Learning Skills For Uni Studies U4

UNIT 4 i
Managing your learning
Unit 4
WUC 131/03
Learning Skills for
University Studies
Managing Your
Learning
ii WAWASAN OPEN UNIVERSITY
WUC 131/03 Learning Skills for University Studies
COURSE TEAM
Course Team Coordinator: Ms. Jasmine Selvarani Emmanuel
Content Writers: Dr. Tan Soon Yin, Mr. Fan Kok Keong and Ms. Jasmine Selvarani Emmanuel
Instructional Designer: Dr. Ng Wai Kong
Academic Member: Professor Cheah Kooi Guan
COURSE COORDINATOR
Ms. Jasmine Selvarani Emmanuel
EXTERNAL COURSE ASSESSOR

Associate Professor Dr. K. Ramanathan, Centre for Distance Education, University Sains Malaysia
PRODUCTION
Editor: Mr. William Desmond De Zeeuw
In-house Editors: Mr. Khoo Chiew Keen, Ms. Koh Kah Ling, Ms. Michelle Loh Woon Har and
Ms. Ch’ng Lay Kee
Graphic Designers: Ms. Audrey Yeong and Ms. Leong Yin Ling
Wawasan Open University is Malaysia’s first private not-for-profit tertiary institution dedicated to
adult learners. It is funded by the Wawasan Education Foundation, a tax-exempt entity established
by the Malaysian People’s Movement Party (Gerakan) and supported by the Yeap Chor Ee Charitable
and Endowment Trusts, other charities, corporations, members of the public and occasional grants
from the Government of Malaysia.
The course material development of the university is funded by Yeap Chor Ee Charitable and
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© 2007 Wawasan Open University
First revision 2010

Second revision 2014
Third revision 2016
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UNIT 4 iii
Contents
Unit 4 Managing Your Learning
Unit overview 1
Unit objectives 1
4.1 Setting goals for your university study 3
Objectives 3
Introduction 3
What are goals? 4

Characteristics of effective goals 5
Long-term and short-term goals 7
Suggested answers to activities 11
4.2 Focusing your efforts for successful learning 13
Objectives 13
Introduction 13
Motivational strategies for successful learning 13

What is motivation? 13
Strategies to enhance your memory 20

Short-term and long-term memory 20
Managing your time 28

Time management skills 29
Evaluating your schedule 32
Managing your stress 34

Good stress and bad stress 35
What are the warning signs of stress? 37
How to manage your stress? 39
Suggested answers to activities 41

iv WAWASAN OPEN UNIVERSITY
4.3 Knowing your learning styles 47
Objectives 47
Introduction 47
Types of learning styles 47
Maximising your learning through your learning styles 50
Suggested answers to activity 52
4.4 Note taking techniques 53
Objectives 53
Introduction 53
Taking notes for tutorials 54
Ways of taking notes 58

Outline method 58
Summary method 59
Annotation method 59
Charting method 60
Mind map method 60
Suggested answers to activity 65
Summary of Unit 4 67
Suggested answers to self-tests 69
References 73
UNIT 4 1
Unit Overview
N ow that you are enrolled as a distant learner, you have one more responsibility
in addition to your many other daily activities. You may have work commitments,
family responsibilities and social obligations. How do you manage so many
tasks within the same amount of time? Do you ever feel stressed out? This unit will
provide some useful skills that can help you cope with your studies without
neglecting your other responsibilities and activities.
In addition, we will discuss setting your personal goals and motivational strategies
to help you achieve your goals in this unit. To help you learn better, we will provide
tips on creating a conducive study environment, various learning styles as well
as techniques to enhance your memory. You will also learn how to take notes
effectively. Well, are you ready for the challenge? Let us proceed now.
This unit will start with a discussion of what goals are and how to set goals.
If you don’t have specific goals, it will be difficult to achieve much whether in your
career or in your studies. Having goals will motivate you to do something. You
must also know what you can do to make sure you reach your goals.
Unit Objectives
By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
1. Identify and set goals for your university studies.
2. Apply motivational strategies for managing your learning.
3. Apply techniques to enhance memory skills in learning.
4. Use appropriate strategies to manage your stress level.
5. Differentiate the various personal learning styles.
6. Produce notes effectively.

2 WAWASAN OPEN UNIVERSITY
UNIT 4 3
4.1 Setting Goals for Your University

Study
Objectives
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
1. Explain the meaning of a goal.
2. Identify and set effective goals for your university study.
3. Differentiate between short-term goals and long-term goals.
Introduction
If you are a football fan, you will be familiar with the word “GOAL”. During a
football game, players will be running all over the field, chasing a football, trying
to pass it to other members of their team, hoping to score a goal.
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.
Can you imagine how happy the players and even the spectators are when
the ball gets into the net?
Perhaps, you are just like them, working very hard and wanting to score a goal too.
What are goals? Why do some people achieve their goals and others do not?
What are goals?

People often ask, “What are your goals?” and it seems like whoever can list the
most number of goals wins. All they are doing is telling all the things they want
or the places they want to reach. Goals are “wants”. You have probably set many
different goals throughout your life, and you have probably achieved some or
most of them. Think about occasions when you have set your goals and followed
through to achieve them. It can help you to see the importance of setting goals
and making the necessary efforts to achieve them. Many people fail to achieve
their goals because they do not take the necessary effort towards achieving them.
In a business environment, irrespective of whether the business is big or small,

there is only ONE primary goal, i.e., to maximise profits. So, in order for a
businessman to achieve this goal, he has to work hard, think of effective strategies
which will enable him to get as much profit as possible. Thus, as a registered
student, your main goal is to secure a degree. Obviously, you have to work as hard
so that you will achieve your goal.
I have enrolled at WOU.

Isn’t this my goal?
To begin the long journey of getting a degree from WOU, it is important that
you have clear and specific goals. Just knowing that you want to get a degree is
not good enough. You must have effective goals. When we have personal goals
which we are interested in and mean something to us, we shall try our very best
to achieve the goals. Therefore, you are more likely to succeed academically if
you are aware of the reasons for signing up for this degree course at WOU.
Do you know your reasons for signing up for this course? The reasons could be
related to your career, personal satisfaction or social aspirations. See the example
shown below.
Why did you sign up for this degree course at WOU?
Career Personal satisfaction Social

To get promoted to a To do something positive To be equal with my
higher position. with my life. friends.
UNIT 4 5
Activity 4.1
Fill in the box below with your reasons for taking up this degree
programme at WOU.
Personal Others
Career Social
satisfaction (fill in)
Having clear goals and putting in the right effort will help you achieve them.
Therefore, you see how important it is to have goals! Locke (1968, 1990), in
his goal-setting theory states that individuals make calculated decisions about
their desired goals. Once individuals determine the goals they intend to achieve,
these goals and intentions direct and motivate efforts to attain them. Thus,
setting goals affects the behaviour of individuals and their job-related performance.
In this section, you will learn how to set goals.
Characteristics of effective goals
You may ask, “Why do I need to learn about goal setting? I have been setting
goals all my life.” Right, all of us have set goals at one time or other. However,
we may not realise that the goal which we have set may not work out. Do you
know that the way you set your goals affects their effectiveness? To be effective, a
goal needs to have certain important characteristics. Here, we shall focus on the
five main characteristics:
1. Challenging and realistic
In setting goals, remember that your goal must not be so easy that you
do not have to work hard towards achieving it. On the other hand, it
should also not be extremely difficult or even impossible to reach.
You must set a goal which is slightly difficult to achieve so that it is
challenging for you to work towards it. What is challenging to you may
be too challenging or not challenging enough for someone else. It is
alright because everyone is different. You must know your own ability!
Well, I am sure getting a WOU degree is a goal which is both realistic
and challenging to you. Don’t you think so?
2. Specific and measurable
Your goal must be specific and measurable. Let us compare these two goals:
a. “I will get high scores for all my exams.”
b. “I will get no less than 75 marks for all my exams.”
The second goal (b) is definitely more specific and measurable. This is
because you can judge when you have completed or reached the goal,
that is when you get 75 marks or more in your exams. In this case, you
can evaluate your goal from time to time. When you do not get 75 marks
or more in any exams, you will adjust your efforts accordingly so that you
will achieve your goal.
3. Set with weekly progress in mind
Success consists of a series of little weekly victories. Effective goals are the
ones that encourage steady progress; day after day, week after week. Make
small goals which you can achieve weekly.
For example:
From Monday to Friday, I must be able to read through section 4.1

of Unit 4. I must also complete the three activities and the self test paper.
This means that you must read the entire unit and write down all the
answers. On some weeks, you will make a lot of progress, and on others you
will make less progress. Whenever you have made progress, rejoice. Feel proud
of what you have done. In this way, you will feel motivated all the time.
4. Positive
Goals are always things you want. A positive goal is like getting high
marks in examinations. They put us in a positive state of mind, and are
mentally associated with pleasant memories and experiences. Negative goals
often bring about unpleasant memories. Success is more likely to come
when we focus on striving towards positive outcomes rather than avoiding
negative outcomes.
Let us think about these two goals:
a. I do not want to fail WUC131 Learning Skills for University Studies.
b. I want to get a Grade A in WUC131 Learning Skills for University Studies.
Which of the above do you think is a positive goal?

UNIT 4 7
5. Time-bound
It is good to set a starting point and a finishing point for your goal.
For example:
Instead of saying: “I will get my TMA done this month,”
You may want to say: “I will start my TMA for Learning Skills on 10 October
and complete it by 21 October”.
Long-term and short-term goals
Goals can be short-term or long-term. Short-term goals are also called objectives.
They are stepping stones on the way to meeting long-term goals. Long-term
goals, on the other hand, comprises of plans you make for your future. These
typically consist of family, career, and retirement goals. Long-term goals are
achieved over time as you complete stages of your life. People set long-term goals
for themselves by imagining where they want to be five to ten years from now.
Then, they use short term objectives to get there. Typically, objectives consist of
goals regarding education, part-time or short-term jobs, as well as projects that give
you valuable work experience. Each of these contributes directly to the long-term
goals you have set for yourself.
Activity 4.2
Determine your long-term goals
In the space below, write your long-term education goal. Bear in

mind the five characteristics of effective goals mentioned above,
write down your long-term goal.
My long-term academic goal is:
____________________________________________________
Plan to achieve your long-term goal
To attain your long-term goal, you need to make short-term goals

or objectives which will lead you to that long-term goal. List the
short-term goals or objectives that will help you achieve the long-
term goal you have stated above.
My short-term objectives towards getting my degree are:
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________
Note: Why is the above information on my goals and objectives

important? Knowing your goals and objectives will help you
maintain your focus on life and guide you along your academic
and career path. It will prevent you from drifting aimlessly in life.
You should always balance your personal goals and your academic
goals. Both goals are important. Spending too much effort
in achieving your personal goals will leave less time for your
academic goals and vice versa. You must be able to balance between
these two goals. You may want to discuss your goals with your
family members. This will enable them to understand better your
reasons for doing certain things differently. Once they understand
that, they may be able to help you achieve your goals.
Stating your objectives and goals is an important step towards

your academic success. However, you must bear in mind that the
journey will not be smooth all the time. There are times when
you may encounter challenges. Some people tend to view these
challenges as barriers or obstacles. The question is, ‘How are you
going to view them?’
Activity 4.3
Have you faced any barriers in achieving any of your goals during
your school days or in your career? Now that you are a student
again, can you think of any potential obstacles which you feel are
likely to prevent you from achieving your academic goal?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Note: You need to identify your potential obstacles so that you

can begin to prepare to overcome them. You may do this by learning
useful strategies, which we shall discuss in other sections in this
course.
UNIT 4 9
When you have set your goals, you must always review them to
determine how you can achieve them. To help you focus on your
goals, ask yourself the following questions:
• What goal related skills or knowledge do I have?
• How do I get additional skills or knowledge?
• What resources do I need and where can I get them?
• What help or assistance do I need?
• What obstacles will I face in achieving my goals?
• What can I do to reduce or overcome these obstacles?
Having said that, you must remember that you do not need to
achieve success all the time. Billi Lim, our local motivational
speaker, has said that “Success is not the goal, but the journey
towards the goal”.
Reading
Find out how being positive can bring you success.
Have you heard of the book “Dare to Fail” by one of our local
authors, Billi Lim? Coming from a poor family, he rose to become
a well known consultant in this region and has spent over 18 years
in entrepreneurial training and manpower development. His
positive attitude has led him to success. Read to find out more
from his book which is available at the regional learning centres.
You can download a free copy of Dare to fail at http://psychology1.
net/?p=37942 (Accessed 8 March 2016)
Web Reference
You may also read up about him from the following website:
http://www.moresales.com.my/catalog/entry/lkjjrivs.shtml
(Accessed 8 March 2016)
Summary
In this section, you learnt about goals and the characteristics of

effective goals such as challenging, realistic, measurable, positive,
etc. We also discussed the differences between short-term goals
and long-term goals. Short-term goals, which are referred to as
objectives, lead you to your long-term goals.
Self-test 4.1
Please answer the following questions and compare your responses

to the suggested answers at the end of this unit.
1. Why are goals important?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. Discuss the characteristics of an effective goal.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
3. According to Billi Lim, “The willingness to fail breeds success”.

What do you think this statement means in relation to
achieving the goals you set?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
UNIT 4 11
Suggested answers to activities
Feedback
Activity 4.1
Your reasons for signing up for this course.
Personal Others
Career Social
satisfaction (fill in)
To get a better To feel proud To be equal To pass time.
job. of my own with my
achievement. friends.
To get a higher Pressured by Just like to
salary. my parents. study.
To get
promoted
to a higher
position.
Activity 4.2
Determine your long-term goals:
My long-term academic goal is:
To get a degree from WOU with at least 3.8 CGPA in four years’ time.
Plan to achieve your long-term goal:
My short-term objectives to get my degree are:
1. To have at least 80 marks for all my tests.
2. To have at least 80 marks for all my assignments.
3. To have at least 80 marks for all my final examinations.

Activity 4.3
• Lack of time due to so many commitments, for example

family and work.
• Too many distractions, for example social and family

activities.
• Financial factor.
UNIT 4 13
4.2 Focusing your Efforts for Successful

Learning
Objectives
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
1. Explain the meaning of motivation.
2. Apply motivational strategies in your learning.
3. Apply techniques to enhance your memory skills in learning.
4. Evaluate your stress level and allocate your time for study, work and other
daily tasks.
Introduction
Success in your studies does not happen by itself or by chance. To succeed, you
need to make the effort. You need to organise yourself so that your efforts are
focused towards earning your degree. You may need to look into various aspects
of your life and to rearrange your daily schedule or even to make certain sacrifices.
This may include making new arrangements for family, work or even social life.
For example, you may need to make alternative arrangements to pick up your
children from school, cut down overtime work and so on. In this section, we will
discuss strategies which will enable you to enhance your motivation, memory,
stress management and time management.
Motivational strategies for successful learning

There are different strategies students can implement in their own lives that help
motivate themselves to become interested in learning. Motivational strategies are
tools or ways that you use to motivate yourself to understand, learn and integrate
new material or skills. In other words, you are going to ‘learn how to learn’.
What is motivation?
How many times have you heard of some parents making these statements to
their children:
“John, if you pass your examinations with flying colours, I shall buy you the latest iphone”.
“Kim, for every ‘A’ that you get, I will give you RM500”
Why do you think they make such statements? Well, they may want to motivate
their children to do well in their examinations. By promising a hand phone or
cash reward, they are hoping that their children will be able to push themselves
harder in their examinations and get good results. Since this encouragement
is from an outside or external force (hand phone and cash reward), we call it
extrinsic motivation. Similarly, the desire to earn big money for our families is
what motivates many men and women to work hard each day. The desire to send
our children to colleges motivates us to open a savings account and contribute
to it as often as possible. Motivation, although often unrecognised, is the driving
power behind all our actions.
On the other hand, there is another type of motivation which comes from
within ourselves  intrinsic motivation. For example, a person may plant
different types of flowering plants in his garden just to enjoy their beauty. On
the other hand, he may spend his weekend helping the poor because it makes
him happy. Similarly, you read many books on “Distance Learning” because
you are motivated by your understanding of the topic from the books. These are
all intrinsic motivation as the actions are based on encouragement within us. If
you are intrinsically motivated, you do not need external encouragement or rewards
for you to study hard.
As you can see, motivation is a concept used to describe the factors within an
individual which make him work towards getting something or a goal. In other
words, motivation is goal-directed behaviour. It helps you achieve your objectives
and goals. You notice that the word “motivation” is often associated with types
of behaviour. A student studies hard and gets top grades  he is described as being
“highly motivated”. His friend is finding it hard to study for an examination or to
start an assignment  he is described as “not being highly motivated”. Such
statements imply that motivation has a major influence on our behaviour.
We are not all motivated by the same things to the same degree. For example,
if you ask your friend “What do you want from your job?” They may say “money”
or “power”. But it is really very difficult to judge. This is because our motivation
depends on our own individual values and beliefs.
Activity 4.4
What is your motivation?
Take a look at the reasons you listed in Activity 4.1 on why you
signed up for this degree course at WOU. Among all the reasons
you gave, write down your most important reason. This could
be the motivation for you to work towards your degree!
UNIT 4 15
Motivation affects how you do your work including when you do your work,
how long you concentrate on your work and what study strategies you use.
Interest and desire to learn are key motivational factors. Are you interested in
what you will be learning under this new programme which you have just signed
up for at WOU? Having an interest in what you are studying will definitely
motivate you to learn better. During your school days, how did you feel learning
subjects that you disliked or hated? What happened every time you wanted
to study the subject? On the other hand, how did you feel learning subjects you
liked? Did you notice that you studied harder for the subjects you liked? Do
you think your motivation affected your learning in any way?
The following discussion will look at eight factors that can help motivate you
to learn:
1. Have a conducive environment to study
A bus stop by the road, a food court and a library  which of the three
places would you choose to read your course materials?
I think most people would agree that the library is the most suitable place
to study. Why is that so? The bus stop has too many distractions such as the
noise coming from passing vehicles and people constantly moving about.
The food court may be cool and nice but again it creates distractions with
people walking in and out and the sound of pots and pans. The library is
what you would call a conducive environment for studying.
Why is a conducive environment important? A conducive study environment

will promote optimal learning. Having a conducive environment will enable
you to concentrate better and reduce frustrations. However, different people
have different preference over different types of environment. Some people
need a quiet place to study well. Others prefer to study with the television
on or with the music playing. Study in the environment which suits you
best. Many students who are also working parents may need to study very
late at night after their children are in bed. Alternatively, they may wake
up early in the morning when their children are still asleep to study. As a
person juggling various commitments, there are bound to be all sorts of
distractions. Try your best to minimise them, especially during the hours
you have put aside for learning.
Activity 4.5
Identifying a conducive study environment
1. By now, you should have a better idea of a conducive study

environment. In Column A of the table below, list down the
conditions in an environment which will make it ideal for you
to study. Write them down in order of importance, from the
most important to the least important.
2. Look around your environment. How many of the conditions

you listed are present in your environment. In Column B, put
a tick (ü) for those that are present and a cross ( X ) for those
that are not.
Column A Column B
My ideal condition Put a “ü” in this column if

the condition is present in
your study environment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
3. List down the changes that you think you have to make to your
study environment.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
UNIT 4 17
2. Break down the bigger tasks
Big tasks may worry you. Break down the big tasks into smaller tasks so
that they are more manageable. For example, if you are a working person,
it may be too demanding to revise one whole unit of the course material at
one go. You may want to break down the task into revising one section of
the unit at a time. Plan well so that you have enough time to go through
each section of the unit. Similarly, you may work on your assignment over
several days instead of rushing to finish all within one day.
3. Set a realistic learning goal
In the previous section, you learnt about setting effective goals. Setting
effective and realistic goals will enhance your motivation. Refer to the
previous section to refresh your memory on goal setting.
4. Have incentives
Give yourself a reward when you have achieved at least one objective. For
example, you may take your family to a movie when you have finished an
assignment within a specified time. Small incentives from time to time will
motivate you greatly.
5. Be positive
Maintaining a positive attitude is an important element in being a

successful distance learner. Achieving your goals and objectives is never
free from difficulties. Take the difficulties as a challenge. Be positive even
when faced with unpleasant incidents and disappointments. Some people
complain and criticise a lot. They take the complaints as excuses for not
doing or completing their work. For example, if you face any problems
while reading your course materials or if you face any shortcomings during
online forums, you should take them as a challenge and try to overcome
them so that they do not become obstacles that hinder your learning. You
certainly do not help yourself by complaining and not studying! When
faced with problems, you may want to seek solutions by taking advantage
of the support of your friends, colleagues, family members and tutors. Do
not think that you can solve all the problems by yourself and that everybody
else is just too busy to listen to your problems!
6. Learn actively
Take the initiative to look for additional references in the library or the
Internet. Ask your tutor or your friends for assistance. Use these references
to clear whatever doubts you have concerning a topic that you do not
understand. Ask yourself questions about materials that you have read.
Form discussion groups with your course mates to discuss topics you do
not understand or problems you cannot solve. Prepare questions that you
need the tutor to explain in the next tutorial. Understanding what you study
enhances motivation. It also makes it easier for you to retrieve whatever you
have learnt the next time you need them.
7. Relax and exercise regularly
Relaxation is important for maintaining your physical, mental and

emotional health. Exercise, rest and adequate sleep helps you function
efficiently while working and studying. You need even more relaxation
and exercise now that you have taken on an additional responsibility of a
part time student. Make use of the gym or join an exercise group in your
residential area. There are many forms of exercises. Choose one which you
enjoy doing. Remember the saying, “All work and no play makes John a
dull boy”?
8. Have group discussions
Studying alone can sometimes lead to frustrations. This is especially

true when you encounter difficulties in your study. Discuss problems or
issues which you do not understand with your course mates; either face-
to-face, by calling them or through online discussions. Learning with
friends will help to synergise the learning process. Use whatever method
you think is best. Speaking to someone in the same situation is a great
motivator. Sometimes, listening to someone else’s problem can also give
you new ideas and solutions.
Activity 4.6
Refer to the telephone numbers you have compiled from your

course mates during the first tutorial. Identify names of a few people
whom you think may be included in your buddy group. The purpose
of this group is to help each other through discussions. Write down
their names and contact numbers in the spaces below. Ask them
their convenient or preferred time for having discussions.
Contact numbers
Preferred time
(house phone/hand phone)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
UNIT 4 19
6.
7.
8.
Activity 4.7
1. Go through the checklist below on motivational strategies

to see how many of the strategies you have used so far. Put a
tick (ü) in the boxes concerned.
_____ Do I have a conducive environment to study?
_____ Do I normally break down the big tasks into smaller

pieces?
_____ Do I have realistic goals?
_____ Do I give incentives to myself from time to time when

I have achieved something?
_____ Do I have positive attitudes most of the time?
_____ Do I learn actively?
_____ Do I discuss my difficulties or problems with my friends?
2. What are the strategies I have not tried so far. How can I use
them in future?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Web Reference
To read more about motivation, do check out the following links:
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/self-motivation.html (Accessed
8 March 2016)
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/8-steps-to-continuous-
self-motivation.html (Accessed 8 March 2016)
Strategies to enhance your memory

Memory is the retention of, and ability to recall information, personal experiences,
and procedures (skills and habits). Memory may be divided into short-term (also
known as working or recent memory) and long-term memory.
Short-term and long-term memory
Can you recall a telephone number that you heard a few seconds earlier? Or,
can you remember the name of a person who has just been introduced? To recall
this information, you are calling on short-term memory, or working memory.
This lasts from a few seconds to a minute; the exact amount of time may vary
somewhat. You need this kind of memory to retain ideas and thoughts as
you work on problems. In writing a letter, for example, you must be able to keep
the last sentence in mind as you compose the next.
Long-term memory, on the other hand, lasts from a minute or so to weeks or

even years. You can recall from long-term memory general information about
the world that you learnt on previous occasions, memory for specific past
experiences, specific rules previously learnt, and the like.
Many working students complain of short memory spans. Is it true? How can
we improve our memory? Here, you will learn some techniques to improve
your memory.
Some of us may not realise that studying actually involves two activities: the
learning and remembering of information. Many students think that studying
is merely reading textbooks and lecture notes as many times as possible. This is
a common strategy adopted by many school children. Were you one of them?
However, this method is usually not effective when we learn new information.
Even after reading through the material several times, you may still have difficulty
remembering it. The learning of new information requires conscious effort. You
may use the eight strategies described below to help you remember what you study.
How do I remember?
Make the material meaningful..
Organise infromation...
Use pictures...
Use mnemonics...
Elaborative rehearsal...
Study actively...
Study regularly...
Space out studies...
Mnemonic devices...
Figure 4.1 Strategies for remembering new information

UNIT 4 21
1. Make the material meaningful
Many students try to memorise information they do not fully understand.

This is one important reason why information doesn’t “stick” in their
mind. Make an effort to understand the information before you try to
remember it.
Some students try to memorise everything. However, it is difficult to

remember information that does not make sense. To make meanings of
what you read, you should:
• Understand as much as possible the meaning of the content.
• Put the information into your own words as your words are likely to be
more meaningful than the author’s.
• Think of your own examples and relate it to other information you’ve

learnt and/or your own life experiences.
Example:
Suppose you have to learn this definition of “motivation” which we mentioned

earlier. Instead of trying to memorise the definition  “Motivation can be
defined as a concept used to describe the factors within an individual which
make him work towards getting something or a goal.”  you can reword it
so it’s easier for you to understand: ‘Motivation is something which makes
us want to do something’. To further enhance the meaning of the definition,
you can think of your own examples of motivation, for example, getting
a higher salary when you have earned your degree at WOU. Remember,
examiners like answers that are not memorised. Hence, you will get more
marks if you answer in your own words.
2. Organise the information
Instead of studying information as it appears in the reading materials,

you should:
• Organise the materials into meaningful categories. This helps you learn
and recall information more efficiently than memorising separate
pieces of information that do not mean much to you. For instance, if
you have numerous vocabulary terms to learn, group them into
categories according to the textbook heading they come under rather
than learning them individually.
Example:
Table 4.1 below shows vocabulary terms from a sociology chapter.

They are listed individually and in alphabetical order as they might
appear in a glossary at the end of a chapter. Don’t worry too much if you
don’t understand them. We are just using them as examples.
egalitarian endogamy exogamy extended

matriarchal matrilocal monogamy neolocal
nuclear patriarchal patrilocal polyandry
polygamy polygyny
Table 4.1 List of vocabulary terms from Sociology
Look at these words for one minute. Then, test yourself to see how many
you can remember. It will be very challenging to try to memorise them
because they do not make much sense. You may make them more
meaningful and easier to remember by regrouping them into several
categories that share some common characteristics. You can see this in the
Table 4.2 below.
Types of Types of Types of Marriage

families residences marriage customs
egalitarian matrilocal monogamy endogamy
extended neolocal polygamy exogamy
matriarchal patrilocal polygyny
nuclear polyandry
patriarchal
Table 4.2 Categorised list
Notice how much easier it would be to learn four groups of terms instead
of fourteen individual terms. You will note that most of those words in a
group share distinctive characteristics. For example, all the words under
the category “Type of Residence” end with ‘local’. Similarly, all words under
“Types of Marriages” end with ‘y’. Information that is well organised is much
easier to learn and remember than information that is disorganised.
Now, look at the list for 30 seconds, test yourself again to see how many
you can remember this time. We are sure you can remember more. See, how
organising the information can help you in your memory!
Can you think of any terms that you have come across and find difficulty
remembering? Look for a list. Try to group them as in the example above
to see if this method helps.
UNIT 4 23
3. Use imagination or pictures
You should have heard the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words”
This applies to some people. Are you one of those with a “graphic memory”?
If you remember pictures better than words, then you should create mental
pictures to enhance your memory of verbal information. When attempting
to learn abstract words, try to think of specific examples of the concept or
term. Whenever you can include a mental picture along with the definition,
you are encoding the information into your memory system in two ways.
Two forms of encoding are better than just one.
Example:
The term “rejoice” which means ‘be happy’ may be a new word for you to
remember. To help yourself remember the word better, you might relate it
to your friends cheering and jumping on hearing the news that you are the
top student of the year. You might also visualise yourself celebrating the
occasion at the McDonalds restaurant.
4. Use mnemonic devices
Have you come across anybody who plays on words to make remembering
information easier and sometimes fun? For example, you may take the first
letter of each word in the information to help you remember. This method
is often called the Mnemonic method.
Example:
The characteristics of effective goals can be remembered by using the

mnemonic, SMART, which stands for:
S  Specific
The goal must tell exactly what will be accomplished. For example: During
the next hour, you must complete studying Unit 2.
M  Measurable
This helps you determine if the goal has been completed. It can be stated
as a number (5 ideas, 10% gain, one decision) or as an achievement
(Did I finish studying or not?)
A  Attainable
Goals must be realistic for the resources and time available. For example:
Can I finish studying three units in half an hour?
R  Relevant
To be meaningful, a goal has to relate to the overall mission of your

study. Otherwise, you may be wasting time. Challenge each goal with
the question, “What happens without it?” If your answer is “nothing,”
then you can stop studying.
T  Time
Specifying a deadline (e.g., by noon) or a rate (e.g., 3 per hour) that

moves the activity towards completing the task. But, make sure your
time frame is realistic.
All you need to do now is to associate the word SMART to help you
remember the characteristics of effective goals. Other mnemonic devices
include sayings like “my dear Aunt Sally” which is used to remember the
order in which you carry out mathematical functions in an equation
(multiply, divide, add and subtract).
Activity 4.8
Now, take some time off your studies and play some games to test
your memory. There are many interesting games available at the
following site. Try them to see whether your memory fails you:
http://staff.washington.edu/chudler/chmemory.html (Accessed
8 March 2016)
5. Rehearse using elaboration
Rehearsal is the repetition of information. There are two types of rehearsal:

rote rehearsal and elaborative rehearsal. Rote rehearsal is repeating the
same words over and over again. Have you seen kindergarten children
delivering speeches on stage? Have you wondered how they do it? They
do it by memorising. They have probably rehearsed it a hundred times.
Can they recall the full speech a few months later? Probably not. This is
not a very effective method for learning and remembering new information
because very often you do not get the full meaning. So, how can you improve
your memory through repetition? You should actually use elaborative
rehearsal which involves expanding on the information by analysing
it further and relating it to information already stored in your memory. This
type of rehearsal is much more effective for encoding information into your
long-term memory.
UNIT 4 25
Example:
Suppose you want to know the definition of the term “norm” for your
sociology class. To help you remember it better, elaborate by relating its
meaning to something you already know: ‘Norms are sets of desirable
behaviour that people are supposed to follow in their interactions with
others’.
Too often students merely have a shallow knowledge of the material they
are learning. They have problems during examinations as they are not able
to elaborate the answers. So, be sure you have a deeper understanding of
the material. The more you elaborate, the more likely you are to remember
them. You will definitely score higher grades too.
6. Study actively
As mentioned previously, studying does not consist of reading your text

or lecture notes passively. Instead, you must think about the information
actively:
• Explain the information out loud to yourself using your own words.
• Explain the information several times, but try to recite the information
a little differently each time by rewording it or thinking of different
examples.
• Think critically about what you study. Note the relationships among
ideas, ask yourself “how” and “why,” compare and contrast information,
determine the significance of events, etc.
Thinking actively about the material numerous times and in several

different ways helps keep the information “alive” in your short term memory
and enhances your understanding and retention of the material. Try this
method in your next examination. Do not just read aloud a text over and
over again. Instead, explain, using your own words. You may explain aloud
to yourself too.
7. Study regularly
Some working adults study only at certain times during the semester. For
example, they read through course materials when they first get them, they
study them just before or after attending tutorials, they study them when
they need to complete their assignments and lastly, they study them when
they need to revise for their final examinations.
Clearly this is not sufficient. You have to study regularly. To achieve your
objectives of getting high marks which you have set, you need to:
• Read through your notes and highlight key points and/or use the left
margin of your paper to indicate important information such as major
concepts, vocabulary, possible test questions, etc. Each time you read, it
is a good idea for you to write out dates by the side of the section. The
more the dates, the more you have studied. This may ultimately lead to
better memory and understanding.
• Reread the headings and subheadings, portions of the text that you have
highlighted or marked and finally, read the summary.
Therefore, you need to repeatedly go over the materials. Frequent revision

helps to keep the information fresh in your mind. This reduces the amount
of time you need to spend for an examination. As you revise, identify
information that is confusing or difficult to understand and seek clarification.
Know what you do not know!
8. Use note cards
Have you used flash cards or seen others using them? Many parents like to
use flash cards to teach their children, especially the names of animals or
alphabets. Using note cards to enhance memory is basically based on the
flash card concept. These cards can be made using index card which can
be bought from stationery shops. You can even make your own cards using
any thick paper. Each card roughly measures about 3 inches by 5 inches.
Formulas, concepts or important dates are written on one side of the card
while their definitions, details, meanings or elaboration are written on the
other side. Different coloured pens may be used for different types of terms
or concepts. Reading through these note cards saves time and increases
efficiency during revision.
For example, to help you remember the meaning of “Critical Thinking”,

you may use a note card like the one shown below:
Front of card:
Overcoming The Hurdles to Academic Success Source from which

this phrase is taken,
eg., title of book.
Critical Thinking
Page of the book from

where this phrase is
pg. 27 found.
UNIT 4 27
Back of card:
Process of thinking to evaluate whether

information is:
• Accurate
Elaboration of “Critical
• Complete
Thinking”
• Trustworthy
• Applicable
to a particular situation
9. Spread out your study
When preparing for a major examination, avoid cramming! Instead of

trying to learn and remember a big load of information a day or two before
an examination, spread out your studying over several days. Materials
should be studied in small amounts  perhaps one chapter or topic a day
depending on the amount and depth of the material. You can begin by
studying the earlier information first and end with the latest information.
Each time before beginning the next topic, try to revise the materials
that you studied the previous day. Overlearn! Even when you think you
know the material, study it. Learning and remembering do not occur
accidentally. They both require a great deal of time and effort.
Web Reference
To read more about how memory works and also techniques for
memorising, please visit the following website: http://www.the
memorypage.net/tut.htm (Accessed 8 March 2016)
Activity 4.9
1. Think of the days when you were in school. How did you
remember what you learnt in History or Science? List down
the methods you used.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. Which of the methods you used was the most effective for you?
Does your list match any of the methods mentioned above?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
3. Choose two 500-word articles from a magazine or newspaper.

Read each article twice. Select one method which you think will
help you remember the concepts or facts contained in the article.
Using one article at a time, try to recall the concepts or facts
24 hours later. Can you remember better?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Managing your time

Have you ever wished that you had forty eight hours a day instead of twenty four?
How many times have you said: “I don’t have time to do my assignments”. Why
are you always short of time?
Perhaps, it is due to your inability to manage your time well. As a result, you do not
seem to have enough time for your studies or work. Before you proceed, let us just
take a little time off to find out your time management score.
Activity 4.10
Do this simple time management quiz at the following website

to find out your time management score:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_88.htm
(Accessed 8 March 2016)
What is time management? Is it important to manage your time? Being an

efficient time manager does not mean that you are controlled by the clock and
you do not have time for fun. It merely means that you have taken charge of how
you use your time. You can have some fun and still meet your obligations as a
student, friend, employee and family member. With good time management skills,
you are in control of your time, stress level and energy level. You make progress at
work. You are able to maintain balance between your work, personal, and family
lives. You have enough flexibility to respond to new opportunities or challenges.
UNIT 4 29
Poor time management is one of the main causes of stress. As a part time student,
are you allocating enough time for your studies? We shall now look at some of the
techniques to manage your time efficiently.
Time management skills
Time management begins with the use of a calendar or planner and taking the time
to write down everything that you must do so that it gets done. That, of course,
includes everything from going to class, eating, athletic events, social activities,
personal hygiene, time-in-transit, studying, student organisations, and telephone
and television time, and everything in between.
To begin, make a semester calendar. Use a wall or desk calendar for major
examinations, TMA due dates, and meetings  basically the events that you must do
and which do not change. Refer to your tutorial schedules and Student Handbook to
help you complete the calendar. You should then keep a pocket calendar or use the
month calendars in a planner as a reminder of tutorials, appointments, meetings,
and errands. You can also use your mobile phone for this purpose. Record all class
assignments including quizzes, tests, projects and papers. Make a big note on the
calendar on dates of your examinations. You may also want to set your own dates for
starting and completing the assignments. Remember to allow ample time to complete
your assignments and also your revision. This will let you know when you are likely
to be busy with your studies and when you will have more flexibility for scheduling
other non academic activities. If your assignment due dates change, remember to
update your semester schedule. Record also your work hours, meetings and social
commitments. These activities, though not academic, are equally important as they
are part of your life. Recording them allows you to have a more accurate picture of
how full or open your schedule will be throughout the semester.
Activity 4.11
Make a simple semester calendar. Jot down the important dates for
every month. They may include dates for your major examinations,
assignment due dates, tutorials, tests and meetings. These are
basically the events that you must do and which are quite fixed.
State the event, the exact due date, and its percentage weighting.
This process will help you to identify times in the semester when
several assignments may be due at or around the same time. If this
is the case, you will need to set earlier deadlines for certain work.
In order to manage your time successfully and to avoid stress, it is
important to pace the workload more evenly over the semester. You
need to refer to your Student Handbook for all the exact dates of
your semester and semester break. You may make a sample planner
as shown below.
Date of each semester week

Date
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Deadline
A TMA1 LS
B
C
D
Others
In the planner above, write down the dates for a particular

week in the “Date” column, for example, for Week 1, you may
write: 2nd – 8th Oct. Four separate rows in the planner, namely,
A, B, C and D have been drawn for the four courses you are taking
for the semester. Increase the number of rows if you take more
courses. The last row, labelled “Others” has been included for your
work, family and social events. In this case, you may write, for
example, “meeting” or “wedding”.
In addition, a weekly schedule should be used, which should be

made once a week preferably on a Sunday night before the week
begins. This should include:
a. all classes
b. exercise routine
c. work
d. extracurricular activities
e. housekeeping duties
f. sleeping
g. eating
h. resting and reflection
i. family time
And make sure to leave blank spaces to fit in necessary activities as

they come up. These blank spaces should be utilised for studying
and the completion of assignments. Study time should be scheduled
for at least two hours a day. Do you still remember the total number
UNIT 4 31
of hours you need to study which was mentioned in Unit 2?

Make a list of what you have to complete during the coming weeks,
including assignments and office work. Include also your family
and personal activities. In other words, identify and take note
of deadlines. It is important to estimate how long each task will
take. Prioritise your activities. List down the activities in order of
importance. Give priority to those activities which are important
and must be done during the week. The less important activities can
be done in another week or when you have less load. Remember,
as a part time student, it is advisable to set aside at least an hour
every day for your studies! Then identify the day on which you
will accomplish each task, keeping in mind the amount of time the
task will take and other things you must also do that day.
Activity 4.12
Based on your semester planner which you have completed in

Activity 4.11, create one weekly schedule for the first month of
your semester. When you prepare the weekly schedule, bear in
mind the tips you have just learnt in the previous section. You
must remember to include two hours study time for each day! After
you have completed it, you can compare your weekly schedule
with your course mates. You will notice how different their weekly
schedules are compared to yours. Again, you may use the sample
below. Remember, you can modify it to suit your needs, especially
the time slots.
Month:
Week 1 Date:
8– 10 – 11 – 1– 3– 5– 7– 9–
Day/Time
10am 11am 1pm 3pm 5pm 7pm 9pm 11pm
Monday Revision
Tuesday
Wednesday Meeting
PTA
Thursday Meeting
Group
Friday Discussion
Saturday
Sunday
After you have prepared the schedule, go through it to see how

you can re-schedule it to make it more effective. You may also keep
your schedule in a visible place, for example, next to your desk or
pin it on a board. Look at it everyday to remind yourself of your
proposed schedule.
Before you start your day every morning, write out a daily
schedule. Include uncompleted tasks from the previous day as
well as new tasks. The list of tasks to be done should be kept short,
about five or six items, both academic and personal. The items
should be small specific goals such as: ‘Read five pages in Learning
Skills’. It should not be a whole unit of the course materials.
As you write out your daily schedule, arrange them in order of
importance. Some activities must be done on a particular day
while others may be done another day. This can definitely reduce
your stress level. Then, you must use your schedules every day
and learn to say “no” to activities which are not relevant. In this
way, you are more likely to keep to your schedules. For every item
which you have accomplished, draw a line across the item. The
more lines you see on the list, the more satisfied you should feel.
Take a break when you have finished all the tasks for the day. If
you often find you cannot finish your tasks most of the days,
you need to review your schedules.
Evaluating your schedule
After you arrange your daily schedule, review it. Ask yourself whether the
schedule for the day is realistic considering the amount of time given for each task.
If it is not, remove some of the less urgent items from your schedule so the schedule
is manageable.
Every evening, look through the schedule. Ask yourself these questions:
• Have I done everything on my list?
• If not, why?
• Was the schedule unrealistic or was my time management ineffective?
• What adjustments can I make in future to make my schedule work

better for me?
UNIT 4 33
Activity 4.13
A sample of a daily schedule is given below.
List of things to do Order of priority

1. Lunch with Judy, an old classmate. 4
2. Visit the Regional Centre to get 2
information about the exam workshop.
3. Read Unit 1 of “Learning Skills”, 3
section 1.2.
4. See the plumber about water 1
leakage in toilet.
5. Shop for a pair of shoes for work. 5
Use the sample above to create your own daily schedule list.
List of things to do Order of priority

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Look at the chart below. It gives you a summary of the time management you should
do so that you can manage your learning more effective.
Create a semester schedule
Assess and plan your work load each week
Adjust your plan each day
Evaluate your schedule
Chart 4.1 Time management

After you have made your semester plan, weekly plan and daily plan, the next
most important thing to do is to stick to your schedule. It is a common weakness
among students to forget about their schedule after a few weeks of drawing it up.
Following a regular schedule has many advantages:
• It will help motivate you.
• When you plan and carry out your study in frequent but small, manageable
chunks, it makes your life easier.
• A study schedule means that you don’t waste time but rather have time for
other commitments.
• A schedule also helps you to track your progress. You can see that you
have achieved set tasks, completed assignments on time and made good
progress.
Managing your stress

Since you have just started a new role as a distant learner, you have many
adjustments to make. For example, you may need to change your sleeping habits
or television schedule. You may even need to change your usual family routines.
Some of you may have no problems making the adjustments. Others may face
difficulties and feel very troubled. If this situation goes on for a long time, you may
end up being stressed out! In the next section, you will find out what stress is, the
common signs of stress and how you can manage it.
Stress is a part of everyone’s life. It is a response of the body to a variety of internal

and external stimuli. External stimuli may include a job change, a move to a
new city, marriage, death of a loved one, or an illness in your family. Happy as well
as sad events can create stress. On the other hand, internal stimuli may include
physical or mental discomfort. Personality traits, such as a need to strive for
perfection or to please others, may also cause stress. Stress has effects on your
health and performance. However, it does not necessarily affect us in negative
ways. Sometimes, stress helps people attain difficult goals and perform well. Some
degree of stress enhances performance. Total absence of stress would make life very
boring. However, when stress exceeds a certain limit, it affects your performance
negatively. Everyone’s tolerance for stress is different. Each person handles stress
differently. It is therefore important to recognise your limits.
UNIT 4 35
Good stress and bad stress
Stress can be divided into two categories:
Stress
Good stress Bad stress

(Eustress) (Distress)
What is good and bad stress? Stress can be good or bad for you, depending on
how it affects you. Sometimes a stress may be a good thing, such as getting up on
time and attending all your tutorial classes. Sometimes, stress challenges students
to do their best and keeps them learning and growing. For example, you may
feel that you are going too slow on your assignments, and you may fail if you
do not work hard to finish them. You therefore stay up late for a few nights to
complete your assignments. Similarly, final examinations are an especially stressful
time. Since it contributes a high percentage towards the total assessment and the
outcome is uncertain, it will generate a high level of stress. This stress can prompt
students to study harder, longer, and learn more from the extra effort. All these are
positive stress triggers. They are called functional stress. In fact, this type of stress
enhances our performance.
Stress that lasts a short period of time can rapidly motivate us. However, a stress
that lasts too long, happens too often, or is too strong may bring us physical,
behavioural, and psychological problems. Then, it becomes negative stress or
dysfunctional stress. This bad stress can cause such strong emotional reactions
that you are not able to concentrate on what you are doing. Many factors can bring
about this bad stress, such as going to class unprepared, your health, financial
problems, or even a hungry stomach.
Activity 4.14
Having looked at what is good stress and bad stress, try answering
the following questions.
1. What do you consider to be good stress in your life since you

started studying at WOU?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. Why are they good?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
3. What is bad stress?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
4. Who can you consult for help on this matter?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Activity 4.15
Do you want to find out your stress level? There is a test to find
out your stress level at this website: http://www.lessons4living.com/
stress_test.htm (Accessed 8 March 2016)
All you have to do is to provide a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer to 20 simple

questions about yourself. You will know you stress immediately
after you submit your answers online. Your score will give you a
rough indication of your stress level. If your score shows that you
are stressed, then you need to take some action.
UNIT 4 37
What are the warning signs of stress?
Stress signals fall into four categories: thoughts, feelings, behaviour and physical
symptoms. When you are under stress, you may experience the following:
Feelings Thoughts
• Anxiety. • Difficulty in
• Irritability. concentrating.
• Fear. • Forgetfulness.
• Moodiness. • Preoccupation with
the future.
• Fear of failure.
Physical
• Tight muscles.
• Cold or sweaty hands.
Behavioural • Headache.
• Crying. • Back or neck
• Acting impulsively. problems.
• Nervous laughter. • Sleep disturbances.
• Increased smoking. • Indigestion problems.
• Increased alcohol. • Rapid breathing.
• Increased or • Fatigue.
decreased appetite. • Trembling.
Figure 4.2 Stress signals
Apart from those mentioned above, there are many more symptoms. Different
people react differently to stress. You should consult your doctor if you have any
symptoms which disturb you severely.
Furthermore, it is helpful to be aware of the thoughts that can cause additional stress
to you. Here are some example of stressful thoughts:
• Making mistakes is terrible.
• It is essential to be loved by everyone.
• I must always be competent.
• Every problem has a perfect solution.
• If others criticise me, I must have done something wrong.
• I can’t change the way I think.
• I must rarely show weakness or cry.
• Strong people do not ask for help.

• Everything is within my control.
• Other people should see things the same way I do.
• People should do what I want because they love me.
• The world ought to be fair.
Take a moment to reflect on the above list. How often do you have any of the above
feelings? Do they make you feel stressed out?
Activity 4.16
Having read some of the physical and emotional signs of stress in

the previous section, can you look back at the times when you have
felt stress? If so, take a moment to write down specific things or
times that made you feel stressed. Remember, this is only a guide
meant to help you get started so not everything stated below will
be relevant to you. You may have identified other causes of stress.
Please feel free to add them to the table below. Write down all causes
that comes to your mind.
Causes of stress When Why
Major expected
events
(something big
you know is
coming):
Test,
presentation,
baby, taxes
Major
unexpected
events
(Something big
that happens
unexpectedly):
Accident, illness
Daily grind
(All the little
things that
make up
your day):
Parking, going
to class, driving
UNIT 4 39
Personal
attributes
(All the things
about you):
Genetic
makeup,
flexibility,
disabilities
Others
Note: Writing down your thoughts will help you process and
understand what causes you stress and why. Understanding these
two things is fundamental to managing your stress.
How to manage your stress?
Good! Now that you have started to think about what causes your stress, we can
talk about some strategies you can use to relieve your stress. We have learnt in
the previous section that stress is part and parcel of our lives. We also learnt that
there are both good stress and bad stress. Therefore, managing stress does not mean
removing all stress from your life! At times, we want to minimise our stress. At other
times, we need stress to help us accomplish our goals.
Let us look at the three types of approaches to managing stress:
• Action-oriented: In which we seek to confront the problem causing the

stress, changing the environment or the situation.
• Emotionally-oriented: In which we do not have the power to change the

situation, but we can manage stress by changing our interpretation of the
situation and the way we feel about it.
• Acceptance-oriented: Where something has happened over which we

have no power and no emotional control, and where our focus is on
surviving the stress.
People who can control their stress use a variety of techniques to help them relax
depending on the situation. There are many methods that you can use to manage your
stress level. Some think of positive events in their lives, for example, their children
getting an award in school. Others engage in physical exercises, for instance, taking
a walk in the park, or even going shopping. Some think that meditation is a very
good way to help them to relax.
Activity 4.17
Now that you have learnt about some of the things that cause
you stress and about a few coping strategies, it is time to do
some brainstorming. Share with your friends your experiences on
coping with stress. You may be surprised to learn of interesting
ways that people use to reduce their stress. You may find their
methods effective. Now, list down the methods which you would
like to try out.
1. _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Summary
This section introduced you to efforts which you can take to succeed
in your learning activities. In particular, you learnt strategies to
enhance your motivation and memory for learning. It taught you
about good stress and bad stress and how to deal with them. Finally,
you were introduced to time management and how to control your
stress level so that you can study more effectively.
UNIT 4 41
Self-test 4.2
Read the case given below and answer the questions as follows.
Rosie is a thirty year old married woman. She has just signed
up for a computing course at a local college. As she has been
away from school for a long time, she is concerned about how
she can manage her many family and social responsibilities
while attending college. She has two young children to take
care. In addition, she does not employ a maid to help out in her
housework. While she aims to do well in her studies, she also wants
to be a good wife to her husband and a good mother to her two
children. As she is experiencing a drastic change in her lifestyle now
that she has enrolled as a student, she is feeling rather stressed out.
1. If you were Rosie, what would you do to manage your time

effectively so that you will be able to cope with your hectic
schedule and study well at the same time?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. If you were Rosie, which two methods will you use to reduce
your stress. Explain how you will do it.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Suggested answers to activities
Feedback
Activity 4.4
One most important reason which made me sign up for this course:
To get a better job in terms of salary.

Activity 4.5
2.
Column A Column B
My ideal condition Put a “ü” in this column if

the condition is present in
your study environment
1. Quiet ü
2. Cool
3. Clean ü
4. Tidy ü
5. Must have a big desk ü
6. Not too many people
around
7. Must have a computer ü
8.
9.
10.
3. a. Find a quieter place.
b. Find a place that’s not so hot.
Activity 4.7
1. __ __ Do I have a conducive environment to study?
__ü_ Do I normally break down the big tasks into smaller

pieces?
__ü_ Do I have realistic goals?
__ __ Do I give incentives to myself from time to time when

I have achieved something?
__ü_ Do I have positive attitudes most of the time?
__ __ Do I learn actively?
__ü_ Do I discuss my difficulties or problems with my

friends?
UNIT 4 43
2. The following are the strategies I have not tried so far:
Having conducive environment.

Break down big tasks into smaller ones.
Set realistic goals.
Discuss with friends.
How can I use the strategies in future:
• Try to find a more suitable place to study, for example,

study in the public library.
• Make planning so that all assignments are not done at the

last minute.
• Form discussion groups with friends to discuss topics

covered in the course materials.
• Set goal which fulfil the five characteristics of effective

goals.
Activity 4.9
Techniques to enhance your memory
1. • Read the facts in the book many times, cover up the facts,
try to recall. Repeat the process many times.
• Make short notes on small pieces of paper. Read from the

pieces of papers.
• Underline the important point with different coloured

pen.
2. Memorising  easy to remember facts.
Activity 4.14
1. Anxiety before tutorial sessions.
2. Anxiety before tutorial sessions made me prepare for the

sessions.
3. Pressure to meet assignment deadline, tests, exams.
Hassles of too many responsibilities.
Too many things to learn.
4. Tutor, friends, colleagues.
Activity 4.16
Causes of stress When Why

Major expected Before a test, Worry about
events examination. failing test and
(something big examination.
you know
is coming):
Test,
presentation,
baby, taxes
Major My car banged into a Feel bad for the
unexpected neighbour’s car. neighbour.
events
(Something big
that happens
unexpectedly):
Accident, illness
Daily grind Finding a parking Without a parking
(All the little lot when running lot, it is impossible
things that errands. to get down from
make up the car to go to
your day): shops.
Parking, going
to class, driving Driving along Worry that car
jammed roads. may bang into cars
in front or being
banged by cars
at the back.
Walking along busy Worry of snatch thief.

streets.
Personal Severe backache. Unable to move
attributes body properly.
(All the things
about you): Headache. No table to
Genetic concentrate on
makeup, studies.
flexibility,
disabilities
Others
UNIT 4 45
Activity 4.17
List three coping techniques you use to deal with stress:
• Walking around in the neighbourhood.
• Looking at beautiful flowers and plants.
• Watching movies in the TV.

UNIT 4 47
4.3 Knowing your Learning Styles

Objectives
By the end of this section, learners should be able to:
1. Explain the meaning of learning style.
2. Differentiate the three types of learning style.
3. Apply appropriate strategies to your learning style.
Introduction
You were a school student once. How did you learn when you were in school? Was
your way of learning the same as your classmates or your siblings? The way you prefer
to learn is your learning style. It refers to how your brain works most efficiently
to learn new information. There is no such thing as a “good” learning style or a
“bad” learning style. Success comes with many different learning styles. There is no
“right” approach to learning. We all have our own particular way of learning new
information. The important thing is to be aware of the nature of your learning style.
If you are aware of how your brain best learns, you have a better chance of studying
in a way that is more effective. Remember that you may have a combination of
learning skills that do not fit neatly into the categories discussed below.
Types of learning styles

Everyone has his preferred way of learning. Some prefer to learn from texts. Some
learn better by doing. Sometimes, your friends may tell you that they understand
better and remember well if the learning objects are presented to them in the form
of pictures. What then is their learning style? In general, we may classify learning
styles into four broad categories. In the following section, you will learn more about
these four types.
Activity 4.18
Case A _______________________________________________
Rachel understands and remembers best what she studies by

doing something active with it. She also likes to discuss with
others what she has learnt. She likes group discussions. And,
when in a group, she often likes to lead the group by saying, “Let’s
try it out to see how it works”.
On the other hand, Rachel’s close friend, Samantha, is just the

opposite. She prefers to think over what she has learnt quietly
first. Therefore, she usually does not join Rachel’s discussion
group. She prefers to study alone. Both of them always argue over
whether to try out some topics they have learnt first or to spend
more time thinking over the topic first.
However, both of them have one thing in common, that is, they
are not able to sit still throughout a lecture to take notes, more
so for Rachel.
Case B _______________________________________________
Rajoo and Siva always study together though they have different
learning styles. Rajoo likes to memorise facts, and is very
particular about any single detail in what he studies. He is a very
practical and careful person. Solving Mathematical problems using
the same old way is his favourite. He cannot tolerate even a slight
difference in learning style. As such, he likes courses which have
connection to the real world.
Siva’s learning style is slightly different. He likes to discover

new ideas on his own compared to Rajoo; to obtain new
knowledge. He also likes new ideas and innovation. Unlike Rajoo,
Siva is able to grasp new concepts. He is more comfortable with
abstractions and mathematical formulations.
Case C _______________________________________________
Ali tends to gain understanding through linear steps; with each

step following logically from the previous one. He is also very
particular about solving solutions step by step.
Fatimah, on the other hand, tends to learn in big jumps,

understanding without seeing connections. She is able to solve
complex problems quickly though she is not very particular
about the details. So, very often, she is not able to explain how she
solves certain problems.
Case D _______________________________________________
Mazlan is a person who simply likes graphics. Anything in

pictures will be best for him. He just remembers whatever he can
see, like graphs, diagrams, demonstrations and so on. When he
studies, he likes to transform facts into diagrams or illustrations.
Some people learn better when they get written explanation.

Soo Keong is one of them. Oral explanations are equally good for
him. If he gets both, that is even better.
UNIT 4 49
By using a search engine (Google or Yahoo) in the Internet, try to

identify the different types of learning styles. Find out the type of
learner for each of the four groups mentioned above. Then, write
the types on the blank lines provided at the top of the description
for each group.
Note:
Case A : Active and Reflective Learners
Case B: Sensing and Intuitive Learners
Case C: Sequential and Global Learners
Case D: Visual and Verbal Learners
Now, check if you have the found the correct names. The four cases actually describe
the four groups of learning style. Does your learning style resemble any one of them?
Activity 4.19
1. Find out your particular learning style by answering the questions

at this website: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.
html (Accessed 8 March 2016)
It is called Index of Learning Style Questionnaire and contains

44 questions. It will only take a few minutes to complete. It is
fun because you get to know your learning style immediately
when you submit your answers online.
2. Ask your course mates about their learning style. Can you find
anyone who has the same learning style as you? Perhaps, you can
choose to be in the same group for discussion or other group
work later in your course.
Maximising your learning through your learning styles

After knowing your learning style, you should use the most appropriate strategy to
maximise your learning. The following table suggests the strategies you can use to
help you get the most out of your studies.
Learning style Strategies

Active learner Have group discussions.
• Group members can take turns to explain different
topics to each other.
• Group members can also try to predict potential test
or examination questions and discuss answers to these
questions.
Reflective learner • Always think about what you read quietly.
• Stop periodically to review what you have read by
thinking of possible questions or applications.
• Memorisation method does not work for you.
• As you read your course materials, write short summaries
of readings or tutorial notes in your own words.
Sensing learner • Find many facts about the topic to be learnt.
• You need specific examples of concepts and procedures.
• Try to find out the applications of concepts.
• Try to find out its application in the real world.
• Use brainstorming methods with friends or classmates
among the application of those concepts.
Intuitive learner • Like to discover possibilities.
• Ask your instructor for interpretations or theories that
link the facts or try to find the connections yourself.
• Take time to read the entire question before you start
answering and be sure to check your results.
Visual learner • Try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs,
flow charts, or any other visual representation of course
material.
• Get relevant videotapes or CD-ROM related to the course
materials.
• Prepare concept maps by listing key points, enclosing
them in boxes or circles, and drawing lines with arrows
between concepts to show connections.
• Highlight important points.
• Use different coloured highlighter for different main
points.
Verbal learner • Write summaries or outlines of course material in your
own words.
• Have group discussions.
• Take turns to explain to your classmates.
Sequential learner • Copy every step to a solution carefully. Fill up any
missing ones by making additional references.
• Take time to outline the course material for yourself in
logical order.
• Relating each new topic you study to things you already
know.
UNIT 4 51
Learning style Strategies

Global learner You need the big picture of a subject before you can master
details.
Before you begin to study the first section of a chapter in

a text, skim through the entire chapter to get an overview.
Instead of spending a short time on every subject every night,

you might find it more productive to immerse yourself in
individual subjects for a longer period of time. Try to relate
the subject to things you already know, either by asking
your tutor to help you see connections or by looking up
references.
Activity 4.20
Choose one section of any of your course materials. Based on

your learning style, try out the strategies suggested above and see
if you can learn more effectively. You may do your jottings in the
space provided.
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Summary
In this section, you learnt what a learning style is. You were also
introduced to the four types of learning styles and how you can
make use of them to study effectively. You also had the opportunity
to identify your dominant learning style  the style that defines
the best way you learn new information.
Suggested answers to activity
Feedback
Activity 4.18
Case A
Rachel  Active learner
Samantha  Reflective learner
Case B
Rajoo  Sensing learner
Siva  Intuitive learner
Case C
Ali  Sequential learner
Fatimah  Global learner
Case D
Mazlan  Visual learner
Soo Keong  Verbal learner

UNIT 4 53
4.4 Note Taking Techniques

Objectives
By the end of this section, learners should be able to:
1. Explain the importance of taking notes.
2. Apply the five methods of taking notes effectively.
3. Identify the three steps involved in taking notes for tutorials.
Introduction
When you were in primary or secondary school, you were not required to take
much notes. But, as you move to a higher level of education, you have to do more
note taking. You may have realised how fast your memory fades. Without review,
slightly less than half of what you have just learnt may be forgotten in the first
twenty minutes. More than half is forgotten after the first day. Therefore, having
good lecture notes to revise can determine how well you are able to perform during
examinations.
Being a distant and independent learner, however, you will spend a lot of time
doing your own reading. There are many things to read and learn. You have to
read course materials given by WOU, visit the library and obtain materials from all
kinds of sources. You may have heard this complaint many times: “So much to
study for the examinations. How am I going to do it?” One effective way, of course,
is to take notes from the materials. You may take down the important points or
summarise the text. How do you take note of the important facts as you read? The
secret of developing this skill is to know the techniques and put it into practice.
Remember, how you take notes and organise them will affect your revision.
Taking notes effectively is a skill which you have to develop to help you improve
your studies and remember important facts. How do notes help you?
• Notes make you concentrate on what you are learning.
• Notes enable you to put ideas into your own words.
• Notes help you remember things better.
• Notes are excellent for revision.

To take notes, read with a purpose in mind, that is to identify major points. This
way, you are forcing yourself to concentrate. When you make notes, it is always
good to use your own words. How can that be done? You need to understand it
first before you can use your own words to explain it. After understanding what
you have read in the materials and writing the notes in your own words, you will
remember them better. Notes are usually shorter than the original materials, so they
are in fact much easier to revise.
Whether you are attending a tutorial or doing your own reading, there are many
ways of writing notes, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. It is best to
try them all to see which method works best for you. Different topics or subjects may
also require different ways of taking notes. The most important point to remember
is that the notes will be useful later when you wish to re-use them. You should be
able to understand the notes without having to read the full texts again.
Taking notes for tutorials

Since you also have tutorial sessions, it is important to learn how to take notes
during tutorials. Taking notes during tutorials may be even more difficult because
you cannot control the flow of the speech of your tutors. Sometimes, you may not
understand what the tutor is saying, let alone take down what he is saying. What
should you do in order to take tutorial notes more effectively? You may follow some
of the methods mentioned above.
As you do not meet your tutor often, it becomes even more important for you
to take notes effectively during tutorials. If you can spend some time before the
tutorial sessions start, it actually helps you to take notes more effectively. Generally,
there are three main steps which you need to follow in order for you to take good
notes. Can you think of the three steps? Very easy. Just three steps: Prepare, Listen
and Revise.
1. Prepare before tutorial
How do you prepare before a tutorial? Taking notes on something you are
familiar with is definitely easier than taking notes on something totally new
to you. So, you must have some knowledge about the tutorial topic. You
may do the following to help you:
• Read up on the topic in the reading material.
• Get additional information about the topic from other sources, like the
Internet or related books.
• Think about your own experiences related to the topic.
By doing the above, you will activate your prior knowledge of the content
of the topic. This will make understanding of the topic easier during your
tutorials. Write down any concepts which you do not understand so that
you can get clarifications during your tutorials.
UNIT 4 55
You can prepare a three-ring binder instead of a spiral or bound book. This
way, pages can be easily removed for revision. Furthermore, additional
handouts or references can be inserted into your notes in the correct order
for cross-referencing.
Activity 4.21
Refer to your Semester Planner to identify your next tutorial topic.

Use the table below to help you prepare for the tutorial.
Topic of discussion: _____________________________________
Action to be taken Benefits?

Read up on the topic in the
course material.
Read up on the topic from

other resources, e.g.,
Internet, books.
Think of examples or
experiences related to
the topic.
Questions to be asked.
2. Listen during tutorials
Go to your tutorial with a positive attitude. If you go to a tutorial

thinking that it is going to be another boring session, then, most likely
you will not be paying attention to what the tutor has to say. You have
to make a conscientious effort to pay attention. You really need to focus.
Leave your family or work for two hours. Have you heard of the saying,
“Without concentration there is no focus, and without focus there is
no learning”?
Follow closely what your tutor says during tutorials. To help you to
take notes, it is a good idea to bring highlighters to your tutorial class.
Highlight important points to help remind you later that this is something
you need to know. Your tutors usually give clues to what is important in a
particular topic. Some of the more common clues are:
a. Material written on the blackboard.

b. Repetition.
c. Emphasis.
• Emphasis can be judged by tone of voice and gesture.
• Emphasis can be judged by the amount of time the instructor spends

on points and the number of examples he or she uses.
d. Word signals (e.g., “There are two points of view on . . .” “The third
reason is . . .” “In conclusion . . .”)
e. List of things which are being discussed.
f. Summaries given at the end of class.
g. Reviews given at the beginning of class.
How do you jot down notes during tutorials? How you take notes is
actually a matter of personal choice. Different people have different ways
of doing it. As a guideline, you may use the suggestions below:
a. Start each new tutorial on a new page. Remember to write the date of
the tutorial and number each page you use. The sequence of material
is important.
b. Write on one side of the paper only. You can set them out side-by-side
for easier reviewing when studying for an exam.
c. Leave blank spaces. This allows you to add comments or note questions
later.
d. Make your notes as brief as possible.
e. Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols you can use wherever

possible.
f. Note all unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts you don’t understand.

This reminds you to look them up later.
UNIT 4 57
Activity 4.22
By now, you have probably noticed several terms and/or phrases

that each of your tutors uses regularly.
1. Take a moment to think about some of the terms and/or

phrases which you use regularly. Then list them in the left
column below.
Frequently used terms/phrases Abbreviations
2. Now, consider abbreviations that you might use for each of

the terms and/or phrases you have listed. For example, if one
of the terms is study skills, you might consider using the
abbreviation SS to represent that phrase in your notes. After
considering possible abbreviations for the terms listed in the
left column, place the corresponding abbreviations in the right
column above.
3. Compare your list with the lists generated by your classmates.

Write down some of the additional abbreviations they have
come up with that you find useful.
3. Revise after tutorial
• Look through the notes.
• Edit words and phrases that are illegible or do not make sense. Write
out abbreviated words that might be unclear later.
• Rework your notes by adding extra points and spelling out unclear
items. This is important because we tend to forget fast. Allocate enough
time for this step.
• Verify your notes by reading the recommended texts.
• Edit with a different coloured pen to distinguish between what you

wrote in class and what you filled in later.
• Note anything you don’t understand by underlining or highlighting

to remind you to ask the instructor.
• Compare your notes with the reference book reading and fill in
important details in the blank spaces you left.
• Consider rewriting or typing up your notes.
• Revise your notes regularly. This is the only way to achieve lasting
memory.
Ways of taking notes

Other than the method explained to you earlier on taking notes during tutorial,
you can also look at the five ways below.
Outline method
In this method of taking notes, dash (  ) or indentation is commonly used. As you

read, jot down points in an organised pattern based on space indentation. Write
major points on the far left. Indent each of the more specific points to the right.
Levels of importance of all the points will be shown by the difference in distances
from the major points. In other words, minor points will be placed further away
from the major points.
Transport
• Definition: means of carrying objects from one place to another

 three modes
 air transport
 land transport
 sea transport
Figure 4.3 Outline method of taking notes

UNIT 4 59
As you can see from the example above,
• The information which is most general begins on the left. More specific
group of facts is indented with spaces to the right.
• The relationship between the different parts is shown through indentation.
• No numbers, letters or Roman numerals are needed.
• The levels of importance of the points are shown by their distance from the
major points.
Summary method
After reading a paragraph, write what you have read into a shorter version of the
original. Write in note form, in your own words, the essential facts and ideas from
your reading. A sample of this method is provided below.
Example: The following is a paragraph taken from your reading material on

‘Strategies to enhance motivation for learning’.
Big tasks may worry you. Break down the big tasks into smaller ones so that
they are more manageable. For example, as a working person, it may be too
demanding to revise one whole chapter at one time for your test. You may want to
break down the task into revising one section of the chapter at a time.
A sample of the note made using the summary method:
Break down big tasks into smaller units so that you can manage it better.
Figure 4.4 Summary method of taking notes
Annotation method
In this method, the blank space in the margins are commonly used. Hence, you
can write down the main points, question marks, ticks or crosses to show various
meanings. For example, for points which you think are very important, you may
put an asterisk beside the point in the margin. For a point which needs more
explanation, you may put a question mark in the margin. You may also highlight
or underline important points.
Below is an example of notes made using the Annotation method:
Figure 4.5 Annotation method of taking notes

Charting method
To use this method, group the important points into different categories. Draw
columns headed by these categories. As you read, you record information (words,
phrases, main ideas, etc.) into the appropriate category. This method is useful when
you want to get an overview of the whole course in a sequential manner.
Example  Chart format of learning styles

Visual learner Audio learner Kinesthetic
diagrams listen to tapes hands-on
highlight explain to friends flashcards
Table 4.3 Charting method of taking notes
Mind map method
The mind map was created by Tony Buzan and has become a very effective method
of taking notes. Mind maps show not only facts, but also the overall structure of
a subject and the relative importance of individual parts of it. They show the
relationships between ideas and/or concepts and the connections between or
among them.
Conducive study Break down big

no distractions
environment tasks
suitable time
Strategies to enhance
Set goals
learning motivation
Positive Have incentives Learn actively
Figure 4.6 Mind map method
The main topic is placed in the centre : Strategies to enhance learning motivation
The main topic is linked to six main ideas : 1. Conducive study environment
2. Break down bigger tasks
3. Set goals
4. Learn actively
UNIT 4 61
5. Have incentives
6. Positive
The main idea is linked to other sub ideas : 1. No distractions
2. Suitable time
Don’t you think you can understand this mind map better than reading the lengthy
texts? Now, go to the course website to see how a mind map is created. To learn
more about mind maps, you can also visit ‘buzan centres’ at www.mind-map.com.
Whichever method of note-taking you use, there are some general tips which you
should follow:
• Use titles, subtitles and bullet points.
• Look for key issues and main details which form the focus of the reading
materials/lecture.
• Use short sentences.
• Underline key points in red or with a highlighter.
• Produce a summary list/table at the end of a section.
• Leave lots of blank space while taking notes. This is to enable you to make
additions later.
• Leave out descriptions and full explanation. Keep your notes short and to
the point.
• Don’t be afraid to produce tables e.g., Advantages & Disadvantages of...
• Include topical examples and case study references in your notes as you go
along but remember you would only have time to write a paragraph in an
examination.
• Be selective. Do not try to jot down everything you read or hear.
• Write memory jogs to yourself in the margin e.g., ‘Good diagram p. 146 in
Book X’.
• Keep notes in order and in one place.

• Develop your own short forms which you can use all the time. Examples
of some useful abbreviations include:
Ĩ Because
ħ Therefore
↑ Increase
∆ Change
i.e., In other words
@ At
=> Leads to
Here are some tips on what you may need to include in your notes:
• Facts
• Definitions
• Explanations which elaborate on main points
• Examples
• List of things which are being discussed
• Repeated information
• Charts
Summary
This section exposed you to the importance of taking notes. Five

methods of note taking were discussed. You also learnt about the
three steps involved in taking notes for tutorials, namely: prepare
for tutorials, listen during tutorials and revise after tutorials.
UNIT 4 63
Self-test 4.3
Read the article on the health effects of regional haze taken from
the Internet. Make notes of the important ideas the article is trying
to convey. You may use any two of the five methods mentioned in
this course material.
Article I. Regional haze  Health effects
Fine particle pollution, that contributes to regional haze, can affect

people’s health. People most at risk include those with:
• heart disease
• lung disease
• respiratory conditions (including asthma)
• diabetes
• older adults and children
Fine particles are deposited deep into lungs where they can
accumulate on the surface or be absorbed by underlying tissue and
enter the bloodstream. People with heart or lung diseases and
respiratory conditions, such as coronary artery disease, congestive
heart failure, and asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, are at increased risk of serious effects, because particles can
aggravate these diseases.
In people with heart disease, particles have been linked to heart

attacks and cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms). Recent
evidence suggests that some of these cardiac effects may result from
very short-term exposures, possibly as short as one hour.
People with diabetes may be at increased risk of serious effects from

regional haze, possibly because of underlying cardiovascular disease.
Older adults are at increased risk from regional haze possibly

because they may have undiagnosed heart or lung disease or diabetes.
Children are likely to be at risk from regional haze for a number of

reasons. For example, they may be more vulnerable to fine particles
because their lungs are still developing. Also, children’s breathing
rates can be as much as twice as rapid as adults under resting
conditions, and children tend to have far higher activity levels than
adults on any given day, which will result in more particles being
deposited in their developing lungs.
Long-term (years) exposure of healthy people to particles has been

associated with reduced lung function and the development of
chronic bronchitis.
People’s chances of being affected by particles increase the longer

they are active outdoors and the more strenuous their activity. This is
because the harder we work or exercise, the more rapidly we breathe
and greater concentrations of particles reach the deepest and most
sensitive areas of the lungs.
People involved in an activity that requires heavy or prolonged

exertion can reduce the time they spend on the activity or substitute
another activity that requires less exertion, especially on days when
particle pollution levels are elevated. For example, walking instead
of jogging to reduce the impact of fine particles on their health.
Symptoms of exposure to fine particles include the following:
Even healthy people may experience temporary symptoms from

exposure to elevated levels of particles. Symptoms may include:
irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, phlegm, chest
tightness, and shortness of breath.
People with lung disease may not breathe as deeply or as vigorously

as normal, and may experience respiratory symptoms including:
coughing, phlegm, chest discomfort, wheezing, shortness of
breath, and unusual fatigue. These symptoms are an indication
to reduce exposure and to follow the advice of their doctor.
People with heart disease can have serious effects, such as heart
attacks, with no warning symptoms. If people with heart disease
have symptoms such as chest pain or tightness, palpitations,
shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue, these may indicate a
serious problem and should follow the advice of their doctor.
Asthmatics should already have an asthma action plan that they

routinely follow, but may need to follow it more carefully when
particle levels are high.
Source: http://www.maine.gov/dep/air/meteorology/regionalhaze/
reghealth.htm (April 2006)
UNIT 4 65
Suggested answers to activity
Feedback
Activity 4.22
Frequently used terms/phrases Abbreviations

because Ĩ
which wch
with w/
management mgt
less than <
about abt
important *
therefore ħ
at @
increase ↑
decrease ↓
as a result →
UNIT 4 67
Summary of Unit 4
Summary
In this unit, you learnt many skills which will enable you to
manage your learning more effectively. It started by explaining the
meaning of a goal and more importantly, an effective goal. It also
suggested ways to enhance your motivation and memory skills so
that you can learn effectively. To help you cope with your busy
schedule, suggestions to enable you to manage your time and
stress level were provided. For individuals with different ways of
learning, strategies to maximise your learning using your styles
were explained. Finally, this unit ended with an explanation on
the importance of taking notes as well as ways of taking notes.
By mastering all these strategies, you would be able to go through
your long journey of obtaining your degree much more smoothly.
You will therefore be able to achieve your goal faster and through
a more enjoyable process.
UNIT 4 69
Suggested Answers to Self-tests
Feedback
Self-test 4.1
1. Goals are important because goals affect behaviour of the

individuals. Once individuals determine the goals they want
to achieve, they will direct their efforts to attain them. For
example, an individual sets his/ her goal as getting a university
degree within a certain number of years. With that goal in
mind, he/she will need to take the necessary efforts to achieve
the goal. Without the goal, he/she may just drift through
life. Goals make him/her focused in his/her actions. Therefore,
goals are important.
2. There are five characteristics altogether:
a. Challenging and realistic
The goal must be one which is within our ability. It must

not be too easy or too difficult.
b. Specific and measurable
The goal must be stated clearly so that you will be able to

monitor your progress. Example of a clear goal is “get a
B or higher in each class this semester”. This goal is also
measurable because you can evaluate whether you are able
to achieve it.
c. Set with daily progress in mind
Make small goals which you can achieve in a short period

of time, for example, daily or weekly. We should feel happy
when we have achieved these small goals.
d. Positive
The goal should be positively worded. For example, to get

at least 80 marks in my test for Learning Skills is a positive
goal. When we think of positive outcomes, we are more
likely to succeed.
e. Time bounded
The period during which the goal must be achieved has to be

specified. This is one way to enable us to judge our progress
towards achieving our goals. If we have a deadline, we are
motivated to work harder towards attaining our goals.
(You may refer to your course material for elaboration)
3. The willingness to fail breeds success  When you attempt

something, you may fail or you may succeed. So must be willing
to accept both eventualities  failure and success, otherwise
you may not achieve any success.
Self-test 4.2
1. I need to draw up a semester plan, jot down all the important

dates for the semester, eg., tests, assignment due dates, friend’s
wedding, family members’ major events, tutorial dates and
so on. Next, I shall prepare a weekly plan. I shall list down
all the things that needs to be done within the week. If
there are too many to be done, these activities need to be
prioritised, doing those important things first. Then, I have to
think of what to do everyday. The best is to list the to-do list
either every evening or every morning. Again, I need to
arrange them in order of importance. If possible, I shall also
allocate the time for each activity so that I have enough time
to complete all the activities for the day. I shall also include
about two hours per day for my studies. Besides, I also need
some time for relaxation, for example, exercise or watching
TV programmes.
2. • I shall get myself involved in some form of exercises. For

example, putting aside half an hour each day on walking
briskly in the nearby park or cycling around the housing
estate. This can be done either early in the morning when
the children are still asleep, or in the evening before the
children come back from kindergarten.
• I shall spend about half an hour each day in my garden,

pruning the plants or weeding while the young children play
in the garden.
UNIT 4 71
Self-test 4.3
Summary method
Regional haze is caused by fine particles pollution. It affects the

following people:
a. People with heart disease.
b. People with lung disease.
c. People with respiratory condition.
d. People with diabetes.
e. Older adults and young children.
How the haze can affect these people:
People with heart or lung diseases and respiratory conditions:

particles can aggravate these diseases.
People with heart disease: particles may lead to heart attacks.
People with diabetes: increased risk because of underlying

cardiovascular disease.
Older adults: increased because they may have undiagnosed heart

or lung disease or diabetes.
Children: higher activity levels, so more particles will deposit in

their developing lungs.
How to reduce effects of regional haze:
Reduce strenuous activities outdoor.
Reduce heavy or prolonged exertion.

Symptoms of exposure to fine particles include the following:
Healthy people: irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, coughing,

phlegm, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.
People with lung disease: coughing, phlegm, chest discomfort,

wheezing, shortness of breath, and unusual fatigue.
People with heart disease: heart attacks, chest pain or tightness,

palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue.
UNIT 4 73
References
Locke, E A and Latham, G P (1990) A theory of goal setting and task performance,
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Locke, E A (1986) ‘Toward a theory of task motivation and incentives’, Organizational

Behaviour and Human Performance, 3, 157 – 189.
The above reference is not a compulsory reading. It has been included to acknowledge
the sources of information used in the preparation of these materials.

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UNIT 4 i

Managing your learning

EXTERNAL COURSE ASSESSOR

© 2007 Wawasan Open University

First revision 2010

Wawasan Open University

4.1 Setting goals for your university study 3

What are goals? 4

Suggested answers to activities 11

4.2 Focusing your efforts for successful learning 13

Motivational strategies for successful learning 13

Strategies to enhance your memory 20

Managing your time 28

Managing your stress 34

Suggested answers to activities 41

4.3 Knowing your learning styles 47

Types of learning styles 47

Maximising your learning through your learning styles 50

Suggested answers to activity 52

4.4 Note taking techniques 53

Taking notes for tutorials 54

Ways of taking notes 58

Suggested answers to activity 65

Suggested answers to self-tests 69

1. Identify and set goals for your university studies.

2. Apply motivational strategies for managing your learning.

3. Apply techniques to enhance memory skills in learning.

4. Use appropriate strategies to manage your stress level.

5. Differentiate the various personal learning styles.

6. Produce notes effectively.

4.1 Setting Goals for Your University

1. Explain the meaning of a goal.

2. Identify and set effective goals for your university study.

3. Differentiate between short-term goals and long-term goals.

What are goals?

In a business environment, irrespective of whether the business is big or small,

I have enrolled at WOU.

Why did you sign up for this degree course at WOU?

Career Personal satisfaction Social

Characteristics of effective goals

1. Challenging and realistic

2. Specific and measurable

a. “I will get high scores for all my exams.”

b. “I will get no less than 75 marks for all my exams.”

3. Set with weekly progress in mind

From Monday to Friday, I must be able to read through section 4.1

Let us think about these two goals:

a. I do not want to fail WUC131 Learning Skills for University Studies.

b. I want to get a Grade A in WUC131 Learning Skills for University Studies.

Which of the above do you think is a positive goal?

Instead of saying: “I will get my TMA done this month,”

Long-term and short-term goals

Determine your long-term goals

In the space below, write your long-term education goal. Bear in

My long-term academic goal is:

Plan to achieve your long-term goal

To attain your long-term goal, you need to make short-term goals

My short-term objectives towards getting my degree are:

Note: Why is the above information on my goals and objectives

Stating your objectives and goals is an important step towards

Note: You need to identify your potential obstacles so that you

• What goal related skills or knowledge do I have?

• How do I get additional skills or knowledge?