Reflecting on how you engage with your work

These are some prompts to get you thinking about your learning. You might want to discuss these with a couple of friends: it’s better to talk things through than to go through them on your own. Push each other on answers – if you ask a friend ‘should you take better notes?’ and they answer ‘yes’, with a rueful smile, keep going: ‘what do you feel you should be doing? What’s stopping you?’.

How do you prepare for a lecture? Do you find the amount of preparation you do helpful? Should you do more? Less?
How do you prepare for a supervision? Do you find the amount of preparation you do helpful? Should you do more? Less?
Do you take notes in lectures? How? If electronically, are they searchable? What are they for?
Do you prepare questions for a supervision? Do you ask them? Do you take notes on the answers? How?
Do you take notes in a supervision? How? If electronically, are they searchable? What are they for?
When and where do you do your reading, and your supervision work? Is there anything that could be improved about the environment or timing?
As you work through your course, how are you preparing for revision and your exams? Is what you’re doing helpful to Future You?
When you’re taking time away from work, are you effectively switching off from it? How do you ensure you have downtime?

If you’d like to take some time to talk these through with the Head of Academic Skills, book a one-to-one session with him. This won’t be a judgmental ‘You Must Do Better’ session – instead, he’ll help you explore what’s going well and where you want to improve.