by Bill Sheate
A lifelong skill
As an academic and as a therapist I’ve observed over the last couple of decades a steady decline in students’ general ability to take notes. Why might that be and so what? Well, note taking is a skill that previous generations took for granted because we had no choice – in a lecture we were never given handouts let alone copies of slides or the option to watch it again (or for the first time) on video! You had to filter what was important and what was not. And so, the skill was learned through years of practice; learning by doing …... [Read more]
by Bill Sheate
Imperial College Union - ‘Under Pressure’ campaign - Wednesday 20 March 2019
As part of ICU’s regular ‘Under Pressure’ campaign, I’m offering this free taster session ‘Anxiety, Stress, Worry?……’ for Imperial College London students that introduces some simple, practical techniques for understanding and dealing with stressful situations, anxiety and worry. Common for many students studying at Imperial (as elsewhere) are problems that arise in dealing with issues like perfectionism, and academic deadlines, workload and exams (at all levels - UG, PGT & PGR), as well as many other personal issues. …….
by Bill Sheate
Why do we do it?
Surprisingly, perhaps, procrastination is often used as a coping strategy; procrastinating - delaying doing something you need to do - in order to reduce the anxiety you might feel as you contemplate doing a task that might appear to be overwhelming, e.g. an essay; a group project; or revision for an exam. Procrastination is typically an avoidant behaviour, ……..
by Bill Sheate
Exam performance is not the only - and may not be the best - measure of success
Rob Rinder - in his recent comment piece (17 August 2018) for the London Evening Standard "Failing to get the exam results you want could be the best thing that happens to you — just look at me" - hit the nail on the head. As he said:
"I am convinced that the more pressure we place on the single moment of exam results, the more we detract from nurturing the intellectual and emotional range that turns young people into successful adults and good citizens…….”
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by Bill Sheate
Changing your approach
At advanced levels - especially postgraduate - exams are less about what you know and more about how you apply your knowledge and understanding to problem-based situations. They’re not there so much to test your knowledge, as to be part of making learning possible, for example as opportunities to apply higher order learning skills like analysis, synthesis and evaluation (and creativity). There are some very simple hints and tips that can make all the difference to your exam technique, especially for essay-type questions – the whole way in which you perceive an exam, approach it, prepare for it and sit it..........
by Bill Sheate
Oh no..... exams!
For many at university, exams and deadlines become the primary focus for their approach to learning, fueled in part by an education system prior to university that benchmarks individuals throughout their school career....... Turning the whole approach around can be a much more helpful way of looking at assessments and exams.........
