The Good Study Guide [antikvár]

Preface This book sets out to help you improve your study skills, whether you are just starting to study, or have been studying for some time. If you are a 'beginner' you may not be sure how well you will cope with serious reading. You may have difficulty concentrating and wonder whether anything is 'going in'. You may wonder how and when to take notes. You may feel unsure about writing essays. This book will help you to confront such issues and find new ways forward. On the other hand, if you are a more experienced student, you may be getting on reasonably well but want to develop further some particular aspect of studying, such as structuring essays, or planning your strategy for an exam. This book is organized in such a way as to make it easy to look up specific topics which are relevant to you, whatever the stage of studying you have reached. It is designed to be a reference book which you can return to regularly over many years as you continue courses of study and meet new challenges. The book has a strong practical focus derived from many years of discussing study processes with students and working out ways of developing new skills. It draws most on the experience of students of Open University social science courses. Because of this it is especially relevant to anyone who is returning to study as an adult after a long 'lay off and anyone who is studying part-time. On the other hand, the book is not only for people who are starting studies at degree level, or for people studying social sciences. It is for anyone studying a course which involves reading texts and writing essays and it is deliberately written to be useful even if you are a long way off thinking about studying at degree level. In fact, it was specifically intended for use by students taking Community Education courses with the Open University, as well as for use by students of the Social Sciences Foundation Course. It will also be useful for students of many arts and humanities courses. It is not a book of quick, 'off-the-shelf remedies for study problems. This is because it is written in the beUef that becoming a good student is a long-term process of changing habits of working and ways of thinking about what you are trying to achieve; in the belief indeed that learning to study effectively is one of the most challenging and satisfying undertakings open to us, and is therefore deserving of serious thought and effort. However, it is not a book full of dry, formal instruction and rules. Instead, it is based on practical exercises and carefully discussed real examples, so that you can think for yourself about the processes of studying and work out new approaches which will suit your learning style and your circumstances. I'/¦