The PAL OpportunityA Monthly Newsletter

November 2011

“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” – Chinese Proverbs

PagesHungry for session ideas?... ................ 2-3PAL Leader Hoodies............................ 5BU Student Development Award......... 4 Wednesday Top-Up Training Sessions. 5 Top Tips From PAL Leaders................ 5General Feedback from Observations.. 4

Don’t miss out. . . .

STARTERS (To get the session going)SUMMARY SOUP

Goals: • To help students

recognise main concepts of lectures

• To practise summarising• To provide an opening/

starting point of your sessions

If you regularly open with this activity, offer your Course Contact a summary of these ideas – they may benefit from knowing what they students think the main concepts are.

Instructions: 1. Individually, have each

student write down the top three concepts from

each lecture they have had since your last session.

2. In pairs or small groups (depending on size of group), have students share their ideas for a few minutes, and then have each group write their top concepts up on the board.

3. Based on the concepts presented, ask the students which concepts they would like to spend the session on.

HAVE YOU HEARD?!

Goals: • To provide all students

with an oportunity to speak in front of the whole group

• To link current events with your course

• To start session and get a discussion going in an interesting way

Towards the end of the year, for courses in which it is common to read peer-reviewed journals, students can present recent journal articles that are related to the course so that they become more familiar with reading journals (as a PAL Leader, you can show them where to

find e-journals and help them break down complex articles, as this will be very useful in future assignments)

Instructions: 1. Have 2 students per

session each present a summary of a current event that relates to their course (it is best to chose 2 students in the previous session so that they have time to prepare, and perhaps remind them the day before the session)

2. After they have taken a couple minutes to summarise the current event, ask the rest of the croup how they think the article relates to/impacts the course or a recent

MAIN COURSES

K.W.L

Goals:• To identify which

concepts students are confident about

• To identify which con-cepts students require more clarification on

• To help students identify concepts that they have learned during the session

Instructions:1. Individually, ask students

to write down 2 concepts from previous lectures that they know and can explain to someone else, and 2 concepts that they are unclear about would like to know more about.

2. In groups/pairs, ask students to share their concepts.

3. Create three columns on the board and title them ‘K,’ ‘W,’ and ‘L.’

4. Ask each group for the

concepts that they came up with and have one student from each group write them in the appro-priate columns.

5. Ask students if anyone can clarify any of the concepts in the ‘W’ column. If not, ask if the students would like to focus the session on these topics.

6. Towards the end of the

session, come back to the columns and ask a few students to fill in the ‘L’ with concepts that they have learned during the session.

7. Read ‘W’ column back to the students to see if there are any topics that still need clarification, and ask if they would like to cover these concepts in the next session.

MENU

Referencing Now that students are starting to get their first assignments, it is important and relevant to do an activity on referencing to ensure students understand what is expected of them when they turn in their first assignment. But how do you make referencing fun?

Activity: First, make students aware of the BU Harvard Referencing Guide and Quick Guides (myBu>Academic Skills Tab > Referencing and Plagiarism > Referencing). Bring up an e-journal article or e-book and show students where to find the information needed for writing a reference. Then have a student volunteer

to have a go at writing the reference on the board using either the Quick Guides or BU Harvard Referencing Guide. Next, ask the rest of the group to check that the reference is correct. Highlight the importance of writing references as you go along, as they can all see how long this takes and

how detailed referencing is (dots, commas, spaces, italics – all in correct places). Split your PAL group into small groups or pairs. Take some references (about one page worth, including end of paper references and in-text references) from an old assignment and change

them a bit so that each reference has 1-4 mistakes. Print this out along with a BU Harvard Referencing Guide so that you have enough for each group. Give the students 15 minutes to identify all mistakes.Then have the teams swap papers so that no team has their own paper. Ask the groups to identify which mistakes were made for each reference before showing them all the mistakes highlighted on the board – this way you can check their understanding and it gives students a chance to speak to the whole group. Each team should correct another team’s paper and then give a score (#mistakes identified/#mistakes). You may choose to give a small reward to the winning team.

DESSERT

Have your own recipe?Email pal@bournemouth.ac.uk with your ideas and get them posted in here so that others can have a taste!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

No dinner is complete without dessert! Just as no PAL session is complete without feedback!

Benefits of Feedback: The process of summarising outcomes of the session encourages

students to organise their ideas and gain practise in explaining their ideas. This then enhances both the students’ understanding and their presentation skills.

Ways of Managing Feedback: In pairs or small groups, get each team to think of most important/interesting thing they learned from the session and a concept that they would like to request for next week. One member should present this briefly in front of everyone while another member writes these down on the whiteboard.

Writing things down reinforces what is being said and provides evidence of the benefits gained from the session. After every team has presented, you can summarise what the most important things that everyone has learned by reading them out to everyone, and then you can facilitate voting on a topic(s) for the next session. It may seem silly at first, but once students get used to feedback every week, the will understand and appreciate the benefits!

As a PAL Leader, you are a member of the university staff. It is highly recommended that you create a signature to your email. Along with many other reasons outlined below, signatures allow you and other members of staff and students to communicate more easily.

Why add a signature to my email?1. It saves you having

to type the same things at the bottom of every email

2. It makes it clear who the email is from and how to contact you

3. You will probably use your university email account to contact placements/potential employers – it shows them that you are a competent user of IT as well as presenting your message professionally.

What should my signature say?

You may choose to

have several signatures that you use for different audiences, but essentially your uni email signature should include your full name, your email address, the programme you’re on, the seminar group you’re

in, and which PAL group you lead. It may also be helpful to include details of the PAL group you’re leading (such as the date, time and where and

when you meet) when sending emails to your PAL group.

How do I add a signature to my email? Log into your emailSelect ‘Options’ at the top right of the screen

and then ‘See all options’Select ‘Settings’; by default ‘Mail’ will appear. Type your signature in the text box and then click ‘Save’ at the bottom right of the screen!

Want to amp up your CV?

The Student Development Award aims to make you stand out from the crowd by

demonstrating how you have improved your employability skills through extra-curricular activities while at uni. It also gives you the opportunity to gain a University award which you can show to potential employers.

You will work with a coach who will guide you through the award, and you can attend workshops to develop skills. The deadline is approaching quickly – you must apply by midnight

on November 4th to be eligible! You have to gain 100 points from extra-curricular activities to be able to gain the award as well as complete an e-portfolio (which in itself is a great accomplishment going

forward as this can also be shown to future employers or used to help you create your CV).You can take up to two academic years to complete the award and you can backdate points from the last academic year if you were a BU student. For additional info, application, and to check out how many points can be earned for various activities, please go to www.bournemouth.ac.uk/student/award. Applicants will be notified if they have been successful by Friday, 18th November.

1. When you agree on topics to be discussed in the beginning of the session, WRITE them on the board so that everyone is aware of what will be covered in the session. This way, you can refer back to these at the end of the session to briefly summarise what was covered in the session so that students leave the session aware of how they session benefitted them. Also, having the topics on the board should cue any questions students may still have on any of those. Additionally, if a student arrives late, they can see what has already been covered and what will be covered in the remainder of the session.

2. Encourage participation and give positive reinforcement – many people fear performing poorly and being embarrassed

3. Don’t just stand up at the front and talk – ask questions to get everyone involved. Ensure you plan group/partner activities so that they learn together and get to know each other

rather than listening passively to a PowerPoint.

4. Avoid the temptation to answer questions – try to re-direct the question (e.g. – ‘Does anyone else know the answer to ___’s question?’ or ‘What do you think?’ ); try to get them thinking for themselves so that they don’t get too dependent on you.

5. Remember that you are a peer, not an authority figure or expert - the idea is to guide the students to insight and understanding - not to give all the answers! Also, if students see you as an authority figure, they may not be honest and open, or they may try to look good/impress instead of learn.

6. Don’t worry about awkwardness when you ask a question to the group and no one answers – be strong – wait it out! Remember that it may be just as awkward for them when no one wants to answer as it is for you as you wait. Or try setting

a time limit for them to talk to each other, come up with some answers, and then share them.

7. Don’t forget feedback – it is as important for students to give you feedback as it is for you to give them feedback! This will enhance students’ understanding as well as make it clear which topics are undesrstood and which may need further clarification.

8. Take a register – as attendance in sessions is very important and if you don’t take a register (signed and online register) – you won’t get paid!

9. Choose teams sometimes - this allows students the chance to get to know others and hear new ideas and perspectives. This is also a good way to split up rowdy students and get them to engage in the session.

10. Encourage students to email or meet with their lecturer if they have specific questions about assignments.

General Feedback from Observed Sessions

Apply now - BU Student Development Award

DEADLINETHIS FRIDAY

AT MIDNIGHT!

9/11/11: 2pm – 3pm Study Habits & Time

Management by Tamsyn SmithStrategies that you can use when talking about study habits and time management

16/11/11: 2pm – 3pm Plagiarism & Referencing

by Subject LibrariansGive you a chance to try out different activities you could use with your PAL Group to promote awareness of plagiarism and practice referencing

16/11/11: 3pm – 4pm Learning Differences &

Styles by Felicity ReesHow we learn and explore how understanding of our personal preferences and learning styles can lead to strategies for effective study.

23/11/11: 2pm – 3pm Improving Essays by

Tamsyn SmithStrategies that you can use when supporting your PAL Group with essay writing

30/11/11: 2pm – 3pm Revision Techniques by

Tamsyn SmithStrategies that you can use to promote effective revision with your PAL Group

PAL Leader Hoodies should arrive next Thursday, 10th November! The photo above shows an example of the colour! Look out for an email to say when and where you can pick them up from!

By Alice Summers, Level I, LLB (Hons) Law Framework

Although this was already my 4th session, and we have had ice-breakers and a social, I still thought my PAL Group needed to become more confident working with each other and sharing ideas. After receiving a few tips from a 4th year PAL Leader, I decided to do an activity that works on presentation skills; but also builds confidence and helps everyone get to know each other better in the seminar group. In order to prepare for the activity, I cut up lots of pieces of paper and wrote a word on each piece. Each person took one piece at random. Then, each person was asked to stand up for about 1 minute and talk about that word. After 1 minute, the group gave feedback and constructive criticism – 1 positive and 1 negative

aspect/improvement they could make when presenting (for example: way they stand, how they project their voice, eye contact, playing with hair, clicking pens, etc.). A variety of words can be used for this activity. Some of the words that I used were: orange, domino, vampire, glasses, alcohol, turtles, ballet, paper clip, flowers, pens, playing cards, grass – that should get you started. Put them in an envelope and get them to lucky dip. The first few people will say “ummm” and “ahhh” and probably try and pretend that the activity is stupid; but if you criticise the first few for these things, then the others will know that this is not really a joke. Everyone will try harder and will get the most out it. First, make sure to ask the presenter how they thought they did. Then, get a few members from the group to give their feedback before you give your opinion. This way, it gets them thinking, and they also start to get used to sharing their thoughts with each other. After they have had a chance to criticise, you can then

highlight their awareness to things they may not have thought of – such as hands in pockets, rocking back and forth on their heels, and pen clicking. Additionally, what you intend to do in the session needs to be clearly established. I started the session off with a brain storming exercise on the board about what makes a good presentation/presenter. I asked each person in the group to contribute one idea.Then, I introduced the game (but kept the brainstorm on the board). I encouraged the most nervous one to go first and get it over with. After the activity, I went back to the brainstorm on the board and asked if there was anything anyone wanted to add – and they added more ideas to the brainstorm. Overall, this activity helped my group become more confident in talking in front of each other. I hope this helps them to be more likely to answer questions in seminars. They all gained something out of it, and it made them realise that speaking in front of everyone is not as scary as they first thought!

PAL Leader Hoodies!Wednesday Top-Up Training Sessions -

PG30a

Top Tips from PAL Leaders

Questions, comments, or feedback?

Please email PAL@bournemouth.ac.uk