“Kiwi study skills course exported to UK” |
| Kiwi study skills course exported to UK Posted: 13 Sep 2010 02:52 PM PDT
Kiwi study skills course exported to UK A New Zealand-designed course in study skills is now being offered to secondary school children in Saturday morning seminars at UK universities, including City University in London and the universities of Birmingham, Southampton, Manchester, Bristol and Cambridge. University lecturer and Parnell Learning director, Bruce Johnstone, launched the StudyEdge course in New Zealand during 2009, and hundreds of New Zealand secondary school students attended his seminars and were inspired to discover independent learning techniques and become more successful students. The original New Zealand course has now been revised and updated to suit secondary students in New Zealand, Australia and the UK and is delivered as an introductory seminar backed up by online material. Students are connected to the StudyEdge virtual learning environment that delivers a wealth of extra readings, tests and audio-visual content. Because they can access material at a level that meets their individual needs, the course works for secondary students of different ages (13-18) and levels of academic ability. Dr Johnstone says UK students face a much more competitive education system and need to develop strong independent study skills if they are to succeed at GCSEs, then A levels, and then go on to secure a university place and complete a degree. This year some 190,000 UK students qualified for university, but were not able to obtain a university place. Many who missed out will try again next year and this will make the pressure on university places even more intense. He says UK parents appreciate the importance of good study habits and skills and are very keen to give their children every advantage they can. Lack of motivation is a big problem for many teenagers, who find it very hard to get started on difficult homework. When teenagers are finding school work hard, they will often blame the subject, and say it is boring, rather than admit they are struggling. Dr Johnstone observes that boys in particular often switch off from class study and homework, and distract themselves with sport or video games. Girls are more anxious to please teachers and parents, he says, and may appear to be putting in long hours of diligent study. But if they are struggling to come to grips with an assignment, they may devote homework hours to producing a pretty cover, and avoid tackling the real learning task. Teenage girls are often preoccupied by their complex social lives and distracted during study time by a constant stream of text messages from their friends. Dr Johnstone observes that the most successful students are highly motivated because they have set personal academic and career goals. They stay motivated because they have a vision for their future and pursue it enthusiastically – even when faced with difficult tasks. These students use simple but effective independent study techniques to beat procrastination, avoid distractions and manage their study time and energy. These top students have carefully worked out exam-taking strategies, and do not rely on cramming at the last minute. Instead they work consistently right through the school year and extract maximum value out of class time. These students make better use of the teaching they receive and their own academic ability. They achieve superior grades through better independent study skills. Dr Johnstone adds that students with better study skills seem to suffer less stress and still have time for the sport, recreation, social and family activities that they use to restore and maintain their energy and focus. They experience learning as rewarding and enjoyable and seem to absorb and retain information and ideas almost effortlessly. "Advanced study techniques do not come naturally to teenagers. Young people start out with no experience of setting goals, planning time and tackling difficult tasks. These are vital life skills that we have to learn and strengthen as we become adults", says Dr Johnstone. Going beyond goal setting and motivation, the StudyEdge course provides valuable tips, tricks and systematic approaches to studying course material, taking notes, revising and memorising facts, figures, formulas and concepts. Dr Johnstone is offering the new StudyEdge course in a single New Zealand seminar in Auckland on 16 October. Details and bookings are online at www.studyedge.co.nz. StudyEdge Study Skills Seminar programme: Date: Location: 16 October, 2010 Clifton's, Tower Building, 45 Queen St., Auckland, New Zealand 23 October, 2010. Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, East Midlands Region, UK 30 October, 2010. University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK 6 November, 2010. University of Southampton, Southampton, South East, UK 13 November, 2010. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Eastern Region, UK 20 November, 2010. City University, Greater London, UK 27 November, 2010. University of Leeds, Leeds, Yorkshire & the Humber, UK 04 December, 2010. University of Bristol, Bristol, South West, UK 11 December, 2010. University of Manchester, Manchester, North West, UK ENDS This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php | |||||
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