Study Help - General Study Skills

Learning Log

In order to keep a documentary record of what you are learning as you progress through the unit, it is strongly recommended that you keep a Learning Log (Tripp 1993, Marshall, 1997). This idea has been used successfully in many university units and will benefit you as it requires you to organise your learning in a more conscious way.

Your Learning Log can be used to:

• plan your study and make revisions as needed;
• write down questions for your tutor as they arise;
• make notes that will help you to carry out your study, eg. on essay writing, preparing for examinations, previewing and reading texts in depth;
• document your reading and viewing so that notes can be readily accessed for assignments and examinations;
• document your reflections on your progress, problems encountered and ways that you might resolve them.

Setting up a log

You may choose to keep your log electronically or a loose-leaf folder is recommended for keeping hard copies of your log entries. It can be divided into sections (use file dividers) and you can intersperse material that you collect with hand written or electronic notes.

You can also carry a couple of pages with you and make jottings as the inspiration comes. This material can easily be inserted in the relevant section later.

Organising your log

You will develop your own ideas on using the log but the following points may help you initially:

• Date each entry
• Clearly distinguish entries about your self and your life from information about your study. If you are using a loose-leaf format, you can use different coloured paper to separate the two. You might, for example, write about your love life but keep it in a separate section from your reflections on your study (Marshall, 1997, p.9).
• Separate your summaries and notes of readings and lectures from your opinions, comments and reflections on these. If you are working on a computer, use a different font or format to distinguish each. If using a book, then begin on Page 2 and write only your factual summaries and notes on subsequent left-hand pages (even-numbered pages) so that there is a blank page (odd numbered pages) facing this factual writing so you can add your opinions, comments and reflections (Marshall, 1997, p.9).
• Set aside a section in your log for questions to ask your tutor.
• Set aside a section for recording readings, viewings and summaries.

Using your log

You may be prompted to use your Learning Log from time to time in your Study Guide, but don't limit your entries to just these occasions. It can also be useful to explore ideas in a Discussion Forum. If you keep your log electronically, you might even copy sections from your log for insertion into the discussion forum or vice versa.

Make regular entries about:

• your readings
• your views on topics
• the hyperlinks you have followed
• any helpful resources you find
• new concepts
• glossary of new terms and examples of their use

Using the log in this way will help you to reflect on all of the information presented in the unit and to come to your own understanding of it.

A Learning Log should become a record of your entire journey in a unit or, if used, in all units for your degree.

References:

Marshall, L., 1997, A Learning Companion: Your Guide to Practising Independent Learning, 2nd edition, Murdoch University, pp.7-11.

Tripp, D., 1993, Critical Incidents in Teaching: the Development of Professional Judgment, Routledge, London.