Turning.the.page

OK now it truly feels that semester one is over!

Assignments have been handed in and semester two Moodle page has been opened.

…now it’s the perfect time to reflect.

‘Reflect?’ ‘What?!’ ‘Why?’

By reflect I mean look back at semester one and…

• Think back on the good things that you have done and carry on doing them.
• Think back on the not so good things and think about what you could do differently.

Good things might include:

• Learning how to write a suitable plan for yourself and how to follow it (so here you will carry on writing and preparing similar plans)
• learning (or getting a better idea) on how and when you work best
• learning how to minimise distraction
• A better idea on how long it takes you to do everything

Not so good things:

• Leaving everything to the last minute (so here you will know that you need to start earlier, or set yourself earlier deadlines)
• Procrastinating
• Not having sufficient notes
• Not understanding a particular topic

Now is a good time (or going to be), as you have handed in your assignments (or taken exams) and have seen the direct results of your actions.

It’s usually during this time, at the beginning of the semester, where we are the most positive and optimistic. The perfect mood to make a plan!

 

I like how the Newman timetable is scheduled. I like that our exams and assignments are generally handed in the first week of Jan (maybe first two weeks) and the majority of our lectures are not due to start until the end of Jan. This means we have a mini break between handing in all essays/taking exams and starting semester two. I like that we have a gap in between and we don’t feel rushed into returning. (I never realised this first, until I saw my brother and friends from different universities already going back this week before their semester one deadlines- they broke up before us).

You might prepare for semester 2 by purchasing or barrowing the new books you need and reading them! Getting your project books or folder…or whatever you write with, getting familiar with your timetable, sorting travel…etc.

All the best with everything!

Tahne

Goodbye 2013!

Hello everyone!

So it’s the end of December and you’re probably very busy right now attempting to finish all your coursework, revision etc…and I hope it’s going well for you! If you have already finished then that’s great! I have, admittedly, still got a way to go. I am planning and reading a lot around the subject and need to spend more time actually writing down the essay! Time is ticking away fast!

Fortunately semester two doesn’t start till February so that means you (and I) have time to completely finish all the work of semester one and give it in (if you haven’t already done so) and then start on your preparation for semester two. Preparing before you start will be a really good idea as you will be more confident in your studies for the rest of the year. By preparing I mean doing things like any reading that will be useful (looking at your reading list), reading about the course, knowing what you will be studying, perhaps looking at the assessment objectives…

It’s also a good time to reflect now on what you have done in semester one (or perhaps once you have given in all your work/completed your exams). You could do this by looking at the good things that you done-so you can carry on doing them and the less positive things that you have done- so you can avoid them. For example for me, I like that I did the reading before class as I understood the lectures more and was more engaged, however I could have helped myself more if I started to think a lot earlier about the assignments and be a lot more focused in this way- so then I would be able to start writing it a lot earlier!

After I give in my assignments, as well as preparing for semester two, I will also be starting my placement! I will be in a school, full time for one month. It’s something I haven’t really done before, or at least not every single day for a month! I am really excited to start, however I am also a little bit nervous as I want to build a good impression. This placement is really important to me as I have always had the idea that teaching is for me, especially teaching younger children. This is probably the closest that I am going to get to actually realising exactly what it will be like. That’s why I am really glad that we have this module at Newman!

I really do hope I enjoy my placement, (otherwise the month will drag and I won’t be able to wait until it’s over!) I will let you know how it goes in my next blog!

Finally I want to wish you all a happy new year and I hope 2014 brings even more success!

Thank you for reading.

Tahne.