more study skills advice

New participant presentation | Margaret | January 17th, 2004

Dear all,

Just wanted to write a quick hello and present myself. I am currently working in Italy at the Polytechnic of Turin teaching English to engineering and architecture undergraduate students. I started teaching in Spain- 2 years (IH Madrid- general English) and then moved to Italy (10 years ago) where I have taught business, general and ESP. I have a degree in Social Policy (don't ask me what that is because I can't remember very much about it any more), a CTEFLA and a DipTEFLA.

I started the course about 3 months ago and haven't got very far yet. I'm just finishing the 4 th unit of the Foundation module. I decided to join the masters programme because I felt I was getting stale and needed a bit of guided input in order to deal with the work situation at the Polytechnic.

I would very much like to hear from anyone who has already completed the FND about their approach to study and what techniques, materials they found useful as well as any FND participants who would like to discuss some of the tasks that come up in the units.

Look forward to our next communication,

Margaret

Re: New participant presentation | Dominic Marini | January 17th, 2004

Margaret,

Hello from Japan! I'm afraid I don't remember much about the Foundation Module (I've just started the dissertation) but I just wanted to say hello and give you this free advice. The whole program runs on the dual premises that you are here to improve your teaching and that you are the "expert" when it comes to your own teaching. What your tutors want to see is how you can apply the theory in the binders, articles, books, to what you are actually doing when you step into the classroom. You will learn a lot about yourself and your teaching from the process of clearly and rationally articulating your rationale for your teaching practice. Good luck!

Dominic

Re: New participant presentation | Jerry Talandis Jr. | January 18th, 2004

Hello Margaret,

This is Jerry Talandis, from Toyama, Japan. Welcome to the discussion list (DL). It's always great to see new people come on board.

I've been on the program for about 2.5 years, and I'm only 40% done. I'm really going to have to make some progress this year. So, my advice to you is don't get bogged down! Figure out your study system early, and don't try to do everything in every module (unless you have tons of free time for study). I like what Dominic said: focus on applying what you learn to your situation, and you'll learn a lot.

You asked about approaches to study, techniques, and materials. Everyone has the same sorts of questions when they come on board. If you haven't already, you can read other past DL discussions about these topics at this website to see what those have gone before you have done. I hope you can learn from their experiences.

Good luck with everything! I hope you can find some fellow FNDers to work with. But, feel free to post a question to this list anytime. You'll be surprised at how much you'll learn.

Jerry

Re: New participant presentation | Raymond Sheehan | January 18th, 2004

Hi Margaret,

Welcome to the list! I agree with everything Jerry has said. His archived material of past discussions is a great addition. Phil's EFL support website is also very helpful. It would also be good to browse through some past newsletters. And of course this list can be a great source of contact, information and sharing.

I started the MSc three years ago and my dissertation goes in the mail in a couple of days, so it can definitely be done in that amount of time- while still continuing to have a life, holidays, etc.!!! I agree with Gerry that the worst that can happen is that you get bogged down in one unit or module.

What I have gained most from this whole process (beginning with the 500 word limitation of the FND assignments) is that my writing has greatly improved. It is on the quality of the assignments that you will be 'judged'- not on how many kilos of Widdowson or Nunan you manage to ingest! The most efficient way to get through a module is to find a focus that interests you very early on, narrow it down as much as you can (it can never be too narrow) and then streamline your reading to dig deep into that narrowly focused area and give some resonance to your own research. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that it's best not to get bogged down on preliminary reading or reading around the subject. Some key words in the course are ACTION and REFLECTION and the reading supports these: the Reading itself should not become a substitute for action and reflection.

Former CPs have written very useful stuff on planning your time- which you can find archived on Jerry's site.

Also- don't miss any of the Aston visits to Japan (as if you would). We have had three Aston visits since I started the course and they have all been hugely helpful.

Good luck, and enjoy!!!

Raymond
UAE

Re: New participant presentation | Margaret | January 18th, 2004

Thanks Dominic,

I think I've been slightly missing the point for a while. I'll try and gather a bit of data and see if I can make a bit more headway.

Jerry, thanks for making contact. I took your advice about the DL Archive and found it a useful resource not only for ideas, but also as a way in to using the list too.

Good luck with the rest of your course.