BOOK COVER......Page 1
TITLE......Page 4
COPYRIGHT......Page 5
DEDICATION......Page 6
CONTENTS......Page 7
PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION......Page 13
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 18
PART ONE APPROACHES AND ATTITUDES—HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF YOUR MIND......Page 19
1 TESTING…TESTING......Page 20
THE EARNEST STUDENT......Page 21
THE ADMIRABLE STUDENT......Page 23
THE RETURNING STUDENT......Page 24
THE DISTANCE LEARNER......Page 25
THE YOUNG MANAGER/PROFESSIONAL......Page 27
2 IGNITION......Page 29
YOUR BRAIN: OR WHY YOU CAN LOOK DOWN ON COMPUTERS......Page 30
HOW NOT TO BRIBE YOURSELF......Page 32
USING YOUR BRAIN’S NATURAL FACILITY......Page 33
SUMMARY......Page 34
1. DISCOVER YOUR OWN BEST METHOD OF WORKING......Page 35
3. LEARN TO BE SELFISH......Page 36
4. THE PROBLEM OF PARENTS, AND THE LIMITATION OF ‘HARD WORK’......Page 37
The limitations of ‘hard work’......Page 38
An overall strategy......Page 39
Devise a realistic timetable......Page 44
7. THINK OF YOUR BRAIN AS THE STRONGEST MUSCLE YOU POSSESS......Page 45
9. TAKE TIME OUT FOR REST AND RECUPERATION......Page 46
11. KEEP REVIEWING YOUR WORK......Page 48
CONCLUSION......Page 49
INTRODUCTION......Page 50
SHORT-TERM MEMORY (STM) AND LONG-TERM MEMORY (LTM)......Page 51
MEMORY AND DO-IT-YOURSELF VISUAL AIDS......Page 54
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING UNEARNEST......Page 55
MEMORY AND ENVIRONMENT: WHERE WERE YOU THEN?......Page 56
CONTEMPLATIVE LEARNING AND INTENSIVE LEARNING......Page 57
MEMORY AND FREQUENCY......Page 59
MNEMONICS: THE VALUE OF DO-IT-YOURSELF......Page 61
MEMORY-BLOCKS......Page 63
MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS......Page 64
SUMMARY......Page 66
Write down......Page 68
THE BENEFITS OF INTERMEDIATE REVIEW......Page 69
FEED-BACK......Page 72
EDITING AND ADDING......Page 74
TAKING THE MISERY OUT OF REVISION......Page 75
SUMMARY......Page 76
PART TWO SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES......Page 78
6 EYES RIGHT: EFFECTIVE READING......Page 79
Misconception 2: ‘Fast reading is unnatural/bad for the eyes’......Page 80
Misconception 3: ‘Very fast reading speeds are impossible’......Page 81
Misconception 4: ‘Skip-reading is lazy and dishonest’......Page 82
Misconception 5: ‘I’d like to read more but don’t have time’......Page 83
Misconception 6: ‘Slow reading facilitates memory’......Page 84
SPEED-READING TECHNIQUE 1: ‘DIGITAL TRACKING’......Page 85
SPEED-READING TECHNIQUE 2: ‘THE S-PLAN’......Page 86
SPEED-READING TECHNIQUE 3: PALMER’S 6-POINT PROGRAMME......Page 87
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN: THE PLEASURES AND VALUE OF SLOWNESS......Page 90
A STUDY AID TIRADE......Page 91
SUMMARY: SPEED-READING AND PREJUDICE......Page 93
POSTSCRIPT 1996......Page 94
THE EVANGELIST NOTE-TAKERS......Page 97
METHODS AND PRACTICE (I): BASIC STRATEGIES AND METHODS......Page 98
The parable of the Sower......Page 100
Passage 1......Page 101
Passage 2......Page 102
Passage 3......Page 104
Timing and duration......Page 105
INTERIM CONCLUSION: NOTE-TAKING AT DIFFERENT STAGES......Page 106
METHODS AND PRACTICE (IV): THE VIRTUES OF PRÉCIS......Page 107
6. A fierce eye for flab......Page 108
9. Note-taking acumen......Page 109
PRECIS: CRITERIA AND PROCEDURE......Page 110
1. Read the original very carefully......Page 112
3. Start your first draft of continuous prose......Page 113
8. Never bring the author’s name into your text......Page 114
9. Should a précis be paragraphed?......Page 115
(a) If given no such target or limit, what should you aim for?......Page 116
PRECIS EXERCISES......Page 117
Postscript......Page 121
8.1 FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS AND CONSIDERATIONS......Page 122
THE ‘EXPLORATORY ESSAY’......Page 123
ESSAY PLANNING......Page 124
ESSAY WRITING: HOW AND WHERE TO START......Page 126
Introductions......Page 127
Conclusions......Page 128
2. Try to start the essay in plenty of time, and on no account leave it till the last minute......Page 129
3. Pay full attention to mechanical accuracy, sentence structure and paragraphing......Page 130
8.2 ADVANCED SKILLS AND CONSIDERATIONS: ESSAYS AS PERFORMANCE......Page 131
AN UNWISE STRATEGY......Page 132
THE PERILS OF ‘SPACE-FILLING’......Page 133
ENERGIZING PATTERNS: REDUCING THE THOUGHT-GAP......Page 134
1. Keeping to the point......Page 138
3. More on introductions and conclusions......Page 139
4. Quotation and reference......Page 141
8.3 REPORT WRITING......Page 146
5. There is no need to be wooden or anonymous......Page 147
6. When you’ve completed the report, compile a single-sheet summary of your major points, and affix it to the front.......Page 148
TEACHERS AS PARTNERS (I): INTRODUCTION......Page 150
Spoon-Feeder......Page 151
TEACHERS AS PARTNERS (III) UNDERSTANDING AND ASKING......Page 152
TEACHERS AS FRIENDS......Page 155
WHAT TEACHERS CANNOT DO......Page 156
USING TEACHERS: ‘ACADEMIC’ VERSUS ‘STUDIOUS’......Page 157
CONCLUSION......Page 158
Dictionaries and thesauruses......Page 159
Other reference books......Page 161
LIBRARIES......Page 162
PERIODICALS......Page 163
THE INTERPRETATION OF READING-LISTS......Page 164
ABSTRACTS AND INDEXES......Page 165
PERSONAL INDEXES......Page 167
CONCLUSION......Page 168
11 COMPUTERS AND STUDY......Page 169
12 COMPUTERS: FURTHER THOUGHTS—FROM AN AMATEUR......Page 176
INFORMATION ‘VERSUS’ KNOWLEDGE......Page 179
GIGO—GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT......Page 180
CONCLUSION......Page 181
PART THREE EXAMINATIONS......Page 183
OBJECTIONS TO EXAMS......Page 185
Summary......Page 188
EXAMINERS: FRIENDS OR FOES?......Page 189
CHANGING GEAR AND APPROACH: GOING BEYOND MERE REGURGITATION......Page 191
ACCURACY VERSUS CORRECTNESS: EXAMS AND THE ‘RIGHT ANSWER’......Page 192
Posturing excuses......Page 195
‘Si tu veux, tu pexu’......Page 196
SUMMARY: EXAM PHOBIA—AUTHENTIC OR PHONEY?......Page 197
14 EXAMINATIONS: PREPARATION HINTS......Page 198
REVISION STRATEGY AND TIMING (I): BASIC PRINCIPLES......Page 199
REVISION STRATEGY AND TIMING (II): SUBTLER CONSIDERATIONS......Page 200
PAST PAPERS: ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS/DANGERS......Page 202
SUMMARY......Page 203
THE DAY OF THE EXAM......Page 205
The first few minutes......Page 206
Understanding the questions......Page 207
WRITING YOUR ANSWERS (I): ELEMENTARY STRATEGIES......Page 210
5. Don’t imagine you need to write—or even work/think—all the time. If you need a brief break, take it......Page 211
1. Bear in mind your examiners’ timetable and work-rhythms......Page 212
2. Make an immediate impact......Page 214
3. When in doubt, be interesting: show them you can think......Page 216
INTERIM SUMMARY......Page 217
EXAMS AND QUOTATION/REFERENCE......Page 218
CONCLUSION: DON’T BE FRIGHTENED......Page 221
PART FOUR STUDY SKILLS AND EMPLOYMENT......Page 222
FIRST PRINCIPLES......Page 225
SELLING ONESELF: BASIC STRATEGIES AND HIDDEN DANGERS......Page 226
ESSENTIAL DO’S AND DON’TS......Page 228
LESS OBVIOUS/MORE PROBLEMATIC DO’S AND DON’TS......Page 229
INTRODUCTION......Page 231
MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS AND AREAS OF CONTROVERSY......Page 232
A NEW PROBLEM: CHRONOLOGY......Page 236
KNOWING WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO......Page 239
TAILORING THE CV......Page 240
THE VIRTUES OF ‘LATERAL THINKING’......Page 241
CONCLUSION......Page 243
LETTERS: BASIC LAY-OUT......Page 244
3. Make each step a separate paragraph......Page 246
‘THAT’S THE WAY TO DO IT’ —AND THE WAY NOT TO......Page 247
‘Business English’ and flowery phrases......Page 250
7. The passive voice......Page 251
8. Punctuation......Page 252
HANDWRITING: VIRTUE OR DANGER?......Page 254
DON’T USE BLOCK CAPITALS!......Page 255
THE COVERING LETTER: YES OR NO?......Page 256
POSTSCRIPT: THE ‘ULTRA-FORMAL REPLY’......Page 257
INTRODUCTION......Page 258
BASIC PRINCIPLES AND CONSIDERATIONS......Page 259
THE INTERVIEW ITSELF......Page 261
1. Choose referees who like and regard you, and know your work well.......Page 263
3. Ask your referees for permission to cite them, and do so in plenty of time.......Page 264
APPENDIX A SOME NOTES ON STYLE......Page 265
1. DEAD EXPRESSIONS (I): PADDING......Page 268
3. DEAD WORDS......Page 269
6. TAUTOLOGY......Page 270
CONCLUSION......Page 271
LETTING THE BOOK DO THE WORK......Page 273
THINK OF A NOVEL AS A PAINTING OR A PIECE OF MUSIC......Page 274
APPENDIX C SOME SIMPLE RELAXATION AND FITNESS EXERCISES......Page 275
Single-sentence summary......Page 277
EXERCISE E......Page 278
WRITING......Page 279
MISCELLANEOUS......Page 280
AUTHORS, SOURCES AND NAMED REFERENCES......Page 281
SUBJECT INDEX......Page 283