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Download Document - Office for Learning and Teaching

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(3) How many hours are spent in reading textbooks per week?Five students spent 1 – 5 hour per week <strong>and</strong> one of them said if there was anassignment, he would spend 10 – 15 hours. Two students spent 5 – 10 hours perweek.(4) What do you do when you can’t underst<strong>and</strong> your textbooks?The majority of the local students said they would find help from their lecturer,classmates, <strong>and</strong> the Internet if they couldn’t underst<strong>and</strong> the textbooks. For example,one local student commented, “I will go to the teacher <strong>and</strong> ask them to explain to mewhat the textbook means. If that fails to help then I go onto Google <strong>and</strong> look it up”.(5) What constitutes a good textbook?Many students think textbooks should be clear <strong>and</strong> easy to underst<strong>and</strong>. Onecommented: “A good textbook is one that is easy to read <strong>and</strong> is easy to underst<strong>and</strong>but still give you enough of the terminology to make sure that you are correct”.Some students focused on specific details such as diagrams or theories; <strong>for</strong>example, one of the students said, “with plenty of diagrams <strong>and</strong> explanations tosimplify complicated theories/ problems” <strong>and</strong> another student commented, “A goodtextbook should have a good structure, have theories <strong>and</strong> explain them very wellwith case study <strong>and</strong> examples”.(6) What do you learn most from a textbook?Local students believed that textbooks can provide deeper knowledge <strong>and</strong> helpthem underst<strong>and</strong> theories. One student commented, “A textbook teaches more indepththeory than the unit study guide <strong>and</strong> unit PowerPoint slides, etc.”. One studentalso found textbooks useful in extending his vocabulary; he commented, “textbooksbroaden your vocabulary as well as your sentence structure <strong>and</strong> different ways ofexplaining thing”.(7) Do you think it’s important that a textbook emphasises theory?Three of the seven local students considered both practical examples <strong>and</strong> theoryshould be emphasised in the textbook. For example, one student said, “Yes but Ialso believe it should focus on the practical side as well. Plenty of exercises <strong>and</strong>questions are essential to help a student underst<strong>and</strong> their studies”. Two studentsthought textbooks should focus on theory. For example, one student said, “Atextbook emphasises on theories is very important. Only when you underst<strong>and</strong> thetheory then you can apply them very well”. One student said textbooks should bemore practical than theoretical. He said, “I think that practical is also just as good asyou can see what the book is going on about but on the other h<strong>and</strong> the textbooktheory is also good <strong>and</strong> can really help you to underst<strong>and</strong> what is going on”.(8) Do you think reading the textbook is a very important learning exercise?Six local students held the view that reading the textbook was very important. Forexample, one student said, “Yes I do think that it is an important exercise because ifyou read about it <strong>and</strong> then place those theories into practice you can really get theidea of what the textbook is going on about”. Only one thought that lecture noteswere more important than the textbook. She said it was not a really importantlearning exercise <strong>for</strong> her, because she felt she could underst<strong>and</strong> the subject wellfrom the lecture notes <strong>and</strong> what the lecturer talked about in class.5.3.2 <strong>Teaching</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Learning</strong> Methods(1) Can you tell me which teaching method(s) you have come across are the mosteffective?There were no common methods that students considered were the most effective.Each student was fond of his/her own method. One student focused on being ableto explain theory clearly, another student liked a lot of examples taught by the85

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