Study Skills

1
Study Skills

• For Students of English

2
English as Your Language of Instruction p.1

• Motivation
• Concentration
• Distraction
• Place of Study
• Time of Study

3
Motivation

• Inside Your hopes and expectations
• Outside Grades (small, artificial steps to
  ultimate goal)

4
Concentration

• How and why is the subject important?
• How is the subject related to other subjects,
  other times, places, problems and purposes?
• Interest depends on understanding

5
Distraction How to avoid?

• May not have 100 control
• Choose your time and place to study
• Keep good health

6
Place of Study

• To increase efficiency
• Ideally if you have your private room
• A desk specifically reserved for studying
• Quiet environment
• Optimal lighting and temperature

7
Time of Study Plan your work and work your plan

• 1 or 2 hours early in the morning
• Definite time schedule
• Dont allow your work to accumulate
• Never cram materials 2 days before exam
• 1-hour lesson 2-hour study time
• Trade time, dont steal it.

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Learning Vocabulary of English p.47

• By Phonograms
• By Guessing meaning from Context
• By Word Formation
• Prefix word stem suffix
• Changing Parts of Speech
• Present and past participles as Adjectives
• Word stems

9
Recording the Meaning of Words p.75

• File cards/ Note book
• New word on a separate card
• Copy meaning, pronunciation, part of speech,
  usage on 4 columns
• Arrange cards alphabetically
• Review regularly
• Check mark beside difficult word

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Writing an Outline organization of related ideas
p.81

• Useful for
• Analyze ideas when reading (summary of ideas)
• Organize ideas when writing (expansion of ideas)

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How An Outline Is Written p.81

• System of indenting, numbering and lettering
• 2. Heading
• Topic Outline
• Sentence Outline

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Outlining Before Writing p.90

• Expository writing expose facts or ideas by
  presenting, explaining, or interpreting
• Brainstorming of ideas
• Delete irrelevant points
• organize your ideas by organizing main ideas and
  supporting details systematically
• One main pointgt One paragraph
• Descending order of importance

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Improving your Reading p.95

• Reading speed Vs Comprehension
• Achieve a comfortable balance
• Dont vocalize words
• Try pointing at lines but not words
• Speed increases with a better knowledge of
  grammar and usage
• Speed varies depending on material and purposes
  of reading
• Regression unavoidable

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Ways of reducing uncertainty Predicting p.100

• Visual information (by actual looking at it )
• Orthographic information (by phonograms)
• Grammatical information (by rules of grammar)
• Semantic information ( by logical deduction)
• Revising if necessary (when more, new information
  comes up)

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Recognizing Paragraph Patterns while Reading
p.122

• Paragraphs of Analysis
• Paragraphs of Description
• Paragraphs of Comparison and Contrast
• Paragraphs of Analogy
• Paragraphs of Definition

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Paragraphs of Analysis deductive organization

• Function to analyze a topic
• Moves from General to the Particular
• Main ideas introduced at the beginning of the
  paragraph (topic sentence) or as a conclusion at
  the end
• Supporting details causes, effects, reasons,
  methods, purposes

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Paragraphs of Description

• Physical description general to specific or
  vice versa
• Description of a process order of sequence,
  imperatives

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Paragraphs of Comparison and Contrast

• Main idea is it similar or different?
• Supporting details descriptions examples
  definitions

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Paragraphs of Analogy

• Purpose clarifying an abstract idea by comparing
  it to a more concrete, visualizable example
• Start with a clearly stated Topic sentence
• Followed by Comparison to reduce it to a common,
  easily comprehended situation for better
  understanding.

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Paragraphs of Definition

• Purposes define, explain, clarify the meaning
• Includes analysis, comparison or contrast,
  description, an analogy
• Main idea topic sentence at the beginning or as
  conclusion at the end

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Reference

• Relate ideas to each other
• Signals syntactic or semantic connection within
  and between sentences
• Can refer back to ideas mentioned, or forward to
  ideas yet to be stated

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Connectives p.130

• Better understanding increases reading speed
• Helps prediction of the subsequent ideas in
  reading
• Helps flow and elaboration of ideas when writing

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Functions of Connectives

• Signal Results consequently, accordingly
• Signal Contrast nevertheless, in spite of
• Signal Addition in addition, furthermore
• Signal Examples for instance
• Signal Series or Time Sequence to begin with,
  finally

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Making Good Notes p.185

• Requires active participation
• Demands full attention
• Be alert to the thought of speaker
• Be able to differentiate important ideas

Critical Thinking Skills
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How to keep a note book

• Use an outline
• Use a large loose-leaf notebook
• Use ink, colour pencils for visual effect
• Title each page with course name and date
• Leave wide margin on the left or right for review

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Purpose of making notes

• Guide you through carefully through the course
  (Outline)
• Aid your thinking by referring to the main points
  (Highlight)
• Remind you later the development and relationship
  of essential ideas (Macro view of idea-Mind Map)

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How to make notes effectively?

• Distinguish the relative importance of ideas,
  facts /opinions (Thinking Skills)
• Write rapidly and clearly (regular practice
  essential) using symbols or abbreviations, the
  exact words of which should be written later
• Practice with outlining written materials first
  especially arranging topic sentence, subordinate
  details, connectives, transition and conclusion