Define: Independence

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by Sara (Student Blogger: BA Hons Linguistics)

Independence. It’s one of those words that is so often associated with moving to university. It represents starting your own life, walking your own path, making your own mistakes and finding out who you want to be. It can be seen as either terrifying or exhilarating, can be approached with nervousness or excitement. Though we might not like to admit it, we are at university to work and so the dreaded phase ‘independent study’ comes under this theme. One big hurdle for anyone with a low number of contact hours, like me, will be finding your way around your time table independently. Most departments provide readings and suggestions for further reading or materials for seminars but you must also use your own initiative to work out what needs doing, when and how. It’s vital to stay on top of your work DURING the year so that when you sit down to revise come Easter you don’t realise ‘Oh no, I haven’t read any of this’. Not that that has happened to me this year…no, not at all… You will thank yourself for planning ahead. I have become the Queen of Lists and Plans (and All Things Involving Stationary That Are Borderline Just Procrastination) this year.

 

Personally, I found it hard to stay motivated and do work that I set for myself. If it hadn’t been set by an authority figure there was little fear of punishment for not reading those 15 pages on ‘the history of linguistics’. But you can try rewarding yourself instead and take breaks often. I love food. A slice of cake, a chocolate bar or some strawberries (though let’s be honest it was mostly chocolate) would sit waiting patiently whilst I did my reading or wrote out my notes in dazzling multicolour.

 

One massive difference between school and university is that you are less likely to have such a set structure to your learning and there isn’t that ‘home time’ feeling when you leave around 3 o’clock and your day has effectively ended. At university, I tried to set out my time so that there would be slots for exercise, eating, sleeping (definitely essential!) going out and hobbies every week. If I knew I had a 2 or 3 hour window in which to do a certain piece of work I felt like I had more direction and a sense of direction is definitely motivating. If I really didn’t feel like doing something I would postpone it. There is no use in forcing yourself to do something that you know you can’t do well.

 

There will be loads of things that make it hard to stick to your schedule and some of these can feel like they’re defeating you. Mental health, physical health and socialising have all been important factors to consider for me to feel in control. The best advice I could give is to take care of yourself and make a colourful poster (Sharpies are a uni must) for your goals and aims. Stick it right above your desk to keep you motivated and on task. Independence, here we come!

 

Making group-work work

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 “Why are they making us work in groups?”

“She doesn’t do her share of the work”

“Why doesn’t he want to get the best grade possible?”

“I hate group-work”

Sound familiar?

Unfortunately these are common feelings towards group work but it doesn’t have to be a negative experience and with the right mind set, group-work can work.

When working with other students from all over the world who have all sorts of different skills and attributes it can be tricky, there’s no denying that. However, what you might not realise (or want to realise, as the case may be) is that you will be developing some invaluable skills for your future career. Group-work can help you develop skills in team work, communication, problem solving and leadership, all of which most employers would seek in a candidate. I understand though that this is sometimes difficult to think about when you have a deadline fast approaching and your group isn’t working the way you would like. So how else can I convince you of the benefits?

Another key benefit of group-work is the effect it can have on your learning; for example, subject matter can often be understood or reinforced more when students work together. This can happen when group discussions occur around a topic and the subsequent assignment and students can often learn from each other and fill in gaps in knowledge from their peers. Another benefit for learning, if you are willing to accept it, is peer feedback, as often students can gain quick and potentially highly useful feedback around aspects such as their writing style or presentation skills etc., which can be highly valuable for the next assignment that comes your way.

Group-work can also be a good way to get to know how you naturally behave when working with other people. For example, some students will tend to take on more of a leader type role, whereas others may prefer to be an observer or a mediator. Reflecting on your performance during group work is a good way to identify your strengths and also where you might need improvement to work as effectively as possible with other people in future.

Ok, so that’s my effort to try and convince you of the benefits of group-work, but what you might also want to know is how you can actually make group-work work in practice. So let’s look at a few tips around how you might be able to do this.

Tip One

In your first meeting, set your group ground rules. This will take a bit of confidence to approach but if you can do this in the first meeting it could make a difference to how the group works overall. For example, think about setting rules around communication, attending meetings, meeting deadlines, supporting each other as well as the behaviour you will expect each group member to demonstrate when working together.

 

Tip Two

Come up with a structure of how you will approach the task. Include the tasks for each group member, ensuring that it is equal. Include the deadlines of when you will expect each group member to finish their assigned task. Nominate one or two members to organise the final draft of the assignment (if you are working an assessed piece of writing) to ensure consistency. If you are doing a presentation as part of your group-work, organise when you will all be able to practise this.

Tip Three

Think about strategies you can use to manage any conflict that might arise in the group (see this advice from The University of Manchester: Resolving Conflict). Managing conflict effectively will help you to work together better so if conflicts arise early on, it is a good idea to have some strategies in place to deal with it.

Tip Four

Be open to listening and learning from your fellow group members. Students have different skills and this can often be useful in completing your task. For example, if one group member is better at presenting than writing or better at organising than presenting, think about what tasks would suit them best. Try to support each other’s strengths, rather than focusing on weaknesses.

 

 

Independent learning doesn’t mean going it alone

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You’ll have heard a lot of people saying that studying at university means becoming an independent learner. This can sound quite a daunting prospect, especially if you have received a lot of guidance and support in your studies up until now. The good news is that being an independent learner doesn’t mean doing it all on your own.

So, what is independent learning then? For starters, here are six key things you’ll be expected to do:

  1. Manage your time. You will have control over when and where you study so it’s a good idea to create a weekly timetable that suits you and helps you avoid stress. Build in time for study, for important commitments and for fun. Don’t forget to leave space for doing nothing in particular.

  1. Motivate yourself. It will be up to you to keep going, even when things are tough. Now is the time to think about your own goals and strategies and to be prepared to adjust them as time goes on. If your motivation falters, there is always someone to talk to, so don’t hesitate to contact your Student Learning Advisor or someone else you think might help.
  2. Make choices and take responsibility for your learning. You’ll be choosing your study pathway at university, depending on your interests. This can give you a feeling of great freedom, but if you find you’ve made a choice that feels wrong, make sure you talk to your Academic Tutor in your department.
  3. Find, select and use learning resources. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn how to use the library and the learning resources for your course. There’ll be information sessions and drop-ins available and you can contact your Academic Liaison Librarian at the Library at any time with a question.
  4. Think things through. You’ll be encouraged to analyse, question and think deeply about what you are learning. There will be opportunities to talk about what you are learning with others, both formally and informally. This will help you to develop a critical perspective within your subject area and to show this in your written assignments. There’s plenty of guidance about how to develop your critical thinking on the Learning Development website.
  5. Find out how to access support. Part of being independent is knowing where and how to access all the services designed to support you along the way. There is a whole range of support available at Lancaster, so do make the most of what’s on offer.

So, make the most of your freedom and get ready to try things out. Expect the experience to be challenging in unexpected ways, but keep an open mind and you’ll learn a great deal about yourself as well as your chosen subject.

Image: Tom Longman

Dealing with struggle

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Starting to study at university can be a challenge for a range of reasons. It might be that you’ve found studying straightforward so far and you’ve never had to dig really deep to excel. If this is the case, you might not yet have developed familiar strategies to deal with difficulty because you may not have needed them. On the other hand, you may have already found previous study experiences a struggle and now you are afraid that you might not really ‘belong’ at university. You may be tempted to think that you got here by fluke.

These situations are not unusual and they can create negative thoughts that get in the way of developing as a learner. Here are some tips that can help when dealing with struggle:

  • Expect to be pushed out of your comfort zone. Lancaster University would not be doing you any favours if the experience here did not push you to develop. Sometimes you’ll find that a new learning experience really challenges you; perhaps it will be the experience of group-work, or speaking out in seminars, or giving presentations that cause concern. When this happens, try to see the experience as a learning opportunity. Even if it feels uncomfortable at the time, students tell us that they inevitably reach a point where they were glad to have had the chance to try something new and to develop new skills as a result. However, if the experience does turn into something that feels overwhelming, do not hesitate to talk to someone such as your Academic Tutor, your Student Learning Advisor or Wellbeing Services.
  • Recognise your inner voice, especially if it tends to be negative. Challenge that inner voice and try to turn the statements round so that they are more positive. If you hear yourself saying ‘I’m not good enough’, or ‘I’ll never get this’, or ‘Everyone else knows what they’re doing’, find a way to break into those thoughts and change them. Remind yourself that you absolutely do deserve to be here, and rest assured, there are lots of other students around you who are experiencing similar feelings.
  • Recognise that intelligence is not ‘fixed’. You do not come into university as a person with ‘fixed’ ability. You come into university as a person with great potential for development. It’s up to you to develop learning strategies and make the most of the opportunities that will ensure your success.
  • Create study habits and strategies to help you develop. Think about how you will use your time, how you will approach the new knowledge, how you will develop your skills. Get some ideas from the Learning Development website for developing as an independent learner, a critical thinker and a skilled manager of your own time and resources.
  • Learn from failure. Getting lower grades than you hoped for is never a pleasant experience, but sometimes this can be where the greatest learning opportunities present themselves. Make the most of your feedback and contact your academic tutor or Student Learning Advisor to talk things through, put some strategies in place and improve for next time. Remember that, for undergraduates, the first year is an opportunity to find your feet and mistakes may well be made along the way. You are not alone in experiencing this.
  • Talk it through. There is a whole range of support available at Lancaster, so make the most of what’s on offer. Accessing support is a positive step to make and it can enrich your learning experience.

Meanwhile, the Learning Development team wish you all the best for your studies, now and in the future!

Image: Mike Zhang, Pixabay

Perfect paraphrasing, is there such a thing?

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Paraphrasing can be a tricky thing to master. Many people tend to explain it as ‘putting things in your own words’, but what this actually means can be confusing. When you write an essay, you may have to refer to other sources to use as evidence in backing up or providing counter arguments for your points. You can include direct quotes to show an author’s point but the main way you may express these points is through paraphrasing.

Let’s start from the beginning…

You have just been given an essay and the essay guidance tells you to refer to theory and the literature around the particular topic. After searching Google Scholar and OneSearch you have found quite a few useful sources to help you understand and answer your essay question. You have a range of books and journal articles to start reading and making notes from.

 

My advice at this point is that instead of copying chunks of information directly from your sources into your notes, try to read the information, comprehend the main arguments/ideas/concepts as much as you can and then write these down in your own words. Why is this important? If you do this right at the beginning of your reading you will be more likely to paraphrase effectively and less likely to plagiarise in your writing.

 

The main misconception around paraphrasing is that it involves taking particular sentences or paragraphs from source material, changing a few words or the sentence structure and passing this off as ‘your own words’. This is known as ‘close paraphrasing’ and can potentially mean that you find yourself being penalised for plagiarism. The road to effective paraphrasing is to firstly identify the key/general idea or argument from the source that you want to use as evidence for your own points. Secondly, think about how you want to express this in your own words, in your own style and using vocabulary you are comfortable with. Finally, consider how you will interpret this idea for your own particular purpose i.e. your point or answer to your essay question. Remember, although you have to put the idea in your own words you must try to retain the same general meaning of the original idea. I said it was tricky didn’t I?

The last thing I want to highlight is in-text citations when it comes to paraphrasing. You should cite the author/organisation of the idea/argument you have paraphrased even if you have managed to communicate it entirely in your own words to acknowledge where it originated.

 

So, in summary:

  • Write notes from your reading in your own words
  • Don’t take sentences and paragraphs and change words here and there
  • Identify the key/main idea you want to express
  • Think about the type of vocabulary that you would use to communicate the idea
  • Remember to acknowledge where the original idea/argument originated from