2.4 Disagreeing with the author
Reading is an essential skill for all of us and developing our skills in reading is a good investment. This unit is packed with practical activities which are aimed at making reading more enjoyable and rewarding. This unit also includes sections on how to read actively and critically.
2.1.3 Concept cards
Reading is an essential skill for all of us and developing our skills in reading is a good investment. This unit is packed with practical activities which are aimed at making reading more enjoyable and rewarding. This unit also includes sections on how to read actively and critically.
2.1.2 Dictionaries
Reading is an essential skill for all of us and developing our skills in reading is a good investment. This unit is packed with practical activities which are aimed at making reading more enjoyable and rewarding. This unit also includes sections on how to read actively and critically.
2.1.1 Should you stop reading to look words up?
Reading is an essential skill for all of us and developing our skills in reading is a good investment. This unit is packed with practical activities which are aimed at making reading more enjoyable and rewarding. This unit also includes sections on how to read actively and critically.
2.1 Unfamiliar words
Reading is an essential skill for all of us and developing our skills in reading is a good investment. This unit is packed with practical activities which are aimed at making reading more enjoyable and rewarding. This unit also includes sections on how to read actively and critically.
1 The experience of reading
Reading is an essential skill for all of us and developing our skills in reading is a good investment. This unit is packed with practical activities which are aimed at making reading more enjoyable and rewarding. This unit also includes sections on how to read actively and critically.
10 Next steps After completing this unit you may wish to study another OpenLearn Study Unit. Here are a few suggestions:
9.8 Drawing ideas together This key skill has used a three-stage framework for developing your skills. By developing a strategy, monitoring your progress and evaluating your overall approach, you take an active role in your own learning. But learning does not necessarily follow a path of steady improvement, it involves change: revisiting ideas, seeing things from different perspectives, tackling things in different ways. You are unlikely to be able to complete your work by working through it from beginning to end
9.7.3 Identify ways of further developing your skills in working with others Use your assessment and reflective comments to suggest ways of improving your own performance in working with others. How do you intend to make these changes? Working in a group is a skill that you may need to go on developing throughout your course of study and in the workplace. All groups vary, and to enhance the performance of any group, as well as to help individual group members develop their skills, it is helpful to look at how the group has operated. 9.7.2 Assess the effectiveness of your strategy When you come to make a final assessment of the effectiveness of your strategy, you need to consider aspects such as how progress was made, the quality of the work, the working relationships of the group members, and how difficulties and problems were addressed. If you have been able to maintain good records from meetings, progress reports, and your own reflective comments, you should be able to look back and be objective about the work and strategy that the group developed. Use the goals you 9.7.1 Negotiate and develop effective ways of presenting the work As you complete the project, you need to finalise how you will present the work making sure that all involved agree with the decisions. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of the working methods you and others in the group proposed. This may be in terms of resource requirements, legal, health and safety regulations, and so on. 9.7 Evaluating strategy and presenting outcomes Evaluation should focus on both the outcomes of the work and the process. Two critical questions guide evaluation: ‘Did we accomplish our goals?’ and ‘Did we accomplish them in an effective and efficient way?’ Your evaluation should attempt to provide answers to both. Thus you need to know how to: negotiate and develop effective ways of presenting the work by using the skills of the group members; assess the effectiv 9.6.1 Monitor and critically reflect on your skills As you work on the group task, you need to make time to reflect on how you are working with others. Try to identify factors that influence your ability to work effectively with others, such as levels of self-confidence, communication skills, gender, culture and the distribution of power and influence between those involved. Try to assess the effectiveness of the choices you have made – for example timescales and resources allocated, methods selected – in working towards the goals and your 9.5.2a Exchange feedback It is important to listen to, and take into account, the views and feelings of others. As a member of the group, you need to provide information on the extent to which your own work is meeting expected timescales and quality requirements: ask for and accept feedback from others on the way you are working and the quality of work being done. These skills take time to develop. Try to establish a climate for learning and developing your skills within the group so you can all actively benefit from 9.4 Activity: Developing your strategy for using skills in working with others Develop a strategy for using skills in working with others over a period of time. Your strategy should include: an identification of the opportunities you can use to practise your skills 9.3.4 Plan work with others for achieving the quality outcomes required If you are doing this to complete a project as part of your study, check if the work is going to be assessed, and make sure you know how marks will be allocated and what criteria will be used. Take time to read carefully any instructions you have been given on group work for the activity – ask your tutor for advice if you are unsure about anything, particularly if this is the first time you have been set a group task. Check whether you will be assessed as a group or as individuals. Will the 9.3.3 Identify relevant sources of information Exploring and identifying sources of information is about finding out what you don't know as well as using and adapting what you do know. Group projects and assignments frequently require you to carry out research and this will involve identifying specific resources you may need. For example, think about the materials and equipment that might be needed and whether the group needs to get specific expert advice and support and, if so, where you can obtain this. It is also important to spe 9.3.2 Identify what you hope to achieve It is a good idea to know not only what you are trying to achieve, but also when you have achieved it, so it is important that your goals are clear and that you can easily measure your progress against them. Setting realistic targets, planning actions and modifying those plans in the light of experience are all part of developing this key skill, but this time they need to be done and negotiated within the group. 9.3.1 Establish opportunities for using skills in working with others You need to identify activities that will provide you with opportunities for working with others over a period of 3 months or so. This could involve both one-to-one and group situations, such as working on a particular project at work, a group project as part of your course or e-conferencing on a group assignment. 9.3 Developing a strategy In developing a strategy for improving your skills in working with others you are aiming to: identify the opportunities you can use to develop and practise your skills in working with others, and the goals you hope to achieve; identify the resources you might use for developing your skills, including people who might be able to help you as well as libraries, books, databases, the Internet or online support; establish
Time out
