Study Tip: Increase Your Class Participation with a Reading Journal

Many teachers factor your class participation into your overall grade. This helps them not only to encourage discussion, which makes class more interesting for everyone, but also to keep track of which students seem up to date on their reading and engaged in the course material. You can turn this to your advantage. Improve your participation grades and impress your teachers by keeping a reading journal.

Keeping a reading journal, much like keeping the class note summaries I discussed in an earlier post, doesn't have to take much time. Don't worry about writing your journal particularly well. Unless your teacher specifically assigns a reading journal already, no one has to see yours but you. Just take a few minutes as you read, and right afterwards, to jot down your thoughts on the material. Some particularly useful things to record are:

• Any questions you might have about what you're reading
• Anything you're having trouble understanding (here, also try recording what you think the trouble spot might mean so that you can check your comprehension in class)
• How the assignment ties in to the rest of the class
• Your opinions about and responses to the material (no, not "this is boring and I hate this class" opinions, but rather "this writer seems to hate women" or "this seems poorly reasoned" opinions), and quotes or examples that support your opinion

Bring your reading journal to each class session.

This kind of reading journal can be a valuable tool. You'll never freeze up if your teacher calls on you for questions or responses. You'll always have something to contribute to class discussions. You'll impress your teachers, and you may just learn a little bit more than you would otherwise.

Revision Tip: Read Aloud to Easily Catch Awkward Phrasing

Sometimes when we read our own words on the page or the screen, we miss awkward phrasing that we could correct (for example, I'm sure there's plenty of awkwardness in this here blog). I think it's because reading to ourselves, especially reading things with which we're already familiar, encourages skimming. To catch awkward phrasing, I advise students to read their work out loud, slowly. This forces you to really hear how your sentences sound so that you can spot any areas that need smoothing. Try it the next time you revise any piece of writing, even an email. I bet you'll find at least one or two places you can improve.

Write Better Papers by Using Better Sources

As I mentioned in my last post, most--if not all--of your college papers will require you to do some research or outside reading. The Internet makes this much easier than it once was. The ease with which you can research pretty much anything online does comes with disadvantages, though. Not all sources are equally credible, and seasoned eyes--like your instructors'--can tell the difference. To write great papers, know which sources to use and which ones to avoid. Learn the difference after the jump.

Develop Your Ideas More Fully for Stronger Essays

Previously, I've talked about improving your writing by staying on topic and using transitions. These tips can strengthen almost any paper. They still won't help you much, unfortunately, if the actual content of your essays is thin or underdeveloped. To produce essays that earn As, you must make sure your essay is well supported and well developed. Learn how after the jump.

"I'm not an English major. Why do I have to write papers?"

Students I tutor often complain about having to write essays. They're not English majors, the thinking goes, so why do they have to write so much? It's an understandable complaint. I'm a lit person who will have to take some math classes to get my degree, so I can empathize. There is a point to writing papers, however, even if they're for classes in nursing, geology, or something else equally un-writerly. In fact, understanding the point of writing papers will help you write better ones. Find out how after the jump.

Fine-Tune Your Essay with Strong Transitions

Once you've got a decent draft of your essay written, it's time to make it even stronger. One great way to do so is to fine-tune your transitions between paragraphs so that your ideas flow smoothly together. Learn how after the jump.