studyguide usefulness (1 Viewer)

silvermoon

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i was just wondering, how many people are actually using the study guides (excel etc.). people at our school are totally divided - galf of us dont use them at all, and the other half have at least one for every topic. so, anyway, i was just wondering if anyone else has any views on how useful they think they are
 

Hana

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I think Excel are really good. Most of our Advanced class has them. Our teacher is actually using them to get questions and notes for us out of class. I'm pretty sure that's bad, but oh well notes are notes...
 

Sarah168

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Study Guides are usually mediocre but for eng, ESP AOS, they are particularly awful. English requires your own reaction to the text (and by this, I dont mean, " I F***ING HATE IT!" :p) and your OWN response. Study guides for english are crappo, I wouldnt even use them if they were my last resort. But each to their own :)
 

silvermoon

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thanks Sarah168! i was beginning to think it was just me who thought they were crap! I dont know any one else who doesn't, was feeling v.lonely in my 'i think i understand it without a crib' world...muchos gratitude for the company!
 

santaslayer

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Many markers have read the study guides students purchase and are quite familiar with them. They know when you have used the guide word for word in the exams. Guides are not as significantly useful as they were in the earlier years of the HSC. :p
 

ujuphleg

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due to the change in AoS as well, most of the stuff out there is crap -- too sweeping and shallow and therefore, not providing enough depth for even preliminary analysis at the level which is required of the HSC. Admittedly, some of the study guides are good but thats usually for the other modules - they provide good basis for text analysis.

I think the main problem is, many people rely on study guides to give them answers when they really should be using them as exactly what they say they are -- a guide for study. Too often, people purchase study guides thinking they will get the answers they are after, when what the top students do is use these guides to supplement and stiumlate their own thoughts...
 

Calculon

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English study guides aren't worth the paper they're written on and tend to produce 'C' range responses from very capable students. It is much better to find your own ideas in a text, use the study guide for some techniques and quotes if you must, but nothing else.
 

fruitbonbon17

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I think that it's fine to use study guides for ideas, just don't completely rely on them. I sometimes use them to broaden my understanding of a text, but I would never just memorise stuff out of it word for word in an essay and I use them in combination with class notes and handouts as well. Probably good way to check how useful a study guide possibly is is to look at the sample essays they provide. If they don't talk about many techniques or don't relate back to the module, it's probably not going to help you very much.
 

Sarah168

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Study guides don't really broaden understanding. They're more like a brief intro...

If someone finds a study guide that can actually broaden understanding, tell me :p
 

nickw...

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i got one with a yellow cover for enlgish, the journeys bit is FUCKED, useless, fucking waste of money. poxxy poxxy shit. i could of bought a case of beeer for the price of it, what a fuckin joke.
 

bubble_tea

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=>
I find them very useful..
=] esp when you can't be bothered reading the texts - eg Emma.
 

dark`secrets

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mz_bubbletea said:
=>
I find them very useful..
=] esp when you can't be bothered reading the texts - eg Emma.

TRUE LOL
plus it heaps you analyze certain bits.
 

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