Improve Your Study Skills: A Teach Yourself Guide

by Walmsley, Bernice

• ISBN13: 9780071749114
• ISBN10: 007174911X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-12
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

Whether you're starting a new course, undertaking training or simply want to pass your driving test, you will find this practical guide invaluable. Full of advice on how to maximize your study time, Improve Your Study Skills will give you all the skills you need to achieve your goals. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Bernice Walmsley is a full-time writer specializing in educational and business learning. She has a degree in social sciences, and is a widely published testing and study skills author.

Table of Contents

Meet the author	p. vii
Only got a minute?	p. viii
Only got five minutes?	p. x
Only got ten minutes?	p. xii
Introduction	p. 1
Who should read this book?	p. 1
How to use this book	p. 2
What are study skills? Can they be learned?	p. 3
Check your skills	p. 5
Study smarter - not harder or longer	p. 8
The power of positive thinking	p. 10
Getting organized	p. 16
Introduction	p. 16
Making a space for studying	p. 16
Making time for studying	p. 20
Time-saving tips	p. 23
Understanding your learning style	p. 29
Motivation	p. 33
Managing stress	p. 35
Getting an overview of your course	p. 39
Effective reading	p. 43
Introduction	p. 43
How reading for study is different from reading for pleasure	p. 43
Planning your reading task and setting goals	p. 45
Speed reading	p. 47
Skimming	p. 49
Active reading - developing a reading strategy	p. 50
Note taking	p. 60
When and why you need to take notes	p. 60
Note taking in lectures	p. 61
Easy ways to take notes	p. 63
How to take notes that work for you	p. 65
What to do with your notes	p. 69
Using technology to help with note taking	p. 70
Thinking critically	p. 74
Taking a critical approach to academic texts	p. 74
Finding the arguments	p. 75
Evaluating arguments	p. 84
Drawing conclusions	p. 85
Using a critical approach in your writing	p. 85
Research skills	p. 89
Finding out what you need to research	p. 89
Using the library	p. 91
Using the Internet	p. 94
Evaluating your research	p. 96
Improving your writing skills	p. 100
Why effective writing matters	p. 100
Types of writing task - and the different skills needed	p. 101
Grammar, punctuation and spelling	p. 103
Organization - a beginning, a middle and an end	p. 110
Signposting and other ways to improve	p. 114
Presenting numerical data	p. 117
Writing essays and reports	p. 130
What is an essay?	p. 130
Writing reports	p. 132
Presentations and other types of assignment	p. 134
Analysing the task	p. 150
Research	p. 155
Drawing up a map	p. 156
Getting to the first draft stage and editing	p. 162
Fine-tuning	p. 163
Using technology to learn	p. 167
Effective computer skills	p. 167
Getting organized	p. 171
What is e-learning?	p. 175
Online courses	p. 178
Online debating	p. 179
Revision skills	p. 182
Revision - not the time to learn something new	p. 182
Making a plan	p. 184
Organizing notes and other materials	p. 189
Revision techniques	p. 190
Memory	p. 195
Exam preparation	p. 200
Plan to pass	p. 200
Writing essays in exams	p. 203
The day before	p. 204
On the day	p. 205
Some common exam mistakes	p. 210
And finally, checking	p. 211
A different exam - the driving theory test	p. 212
Where to next?	p. 216
Introduction	p. 216
Pass or fail?	p. 216
Sources of information and support	p. 218
Moving on	p. 219
Getting help if you have problems	p. 221
Special problems	p. 223
Answers to quick tests	p. 225
Taking it further	p. 230
Index	p. 232
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