Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Oxbridge Personal Statements
by James Walsh
There are three main factors that set Oxbridge applications apart from other universities. Firstly, they have to be submitted by mid-October before the usual deadline for the UCAS forms. Secondly, only those who have the top grades need apply. And lastly, the rejection rate is among the highest anywhere for any course.
These three cardinal points guide every aspect of the Oxbridge application process. Both Oxford and Cambridge have their own screening process apart from the UCAS form, and depending on the subject chosen, there will be a written or oral or both types of tests. Since this will be the first University that the candidate will visit, the level of nervousness will also be very high. Apart from these, the approach to Oxbridge needs to be different too.
Research
It is important to know enough about these two universities before applying there. There are hundreds of students who apply every year won over by the magic that the name Oxbridge holds. The ground for rejecting them is perfectly simple – apart from a certain starry-eyed wonder they had no other reason for getting in. There is a rarer and more tragic side to this for students who are genuinely bright. They have the immediate intelligence, wit, confidence and the grades to make it, only to discover that they have made a wrong choice out of infatuation, and are now stuck with a career that they did not want for themselves. So the first step is to decide whether one wants to go to Oxbridge at all or not. Once one is accepted, all the glamour will vanish, and be replaced with high tuition fees, stiff competition, short and exhausting terms, and holidays loaded with homework. Therefore, the background research should ascertain whether you want to apply to that college and in that stream. Please check up the websites, visit the campus where you want to go during the course of a working day, and find out about your future teachers as well as notable alumni. The prospectuses should be studied in full detail and all doubts cleared before the application is filled in.
Filling in the Forms
There are some simple rules to be followed while filling in Oxbridge forms:
1. Clarity, alertness and accuracy: The admission officers have to check through a great many form and would have no patience for a form with scribbles, spelling mistakes, factual or grammatical errors, or without all the credentials enclosed. Please make sure that what you write fits in exactly into the space provided. Do not use any fancy or unclear fonts, the forms will be reduced in size while being readied. Use a word processor, and don’t give a short autobiography where you have to state your aims. Oxbridge forms give you the chance to list your extra-curricular skills too. Those who have been good at sports, or excelled as a scout / guide, should mention it.
2. Make sure that your teacher has predicted your grades accurately and favourably. It is no point applying without a chance of achieving four As at AS, and three As at A2, besides good GCSE results. If your GCSE performance was inconsistent, delicately put in an explanation for it in your personal statement.
3. Make sure that the application reaches in time. You can also apply online now – including the UCAS form.
4. Oxbridge interviews almost all applicants. So the process is not over with the forms. Apart from the written test, it is advisable to take along two marked copies of essays written by you, so that one can form an estimate of your work.
Personal Statements If you are an Oxbridge applicant, there are a few differences to be noted in your personal statements too.
1. Please do not drool over the glory of these institutions. You have to stress on what you want to study and why you are choosing a particular college reasonably. It is supposed to be a conscious choice based on self-assessment and interest in the subject.
2. Express your preference in a short additional paragraph, mentioning your interest in a college/ open admission – and justifying your choice. Do not overdo; if you do not get a chance, you don’t want others slamming their doors too.
3. Make sure everything you write in the personal statement is original and true. It would be disastrous if the person being interviewed and the one who wrote the statement appear like two different entities. There is a lot of information available on the net from Oxbridge graduates, including real sample statements. Study, but do not copy them.
Ultimately, even if you are not accepted, don’t stop your normal activities because there are other excellent universities too.
There are three main factors that set Oxbridge applications apart from other universities. Firstly, they have to be submitted by mid-October before the usual deadline for the UCAS forms. Secondly, only those who have the top grades need apply. And lastly, the rejection rate is among the highest anywhere for any course.
These three cardinal points guide every aspect of the Oxbridge application process. Both Oxford and Cambridge have their own screening process apart from the UCAS form, and depending on the subject chosen, there will be a written or oral or both types of tests. Since this will be the first University that the candidate will visit, the level of nervousness will also be very high. Apart from these, the approach to Oxbridge needs to be different too.
Research
It is important to know enough about these two universities before applying there. There are hundreds of students who apply every year won over by the magic that the name Oxbridge holds. The ground for rejecting them is perfectly simple – apart from a certain starry-eyed wonder they had no other reason for getting in. There is a rarer and more tragic side to this for students who are genuinely bright. They have the immediate intelligence, wit, confidence and the grades to make it, only to discover that they have made a wrong choice out of infatuation, and are now stuck with a career that they did not want for themselves. So the first step is to decide whether one wants to go to Oxbridge at all or not. Once one is accepted, all the glamour will vanish, and be replaced with high tuition fees, stiff competition, short and exhausting terms, and holidays loaded with homework. Therefore, the background research should ascertain whether you want to apply to that college and in that stream. Please check up the websites, visit the campus where you want to go during the course of a working day, and find out about your future teachers as well as notable alumni. The prospectuses should be studied in full detail and all doubts cleared before the application is filled in.
Filling in the Forms
There are some simple rules to be followed while filling in Oxbridge forms:
1. Clarity, alertness and accuracy: The admission officers have to check through a great many form and would have no patience for a form with scribbles, spelling mistakes, factual or grammatical errors, or without all the credentials enclosed. Please make sure that what you write fits in exactly into the space provided. Do not use any fancy or unclear fonts, the forms will be reduced in size while being readied. Use a word processor, and don’t give a short autobiography where you have to state your aims. Oxbridge forms give you the chance to list your extra-curricular skills too. Those who have been good at sports, or excelled as a scout / guide, should mention it.
2. Make sure that your teacher has predicted your grades accurately and favourably. It is no point applying without a chance of achieving four As at AS, and three As at A2, besides good GCSE results. If your GCSE performance was inconsistent, delicately put in an explanation for it in your personal statement.
3. Make sure that the application reaches in time. You can also apply online now – including the UCAS form.
4. Oxbridge interviews almost all applicants. So the process is not over with the forms. Apart from the written test, it is advisable to take along two marked copies of essays written by you, so that one can form an estimate of your work.
Personal Statements If you are an Oxbridge applicant, there are a few differences to be noted in your personal statements too.
1. Please do not drool over the glory of these institutions. You have to stress on what you want to study and why you are choosing a particular college reasonably. It is supposed to be a conscious choice based on self-assessment and interest in the subject.
2. Express your preference in a short additional paragraph, mentioning your interest in a college/ open admission – and justifying your choice. Do not overdo; if you do not get a chance, you don’t want others slamming their doors too.
3. Make sure everything you write in the personal statement is original and true. It would be disastrous if the person being interviewed and the one who wrote the statement appear like two different entities. There is a lot of information available on the net from Oxbridge graduates, including real sample statements. Study, but do not copy them.
Ultimately, even if you are not accepted, don’t stop your normal activities because there are other excellent universities too.
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are a UK or Overseas student applying for a place in a UK University, to stand out from the thousands of others, it is essential to have striking Personal Statement, for more information and professional guidance, see http://www.personal-statement.co.uk
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
What is Blooms Taxonomy?
| By: Adam Waxler | |
What is Bloom's taxonomy and how can a teacher apply Bloom's taxonomy to classroom lesson plans?
Bloom's taxonomy was originally created Benjamin Bloom for categorizing and classifying levels of intellectual learning that commonly occur in the classroom setting. Bloom's taxonomy contains three overlapping domains: the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. Within the cognitive domain Benjamin Bloom identified six levels that have become commonly known as Blooms Taxonomy.
The six levels of Bloom's taxonomy, from lowest to highest, are: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. These different levels of Bloom's taxonomy have become an extremely useful guide for teachers in planning classroom lesson plans and classroom objectives. You can even find a list of verbs to help teachers design lesson plans in the Bloom's Taxonomy Verb Chart located on this web site:
http://www.teaching-tips-machine.com/blooms_taxonomy.htm
It is vitally important that teachers do not just teach lower order thinking skills at the bottom of Bloom's taxonomy such as knowledge and comprehension, but also teach higher order thinking skills at the top of Bloom's taxonomy such as evaluation. When students are evaluating and judging and using the higher order thinking skills they are more likely to retain information, perform better on standardized tests, and most importantly, achieve the ultimate goal of becoming lifelong learners.
There are many ways in which teachers can use blooms taxonomy to help create more focused lesson plans and help students use higher order thinking skills. By following the Bloom's taxonomy chart teachers can pinpoint what they will teach and how they will go about teaching it. For example, take a social studies lesson plan on the use of the atomic bomb to end WWII. A teacher could teach this lesson by having students read and memorize important key terms and facts. However, even if the teacher uses a variety of teaching strategies to help increase reading comprehension, the problem is the teacher is only focusing on the lower order thinking skills. The students may be able to regurgitate the information back on the test, but the student is not using the higher order thinking skills that will help that student retain the information for the long-term and, more importantly, help the student learn to think for himself.
A simply way to teach the same lesson, but also address the higher order thinking skills is to simply have the students write a paragraph “evaluating/judging” Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb. The teacher can still have the students include the key terms from the lesson in the paragraph, but by having the students also make an argument and support that argument the students are also addressing the higher order thinking skills of Bloom's taxonomy.
Adam Waxler is a middle school social studies teacher, teacher mentor, and author of "eTeach: A Teacher Resource for Learning the Strategies of Master Teachers". Find out more about his book here: http://www.teaching-teacher.com and check out his blog for free teaching tips here: http://www.teaching-tips-machine.com/blog
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
Learning Good Study Habits
By: Melissa Fishman
With many habits, the sooner you start practicing and developing good habits, the better chance you will have that you will continue with them. We all know that good study habits are essential to educational success. Good study habits are an important part of any student's success. We probably can diminish the academic dishonesty by promoting good study habits with students, and letting the students know that good study habits are very important when it comes to school. Still, even procrastination can be overcome with proper study habits, and improving your study habits is the key to better studying. Good study habits are a great tool to have in the toolbox of life.
Many of the tips for success for online students are the same as those for students in an onsite classroom. Consider asking your school's student council to take on a study tips project. Following a few simple study tips can help students effectively learn new concepts and theories. There have been numerous published tips students can use as a guide for good study habits.
A good way to stay organized is to use folders so you child can keep his/her assignments until needed and it is a great way of staying organized. Once children reach the grades where homework and tests are part of the curriculum, there are many things parents can do to encourage good study habits. An effective way to study is to study before and while you do the homework. A little amount of homework may help elementary school students build study habits. Being organized and having homework routines are the most important things in helping your child develop good study habits for life.
All learning, however, is a process which settles into certain steps. Students with learning problems, however, may still have generally inefficient and ineffective study habits and skills. Becoming aware of your learning style will help you to understand why you sometimes get frustrated with common study methods.
Effective study habits are a very import part of the learning process. Good study habits are all about keeping to a daily routine and giving all subjects equal treatment. If your study habits are weak, take a "study skills" course or have someone show you good study habits. The problem is that those high school study habits are hard to shake. Hard work and good study habits are assets that should be nurtured. Motivation and study habits are obviously crucial as well. Good habits are important for all students to protect investments of time and money and to achieve educational goals. After that experience your study habits are permanently altered, this will help your own preparation as you start teaching and last a lifetime. The main priorities are class attendance, time management, and great studying habits are necessary workings for an academic success.
With many habits, the sooner you start practicing and developing good habits, the better chance you will have that you will continue with them. We all know that good study habits are essential to educational success. Good study habits are an important part of any student's success. We probably can diminish the academic dishonesty by promoting good study habits with students, and letting the students know that good study habits are very important when it comes to school. Still, even procrastination can be overcome with proper study habits, and improving your study habits is the key to better studying. Good study habits are a great tool to have in the toolbox of life.
Many of the tips for success for online students are the same as those for students in an onsite classroom. Consider asking your school's student council to take on a study tips project. Following a few simple study tips can help students effectively learn new concepts and theories. There have been numerous published tips students can use as a guide for good study habits.
A good way to stay organized is to use folders so you child can keep his/her assignments until needed and it is a great way of staying organized. Once children reach the grades where homework and tests are part of the curriculum, there are many things parents can do to encourage good study habits. An effective way to study is to study before and while you do the homework. A little amount of homework may help elementary school students build study habits. Being organized and having homework routines are the most important things in helping your child develop good study habits for life.
All learning, however, is a process which settles into certain steps. Students with learning problems, however, may still have generally inefficient and ineffective study habits and skills. Becoming aware of your learning style will help you to understand why you sometimes get frustrated with common study methods.
Effective study habits are a very import part of the learning process. Good study habits are all about keeping to a daily routine and giving all subjects equal treatment. If your study habits are weak, take a "study skills" course or have someone show you good study habits. The problem is that those high school study habits are hard to shake. Hard work and good study habits are assets that should be nurtured. Motivation and study habits are obviously crucial as well. Good habits are important for all students to protect investments of time and money and to achieve educational goals. After that experience your study habits are permanently altered, this will help your own preparation as you start teaching and last a lifetime. The main priorities are class attendance, time management, and great studying habits are necessary workings for an academic success.
Melissa Fishman is the owner of mailordermommy.com Mailordermommy sells party favors
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
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