“Prepare for Success” Academic Year 2011/2012

Agenda The language challenge…ENGLISH The study challenge…Studying differently and independently!

The Language Challenge Question: We are in Nepal and (almost) everyone understands Nepali. So why is there such a big focus on English in this college and in this course? There are two answers to this question. What do you think they are?

The Language Challenge Answer 1: This is an English qualification, and all assessment questions are written with the assumption that you have a high English standard. Answer 2: This is a truly international degree, and it is assumed that, one day, you may want to live, study or work overseas (e.g. UK, US, Oz, Singapore). Hence, we prepare you for this.

Remember this? Marking rubric for a Year 3 module:

The Language Challenge Watch this video, then discuss some of the challenges the students were facing

English Practice Website 1 BBC World Service “Learning English” sh/index.shtml

English Practice Website 1 BBC: Understand foreign culture and accent

English Practice Website 1 BBC: Learn proper British pronunciation

English Practice Website 1 BBC: Play games

English Practice Website 1 BBC: …and many more!

English Practice Website 2 British Council Quick Grammar Reference grammar

English Practice Website 2 Lots of opportunities to practice!

Studying Differently Do you agree with the following statement? “Most lecturers in my country write down everything on the blackboard. So we only take notes from that; we usually don't take notes by listening” _being_taught_on_your_course.html

Three Main Differences There are three main differences with regards to studying for a UK degree: 1)Different modes of learning for different objectives – Lectures, Tutorials, Workshops 2)A focus on independent learning, but balanced with significant group work – 15 credits = 150 hours =60 hours (in-class) + 90 hours (self) 3)A focus on reading books and journals, and writing essays – What’s why you have the LondonMet eLibrary access!

In Lectures… Take notes! See sample lecture notes below; without your own notes, it’s hard to understand what’s going on!

In Tutorials… Ask questions! See sample of tutorial lesson material below; if you don’t ask, you wouldn’t know!

In Workshops… Solve Problems! See sample workshop activity below; if you don’t do, you wouldn’t learn!

Study Independently; Work Collaboratively edu.sg/cdtl/staff/ Research/CDTLM SNo_2.pdf

Any questions at this stage?

For your own self-study, visit both the “Practice English” websites

For the workshop, you will be visiting various websites introduced in this lesson, and trying the learning activities there