I\u2019m writing this on a plane to Australia, while watching Jurassic World (that\u2019s honesty and multitasking!).<\/p>\n
Ok, before I wax eloquent on Rountree\u2019s helpful little book, LEARN HOW TO STUDY: Developing the study skills and approaches to learning that will help you succeed in university,<\/em> [1]<\/a> I thought it would be interesting to read about Derek Rowntree elsewhere. Consequently, having read Bayard\u2019s book, How to talk about books you haven’t read,[2]<\/strong><\/a><\/em> I discovered that Rowntree spent much of his career teaching academics how teach and assess students they will never meet.[3]<\/a> Now that, friends, is serendipity! It\u2019s hardly surprising that he would be an expert in such affairs given that he was one of the founders of the UK\u2019s Open University, <\/em>specialising in distance education.<\/p>\n I find it difficult to critique helpful books like this, especially when they are interactive and there to provide a simple road map to study for new learners at tertiary level, which I think Rowntree does well. That is, of course, if the reader had a limited educational background missing the basics of learning, reading, research and essay writing. That being the case for me, if I had this book 35 years ago my academic experience would have been a lot less chaotic. Comparatively, I\u2019m not sure Bayard\u2019s book on \u2018bluffing\u2019 about books I haven’t read would have been that helpful early on. Thus, I propose that Rowntree\u2019s approach to learning is a useful foundation for building the \u2018inner libraries\u2019 required to \u2018bluff\u2019 in the way that Bayard suggests.<\/p>\n The truth is, the online learning that Rowntree helped create has forced the old elitist academy to be more proactive in exposing the \u2018dark art\u2019 of academic research to the light of day. In doing so, mere mortals can now choose to engage, especially in the modern age of internet access.<\/p>\n What I think stands out about this books is Rowntree\u2019s reminder that the idealised vision of the \u2018perfect student\u2019 is little more than a mirage.[4]<\/a> For the most part, all students face the same self-doubt at some point, even the really smart ones. From there, Rowntree\u2019s interactive self-questioning at the end of each section, helps to foster a sense of truth about our own situation at this current time: Do I know the difference between studying and learning? Do I understanding my own unique context? Am I comfortable with reading strategies, critical reading and listening? It is such good basic stuff, I showed the book to my seventeen year old daughter who is soon heading to university. She immediately rolled her eyes, put her hands on her hips and declared she knew what she was doing, thank you very much. I knew where she was coming from though. Lucy, like her father, is an intuitive, and we like to get \u2018the vibe of the thing\u2019 rather than mess with details. However, once she answered some of the interactive questions, it all made sense to her. It also made sense to me. It doesn\u2019t much matter how intuitive we are, if there is a learning task to be achieved it needs to be tackled with some degree of order to feel like you are in control. And that I think is the point of Rowntree\u2019s book. Learning as an outcome of study is about feeling like you are in control, and that control, like driving a car, is not mystical art, it\u2019s something everyone can learn and refine over time.<\/p>\n In Patrick Lencioni\u2019s book, Good to Great,<\/em> he discusses a series of leadership principles that either encourage or hinder growth. The one I often think about is the Hedghog principle; \u00a0best described as \u2018keep it simple stupid\u2019. Essentially, Lencioni writes that we should always go back to first principles; why am I doing this? what am I doing? what am I hoping to achieve? and what should the outcomes look like? \u2013 don\u2019t over complicate that which should be simple at its core. Go deep, but don\u2019t go random.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n That being the case, in Rowntree\u2019s guide, the section that captured my attention was chapter five\u2019s, SQ3R. I\u2019m not sure why? Perhaps it felt a little like a scene from a spy thriller; the acronym is quite alluring. Be that as it may, the simple approach to reading using SQ3R, along with the explanation, is one of those techniques worth remembering: Survey, Question, Read, Recall, Review.[6]<\/a> But it hinges on something I often forget if not engaged properly, and it\u2019s something Rowntree mentions early on when quoting Marton & S\u00e4lj\u00f6 and their research around education and learning: \u2018students who did not get \u201cthe point\u201d failed to do so simply because they were not looking for it\u2019.[7]<\/a> At the heart of learning, especially with reading, is to know what point the author is making by looking for it. It\u2019s best to get the big picture, before scrambling for detail. In doing so, I\u2019m less likely to ascribe meaning to the text that the Author never intended.<\/p>\n For the moment though, I\u2019ll stick with the main point, \u2018am I in control of my learning?\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Derek Rowntree, Learn How to Study: Developing the Study Skills and Approaches to Learning That Will Help You Succeed in University \u2014 a Virtual Tutorial With Professor Derek Rowntree<\/em>, 6 ed. (Amazon Digital Services : Kindle Edition, 2016).<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Pierre Bayard, How to Talk About Books You Haven\u2019t Read<\/em>, trans. Jeffrey Mehlman (London: Grants Books : Kobo Edition, 2008); Rowntree, Learn How to Study: Developing the Study Skills and Approaches to Learning That Will Help You Succeed in University \u2014 a Virtual Tutorial With Professor Derek Rowntree<\/em>.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Derek Rowntree, Assessing Students: How Shall We Know Them<\/em>, Revised ed. (Nichols Pub Co, 1987).<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Rowntree, Learn How to Study: Developing the Study Skills and Approaches to Learning That Will Help You Succeed in University \u2014 a Virtual Tutorial With Professor Derek Rowntree<\/em>. LOC 242<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don\u2019t<\/em>, 1st ed. (New York: HarperBusiness, 2001). Chapter 5<\/p>\n