Posts Tagged ‘Week 4’

• Analysing an essay question

  Date: 2009.10.08 | Category: Learning Skills Exercises, Unit SSK12 | Response: 0

  Learning Skills Exercise
  Unit: SSK12
  Week: 4 (in Week 6)
  Date: 08 October 2009
  Exercise: Exercise 24 – Analysing an essay question

  Activity 1: The essay writing process
  Your approach to essay questions
  I have learnt in the unit so far that the steps I should take when analysing an essay topic is to establish the directive words, call out the key concepts, and define those concepts.
  My first step is to writing out the essay topic on a piece of paper. Then I go through the process detailed above. I circle the directive words, underline the key concepts, and shade the required sources. After I have followed those steps, I define the key concepts using a dictionary.

  Your approach to essay writing
  The pattern that is set out in the exercise to examine and define the question or topic, research it, draw up a plan, write a draft and write a final copy before submitting is exactly how I have been attacking my essays. Unfortunately, sometimes the time between draft and final copy is far too short for my likely. That is poor time management, not a reflection of the strategy set out. It is my personal opinion that this strategy is an effective one, and at this point in time I have no reason to find out if there is a better way.
  
  Activity 2: Selecting a question
  Essay 1 topic
  Using the concept of a ‘world view’, identify some of the beliefs and attitudes, particularly to education and learning, that you bring to your learning now. Reflect critically on how your world view has been shaped by factors such as your gender, age or community. In your answer refer to Hobson (1996) and Samovar and Porter (2004) from the SSK12 Reader, and Chapter 1 in A Guide to Learning Independently (Marshall and Rowland, 2006, 1-18).

  Activity 3: Analysing a question
  Content Questions
  What is the question about?
  The question is about my beliefs and attitudes particularly to education and learning that I bring to my learning now and how my worldview affects and supports those beliefs and attitudes. Secondly, it asks me to reflect on what influences have helped to create my worldview.

  What do I already know about the question?
  I believe I have a reasonable handle on the concept of worldviews and obviously I know my own views on education and learning. It might be difficult for me to articulate my personal views. Additionally, I have researched the basic definitions of education and learning, as well as more in depth definitions of belief and attitude to establish their differences.

  What are the possible main points?
  My own context
  My own views on education and learning
  How my worldview affects my views on education and learning
  The importance of worldviews in shaping our understanding of the world
  How beliefs and values change our view of education and learning

  Argument questions
  What might my thesis or theme be?
  In my response to this topic I will argue that worldviews are important to how we understand the world and therefore frame how we understand and value education and learning.

  Questions on approach
  How might I structure my answer to the question?
  I am to identify my beliefs and attitudes to education and learning
  I am reflect critically on how my worldview has been shaped by my surroundings

  What role might my personal opinion play in this assignment?
  How will you acknowledge and examine you subjectivity?
  The essence of this essay is to detail my own beliefs and attitudes, as well as my own worldview. The role of my personal opinion within this essay is an essential component.

  How much breadth or depth can this essay have?
  The essay has a 1000 word limit and so it will need to be fairly limited in its breadth and depth. It will be particularly difficult for me to make a credible argument for the importance of worldviews on understanding how they affect our views on education and learning in the space of 1000 words.

  Activity 4: Initial analysis of the question
  Write out your analysis
  Identify your beliefs and attitudes

  Activity 5: Revised analysis of the question
  For this question I didn’t feel much change was necessary, but I had a lot of preparation outside of this exercise. I can see that if I used this exercise to analyse an essay topic that the analysis might change from start to the finish.

  Reflection
  I found this exercise very helpful for understanding a essay topic and planning out my response to the topic. Completing an exercise like this is very time consuming and illustrates why preparation and appropriate time management is very important.

• Understanding tutor’s expectations…

  Date: 2009.10.07 | Category: Learning Skills Exercises, Unit SSK12 | Response: 0

  Learning Skills Exercise
  Unit: SSK12
  Week: 4 (in Week 6)
  Date: 07 October 2009
  Exercise: Exercise 22 – Understanding tutor’s expectations and your objectives

  Activity 1: Expectations of university essays
  What you think is expected
  I believe my tutor’s expectation of me in this essay is to demonstrate learning I have acquired regarding worldviews in this unit; to demonstrate essay structure, including an introduction, thesis and conclusion; to demonstrate fluent, correctly structured and well-articulated prose; and finally, to demonstrate appropriate referencing.

  Differences in expectations
  I made no reference in my expectations of a university essay to the relevance to the set topic; use of sources; and reasoned argument. These items are a given for me, because there is no point writing the essay if it’s not relevant to the set topic; doesn’t use the sources instructed and doesn’t adequately articulate its argument.
  
  Activity 2: Your objectives for essay writing
  My objectives in doing this essay are first and foremost to develop my essay writing skills. I look forward to the constructive criticism that I expect from my tutor in order to improve my essay writing ability. Secondly, I am excited by the challenge to successfully complete the essay according to the instructions. I must admit I am finding the topic more challenging than I had expected. It is stimulating for me to have to examine myself, and my understanding of the world and how they ultimately affect my beliefs and attitudes toward education and learning.

  Reflection
  I want to say that this exercise was helpful for me, but I feel that it didn’t add anything new to what I have already learnt about essay writing and expectation of my tutor or myself. Maybe I am being too hard; maybe I didn’t put enough into it and consequently didn’t get enough out of it. It bothered me a little that the exercise referred to Exercise 21, but we don’t do that exercise until later in the course. I would have liked to have done the exercise beforehand, but I am a little pressed for time at the moment and couldn’t fit it in.

• Worldviews II

  Date: 2009.09.23 | Category: Study Reflections, Unit SSK12 | Response: 0

  Reflection
  Unit: SSK12
  Week: 4
  Date: 23 September 2009

  I wrote the attached file in response to some discussion regarding worldviews, but decided not to post it thinking that it might seem pretentious. Besides it was a bit late to add anything of value to the discussion.

  Worldview