Will COVID-19 Ruin My Studies?
A lot of students are asking this right now. I don’t have a physical office for students to come and see me anymore so this is my attempt to reach out to try to help those of you who are … Read More
‘I think my opinion is as valid as my lecturer’s’
‘My lecturer says I’m wrong but I think my opinion is as valid as his / hers.’ Lecturers are not divine so cannot claim to be infallible but they are generally better informed than their students. They are also the … Read More
Online Writing Tools
posted in: Blog, Study Skills
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There are no websites that can check grammar for you 100% reliably but students often find the Grammarly site useful (and no, I have no link with them so am not getting paid for mentioning them!). Online guides are best used as … Read More
Christmas: does it mean anything?
Luciano Branco, a French pastor, explains that our culture’s ‘Christmas’ lights celebrate light at what feels like the darkest part of the year. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”, coming to bring light to the dark places in … Read More
Exam Myths
posted in: Blog, Student Problems, Study Skills, Teaching
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Bullet Points If I run out of time it’s ok – I can just write lots of bullet points and the examiner will take out the bits that are relevant and give me good marks. If you have had a … Read More
How to Choose a Research Topic
posted in: Blog, Student Problems, Study Skills
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‘Help! I have to choose a research topic!’ Students often email me with very open questions when they’re stressed and I am their last resort so I’m guessing this may be something along those lines. I feel for you. It … Read More
What is Easter & Why Does it Matter?
What difference does Jesus’ death and resurrection make? It’s crucial – if Jesus did not rise from the dead then Christians have no hope of life after death – he was just another good teacher. Paul asserts in 1 Corinthians … Read More
What is ‘Textual Analysis’ or ‘Close Reading’?
posted in: Blog, Literary Theory, Student Problems, Study Skills, Teaching
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So your lecturer has asked you for a ‘close analysis’ of a piece of text. You have no idea what that means. What do you do? Panic. Not good – panic breeds paralysis and you no doubt have a deadline. … Read More
Student Problems: ‘I’m lost and the set texts make it worse’
posted in: Blog, Student Problems, Study Skills
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‘I don’t really know what’s relevant – I just get lost and the set texts don’t help because they’re too complicated’. There are two issues here: you find the set texts difficult to read and you’re not sure how to … Read More
Student Problems: ‘I can’t cope with big books!’
posted in: Blog, Student Problems, Study Skills
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“I’m hitting a text wall – I read a page over and over and the words just swim in front of me – nothing goes in.” Sounds like you’re having to mark too many exam scripts 🙂 . I’m tempted … Read More
A tale of two Christmases
Christmas celebrates the coming of Jesus to offer forgiveness and peace with God to all who put their trust in him but what we perceive to be Christmas tradition in the UK owes much to Dickens. Somewhere in the last … Read More
Should you do the reading before or after the Lecture / Seminar?
Please don’t over-think this. Read as much of the text as you can so that you can get the most out of the teaching time. If you can’t read much before the seminar or lecture do please still go! You … Read More
What is Plagiarism & Why is it Bad?
posted in: Blog, Student Problems, Study Skills
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What is Plagiarism? Plagiarism is the deliberate unacknowledged use of someone’s else’s material ie passing off someone else’s ideas as your own. That’s why we have referencing systems 🙂 . Plagiarism is NOT repeating a point that your lecturer made … Read More
What is the difference between tutorials, seminars and lectures?
posted in: Blog, Student Problems, Teaching
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A tutorial is where you meet a lecturer either for a one-to-one session or as a small group, usually either in the lecturer’s office or a seminar room. You will probably have to read something to prepare for the tutorial … Read More
Starting University: common worries
posted in: Blog, Student Problems, Study Skills
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I can’t ask that question – my tutor will think I’m stupid Then ask me! I may regret this 🙂 but in an effort to find out how to help you all better I’m going to answer the top 5 … Read More
Starting University
posted in: Blog, Student Problems
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Freshers’ or Induction Week is most students’ introduction to University. Most people anticipate a fun-filled week of partying, getting to know what clubs are available and generally celebrating new-found freedom. There is an element of this but after the adrenalin-filled … Read More
How to be a lecturer
Step 1 – learn things (you’ve been doing this since you were born) Step 2 – teach things (top tip: accept that it will not go to plan 🙂 ) Step 3 – learn how to learn and teach things … Read More
How To Gain Confidence
How To Gain Confidence Surviving University requires more than academic skills. Increasingly students are being asked to do things to make themselves more marketable in the workplace so rather than ‘simply’ writing essays they often have to do presentations. Even … Read More
How do I choose a research topic?
I’ve just seen a post on my Facebook page asking for ideas on research topics. This is tricky since I have no idea what sort of research it refers to. Students often email me with very open questions when they’re … Read More
Depression and Anxiety 3: practical tips that work
Ever felt breathless, sick, heart pounding and racing, dizzy just before an exam or a presentation? That’s adrenalin (I’m not the right sort of doctor to pronounce on medical issues so I’m assuming that you will visit your GP if … Read More