1. Going for consultation without knowing whether we will be helped or not is very time consuming and stressing for students

2. It would be advisable to tell students to set up appointments on eFundi as it would be very helpful and time saving for the lecturer and students

Topic: Processing information- Critical reading

What I know or have read about the topic:

a) Facts: Information that has been proved to be true through valid evidence, they are gathered in a formal way such as conducted research.

b) Mistakes: Judgments or actions that are wrong, flawed or misinterpreted.

c) Informed opinions: These are the type of opinions that rely on evidence rather than limited personal experiences, ad they are based on sound knowledge of the subject matter. For example, this may include using informed opinions from a professional in a journal for information which is most likely to be correct.

d) Opinions:  People's personal believes or experiences regarding certain issues. They cannot guaranteed to be true or reliable until they are proven through evidence.

What I did not understand or want to know more of about the topic:

The difference between informed opinions and opinions

 

3. Comments

Slides that the lecturer provided were really helpful in terms of simplifying the information that I found difficult on the study guide. I did not have the confidence to ask the lecturer about the difference between informed opinions and opinions so I googled it to gather more information

Writing a quiz regarding unit four also helped me differentiate between informed opinions and opinions.

Additional information that I have learned in class:

1. Review: Unit 3

The structure of an academic essay/ text consists of the folowing

a) Introduction: Which introduces the main idea of the essay with a general statement and defines all the terms in the essay. It consists of a definition, background information and a thesis statement.

b) The body: Which has 3 paragraphs, each paragraph has a topic sentence that gives a reader the main idea of what the paragraph is going to talk about. The rest of the paragraph provides more detail and ends with a topic sentence.

c) A conclusion: Supports that the claims on the introduction have been reached an summurises the whole essay.

The essay also consists of a paragraph structure

 

1. Review: Unit 3

Topic: Processing information- Using sources

What I have learned about the topic:

a) There are two reading strategies that I can implement before processing information

b) The first process is Scanning: Which is known as a very quick type of reading for a specific type of question one has in mind.

c) There are guidelines for scanning:

- One has to check and understand the organization of the material e.g. Check id the book is organized alphabetically or numerically, this also includes understanding the table of content.

-It is important for one to never lose focus on what has to be located

- It is important to make use of aids such as headings, and words that stand out from other such as bold words, these clues can help an individual locate what he/ she is looking for.

- It is important for one to check if he/ she has really found what he/ she was looking for.

d) The second one is skimming: Known as a reading strategy that allows individuals to understand the text better without reading the whole text.

e) Skimming also has guidelines:

- Before an individual starts skimming, it is important for him/ her to know the purpose of their skimming

- Just like scanning, it is important to know how the book is organized.

f) Identifying main and supporting ideas:

-A structure of an academic text is formed by an introduction, body and conclusion, and each paragraph on an academic text contains the main idea which explores the topic given.

g) Structure of a paragraph:

- Contains a topic, the main idea and structure.

e) The PEEL paragraph writing approach is a proven way to help students' writing process by providing a structure for their writing. ... It introduces the topic you're about to discuss and tells the reader what the paragraph is going to be about. It is known as a topic sentence.

1. Review: Unit 1

Topic: Processing information - analysing the topic

What I have learned about the topic:

a) Academic writing consists of steps and processes

b) The writing processes are not always applied during the exams and tests since there is not enough time provided for reviews during tests and exams. In contrast, assignments and projects allow us to develop our arguments and to apply all academic writing processes.

c) I learned the seven steps of the academic process which are: Pre-wriring and developing ideas, doing research and gathering information, planning the structure of the given task, drafting, revising, editing the final draft and finally producing the work.

What I did or did not enjoy about this lecture:

I enjoyed the fact that the lecturer made an effort to explain the study unit

I did not enjoy the fact that the lecturer did not go through the whole study unit

2. Preview

Topic: Processing and producing academic information - finding sources

What I know or have read about the topic:

a) The most used sources in academic writing are newspaper articles, journals, books, internet articles, interviews and observation.

b) References are placed inside the text, to distinguish my ideas from someone else's ideas and in the reference list

c) There are three ways of referencing a source inside a text which are: Direct qoutations, paraphrasing and summarising.

What I did not understand or want to know more of about the topic:

I still need to learn how to differentiate referencing methods and to use them correctly.

3. Comments

I appreciate the fact that the lecture has given me an opportunity to reflect on how serious I am taking my studies.