Online Resources and Publications
Vocabulary
Improve your Vocabulary
Many studies indicate the importance of vocabulary for achieving academic success. So, expanding your vocabulary should be a top priority. Explore the following links to improve different areas of your vocabulary.
Learn effective strategies for expanding your vocabulary by registering for the Expand Your Academic Vocabulary seminar conducted by the Writing Centre in the fall.
Login to post comments
Academic Reading Skills
Academic reading goes beyond merely reading and highlighting your text. You need to be actively interacting with the text, thinking critically, and making connections between the text and what you already know or have experienced.
Reading academic material is very different from reading for pleasure. With academic acticles, you need to be able to understand the arguments and analyze the text. Additionally, you may have to evaluate the arguments as well.
Expanding your vocabulary is the key to helping you achieve your goals at university and become confident in communicating with others.
Useful Tips:
- Refer to the How to Read Critically and Critical Thinking handouts available at the Writing Centre to learn useful strategies.
- Do not merely highlight your texts. Learn actively by making notes and mind mapping important concepts using key terminology.
- Learn how to make sense of academic texts that appear complicated.
- Attend the Writing Centre seminar on "Reading Academic Texts."
- Focus on expanding your vocabulary. Click here to read what research shows about the importance of vocabulary expanding.
Login to post comments
Academic Writing Skills
Even students who have been using English all their lives may face difficulties when required to communicate abstract and complex information. Communicating difficult concepts and presenting well-reasoned arguments demand far more than just being able to express oneself in “perfect”, grammatically correct sentences. Critical thinking, organization, clarity and precision in word use must be evident in their work.
Many students realize that developing their writing skills enables them to express the greater complexity of their thoughts. As developing a higher level of competency in academic written communication takes time and effort, it is very important to begin that journey of self-improvement today.
ESL students need to improve their ability to express their ideas clearly and logically, especially since many may come from cultures where the convention of good academic writing is very different from the North American one.
Useful Tips:
- Familiarize yourself with the different types of assignments by attending seminars in the Types of Writing Assignments series.
- Learn the conventions of academic writing by attending seminars in the Elements of Writing series.
- Summarize important concepts from your lectures and textbooks so that you are familiar with key terminology and can use them in your writing.
- Try to use the vocabulary highlighted in the Academic Vocabulary Series handouts (available at the Writing Centre) in your writing.
- Book early for a Writing Centre Appointment.
Login to post comments
Effective Speaking Skills
Four good reasons why you should work really hard to improve your oral communication skills starting today:
You can do better presentations in class.
You can develop a network of professors, TAs and friends to help you achieve your goals.
You can project more confidence during interviews.
You will enjoy better chances of success during job placement terms.
With better oral communication skills, you can enjoy greater participation in campus life. Studies show that students who are more actively involved in campus life end up with better grades.
Useful Tips:
- Use English instead of your mother-tongue at every opportunity.
- Attend the Effective Oral Communication Workshop.
- Make an appointment with the ELD Coordinator to work out a personal program for your improvement.
- Use online presentations skill support or attend a presentations skills workshop.
- Participate actively in the Communication Café. (link)
Login to post comments
Academic Listening Skills
When you attend lectures, you need to apply the highest level of listening skills you have. Not only do you have to listen to your professors expounding abstract and sophisticated concepts, but you also have to be effective in taking notes that will help you with learning the topics covered in the lecture. Thus, daily listening comprehension that suffices for most interactions is not enough in a lecture.
You need to be doing the following:
- Evaluate information
While listening, you need to be able to identify which parts are important to jot down.
- Organize information
Even as you write, you need to capture the relationships between the ideas/concepts that are being presented.
- Predict information
Being able to anticipate how the information that comes up connects with what has been presented so far enhances your ability to understand the lecture.
Useful Tips:
- Read ahead of your lecture and keep up with assigned reading. This will enable you to be familiar with key vocabulary and develop an awareness of concepts.
- Do not attempt to take note of everything. Just note the main points.
- Improve your listening ability by keeping up with the news through these websites.
- Participate in the Communication Café to improve your listening skills.
Login to post comments
Beating the Odds
Some students have improved so much that they are happy to share their experiences with others. Reading Beating the Odds: Success Stories of Students Overcoming English Language Challenges (PDF).
Using Zotero to Keep Track of Your Research and Writing
Instructional Guides
If you are new to using Zotero, we recommend that you go through the following in order.
- How to Install the Zotero Plugin for Firefox
- How to Register for a Zotero Account
- How to Set Up Sync Settings
- How to Create a New Collection
- How to Add a Webpage
- How to Edit Metadata Fields
- How to Add Sources Manually
- How to Add Journal Articles Using DOI
- How to Attach a Link to a PDF Article*
- How to Add Notes
- How to Add Tags
- How to Install the Zotero Add-in for Microsoft Word
- How to Add Citations on Microsoft Word**
- How to Generate Bibliography on Microsoft Word
*During Summer 2012, this will be replaced with How to Attach Link to URI. For now, instead of attaching the direct link to the PDF, click Attach Link to URI and paste the permalink (if you're using Sholars Portal). The permalink is found on the same page where the DOI is.
**For older version of Zotero add-in for Microsoft Word. Guide for new version will be added soon.
**Zotero's Microsoft Word citation function may not work properly when you use the older version of the Zotero plug-in for Firefox. Therefore, if you're using Zotero at the UTSC campus, please re-install the Zotero plug-in for Firefox in order to upgrade to version 3.0.3.
Notes
- Zotero may upgrade anytime. Thus, the screenshots and/or the instructions are subject to change.
- The instructional guides are based on the Zotero plugin for Firefox (Version 3.0.3) and the Zotero add-in for Microsoft Word (for Zotero Version 2.1 or 3.0). The instructions may not be exactly applicable to Zotero standalone for Google Chrome and Safari and to Zotero plugin for OpenOffice.org and Mac. However, they should be quite similar.
- If you have more questions, please refer to http://www.zotero.org/support/.
Last updated on March 26, 2012.
Login to post comments