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Dear Students

Too many times you see good, capable students not achieving the results they desire and possibly deserve:

WHY?

A major reason is poor organization. Another contributing factor is poor time management. We have previously looked at and discussed some ways to help students with their time management like making a study timetable, so today we are going to focus on poor organization or more importantly ways to improve your organization.

Many students’ marks suffer particularly when it comes to project work especially when it involves working with other students. What can YOU do to become a more organized student?

1.      Attend classes regularly. This is important as many aspects of the report or project criteria are discussed. Teachers frequently “go over” and explain components of projects and assessment a number of times during a course. Breaking it down for students into manageable pieces.

2.      Timelines. Often you are given timelines which help to guide your planning and work time. Try to keep to these time schedules. Don’t leave everything to the last minute as this means you will rush your work, not producing your best. Allow enough time to research your project properly then write your project and report using your own words; don’t just copy words from other sources. It is also important to always reference your work.

3.      Ask for help.  Always ask your teacher for help if you are unsure. Clarify any parts of your work or assessment you don’t understand or are not sure about. Teachers will often ask you to show them aspects of the assessment as you go along to check you ‘are on the right track.’ Accept their offers of help.

4.      Check your work.  Just like when writing an essay read through your project or assignment before you submit it. Check your spelling and grammar. Check again to make sure you have completed all the required tasks. Tick them off a checklist as you put your project together.

5.      Teamwork. Projects are designed to encourage students to work together, try to work effectively with other students. If this isn’t working speak to the members in your group. If this is unsuccessful speak to your teacher. Remember to adopt a mature attitude towards towards your work and studies.

Dear Students,

When you are studying English you will encounter writing for many purposes. For example when you are completing assignments and projects you may need to write a report. You may keep a journal which is a great way to improve your writing skills and obviously there is also essay writing which can also often be called timed writing.  This is a popular way for most institutions to quickly assess your writing abilities.

Funnily enough essay writing is often the most feared component of any studies for students. They often say “it’s the hardest aspect of learning”.

Essay writing does not however need to be feared. In fact it is really the easiest form of writing as there is a set structure to follow and lots of guidelines. If you follow the simple steps to writing a good essay you can’t go wrong.

Firstly it is important to understand what an essay is. The dictionary defines an essay as ‘a short piece of writing on a particular subject’.  As you are given the topic you don’t need to spend time thinking about what to write that has already been decided for you. I think it is also important to remember that generally you are answering a question.

Initially when you begin essay writing you are often given a topic that asks if you agree or disagree with the statement made. It is always important to keep that question in mind when you are formulating your response or answer. Later as your writing improves and essay topics get harder you may be asked to present both side s of an argument.

So the important thing to remember is that fundamentally you are answering a question which is why we suggest that the first step is to turn the topic into a question. Then each paragraph consists of an idea that either agrees or disagrees with the question. This is your topic sentence and usually the first sentence of the paragraph. Also included in each paragraph is the explanation for your idea. This is called the supporting sentence. The supporting sentence or sentences should explain WHY. You also need to provide an example, to show how this applies.

As we have discussed many times if you follow the essay structure of

INTRODUCTION: which includes your general statement about the topic follow by a specific statement then your thesis statement, which side of the argument you are presenting.

BODY: the paragraphs with your main ideas or topic sentence followed by your supporting sentences and an example.

CONCLUSION: summary of your main points and your thesis statement restated

Then with some planning and brainstorming before you begin this writing process essay writing becomes easier and easier.

Once you understand the structure and follow the steps, all you have to do is focus on the planning and brainstorming. The actually writing is simple and doesn’t take up much time at all.

Planning is really the most important aspect of good essay writing. Good planning really makes a difference to successfully writing. Lastly I am also often amazed at how many students don’t plan their writing just rush forward and secondly how many students don’t CHECK their writing. They are so happy to be finished that they don’t take that extra few minutes to read through what they have written. Reread the topic and check you have answered the question. Also look for spelling mistakes, check your grammar and punctuation. This takes only a few minutes and could make the difference between good writing and successfully getting the score you want.

Why not share some of your writing triumphant with us and help other students along the way.  Remember the best way to learn is to connect, communicate and share.

Hi Everyone,

It can be really fun when you are learning a new language and start to master some of the informal aspects of that language. Nowadays with text messaging it’s easy to quickly learn and ‘pick up’ these informal uses of language. Some examples are -:

1.      You                       u                           

2.      at                          @                         

3.      see you                c u

While it is fun learning and using these with friends, it’s important to remember they have no place when writing using formal language.

Contractions (the short form of a word) are another way written English differs when using formal and informal language.

In formal speech and writing we do not use contractions. When making a speech or presentation you would speak like this -:

Good afternoon everyone, firstly I would like to say thank you to the Mayor of Bright Town for inviting me here today ….

Whereas in informal speech or writing we usually use contractions.

For example -:  I’d like to says thanks to all my fans for coming to see me today ….

Here are some more example of sentences using conrtactions and then without using conrtactions

1.      Do not worry                                                  Don’t worry

2.      You should not smoke                                 You shouldn’t smoke

3.      Who would like an ice cream?                   Who’d like an ice cream?

4.      I did not like it.                                               I didn’t like it.

TIP:

People will understand you if you don’t use contractions when you speak, but contractions help you to speak faster and more smoothly. It is very important to understand contractions in order to improve your listening skills.

 Keep practicing, communicating and connecting!