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Extra: Read how to make more of your studies

Site: MyCourses
Course: MLI20A014 - Stress and Time Management – Workshops 6.10.2021 - 21.10.2021
Book: Extra: Read how to make more of your studies
Printed by: Guest user
Date: Wednesday, 26 June 2024, 3:29 PM

Description

Read this "book" of tips how to make more of your studies.

You can read about the following issues in this section:

  • How to get more interested in the studies?
  • Do you know what you are supposed to learn in the courses?
  • Do you get feedback for your studying?
  • Can studying in a group be beneficial?

Table of contents

1. Appeal of studies


Do you find the courses in your subject interesting? Do you think that the contents taught in your subject are relevant? Do you enjoy studying at the university? What makes you study? Is your study motivation high or perhaps non-existent?

As people, we often consider that we either have or do not have motivation to do something, and that there is hardly anything that can be done about motivation. When looking at motivation in slightly more detail, it is apparent that it can vary a lot according to situations, tasks or time. It is also not unheard of for a person to get enthusiastic about something they have never shown any interest in before. On the other hand, sometimes it also happens that a person loses his or her motivation, and something they have previously found highly exciting becomes boring to them. What influences motivation? And can you influence motivation?

Motivation is strongly influenced by how much background information you have on a topic. It is difficult to be excited about something you know nothing about! On the other hand, long-term interest and highly developed expertise often lead to increasingly in-depth efforts with the same topic and make the person interested in more and more new details. Therefore, it is worth giving new things a change also in studies, even though, as we all know, it may seem difficult at first.

  • You should first spend, for instance, a month getting familiar with a subject that you are not particularly enthusiastic about before deciding on whether you find it interesting or not.
  • You will probably get far more interested in the teaching if you prepare for classes and already have an idea, for example what is going to be discussed during the lecture.

Your personal values also have major impact on motivation. What is meaningful, important and valuable for you in life? What you are willing to make a lot of effort for: A good standard of living, an international career, family, progress in technology, new innovations or perhaps more sustainable development? How is your current study related to the matters that are important to you?

  • One way for building motivation involves listing your values and matters that are important to you on a piece of paper and considering course by course how each of them can take you closer to the things you find meaningful. Nearly every course can help you find a perspective or a component that helps you move towards your personal goals – and perhaps you can focus your study on that issue.
  • Of course, it may sometimes be that a course appears to have no personal value at all but the student has to force himself or herself to take it from start to finish. When it comes to an individual course, you may take the easy way out with as little effort as possible, but if you have to force yourself to your entire studies, it might be time to check your personal values and think about what you would like to spend your time on.

The third important component of motivation is enjoyment, feeling good and having fun studying. Many enjoy studying on its own; realising and understanding things and coming up with something new. Some enjoy studying with others, while others prefer lectures and participating in practical exercises. For some students, good academic performance and excellent grades are the main source of satisfaction. Some get their kicks on seeing their credits in the study register and knowing that they are close to graduating and entering the labour market. Joy of study can arise from a number of things. What is important is to recognise what you personally enjoy and make your studies look like you. This ensures that you have enough strength to make an effort and strain yourself even when the topic is difficult or boring.

  • Think about what you enjoy about studying, what gives you satisfaction. And then try to shape studying to look like you. If you get bored during lectures, go to a library or start a study group where participants teach things to each other.

A number of issues external to studying can also affect motivation. For example, your own or a loved one's disease may drain you and finding enthusiasm to study may become difficult. Separating from a partner and falling greatly in love may cause such emotional turbulence that studies will feel almost like nothing for half a year. For many people, the time of day may also affect alertness and thus also motivation. One person is enthusiastic in the morning, but will no longer be able to concentrate in the afternoon. Another is inspired to study at the peaceful hours of the night.

Indeed, self-knowledge and respect for one's life situation are important for regulating motivation.

2. Alignment of studies: Do you know what you are supposed to learn?

Do you know what you are supposed to learn in the courses? Is it clear to you what the objectives and main learning contents of the course are? Are you taught these main contents or something else entirely? Moreover, is it clear to you what the basis for course assessment is and on what grounds are grades given? And do final examinations and exercises test the subjects that are essential according to the course objectives or are they perhaps focused on something else? All of these issues are a matter of alignment. This means streamlining everything involved in teaching: objectives, teaching contents, working methods and assessment. It is also important that you as a student perceive this alignment. This enables high-quality and also efficient studying.

In high quality teaching, the teacher normally makes sure that the teaching is aligned and clearly communicates this to the student. The teacher should explain what the students will learn in the course, what is central to the instruction and what is less essential. The teacher should also inform the students about working and assessment methods used in the course and how these will help students learn the central contents of the course.

As a student, you are also responsible for finding out information about these different factors affecting the alignment of teaching. Good sources of information include course descriptions, introductions and back covers of textbooks or lecture materials, other students (particularly those who have already taken the course) as well as teachers. Find out

1)      What you should learn in the course and what you already know about it

2)      What is essential in the course and what is less important

3)      What is assessed in the course, how will it be assessed.

4)      How will you best reach the objectives of the course and succeed in the assessment.

Once you are able to give good answers to these questions, it is likely that you will be able to make most of the course with a reasonable amount of work.

3. Getting feedback


Feedback is one of the cornerstones of learning. Are you getting enough feedback? And does the feedback help you understand difficult matters and develop studying methods of your own? If you have experienced this, there is a good starting point for your learning. On the other hand, if you feel that you are not getting any feedback as such, it is worth seeking it in order to enhance your learning.

There are many ways for getting feedback. People often feel that feedback is primarily provided when they are, for instance, getting a grade for an examination, development suggestions for an exercise or thesis advisor's comments to a thesis. This kind of feedback is important and can be utilised in learning. However, feedback can also take much more mundane and continuous shapes.

  • Bounce around some idea related to your studies with a fellow student and he or she will probably give you a new idea and an opportunity for understanding something better.
  • Try to solve a mathematics assignment or program a piece of code. If you are not able to correctly solve the equation or the code does not work, you have gotten feedback that will make you do things differently.
  • Read learning materials and perhaps you will notice that you have understood something differently that how it was in the material. This way, you are getting feedback of sorts from the material, which in turn makes it possible for you to learn new things.

A precondition for getting any feedback is trying to succeed, asking for feedback and being willing to accept feedback even though it does not always feel that great. When you notice that you have misunderstood something or do not have the necessary ability yet, you are forced to confront your incompleteness and inadequacy, which can be hurtful at times. On the other hand, learning about new things with the help of feedback can bring about inspiring learning experiences.

A key characteristic of good feedback is that it genuinely tries to help you develop. If it points out that there is still need for practice or learning in some area, it should also explain how it is possible to develop and what could be done differently. You may also ask about these things when receiving feedback. Ask:

  • Where should I develop?
  • What do I not understand yet or am I still unable to do?
  • How or with what kind of a technique could I practise in order to learn new things?

In the ideal case, the person giving the feedback and the person getting it are wondering together, trying to understand each other in order to better understand something in collaboration.

4. Learning in a group

Why study in a group?

Expert communities aim to construct knowledge: solving problems, producing new ideas, increasing knowledge in the community. Also with studies, it is not recommended to merely focus on increasing one's own knowledge but, instead, it is better to learn the knowledge building abilities needed in expert work.

If we are solving problems in a group, it is possible for us to operate in out so-called close development zone. This means that the support of others will allow us to solve problems slightly beyond our own competence level. Discussions and reciprocal teaching of the studied contents help structuring information and expanding perspectives.

Do you feel that group work takes a lot of time and the work is inefficient? This might be the case if there is no shared vision of the following matters in the group:

  • the goal of the group: what is the group aiming to accomplish together, what do they want to learn – how is the goal reached in practice
  • roles in the group: how are tasks and responsibilities divided
  • communications in the group: how is communication realised, how does communicating promote the goal of the group and a team spirit in the group
  • timetable: what is the timetable for doing things, what interim goals are set, how is sticking to the timetable and the progress of assignments followed.

 

Communications in the group

When we are working in a group, we need both task-oriented as well as relationship-oriented communication skills.

Task-oriented communication skills help furthering the actual task of the group:

  • express your opinion clearly and with justifications
  • be precise in asking for things, information and justifications
  • analyse and determine problems
  • give alternatives for solutions, weigh their justifications

Relationship-oriented communication skills help the group to act as a group and work for a common goal:

  • show appreciation towards others: be genuinely present, listen with focus, encourage and provide support to others
  • help others: discuss and do things together with others and try to make sure that every member of the group learns and is able to reach the goals
  • show that you trust others: share your knowledge and teach skills to others and agree well enough on the group's operating methods so that you will not have to control others

 

The principles of constructive feedback:

  • First, ask what the person thinks about his or her performance and listen to what he or she has to say.
  • First, state what is positive clearly and honestly. By highlighting positive things, you are creating a shared view and helping the person receive critical feedback.
  • Give feedback on the output or activities. The feedback must always be focused on the output or activities, not the person's characteristics or features.
  • Present critical comments accurately and constructively, preferably in the form of questions, such as 'could you further specify the idea you presented using practical examples?'
  • Allow the person to decide how he or she will take the feedback into account.

 

References and further reading:

Dutton Jane (2003): Energize Your Workplace – How to Create and Sustain High-Quality Connections at Work.

Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen (2008): Tutkiva oppiminen – Järki, tunteet ja kulttuuri oppimisen sytyttäjinä.

5. Networking

SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND NETWORKING

Social relationships are important for mental health. People need other people in order to feel well. A number of things affect the way behave with other people, including inherent temperament, life history, learned social skills, the current environment and personal well-being. Good social relationships bring joy and give strength and support. Sometimes finding friends and networks can feel difficult. People might have to struggle to build interpersonal relationships supporting well-being and networks supporting studies and working life.

How am I with others?

At the beginning of studies, people have usually already formed a conception of how they are as group members. For example, the conceptions may be as follows:

  • I am shy
  • It is easy for me to talk to people
  • I am anxious about joining a new group
  • I enjoy being in a large group
  • I am most comfortable in small groups or one-on-one with someone
  • I do not like being alone
  • I need quiet time on my own
  • I am talkative
  • I first think things through carefully and only then start talking
  • It is easy for me to make friends
  • I do not fit in with others

How do you see yourself in relation to other people? What kinds of experiences have shaped your conception? Moreover, have you ever noticed that you behave differently in some situation than you would have expected? Have you ever received feedback from others that did not fit in with your idea of yourself? Even though studies have indicated that people's inherent temperament traits are relatively stable, the way we interact with others may still vary in different situations and stages of life: 'I used to have a lot of friends, but now getting to know new people feels difficult.' Or 'I was shy back in upper secondary school, but that is not the case anymore!'

Your time as a student offers plenty of opportunities for getting to know people and building networks. Sometimes it may also cause pressure related to an idea that you should be fully comfortable with all kinds of social situations and be able to get large groups of friends at a flick of the wrist. It is important to remember that being sociable does not mean that everyone should be the same way. A shy person or someone otherwise more comfortable in smaller groups can be very sociable indeed and skilled in building networks. It is possible and recommendable to learn social skills and networking, as these skills are useful for both personal well-being as well as studies and career.

 

Where could I get to know others?

There are many ways to get to know people. Studying together with others will allow you to learn better and also build important interpersonal relationships. The school, guilds and other student organisations also organise a lot of activities, and you will definitely get to know others by participating in these.Remember that you do not need to be an expert or have a burning passion for something in order to try it as a hobby! It is worth trying out new things and you can participate if you find the topic at all interesting.

There is a countless number of different kinds or associations, organisations and volunteer actors, allowing you to find people with similar interests. For example, are you interested in nature preservation, sport association activities, human rights, friendship activities, spending time with children or animals, working with refugees or working in a cultural organisation? What about ideological activities concerned with a political or ideological issue you find important? Similar interests bring people together.

Networking

During your studies, you will get an opportunity to build networks in your field. These can help and support you not only in studying, but also later as you enter the working life. Taking small things into account might help you in networking:

  • When you introduce yourself to new people, take their point of view into account in how you tell about yourself. You can think about good questions for starting the conversation beforehand. An open-minded attitude will help you in getting to know people!
  • People are delighted when you remember their names. Learn their names carefully: focus on listening when you are introducing each other, repeat the name you hear and find associations what help you remember.
  • You can maintain discussion with the help of good questions. Present open questions that require an answer longer than just 'yes' or 'no'. You can present the same thing as an open question or a closed one, e.g. 'What made you come to this event?' (open question) or 'Did you come here because you are interested in the topic of the event?' (closed question).
  • Pay attention to your body language: when you are standing straight and with open body language, others will find it easier to approach you, and making eye contact indicates that you are focused on listening.

 

What do I do if I am all alone?

If you feel lonely, you are not alone! A health survey by FSHS (2012) revealed that 26% of first-year students feel that they do not belong to any group related to studying and 35% of fifth-year students felt that they were not a member of any student group. Sometimes it may seem difficult to build relationships outside student groups for a number of reasons. Even though it is possible to enjoy being alone and it is at least good to learn to stand being alone to some extent, every one of us need social relationships. There are ways to overcome loneliness.

If you find it difficult to seek the company of others due to, for example anxiety or low mood, it is worth discussing the issue with a professional. For example, you can talk about the matter with a study psychologist or contact the FSHS.