Special English Education

Assignment

On

Developing study skills

And

Thesaurus
By

J. Blessy Jemimah

19BDEN11
To

Professor. John Lawrence

St. Xavier’s College of Education.

 Developing study skills
Introduction

Study skills are discrete techniques that can be learned, usually in a short time, and
applied to all or most fields of study. They must, therefore, be distinguished from
strategies that are specific to a particular field of study (e.g. music or technology),
and from abilities inherent in the student, such as aspects of intelligence or learning
styles.

What is meant by study skills?

Study skills are an array of skills which tackle the process of organizing and
taking in new information, retaining information, or dealing with assessment. They
include mnemonics , which aid the retention of lists of information; effective
reading; concentration techniques: and efficient note taking. Study skills academic
skill, or study strategies are approaches applied to learning. They are generally
critical to success in school, considered essential for acquiring good grades, and
useful for learning throughout one's life.

Effective Reading

Learning to read is a life-long process. Aside from reading for pleasure, readers
read for different purposes. Effective reading helps the student to understand
written language and constructively process the meaning of the text. Parsing the
language and the reading topic influences how well students communicate with
one another and the world at large.
Memorization

Memorization is a study skill that will follow a student throughout their academic
career and beyond. Students are expected to memorize grammar rules, vocabulary
words, poems, math facts and scientific principles. Memorization skills are taught
using a variety of methods including rote learning, flash cards, word association
and mnemonic devices such as song and rhyme – think Ray Charles singing the
Alphabet Song on Sesame Street. As a student identifies which method or methods
work best for him, employing this skill will become as necessary as the retention of
the memorized information.

Note Taking

Although many home-schooling and online high school program are offered –
well, online, your child should continue and master the practice of note taking.
Taking notes can be tricky. If a student picks up only high-level information, he
may not easily remember the material upon review. If he takes copious notes with
no direction or form, the result could be the same as if he took too few notes.
Successful note takers do the following:

• Preview Readings
• Pay Attention to Boldface Words & Headings
• Rework Main Ideas into Concepts they can Understand
• Pay Attention to Captions
• Use Different Note Taking Methods:
Highlighters, Sticky Notes, Index Cards & Charts & Diagrams
• Make Sure that Notes Reference the Objectives of Each Lesson
Testing

Online high school programs and other home-schooling curricula require testing at
various phases during the course of each lesson and class. Mastering test taking is
amongst the most fundamental skills your child will utilize during his academic
career. Testing is how a student will qualify and quantify what he has learned and
retained. Especially if your child has aspirations of attending University, in which
case practicing quality testing skills is excellent preparation for college entrance
exams such as the SAT and ACT.

Time Management & Organization

Learning without walls is a unique experience for many, and it requires a level of
self-discipline that is not expected in the traditional classroom. For students in on-
campus environments, each day is structured by lesson plans; bells to start the day,
begin and dismiss class, signal lunch period and end the day. This systematic
structure ensures that students manage their time within the confines of their day.

While home-schooling and online high school programs offer flexibility, time
management and organization is as indispensable as these skills would be in an on-
campus environment. Requiring your child to have a separate, clean and neat
workspace for his materials and completing coursework before any other activity
in his daily schedule serves to keep him focused and on task not distracted by other
stimuli such as television, games, siblings or pets.

What's more, excellent time management and organizational skills will be a

beneficial necessity for a successful college career and in the work-world.

Development of study skills:

Understanding yourself as a learner:

• What is your learning style? For the purposes of this chapter, learning style refers
to the way you prefer to take in new information, by seeing, by listening, or
through some other channel. For more information, see the section on learning
styles.

• What times of day are you most productive? If your energy peaks early, you
might benefit from blocking out early morning time for studying or writing. If you
are a night owl, set aside a few evenings a week for schoolwork.

• How much clutter can you handle in your work space? Some people work fine
at a messy desk and know exactly where to find what they need in their stack of
papers; however, most people benefit from maintaining a neat, organized space.

• How well do you juggle potential distractions in your environment? If you can
study at home without being tempted to turn on the television, check your e-mail,
fix yourself a snack, and so on, you may make home your work space. However, if
you need a less distracting environment to stay focused, you may be able to find
one on your college’s campus or in your community.

• Does a little background noise help or hinder your productivity? Some people
work better when listening to background music or the low hum of conversation in
a coffee shop. Others need total silence.

• When you work with a partner or group, do you stay on task? A study partner
or group can sometimes be invaluable. However, working this way takes extra
planning and effort, so be sure to use the time productively. If you find that group
study sessions turn into social occasions, you may study better on your own.

• How do you manage stress? Accept that at certain points in the semester, you will
feel stressed out. In your day-to-day routine, make time for activities that help you
 reduce stress, such as exercising, spending time with friends, or just scheduling
downtime to relax.

Learning Styles:

Most people have one channel that works best for them when it comes to taking in
new information. Knowing yours can help you develop strategies for studying,
time management, and note taking that work especially well for you.

To begin identifying your learning style, think about how you would go about the
process of assembling a piece of furniture. Which of these options sounds most
like you?

1. You would carefully look over the diagrams in the assembly manual first so you
could picture each step in the process.

2. You would silently read the directions through, step by step, and then look at the
diagrams afterward.

3. You would read the directions aloud under your breath. Having someone explain
the steps to you would also help.

Conclusion:

Study skills also known as study strategies refers to the different strategies applied
when learning.

Study skills are essential to success in schools as well as throughout life and they
help a student to acquire good grades.
Students deal with so many issues in life and because of the many things that needs
their attention, it becomes hard to fully concentrate when studying.
In order to perform well in school, you need to study, however, effective study
does not involve studying for long periods or cramming but rather studying smart.

Thesaurus

Introduction

Dr. Peter Mark Roget, a British doctor and mathematician, created the first
thesaurus. He started collecting synonyms in about 1805 and pretty soon had a
nice, little index of them that he used for his own writing projects. In the 1840s, he
decided that his list might be of some benefit to others, so he quit his job as a
doctor and started to work full time on expanding his collection and getting it
ready for publication. The first thesaurus hit the market in 1852 and has remained
in print ever since.

Thesaurus:

A thesaurus is a reference work that lists the synonyms and sometimes antonyms
of words. Synonyms are words with similar meanings, and antonyms are words
with opposite meanings. The word 'thesaurus' comes from Greek, and it means
'treasure,' so we can think of a thesaurus as a treasury of words that can help us
better understand the meanings of those words and use them more effectively and
efficiently in our writing.
The word "thesaurus" comes from Latin thesaurus which in turn comes from
Greek (thesaurus) 'treasure, treasury, storehouse'. The word thesaurus is of
uncertain etymology.
Until the 19th century, a thesaurus was any dictionary or encyclopaedia, as in
the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (Dictionary of the Latin Language, 1532), and
the Thesaurus linguae (Dictionary of the Greek Language, 1572). It was Roget
that introduced the meaning "collection of words arranged according to sense", in
1852.

Types of Thesauri

There are many different types of thesauri (yes, that's the plural of thesaurus)
available. Print books are still quite popular. Some of these are dictionary-
style with entries that are listed alphabetically. Others are concept style and group
words into categories of meaning. Users have to look in an index in the back of the
book to find particular entries. The dictionary-style of thesaurus is by far more
popular and easier to use.

These days, electronic thesauri are taking the lead over print versions. Several
good options are available online, including thesaurus.com, the Collins Thesaurus,
and the Oxford Thesaurus. Users simply have to type in a word to see a whole
bunch of synonyms and antonyms. What's more, most word processor programs
have a thesaurus built right in. With just a right click on a word and the right menu
selection, users can access a whole list of synonyms and even a pop-up thesaurus.

Conclusion:
Like dictionaries, thesauruses are available in both print and online media. And as
with dictionaries, the convenience of modern technology dictates that online
thesauruses are the preferred choice of most college students these days. One
warning about thesauruses: they can be overused or used out of context. You might
be tempted to use a “fancier” synonym or antonym for a word when a simple and
direct approach might be best.