Monday, March 02, 2009

Self-directed Study Options

Study Options

1. Get a notebook.
2. Commit to attainable goals
3. Keep a record of the hours that you spend on various activities


For your Individual Development Plan (IDP), you and I will decide what you need to do e.g. by the end of the term read 3 books, complete 5 chapters of Murphy's Grammar, dictate for 2 hours.


Sorry, no 'instant' results


READING
Speed reading: 10 articles in the green folder from the book More Reading Power
IELTS online: Try this site
Goal reading: Record how many pages/hours you read, and write reviews
RD generic question sheet: Complete this sheet for Reader's Digest articles
Reading log: Make a list of all books you’ve read/rejected with thoughts about them

Student accounts: You need 3 things: Backbone, Wishbone and Funnybone. Read these accounts and write one yourself.



WRITING
Goal writing: Set a goal for number of pages you will write within a time period
Journal: Keep a journal or daily diary
IELTS writing: Try exercises from IELTS material in the class
Create a blog: Go to http://www.blogger.com/home and begin
Write to my blog: Respond, ask questions, explore links and archives of my blog.

PRONUNCIATION
Pair dictation: Dictate sentences to a partner
Record yourself: Record and listen to your voice on tape
Minimal pairs: Practice hearing and producing the correct pronunciation here.
Imitation: Listen to and then imitate a recording of someone whose voice you admire

GRAMMAR
Diagnostic test: Complete a diagnostic test to decide which grammar points to revise from a text book such as Murphy
Online drill: Use an online site to practise. Here are some.
The ‘X’ files: Keep a file of errors you’ve made (both the errors and the corrections)

SPELLING/VOCABULARY
Academic word list: Familiarize yourself with the 571 words on this list
Basic spelling: test yourself by levels, the first 1000 or the second thousand words
Online spelling: Use online spell testing. Here are some links.
Notebook: Keep a notebook of words you have spelled incorrectly
Context collection: Highlight 5 new words per RD page

IELTS
Insight into IELTS: Work your way in the class (and at home) through this text
Strategies for Study: This is another excellent book to use as a resource.
Online IELTS: This is only one site but there are several

LISTENING
Headphones: Obtain a pair to help you listen in peace on any computer
Tape cassettes: Listen to tapes (we need this gear in the classroom)
Talking books: Borrow these from the library
Online listening: There is a wealth of material on the Internet. Start here.
Lectures: Listen to recorded lectures. Sit in on actual lectures. Also work with the textbook Study Listening

CONVERSATION
Assistants: You could take part in Conversation Hour with AM3
Jabberwacky: Improve your response speed here.

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