La bon eleve, the good student. I have just started studying again for the first time in a while, including high school. I am doing an Advanced
Diploma in Naturopathy by distance education. So not only do I need to re-learn to study, but also need to motivate myself, and keep myself on a
tight schedule. Will the 'carrot and stick' theory work? Will I be able to handle the pressures of study and work - assuming I find some!? Stay tuned!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Goodness...I had a slack day.
Okay no - slack implies that I did nothing. Realistically I had a busy day, I shopped, I cooked...I socialised....okay...it was a bit slack. But it's not as dire as it sounds. I shopped - for stationary (yay!) and food for Hubby's lunches, I cooked - Hubby's lunches, and I socialised - with my mother, while I cooked. I was slack in the way that I did absolutely no study today - unless subliminal counts? I did fall asleep listening to the Doc C lecture on Cell Function - so tomorrow when I actually sit down to study cells, maybe some of that lecture will have filtered into my brain. I think it has, it feels like its in there, behind a door and I just can't reach the doorknob. Looking at the books tomorrow and consiously listening to the lectures and taking notes will open that door, so I just need to be patient.
I did regale my Mum with some of the new words i've learnt, such as 'epithelial' (which I did just spell check before I went on). She reacted with suitable 'ohh' and 'ahh' noises, she's so nice.
One and a half days til the end of the week - and a bonus, Hubby has said if I can clear the backroom (currently housing washing, tv and a couch) all by myself, then he will turn it into a study for me! Excitement plus...now I just need to figure out how to listen to lectures, take notes, and clean - all at the same time. I get the feeling that my study breaks won't be too relaxing for the next couple days.
Ahh well, it'll all be worth it in the end - most things are.
1:00 AM
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
My brain that is...
I spent over 2 hours yesterday taking notes from audio lectures and the blackboards that this lecturer used and I made 7 A4 pages of notes, I was very proud of myself. Granted I did take a break every half hour for a cup of tea or snacky food. Something to give my brain a 5 minute break. I then took up my text book and began to take notes from that. I found this method worked rather well, even though there was some overlap in the study, it was good to be able to read the text and realise 'yup, I already know that'. I completed perhaps half of topic 1 before I had to go and pick up my husband from the train station. When he learned that i'd be studying for the last 6 or so hours, he made me take a break and watch a movie. Probably a good idea too, I would have sat there for any number of hours until I was satisfied i'd done enough.
So as I was sitting watching the movie (Slither, a horror, kinda) I wondered, 'Okay, i've got all this in my brain...but will it stay there, and will I be able to reference it outside the confines of the study room.' The answer is YES!
During the movie, a man gets split down his front by a creature, from top to toe, and my automatic reaction? "Ohh...right down the median plane!!!" And then blinking in suprise at myself and then smiling happily.
Yes, it seems I am learning, and more importantly - retaining the knowledge. So on to another day of learning - finishing topic 1, and then 2 hours of lectures about cells - and i'm actually looking forward to it!
Take care all
11:50 AM
Monday, February 22, 2010
Yikes, it's finally here.
Day 1 of my scheduled study. Althought I was hoping to use the pre-made study timetable from ACNT as a guide, I was informed that they are not drawing one up for the 2010 course - darn it. And it looks like some of the things (modules, unit names) have changed from last year, so I am trying to use the 2009 timetable as a base, but without knowing some detailed, such as recommended average time to go through certain units, it's difficult for me to estimate a timetable. I shot through an email this morning, so hopefully I get a response soon, they're quite good at getting back to me swiftly.
I found some interesting things online that may be useful to my study. Podcast lectures from Dr G Cizadlo, which teaches Biology in a college in America. He has sectioned off his Anatomy and Physiology classes seperately, so I can listen to them and take notes from his teaching as well as taking notes from my textbook, which I believe will be harder for me to get used to.
I also found out yesterday that some associations that ACNT is joined with do not recognise people who have studied totally by distance education as naturopaths and they cannot join, which is in very fine print. To combat this, when the ACNT campus opens in Melbourne I am going to start going there. I know that I started this course part-time, but I am going to try to finish it in a full time time frame - if I can do the first two part time years worth of study all this year, then I can go to the compus next year for the final year, and also the clinics. Hopefully by then, ACNT will have either the student clinic open at the Melbourne campus, or associated clinics.
Well, I have my lectures, a hot cup of tea and a make-shift desk - time to start I think, wish me luck!
11:18 AM
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Goodness...I had a slack day.
Okay no - slack implies that I did nothing. Realistically I had a busy day, I shopped, I cooked...I socialised....okay...it was a bit slack. But it's not as dire as it sounds. I shopped - for stationary (yay!) and food for Hubby's lunches, I cooked - Hubby's lunches, and I socialised - with my mother, while I cooked. I was slack in the way that I did absolutely no study today - unless subliminal counts? I did fall asleep listening to the Doc C lecture on Cell Function - so tomorrow when I actually sit down to study cells, maybe some of that lecture will have filtered into my brain. I think it has, it feels like its in there, behind a door and I just can't reach the doorknob. Looking at the books tomorrow and consiously listening to the lectures and taking notes will open that door, so I just need to be patient.
I did regale my Mum with some of the new words i've learnt, such as 'epithelial' (which I did just spell check before I went on). She reacted with suitable 'ohh' and 'ahh' noises, she's so nice.
One and a half days til the end of the week - and a bonus, Hubby has said if I can clear the backroom (currently housing washing, tv and a couch) all by myself, then he will turn it into a study for me! Excitement plus...now I just need to figure out how to listen to lectures, take notes, and clean - all at the same time. I get the feeling that my study breaks won't be too relaxing for the next couple days.
Ahh well, it'll all be worth it in the end - most things are.
1:00 AM
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
My brain that is...
I spent over 2 hours yesterday taking notes from audio lectures and the blackboards that this lecturer used and I made 7 A4 pages of notes, I was very proud of myself. Granted I did take a break every half hour for a cup of tea or snacky food. Something to give my brain a 5 minute break. I then took up my text book and began to take notes from that. I found this method worked rather well, even though there was some overlap in the study, it was good to be able to read the text and realise 'yup, I already know that'. I completed perhaps half of topic 1 before I had to go and pick up my husband from the train station. When he learned that i'd be studying for the last 6 or so hours, he made me take a break and watch a movie. Probably a good idea too, I would have sat there for any number of hours until I was satisfied i'd done enough.
So as I was sitting watching the movie (Slither, a horror, kinda) I wondered, 'Okay, i've got all this in my brain...but will it stay there, and will I be able to reference it outside the confines of the study room.' The answer is YES!
During the movie, a man gets split down his front by a creature, from top to toe, and my automatic reaction? "Ohh...right down the median plane!!!" And then blinking in suprise at myself and then smiling happily.
Yes, it seems I am learning, and more importantly - retaining the knowledge. So on to another day of learning - finishing topic 1, and then 2 hours of lectures about cells - and i'm actually looking forward to it!
Take care all
11:50 AM
Monday, February 22, 2010
Yikes, it's finally here.
Day 1 of my scheduled study. Althought I was hoping to use the pre-made study timetable from ACNT as a guide, I was informed that they are not drawing one up for the 2010 course - darn it. And it looks like some of the things (modules, unit names) have changed from last year, so I am trying to use the 2009 timetable as a base, but without knowing some detailed, such as recommended average time to go through certain units, it's difficult for me to estimate a timetable. I shot through an email this morning, so hopefully I get a response soon, they're quite good at getting back to me swiftly.
I found some interesting things online that may be useful to my study. Podcast lectures from Dr G Cizadlo, which teaches Biology in a college in America. He has sectioned off his Anatomy and Physiology classes seperately, so I can listen to them and take notes from his teaching as well as taking notes from my textbook, which I believe will be harder for me to get used to.
I also found out yesterday that some associations that ACNT is joined with do not recognise people who have studied totally by distance education as naturopaths and they cannot join, which is in very fine print. To combat this, when the ACNT campus opens in Melbourne I am going to start going there. I know that I started this course part-time, but I am going to try to finish it in a full time time frame - if I can do the first two part time years worth of study all this year, then I can go to the compus next year for the final year, and also the clinics. Hopefully by then, ACNT will have either the student clinic open at the Melbourne campus, or associated clinics.
Well, I have my lectures, a hot cup of tea and a make-shift desk - time to start I think, wish me luck!
11:18 AM