UNIT 3 STUDY SKILLS

Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Defining 'Study Skills': An Attempt +

3.3 Significance of Teaching Study Skills

3.3.1 Building good study habits
3.3.2 Knowing the text
3.3.3 Concept mapping
3.3.4 Test taking
3.4 Study Skills and Distance Teachingharning
3.5 Let Us Sum Up

3.0 OBJECTIVES
In this unit, we have given you some useful information regarding study
skills. After working through this unit, you should be able to:
define the term 'study skills';
state the significance of teachingllearning study skills;
relate the teachingllearning of study skills to distance education;
arrive at a conclusion that study skills are essential for distance learners
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and distance teachers; and

employ all the study skills successfully in your own studies.

3.1 INTRODUCTION
Studying has long been the primary means by which learning-irrespective
of the levels of learning and modes of teaching-takes place outside the
classroom. Through take home assignments, independent study on special
projects and guided study under a supervisor, the learner organises materials,
formulates ideas that may be evaluated by thc teachers and works on
exercises to gain specific skills.

Besides course materials, the learner very often relies upon a library to
collect specialised information, as also upon new learning sources such as
audiolvideo cassettes, filmstrips, etc. Whatever be the educational
atmosphere, study habits, a motivation to learn and a positive general
attitude are the key factors in determining the success or failure of a learner's
educational pursuits.

With the advent of new educational technology-systematic approach to

writing course materials, programmed learning, television and
computer-assistedinstruction-studying has become less distinct from the
instructional process itself and more intertwined with the presentation of
subject matter. Yet, there have been and still are cases of dropouts. One's
failure in educational pursuits may be attributed to the fact that little
systematic effort is made in teaching one the study skills required for success.
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Study Skills
In this unit, we highlight the significance of and the nee for teaching study
skills. At many places we have referred to formal class oom situations. It

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should not, however, be construed that we restrict ourse ves to teaching of
study skills in the context of formal classroom. We hav devoted an entire
section (3.4) to discuss the relevances of teaching study skills in the context
of distance education. I
This unit is closely related to the previous one which fo on reading
skills. These two units together should give you a command over
your studies.

3.2 DEFINING 'STUDY SKILLS': ~k ATTEMPT

Depending upon different needs, different thinkers different labels or
definitions to the term 'study skills'. The labels associated with
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study skills are:
a tool kit;
the best ways of acquiring knowledge; I
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a set of organisational skills; I

micro-skills or sub-skills; and

systematic study habits and so on. 1
For some, study skills are 'strategies' to be developed a learner to derive
the greatest possible benefit from activities like speaking, reading
and writing. For others, study skills are 'advanced skill
purely mechanical but essentially involve some amount
These skills require active mental exercise on the part o

The idea in presenting a brief sketch on how the term skills' has been
interpreted differently is not to deny the significance
deserves but to show you the difficulty in describing

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Therefore, by collapsing all the labels or definitions wh'ch have hitherto
been in existence, we use this term to mean all the esse tial skills that a
learner requires in order to gain maximum benefits fro hisher studies. To
elaborate, study skills are the skills or strategies thai a 1
study and come to grips with the study materials
efficiently. It is, however, difficult to
a learner uses either to get across
message.

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The failure or success of the learner in hisher academic career is, thus,
chiefly attributed to the poorly or well developed study abits respectively.
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Why is it difficult to define or list study skills?

Obviously, each one of us approaches a problem in ma y different ways.

Wide variations in methods and habits of studying typic lly practised by
learners make it difficult to define and list study skills c mprehensively.

Let us elaborate on this.

The time of daylnight preferred, the time lapse between study sessions, the
degree of noise or music tolerated or invited as background, the physical
conditions in which one studies, the extent to which extra curricular
activities interfere, and the particular study mechanics employed are only a
few of the many such factors that vary in every conceivable way from
individual to individual. Many study habits appear detrimental to efficient
learning, whereas others would seem to be conducive to learning.

By implication, we mean that a definition of study skills is open. It would

be futile, therefore, to attempt to define study skills conclusively and list the
skills a learner uses to tackle a problem or an issue. Thinking and
re-thinking over this issue will add more and more dimensions td the
existing definitions.

'Before we got any further with our discussion on study skills, we should
better try to come to a consensus regarding what the term 'study' means.

Consider the following statements:

The term 'study' refers to

following a course of lectures and taking notes;
being acquainted with and being taught all that is necessary to know
about a subject;
cramming chunks out of, or the whole of subject matter;
the diligent and systematic pursuit of understanding; and
dedicating one's thoughts and energies to learning.

Given an opportunity to define 'study' some of you would have chosen ilny
one of these statements and some others a combination of them. A few of
you would prefer to have a combination of all the statements. Still, there
will be some who do not agree with any of these statements. What is our
reaction to these statements? We are with those few of you who go in for a
combination of these statements.

We shall elaborate on this.

Any one statement or a combination of a few statements will not explain

'study' sufficiently. Study involves you in setting up goals and choosing
methods, solving problems, performing experiments, going through tests,
collecting information, segregating facts from opinions or suggestions,
comparing facts, weighing up opinions and considering suggestions and
finally looking for proof and truth.

'Study', thus, demands you to analyse and criticise not only your own ideas
but also those of other people-whether you hear them in lectures or
discussions or read them in books. You will have to, further, make brief but
sufficient notes and summaries to help yourself remember what you have
read and to clarify your thinking. In fact you will have to apply all your
critical powers to the quick and effective handling of information as you
make your way towards definite goals. Having said this, we should also
touch upon the importance of motivation. We agree that not all learners are
really prepared to put in the amount of effort and practice needed to learn
new habits, i.e., studv h?':its. Some tend to believe that they can manage as
 Study Skills
they are. Such learners are obviously not motivated o learn. Lack of
motivation thus mars effective learning.

Having attempted to understand study skills, we shall'now look into the

significance of teaching study skills.

3.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF TEA~HIN

SKILLS
On many occasions you may have heard learqers m the following
statements. Or many times you yourself as a
them.

"I spent the whole day studying but could not fare well in my exams.
"I don't even remember what I read, though Ispent
studying."
"I don't know how to study."
"I always listen to music when I study."
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The fact is that difficulties with studies are not unco

felt this pinch only when we go for higher education.
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Perhaps, you have heard or made many more Itateme ts of this kind.
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on. Many of us have

Higher levels of education demand we did at school.

Accordingly our approach to help given to us
at the school level is
higher education.
Of course, the

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In order to enable the learners to do this they qhould e taught study skills at
the school level itself.

Many learners do poorly in their studies becadse they have never learned
how to study. Elementary school teachers usdally do not spend or find time
in helping children to acquire study skills. ~ d r e o v e rthey
, tend to believe

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that it is the job of the high school teachers. Ironicall ,many high school
teachers do not spend time in this area because they sume that their
learners have already acquired the skills they 4eed. onsequent upon this, at

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no stage do the learners get any help to acquirq study kills. It affects their
studies when they go for higher education or thke up ourses through
distance education. Learners should be helped to acq ire good study
strategies as early as possible, certainly before they d velop either poor

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study habits or wrong concepts concerning studying. Teaching study skills
would help the learners spend less time in studying d learn more. We
have already mentioned that it is difficult to qake an xhaustive inventory of
skills to be taught. Nevertheless, we have here attem ted to list a few
essential skills that a learner should acquire to study i dependently and
efficiently. We should admit that there is no simple f rmula that will apply
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to all learners. Yet educational psychologists have found that some
procedures help all learners. Our discussion in the following sub-sections
centres around the teaching of these procedures in the classroom. In section
3.4 we shall discuss the significance of study skills for a distance learner and
how helshe may be helped to improve hisher study strategies.

3.3.1 Building good study habits

Planning and organisation are the two major factors that accelerate the
progress of a learner's academic activities. Helshe should therefore be
taught'to plan and organise hisher work-how much time helshe needs to
devote to hislher studies; which subject(s) hzlshe will study and when; what
helshe intends to achieve during each study session, and how to organise
these activities in order to accomplish hislher goals.

Can a person relax and study at the same time?

Studying requires a certain amount of tension, concentration and effort in a

specific direction. Of course, the amount of .tension varies with different
individuals. The point that we want to make here is that studying is
essentially hard work, and learners who are not prepared to make the
required and appropriate efforts are wasting their time. Keeping this in
view, we have suggested three vital concerns in building good study habits.
They may sound elementary, because they are the oft-repeated suggestions,
yet they are vital. The three concerns are:
when to study?
where to study?
how much time to spend on study?

We do not attach any less or more importance to any of these steps.

Therefore, there is nothing sacrosanct about the order in which they are
presented.

When to study?

Some learners study only just before the terminal examination or an

announced test. Some may even study the whole night and cram answers.
All of us, have probably done this at least once or twice. Rote-learning,
however, does not bring about any real learning.

To be a good learner, one must plan one's study time and spread it over a
period of time. Of course, the ability to study and more so, the ability to
plan our studies is not something we are born with. It is a set of skills that
must be learned. Teaching the learners to plan their study is therefore a
major responsibility of the teacher. Learners should be made to realise that
regular planning would prevent confusion and help them to retain and
organise what they are studying.

In a classroom situation, for example, the learner may be advised to study

each subject as close as possible to the class period for that subject-before
or after the class period. This chiefly depends on the form that class period
usually takes. That is, if it is a straight-forward informational lecture, a
study session right after the lecture will be useful to review notes and check
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Study SkilL~
whether it has been understood. A study session
sen~inarldiscussiongives learners a chance to
information that will help them make an
classroom. We should admit here that
range of forms of class periods. We
could yourselves think of others.

Where to study Y I
Ideally you should be able to study anywhere-in a qjiet library or on a
crowded bus or train. But let us be real is ti^. Most of ps cannot entirely shut
off our minds to distractions. By implication, the plac of study should be as

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free as possible from such surroundings as might steal away the attention of
the learner. As for the conditions for study, the place hould be well-lit and
properly ventilated and neither too hot nor too cold. e should also mention
here that it can be difficult to get everything the learne wants; for example,
if staying in a hostel or someone else's house helshe c I nnot find everything
of hislher own choice.

Let us see whether our physical postures have some th{ng to do with our
study. The best position for study is to sit upright at
of course, may be attractive and enticing but once you down, the ensuing
sleep is inevitable. Even an easy chair may prevent effective effort.
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How much time to spend on study?

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The third step is to determine the amount of time to spe d in studying. It
must be recognised that the amount of time the liearners spend in studying
will depend on the subject and how well they h o w it. t is, therefore,
unrealistic to set a hard and fast rule about the amount oif time learners
should spend on a specific subject. It varies, yet 'overle ning' is generally

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helpful. It helps learners retain information over a long eriod of time.
('Overlearning' happens when individuals continue pra tising activities,
exercises, etc. even after they think that they have learn d them.) In this
context, it should also be remembered that recrealtion an leisure activities
are vital. They should also find their places in the timet ble. Fortunately,
the more a learner plans hisher work the more time hels e will get for
repose.

Besides making learners aware of these three concerns, tdachers need to help
learners recognise that even though they acquire some g od study habits,
they may still have some difficulty in studying.

3.3.2 K n ~ w i n gthe text

The learners should be introduced to the various
Helping them know the parts of the textbooks
Here are a few suggestions that you should take nbte of: ,
i) Survey the textbook: A quick glance
learners to see how the author presents
helshe presents topic headings in bold
introduced diagrams, charts, graphs,
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ii) Read the preface/introduction/foreword:Iticontai s the author's
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explanation of the book-hislher purposelplah in writing the book, and
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Need und Mechirni,tms
hisher description of the organisation of the book. The preface also
explains how the book is either different from others in the field or a
further contribution to the field of knowledge.
iii) Read the contents: The list of contents will give the learners a
comprehensive idea of what to expect from the book. This also helps
the leafhers to locate the topic(s) they want to lead.
iv) Glance through the index: The index helps the learners identify
whether or not what they need is included in the text. It really is a
valuable aid because it helps learners find specific information that they
need.
v) Check for a glossary: A glossary is helpful because it gives the
learners the meanings of specialised words or phrases used in the book.
(Before we go further we should mention here that not all books will
necessarily have a glossary.)

Interpretation of non-verbal items

By non-verbal items, we mean maps, charts, tables, graphs, etc. It is not

unusual to bring in non-verbal items in course materials. Many textbook
writers employ these techniques to make their ideas clearer. If learners are
given opportunities to work with various types of illustrative materials, they
will certainly be in a better position to decipher what they are reading. But
unfortunately, the learners tend to overlook the non-verbal items. What
could be the reasons for this? Perhaps
the teachers have not taken any time to stress the value of non-verbal
items; and
the learners do not know how to interpret them.

Whatever the reasons, the learners need to gain skills in interpreting

illustrative materials. Maps, charts and graphs are the items the learners
generally come across in the course materials.

Maps

There are many different types of maps, and each stresses a particular feature
or a bit of information. Each one of these maps has a key that needs to be
interpreted correctly to get the relevant information. For example, political
maps use colour coding and definite boundary line types to indicate political
divisions, administrative divisions, etc. Usually, maps present keys
indicating what various colours represent.

CheckeYour Progress 1

Suggest in about 10 lines at least two activities you would use to

stimulate a learner's interest in map-reading.
Notes: a) Space is given below for your answer.
b) Compare your answer with the one given at the end of this
unit.

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Study Skilb

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Grciphs and charts I

charts and graphs.

many different kinds of information at one and the s

is useful in showing 'trends'.

Using reference sources

,it is unrealistic to
can learn about any

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Need und Mec.hani.rmm
books available that can supply information about a famous writer, a player,
an eminent scientist and so on. What is important is to know which
reference sourcehook to go to for the required information.

Probably the most often used of all reference sources is the 'dictionary'.

Let us therefore make a special mention of the use of the dictionary.

Dictionary

Teachers should help their learners recognise that the dictionary supplies a
great amount of information, besides word meanings and pronunciation.

The-items generally found in a dictionary can be grouped into two main

headings:
i) information concerning words (spelling, definitions, tenses, etc.);
ii) o t k r useful information (i.e., list of abbreviations, forms of address,
etc.).

The learners should be taught what dictionary they may use, for which
purpose as there are different kinds of dictionaries for different purposes. To
enhance the learners' awareness of the amount of information they can gain
from the dictionary, the teachers may pose a number of questions related to
the particular field helshe is teaching. We give you some samples:
i) Is litter a term in the metric system?
ii) Is 'haiku' a garment or a Japanese verse form?
iii) What system of money is used in Sweden?

(You should note here that the difficulty level of the questions depends on
the levels of learning.) Broadly speaking, we have so far talked about some
of the crucial sub-skills (study strategies) pertaining to 'reading'. In the
following sub-section we shall talk about study skills directly related to
'writing'.

3.3.3 Concept mapping

When learners study, they can make a chart like graphic representation of the
material they are studying or have studied. This chart is the 'concept map'
representing what they have studied. Preparing a good concept/semantic
map requires that learners be good critical thinkers because they must make
insightful judgements on what format, words and phrases best represent the
information which they have gone through and what will help'them to recall
the information whenever they need it.

Here is a technique learners could use:

i) Choose and determine the amount of informatjon for studying.
ii) Read through the whole material that has been chosen for studying.
iii) Locate the central idealtheme of what is being read.
iv) Re-read each paragraph. This will enable them to identify the main
topic (of each para&jphj.
 Study Ski1l.r

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V) Note down the central idea and the topics of the paragraphs studied in
an easily accessible format. This is the concept ap we are talking
about.

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There is no correct way to construct a concept/seman ic map because what
i works for one learner will not necessarily wotk for a other. The test as to
whether or not the semantic map is correct comes w en the learner uses it
for study purposes and finds that it does help himihe to recall significant
amount of information.
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The correct way, therefore, is the one that works for he learner.

We shall touch upon each of these, though briefly.

Outlining
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Related to this concept are outlining, note takinglm king and summarising.

4 Outlining helps learners organise long, written assignment

responses, etc. An outline is useful also for it serves
as a guide for the logical arrangement of the

The learner should be, therefore, taught teachers can give

activities asking the learners to identify
sub-topics of a given paragraph. Yet
'outlining' is to ask the learners to
a chapter or a lesson.

Note taking

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It is a study skill which helps the learners to learn b tter. The teacher should
therefore convey important information about note aking to the learners and

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give them practice in taking notes. Notes usually c nsist of words and
phrases that help one remember important points. hey need not be
complete sentences. However, unless an individual s notes are clear and
organised, helshe will have difficulty in using them for study purposes.
Notes can be taken while listening to a lecture, read ng a text, watching a
video programme, participating in a discussion or e en while thinking on a
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subject/issue.
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Sumnzurising I

Summarising learning materiils is a mode ok helps one to retain

the most important concepts and facts in a passage. It forces
learners to think about what they have and organise the
essential information.

Check Your Progress 2 1

Summarise the following paragraph: !
Humans are either obvious, but until
recently in sociology, the existence of has been given
scant attention. Sociologists have of courtship,
marriage, family, divorce, labour other social
patterns where sexual
Support Servic:es:
Need and Mechuni.~ms
typically ignored the fact that virtually all facets of the human system
are punctuated by sexuality, by the existence of two sexes. Social
interaction patterns of social organisation, cultural symbols,
socialisation practices and processes of deviance and social control
involve components of sex. The sex and gender are thus a basic
element of the human system. (Rubin, 1983)
Notes: a) Space is given below for your answer.
b) Compare your answerwith the one given at the end of this
unit.

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Having talked about the study strategies which are generally being
associated with the sub-skills of 'reading' and 'writing', we shall now look
into yet another crucial skill which the learners need in order to get through
examinations-the skill of test-taking. In the following sub-section which
deals with this theme, we use 'test' and 'examination' interchangeably.

3.3.4 Test taking

There are no short-cuts to studying, and the best way to do well in a test is to
be well-prepared. However, it is important to note that persons do better on
tests, if they know test taking techniques and are familiar with the various
types of tests. Teachers could acquaint learners with various kinds of tests
by giving them sample questions and discussing with them how they would
answer those questions.

We shall, however, briefly touch upon essay tests and objective tests as they
are the most commonly used test types.

On an essay test, learners spend most of their time in thinking and writing,
whereas, on an objective test, they spend most of their time in reading and
thinking. Learners are free to express their ideas on an essay test than on an
objective test. But the latter has a drawback-it may encourage guessing.
The implication is that a test should be properly constructed.

Many tests are composed of both objective and subjective (essay) test items.
On such tests the learner must plan hisher time wisely. The teachers
normally suggest that the learners should:
read through the whole test;
notice how many pointslmarks each part of the test is worth;
put down any special formulas, principles, ideas or other details they have
memorised and may be relevant to essay questions; and
 Study Skills
a do the objective parts first (it may give the lqarners lues for the essay
questions).

The suggestions given alone may be the often rdpeated

however, that they deserve to be mentioned repeatedly.
touched upon some of the relevant study skills, we shal
they may be used in the context of distance education.

3.4 STUDY SKILLS AND DISTANC~ETEACHING1

LEARNING
In the previous section we talked about the significant of teaching study
skills in general. In this section we shall highlight how essential study skills
are for a system in which teachers and learners are at a distance for most of
the teachingllearning process. We shall also toqch upon the means used in
distance education to improve the study skills of distance learners.

Study strategies play a vital role in distance education. The learner, being
away from the teacher and the institution, depedds mair.1~upon hisher
course materials for hisher studies. If helshe has not developed proper study
skills to tackle the text, helshe is certainly at a disadvan:age. Helshe has to
await for the tutors' comments (see the unit on Tutor-Comments in Block 3,
ES-3 13 for details) to clarify hisher doubts. B t then telshe should be able
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to interpret the comments rightly. (A major p of the .:esponsibility, thus,
lies on the tutor, the way helshe'writes the cements.) A distance learner
for hislher study depends also on audio and vidgo materials. Again how
efficiently helshe deduces meaning out of them 'primari..~depends on how
well helshe has developed hisher study strategi s. However, we should
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mention here that whether audiolvideo material have T y impact on the
learner depend on how well the materials are prepared.

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How do we, then, help the distance learners d e v ~ l o pst dy strategies?

Distance learners are mostly adults. The assumption is that they know
how to study. But many, for one reason or the other, out of courses.
Lack of effective study strategies is one of the major
problem.

The design of distance teaching materials, s develop the study

skills of the distance learners.

Appropriate questions
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The use of questions that elicit higher level
regarded as one of the important study
asked at crucial junctures, primarily for:
i)
ii)
developing the skill of questioning the text: and
registering the important points. I
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i) to derive ways to solve a problem; and

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The types of in text questions yhich are usually incorp rated in distance
teaching materials are those which ask the learners:

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Nred cmtl Mec1ru1rr.rrn.r ii) to find analogies between certain problems/views to analyse, synthesise
and evaluate.

(In distance teaching materials, these questions are either dovetailed into the
body of the text itself and/or asked in the form of self-check exercises and
assignments. If a learner takes these questions seriously and works on them
properly, hisher study skills improve considerably.)

Non-verbal aids

Illustrations, diagrams, charts, tables, etc. play a vital role in distance

teaching materials. The reason behind this is that non-verbal aids are more
effective than verbal representations, when it comes to registering
information. However, non-verbal items are not looked upon as an
alternative technique of presenting knowledge as they cannot present all
types of knowledge or information, and therefore they are not a substitute for
writtedprinted exposition. They are simply complementary or
supplementary aids to the interpretation of verbal representations. The use
of non-verbal aids helps learners develop the skill of information transfer
and information storing.

Conjunctivefeatures and glossaries

Distance teaching materials use conjunctive features such as, 'however',

'moreover', etc., to ensure easy reading and better comprehension. Besides
helping to link sentences and paragraphs, these markers help the learners
understand easily where the writer contrasts or supports a statement.

In distance teaching materials, 'glossaries' either precede the reading

passage with the aim of preparing the learner beforehand for hisher
encounter with possible problems in the passage, or appear as explanations
to particular problems as the learner actually encounters them in the context.
(The former are called 'priming' glossaries and the latter 'prompting'
glossaries.) Glossaries may appear at the end of the text also; in such a case,
they may be called 'reference' glossaries. We need not discuss which of
these is more effective-their effectiveness primarily depends on the habits
and attitudes of the learners.

Advance organisers

Distance teaching materials shun the idea of compartmentalisation of units

or lessons. Each unitllesson usually contains a brief introduction which,
while summing up what the learners have already read in the previous unit,
introduces the new items to the learners. This helps in establishing a bridge
between the two units. Such bridges, in turn, help in building coherence
more economically. Advance organisers, i.e. information given to learners
prior to their reading of the unit, provide educational scaffolding for the
retention of the material that follows.

The use of 'sum-ups' is self-explanatory. They are introduced within a

lesson when a move is made from a particular idea over to another. Thus the
shift in theme is made explicit or highlighted. Sum-ups are also used at the
end of each unit to help the learners integrate what they have already read.
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Moreover, sum-ups help make the process of referen easier. The learners
need not read the whole unit just to grasp the main ide s presented.

Narrative style
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Distance education materials usually favour the It makes the
learners feel that they are constantly interacting with
Moreover, narratives are more easily read and better than expository
texts.
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The features discussed above help the distance ltarnersdevelop many
important study skills such as the following:
a determining word meanings from the context; I
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a finding main ideas; I
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a drawing inferences;
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a drawing conclusions; I I

a making generalisations; I
recognising cause-and-effect relations; 1 I
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recognising analogies; I
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categorising and concept mapping;
distinguishing between facts and opinions;
a finding inconsistencies; and
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a detecting propaganda and bias.

But then, incorporating helpful features in the distance te materials

alone does not improve the study skills of the
serious and systematic efforts from them.
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'Print' has been the chief medium of instruction id d i s t d e education in

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most countries. Accordingly, we dealt with 'studyl skills' ertaining to
'print' at great length. But considerable attention has bee given to other
media too. We should, therefore, touch upon some of the study skills'
pertaining to these media. Here we use 'media' in a broad r sense
encompassing audio/video cassettes, telephone, radio, telelrision, etc. and
counselling.

The basic skills we talked about with reference to

media, for example, note taking, summarising etc.
able to take notes, summarise, deduce the meaning
he/she listens to or watches a programme-as he/she
reading a text.

1 What do these media usually cover in terms of academic inbuts? Some of the
S ~ r p l ' o ~ r S1 et i ~or
Need und Mechun~rmr
What perhaps we would suggest that the learners should do is that they:
a pay close attention to what is said or shown;
a pick up the main line of argument from the programme;
a make a few key notes;
a recollect/reconstruct the programme in mind so that they can retrieve it
whenever the need arises; and
a take notes on crucial items in order that they may be discussed with the
peers or tutor(s) whenever such a provision is available.

(We should, however, accept that the socio-economic situation in India does
not allow all the learners to own media-equipment, but open universities
make it available at study centres usually.)

The distance learners should also gain maximum benefit from counselling.
(That counselling is significant in distance education, etc. will be discussed
in Block 2 of this Course. What we are interested here is in suggesting how
distance learners can gain optimum benefit from counselling.)

Distance learners lack the assurance which regular contact with other
learners and/ or with the teaching staff would bring. They may have
pre-conceptions/prejudices about what constitutes the relationship between a
teacher and a learner, what the course should cover, how the tutor should
teach and what learning is, etc. This implies that the learner needs more than
a prospectus and course materials. This learner needs particular help at
various stages in hisher distance learning career. The stages may be:
a the stage prior to enrolment;
a at the time of entry to the courselfirst tutorial;
a at the time of tackling the first assignment;
while on the course for maintaining the momentum;
a at the time of the examination; and
a after the course is completed successfully.

The learners should be thus able to say 'where' and 'for what' they need
academic-counselling. Unless they have clear answer to these questions,
they may not benefit from academic-counselling as much as one would like
them to.

3.5 LET US SUM UP -

In this unit we:

i) said that it is not easy to define study skills conclusively;
ii) attempted to explain the term 'study skills' appropriately; 1
iii) highlighted the significance of teaching study skills and said thc 1
is discussed with reference to classroom situations is also relev,
context of distance education;
iv) listed the important study skills-building good study habits, ."li~g
54 the text, concept mapping and test taking; and
 Study Skills
v) talked about the significance of study skills in distance education and
about the responsibilities of the learners in developing their study skills.
-
theck Your Progress: Possible Answers

i) Teachers can ask learners to bring in a

community area in which they live and
to find the shortest route for acertain
ii) Another activity could be for teachers to ring in maps of
foreign countries and challenge
locations or the distance
iii) Teacherscould ask learners to prepare eir own maps of
regions they are studying. Practice in structing maps is
probably one of the best ways to have
appreciationof their importance. It
understandmaps better.

'Gender' is a basic element of all human dystem

sociologists until recently have ignored this fact
the social patterns where sexual differenbes