Dear students,
Please make sure that:
1. You have completed your Tell Me More
2. You have written all the comments/reviews required in the blog
3. You have decided on the product for the exhibition
Those who have not yet sit for assessment two (Technical Description), you are given until the end of this week to sit for the paper.
October 13, 2009
Towards The End..
Hello!
Two more weeks and we will finish our Technical English course. I hope you enjoy this class and learn something from it. Enjoy each of your day and live your life to the fullest!
Two more weeks and we will finish our Technical English course. I hope you enjoy this class and learn something from it. Enjoy each of your day and live your life to the fullest!
October 7, 2009
Reading Entry 3 (M09)
Read an article that explains about a process. Simplified and write the process in the comment section.
Reading Entry 3 (K32)
Read an article that explains about a process. Simplified and write the process in the comment section.
Reading Entry 3 (K31)
Read an article that explains about a process. Simplified and write the process in the comment section.
Reading Entry 3 (E05)
Read an article that explains about a process. Simplified and write the process in the comment section.
Reading Entry 3 (A12)
Read an article that explains about a process. Simplified and write the process in the comment section.
September 8, 2009
August 25, 2009
UHL2312 updates!
Dear students,
- Please access this blog frequently as I will post new entry weekly which require you to respond to the entry. Remember that this is part of your evaluation.
- Please bring your own headset for our self assess activity session. This is for hygienic purpose. And since it is a SELF ASSESS activity, you are on your own. I won't help you on how to answer the questions or the answer for the questions except if you are having technical problem.
- By this time you should have your own group for your final assessment that is Product Exhibition. Each group must have five members (boys and girls). Please name your group and decide on the PRODUCT (except for hand phone, I-pod, and digital camera) that you want to exhibit. Any inquiry please come and see me.
August 18, 2009
The start of a new chapter
Chop! Chop! We're going to move to technical description as most of us had finished presenting their uniqueness that makes them someone very valuable in this world. Enough with selling yourself; it is time for you to learn how to describe technical product in order to enable you to find the right mix to explain, demonstrate and practice the use of the correct jargon and the product itself. Apart from that it is also to develop 'ice-breakers' for your career in the future. Before we move on, try to answer these questions and discuss them in the comment section.
While you are travelling in the Arctic, a loud scrapping noise causes the dogs in your sled team to stop in their tracks. Peering through the blowing snow, you make out a huge shape bearing down on your position. Suddenly a large ship goes sailing past you, skimming over the ice and snow at more than ____ miles per hour.
- Describe the ship (technically).
- Where did the ship come from?
- Where is it going?
- What is its purpose?
- How do you think the captain might look like?
Good luck!
August 17, 2009
H1N1 Pandemic!!!!!
H1N1 kini tahap tenat
Oleh LIAU PEI WEN
liau.peiwen@utusan.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR 16 Ogos – Darurat kesihatan tidak boleh diisytihar sewenang-wenangnya walaupun Pertubuhan Kesihatan Dunia (WHO) menganggarkan lima juta atau 20 peratus rakyat negara ini dijangkiti virus selesema babi atau Influenza A (H1N1).
Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai berkata, pihaknya mengakui situasi wabak itu di negara ini adalah tenat, tetapi untuk mengisytihar negara sebagai darurat ia perlu mengambil kira banyak faktor dan kriteria lain.
Katanya, ia termasuk melibatkan pelbagai pihak lain seperti orang awam, kementerian dan Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN).
“Ini tidak bermakna kerajaan tidak serius dalam menangani penularan H1N1, malah Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ialah Pengerusi kepada Jawatankuasa Kebangsaan Antara Kementerian Untuk Menangani Wabak H1N1,” katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.
Malaysia hari ini mencatatkan tiga lagi kematian akibat virus H1N1 menjadikan jumlah kematian meningkat kepada 62 orang manakala sebanyak 283 kes baru dilaporkan di seluruh negara dengan jumlah kes terkumpul H1N1 meningkat kepada 3,857 kes.
Semalam Tiong Lai berkata, WHO menganggarkan lima juta atau 20 peratus rakyat negara ini berisiko dijangkiti virus influenza A (H1N1) jika orang ramai tidak mengambil serius langkah pencegahan bagi menghalang penularan virus itu.
Statistik itu berdasarkan kajian terperinci WHO mengenai kesan penularan luar biasa H1N1 terhadap sesebuah negara jika ancaman virus tersebut tidak ditangani secara berkesan dan menyeluruh.
Tiong Lai berkata, buat masa sekarang, Kementerian Kesihatan akan memfokuskan kepada aspek pencegahan dan rawatan khususnya terhadap pesakit-pesakit H1N1 yang terdiri daripada golongan berisiko tinggi.
“Kita akan terus mempergiatkan usaha menghebahkan langkah-langkah pencegahan dan kawalan H1N1 di media massa seperti mengadakan sesi forum dengan orang ramai bagi meningkatkan tahap pengetahuan serta kesedaran mereka,” ujar beliau.
Menurutnya, Kementerian Kesihatan mahu mengambil langkah yang praktikal dalam mencegah penularan wabak H1N1 di negara ini termasuk meminta orang ramai memberi kerjasama bersepadu kepada kerajaan dalam perkara tersebut.
“Saya yakin keadaan akan bertambah pulih sekiranya orang ramai mempunyai tanggungjawab yang tinggi dan tidak memandang remeh penularan wabak H1N1,” jelas beliau.
Beliau seterusnya menegaskan, individu-individu yang mempunyai gejala penyakit serupa influenza (ILI) seperti demam panas, selesema dan batuk perlu segera mendapatkan rawatan di hospital demi kesihatan diri.
“Mereka juga perlu prihatin dengan keselamatan orang lain dengan tidak menghadiri majlis-majlis terbuka dan berehat di rumah supaya virus penyakit tidak menjangkiti individu yang tidak berkenaan,” katanya.
Oleh LIAU PEI WEN
liau.peiwen@utusan.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR 16 Ogos – Darurat kesihatan tidak boleh diisytihar sewenang-wenangnya walaupun Pertubuhan Kesihatan Dunia (WHO) menganggarkan lima juta atau 20 peratus rakyat negara ini dijangkiti virus selesema babi atau Influenza A (H1N1).
Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai berkata, pihaknya mengakui situasi wabak itu di negara ini adalah tenat, tetapi untuk mengisytihar negara sebagai darurat ia perlu mengambil kira banyak faktor dan kriteria lain.
Katanya, ia termasuk melibatkan pelbagai pihak lain seperti orang awam, kementerian dan Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN).
“Ini tidak bermakna kerajaan tidak serius dalam menangani penularan H1N1, malah Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ialah Pengerusi kepada Jawatankuasa Kebangsaan Antara Kementerian Untuk Menangani Wabak H1N1,” katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.
Malaysia hari ini mencatatkan tiga lagi kematian akibat virus H1N1 menjadikan jumlah kematian meningkat kepada 62 orang manakala sebanyak 283 kes baru dilaporkan di seluruh negara dengan jumlah kes terkumpul H1N1 meningkat kepada 3,857 kes.
Semalam Tiong Lai berkata, WHO menganggarkan lima juta atau 20 peratus rakyat negara ini berisiko dijangkiti virus influenza A (H1N1) jika orang ramai tidak mengambil serius langkah pencegahan bagi menghalang penularan virus itu.
Statistik itu berdasarkan kajian terperinci WHO mengenai kesan penularan luar biasa H1N1 terhadap sesebuah negara jika ancaman virus tersebut tidak ditangani secara berkesan dan menyeluruh.
Tiong Lai berkata, buat masa sekarang, Kementerian Kesihatan akan memfokuskan kepada aspek pencegahan dan rawatan khususnya terhadap pesakit-pesakit H1N1 yang terdiri daripada golongan berisiko tinggi.
“Kita akan terus mempergiatkan usaha menghebahkan langkah-langkah pencegahan dan kawalan H1N1 di media massa seperti mengadakan sesi forum dengan orang ramai bagi meningkatkan tahap pengetahuan serta kesedaran mereka,” ujar beliau.
Menurutnya, Kementerian Kesihatan mahu mengambil langkah yang praktikal dalam mencegah penularan wabak H1N1 di negara ini termasuk meminta orang ramai memberi kerjasama bersepadu kepada kerajaan dalam perkara tersebut.
“Saya yakin keadaan akan bertambah pulih sekiranya orang ramai mempunyai tanggungjawab yang tinggi dan tidak memandang remeh penularan wabak H1N1,” jelas beliau.
Beliau seterusnya menegaskan, individu-individu yang mempunyai gejala penyakit serupa influenza (ILI) seperti demam panas, selesema dan batuk perlu segera mendapatkan rawatan di hospital demi kesihatan diri.
“Mereka juga perlu prihatin dengan keselamatan orang lain dengan tidak menghadiri majlis-majlis terbuka dan berehat di rumah supaya virus penyakit tidak menjangkiti individu yang tidak berkenaan,” katanya.
Therefore, please wear mask when you're at public places whether you are sick or not.
August 3, 2009
Chapter I - Presentation Skills
Hye, there!
It's the end of our first chapter - presentation skills. We have covered everything, from the content of a presentation to the body languages used in a presentation. So, what do you think? Do you think you can give it all out during your oral presentation? And what do you think of our lesson for these four weeks?
Discuss the subject. You may reply your friends comments by using this format: reply to @friend's name/matric no and your reply.
It's the end of our first chapter - presentation skills. We have covered everything, from the content of a presentation to the body languages used in a presentation. So, what do you think? Do you think you can give it all out during your oral presentation? And what do you think of our lesson for these four weeks?
Discuss the subject. You may reply your friends comments by using this format: reply to @friend's name/matric no and your reply.
July 16, 2009
WELCOME
Hullo!Welcome to UHL2312 Technical English sem 1-2009/2010. I hope you will enjoy this class and gain some knowledge. Remember, you are here not just to get good grades but also to polish and enhance your skills in the respective subjects.
As mentioned in our first class, please respect each other. Some of you may be an excellent student and some may not. You may think there's a (big) gap between you. But here, you need each other. So, please don't look down on people and please always respect your teachers and lecturers.
Enjoy your life and appreciate what you have around you.
March 23, 2009
Don't We All?
I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times." "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't. He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very pretty car," he said. He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard keeps more than his face warm. I said, "Thanks," and continued wiping off my car.
He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "Ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.
I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me. "Don't we all?" he said.
I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.
Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see. Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that.
Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in them.
Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, and then said, "Go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help." Don't we all?
He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "Ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.
I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me. "Don't we all?" he said.
I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.
Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see. Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that.
Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in them.
Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, and then said, "Go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help." Don't we all?
Determination
In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.
Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.
And your say?
And your say?
Two More Weeks To Go..
Hi, there! How are you? Now, it's already week twelve. You have one week (excluding this week) before your final presentation and then you can show me those creative ideas of yours through your prototypes and your final presentation. Remember, your presentation must be authentic. Everybody will watch you, people! Good luck and all the best!!
March 2, 2009
I Want To Know..
So, you had finished with your multimedia presentation for assessment 2. You also had been assessed on how you present your video clip. What happen to your presentation skills that you'd learnt last semester? Comment.
are you like this..
or like this?
are you like this..
or like this?
February 12, 2009
For Your Information..
Please be informed that the due date for Reading Entries for Februari is on 28/2/09.
What Will You Do?
If you have a teacher who is nice and kind to you, will you respect him/her or take advantage on his/her kindness?
February 4, 2009
Something About Reading
You are expected to do much more reading at university than at school or college; it's not called ‘reading for a degree' for nothing.
Here are five tips to help you improve your reading:
1. Styles of reading
2. Active reading
3. A tip for speeding up your active reading
4. Spotting authors' navigation aids
5. Words and vocabulary
1. Styles of reading
There are three styles of reading which we use in different situations:
Scanning: for a specific focus
The technique you use when you're looking up a name in the phone book: you move your eye quickly over the page to find particular words or phrases that are relevant to the task you're doing.
It's useful to scan parts of texts to see if they're going to be useful to you:
* the introduction or preface of a book
* the first or last paragraphs of chapters
* the concluding chapter of a book.
Skimming: for getting the gist of something
The technique you use when you're going through a newspaper or magazine: you read quickly to get the main points, and skip over the detail. It's useful to skim:
* to preview a passage before you read it in detail
* to refresh your understand of a passage after you've read it in detail.
Use skimming when you're trying to decide if a book in the library or bookshop is right for you.
Detailed reading: for extracting information accurately
Where you read every word, and work to learn from the text.
In this careful reading, you may find it helpful to skim first, to get a general idea, but then go back to read in detail. Use a dictionary to make sure you understand all the words used.
2. Active reading
When you're reading for your course, you need to make sure you're actively involved with the text. It's a waste of your time to just passively read, the way you'd read a thriller on holiday.
Always make notes to keep up your concentration and understanding.
Here are four tips for active reading.
Underlining and highlighting
Pick out what you think are the most important parts of what you are reading. Do this with your own copy of texts or on photocopies, not with borrowed books.
If you are a visual learner, you'll find it helpful to use different colours to highlight different aspects of what you're reading.
Note key words
Record the main headings as you read. Use one or two keywords for each point. When you don't want to mark the text, keep a folder of notes you make while reading.
Questions
Before you start reading something like an article, a chapter or a whole book, prepare for your reading by noting down questions you want the material to answer. While you're reading, note down questions which the author raises.
Summaries
Pause after you've read a section of text. Then:
1. put what you've read into your own words;
2. skim through the text and check how accurate your summary is and
3. fill in any gaps.
3. A tip for speeding up your active reading
You should learn a huge amount from your reading. If you read passively, without learning, you're wasting your time. So train your mind to learn.
Try the SQ3R technique. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recall and Review.
Survey
Gather the information you need to focus on the work and set goals:
* Read the title to help prepare for the subject
* Read the introduction or summary to see what the author thinks are the key points
* Notice the boldface headings to see what the structure is
* Notice any maps, graphs or charts. They are there for a purpose
* Notice the reading aids, italics, bold face, questions at the end of the chapter. They are all there to help you understand and remember.
Question
Help your mind to engage and concentrate. Your mind is engaged in learning when it is actively looking for answers to questions.
Try turning the boldface headings into questions you think the section should answer.
Read
Read the first section with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and make up new questions if necessary.
Recall
After each section, stop and think back to your questions. See if you can answer them from memory. If not, take a look back at the text. Do this as often as you need to.
Review
Once you have finished the whole chapter, go back over all the questions from all the headings. See you if can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory.
See also: Taking notes, Gathering information
4. Spotting authors' navigation aids
Learn to recognize sequence signals, for example:
"Three advantages of..." or "A number of methods are available..." leads you to expect several points to follow.
The first sentence of a paragraph will often indicate a sequence: "One important cause of..." followed by "Another important factor..." and so on, until "The final cause of..."
General points are often illustrated by particular examples, for example:
General: Birds' beaks are appropriately shaped for feeding.
Particular: Sparrows and other seed-eating birds have short, stubby beaks; wrens and other insect eaters have thin pointed beaks; herons and other fish hunters have long, sharp beaks for spearing their prey.
Whatever you are reading, be aware of the author's background. It is important to recognise the bias given to writing by a writer's political, religious, social background. Learn which newspapers and journals represent a particular standpoint.
5. Words and vocabulary
When you're a graduate people expect you to use a vocabulary which is wider than a school-leaver's. To expand your vocabulary:
Choose a large dictionary rather than one which is ‘compact' or ‘concise'. You want one which is big enough to define words clearly and helpfully (around 1,500 pages is a good size).
Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by just giving synonyms. A pocket dictionary might suggest: ‘impetuous = rash'.
A more comprehensive dictionary will tell you that impetuous means ‘rushing with force and violence', while another gives ‘liable to act without consideration', and add to your understanding by giving the derivation ‘14th century, from late Latin impetuous = violent'.
It will tell you that rash means ‘acting without due consideration or thought', and is derived from Old High German rasc = hurried.
So underlying these two similar words is the difference between violence and hurrying.
There are over 600,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary; most of them have different meanings, (only a small proportion are synonyms).
Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by using very complicated language to define the term you're looking up, leaving you struggling to understand half a dozen new words.
Keep your dictionary at hand when you're studying. Look up unfamiliar words and work to understand what they mean.
Improve your vocabulary by reading widely.
If you haven't got your dictionary with you, note down words which you don't understand and look them up later.
taken from: http://www.studyskills.soton.ac.uk/studytips/reading_skills.htm
Here are five tips to help you improve your reading:
1. Styles of reading
2. Active reading
3. A tip for speeding up your active reading
4. Spotting authors' navigation aids
5. Words and vocabulary
1. Styles of reading
There are three styles of reading which we use in different situations:
Scanning: for a specific focus
The technique you use when you're looking up a name in the phone book: you move your eye quickly over the page to find particular words or phrases that are relevant to the task you're doing.
It's useful to scan parts of texts to see if they're going to be useful to you:
* the introduction or preface of a book
* the first or last paragraphs of chapters
* the concluding chapter of a book.
Skimming: for getting the gist of something
The technique you use when you're going through a newspaper or magazine: you read quickly to get the main points, and skip over the detail. It's useful to skim:
* to preview a passage before you read it in detail
* to refresh your understand of a passage after you've read it in detail.
Use skimming when you're trying to decide if a book in the library or bookshop is right for you.
Detailed reading: for extracting information accurately
Where you read every word, and work to learn from the text.
In this careful reading, you may find it helpful to skim first, to get a general idea, but then go back to read in detail. Use a dictionary to make sure you understand all the words used.
2. Active reading
When you're reading for your course, you need to make sure you're actively involved with the text. It's a waste of your time to just passively read, the way you'd read a thriller on holiday.
Always make notes to keep up your concentration and understanding.
Here are four tips for active reading.
Underlining and highlighting
Pick out what you think are the most important parts of what you are reading. Do this with your own copy of texts or on photocopies, not with borrowed books.
If you are a visual learner, you'll find it helpful to use different colours to highlight different aspects of what you're reading.
Note key words
Record the main headings as you read. Use one or two keywords for each point. When you don't want to mark the text, keep a folder of notes you make while reading.
Questions
Before you start reading something like an article, a chapter or a whole book, prepare for your reading by noting down questions you want the material to answer. While you're reading, note down questions which the author raises.
Summaries
Pause after you've read a section of text. Then:
1. put what you've read into your own words;
2. skim through the text and check how accurate your summary is and
3. fill in any gaps.
3. A tip for speeding up your active reading
You should learn a huge amount from your reading. If you read passively, without learning, you're wasting your time. So train your mind to learn.
Try the SQ3R technique. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recall and Review.
Survey
Gather the information you need to focus on the work and set goals:
* Read the title to help prepare for the subject
* Read the introduction or summary to see what the author thinks are the key points
* Notice the boldface headings to see what the structure is
* Notice any maps, graphs or charts. They are there for a purpose
* Notice the reading aids, italics, bold face, questions at the end of the chapter. They are all there to help you understand and remember.
Question
Help your mind to engage and concentrate. Your mind is engaged in learning when it is actively looking for answers to questions.
Try turning the boldface headings into questions you think the section should answer.
Read
Read the first section with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and make up new questions if necessary.
Recall
After each section, stop and think back to your questions. See if you can answer them from memory. If not, take a look back at the text. Do this as often as you need to.
Review
Once you have finished the whole chapter, go back over all the questions from all the headings. See you if can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory.
See also: Taking notes, Gathering information
4. Spotting authors' navigation aids
Learn to recognize sequence signals, for example:
"Three advantages of..." or "A number of methods are available..." leads you to expect several points to follow.
The first sentence of a paragraph will often indicate a sequence: "One important cause of..." followed by "Another important factor..." and so on, until "The final cause of..."
General points are often illustrated by particular examples, for example:
General: Birds' beaks are appropriately shaped for feeding.
Particular: Sparrows and other seed-eating birds have short, stubby beaks; wrens and other insect eaters have thin pointed beaks; herons and other fish hunters have long, sharp beaks for spearing their prey.
Whatever you are reading, be aware of the author's background. It is important to recognise the bias given to writing by a writer's political, religious, social background. Learn which newspapers and journals represent a particular standpoint.
5. Words and vocabulary
When you're a graduate people expect you to use a vocabulary which is wider than a school-leaver's. To expand your vocabulary:
Choose a large dictionary rather than one which is ‘compact' or ‘concise'. You want one which is big enough to define words clearly and helpfully (around 1,500 pages is a good size).
Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by just giving synonyms. A pocket dictionary might suggest: ‘impetuous = rash'.
A more comprehensive dictionary will tell you that impetuous means ‘rushing with force and violence', while another gives ‘liable to act without consideration', and add to your understanding by giving the derivation ‘14th century, from late Latin impetuous = violent'.
It will tell you that rash means ‘acting without due consideration or thought', and is derived from Old High German rasc = hurried.
So underlying these two similar words is the difference between violence and hurrying.
There are over 600,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary; most of them have different meanings, (only a small proportion are synonyms).
Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by using very complicated language to define the term you're looking up, leaving you struggling to understand half a dozen new words.
Keep your dictionary at hand when you're studying. Look up unfamiliar words and work to understand what they mean.
Improve your vocabulary by reading widely.
If you haven't got your dictionary with you, note down words which you don't understand and look them up later.
taken from: http://www.studyskills.soton.ac.uk/studytips/reading_skills.htm
February 2, 2009
Vice Chancellor Keynote Address
Dear students,
As of today, 2nd February 2009 was our VC Keynote Address' Ceremony. It was held in UMP's Sports Complex. I believe each of you had attended the ceremony as it's compulsory to everyone in UMP. Now, let's see what did you get from his speech. So, your task is to:
Describe briefly about the content of Vice Chancellor Keynote Address.
As of today, 2nd February 2009 was our VC Keynote Address' Ceremony. It was held in UMP's Sports Complex. I believe each of you had attended the ceremony as it's compulsory to everyone in UMP. Now, let's see what did you get from his speech. So, your task is to:
Describe briefly about the content of Vice Chancellor Keynote Address.
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