Look at the headings and subheadings of each chapter; it will give you a good idea of what is important. ∙ Look for keywords. 3. Critical, creative and problem-solving skills 3.1. Critical thinking = evaluate or judge ideas Ask yourself the following questions : ∙ Is this a fact ? ∙ Is this an opinion ? ∙ Is it a belief ? ∙ Is it a generalisation ? ∙ Is it important and core information ? ∙ Who said / wrote this ? ∙ How is it the same / different from existing knowledge ?  ∙ When was it written / said ? 3.2. Creative thinking - generate, produce or make new ideas; think in different ways; give unusual or other ideas. ∙ Look for many possible answers. ∙ Brainstorm ideas. ∙ Draw pictures. ∙ Ask yourself questions such as “ What if... ?” ∙ Ask the question as many times as possible, providing a different answer each time. 3.3. Problem solving = offer solutions ∙ First you have to know what the problem is. ∙ Write down what you know. What are facts ? ∙ What information do you need ? Gather the information. ∙ List the possible options or choices or solutions. ∙ Decide on the best solution. Give a reason for your choice. ∙ Check how well you have done. Is the solution the correct one ? Did it have the required outcome? 4. Process of assessment 4.1. Internal and external assessment ∙ Internal assessment ∙ Happens inside the school ∙ Tasks set and marked by teachers ∙ Informal assessment is not for marks that need to be recorded, but it is used by the teachers to assess your performance and progress. ∙ Formal assessment is part of the assessment program and is recorded and used for promotion / progression purposes. ∙ External assessment ∙ Takes the form of examinations ∙ Question papers are set outside the school by the district, province or national department