Start to write a thesis TRAINING SCHEME TO ANSWER THE CRITICAL QUESTION

Start to write a thesis

October

2014

TRAINING SCHEME TO ANSWER THE CRITICAL QUESTION. ANN DERAEDT

HOWEST | Kortrijk, West-Flanders, Belgium

Academic year 2014-2015


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Start to write a thesis Each bachelor student at the West-Flanders High school in Belgium (Howest) is going to write a thesis. For most people it is the first serious academic writing in their high school live. The guidelines in this paper focus on start to write and not to keep the information in the head.



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Preface

I’m internship coordinator of one of the Bachelors at the West-Flanders High school in Belgium1. Each student has to deliver a thesis before graduating. In most cases the research question is directly linked to the internship. I have noticed that start to write is a typical procrastination object in this area. A student is fulltime busy with the workout of the question so in their head it is so clear what they are doing. There is no key to start a writing process.

I’m into a MOOC Learning How to Learn2 and I have to do a final project to demonstrate my newly acquired knowledge. It’s a pleasant challenge to project the 10 Rules of Good Studying into my job: coaching 80 students to write a thesis. Notice that this essay is my first version; I will focus on three topics: chunking a problem, procrastination and focusing.

I have two believes. My personal goal is that I can pass through what I have learned about Learning. The second goal is that the high school3 will have more professional thesis. If the quality is getting 20% better if a student is using this paper, than both the student and the lectors will be satisfied.

1 See www.howest.be 2 See bibliography 3 See website www.nmct.be

http://www.howest.be/

http://www.nmct.be/



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Introduction

This essay is a guide to bring your focus from the final product to the process of making that product: a written thesis. Look at this paper by analogy with start to run: a running schema for beginners, well-known in Belgium thanks to the work out by Evy Gruyaert (website Start to Run, Evy Gruyaert). Use this guide as if you train for a start to run… Not the 5 kilometer but the 10 miles. Only with regular training that target is fun and afterwards you ‘ll get good feelings about the project. The key is that you chunk your physical training. The same you’ll do for mental exercises.

The guide is based on the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offered by Coursera (website Learning How to Learn, Coursera.org), which has been running in October during four weeks. Three topics of the 10 Rules of Good Studying (A mind for Numbers, Barbara Oakley) will be highlighted: chunking a problem, procrastination and focusing.

I have used a case in this paper. I have matched the techniques of Learning How to Learn on the final semester in the Bachelor New Media and Communication Technology (NMCT) at Howest, a high school in Belgium. In chapter 1 you read about the timeline for the students in the final semester in their curriculum. In chapter 2 your read the basics of Learning How to Learn. Chapter 3 is combining both topics. The outcome is written in a conclusion. I hope the reader will learn two things: By using techniques making writing pleasant and interesting. Secondly, the product will be professional. A (high)school has a social responsibility. More professional indicates the student return something of value to the community: the host company, the school or other interested parties.



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Table of Contents

Start to write a thesis ...................................................................................................... 0

Preface ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3

Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ 4

1 The final semester in the bachelor NMCT ........................................................... 5

1.1 Timeline ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Timings ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 The critical question ............................................................................................................................................. 5 1.4 Checklist for a written thesis ........................................................................................................................... 5

2 Learning How to Learn ............................................................................................... 6

2.1 10 Rules of Good and Bad studying ............................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Chunck your problem or dig into top-down analysis ............................................................................ 8 2.3 Tackle procrastination ......................................................................................................................................... 8 2.4 Do a Pomodoro ....................................................................................................................................................... 9

3 Write a thesis guided by the Learning How to Learn principles .............. 10

3.1 Your task list for writing ................................................................................................................................... 11 3.2 A chunked task list for writing ...................................................................................................................... 11 3.3 Work out the task list with the 10 Rules of Good Studying ............................................................ 13

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 14

Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 15

Annex 1 – Howest checklist for a written thesis ................................................... 16

Annex 2 – 10 rules of Good and Bad Studying ..................................................... 17



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1 The final semester in the bachelor NMCT

All information you read in this chapter is an extract from the information on www.nmct.be/stage.

Some facts: a bachelor has six semesters. The last semester is worth 30 study points. This includes doing an internship of 60 days and writing a thesis. A thesis in the bachelor NMCT has a critical question which has most of the time a connection with the internship. A thesis is about 50 pages. An internship has 24 study points and the thesis has 6 study points. You cannot succeed in your bachelor if you have an insufficient evaluation of the thesis.

1.1 Timeline

The final semester is chunked into 18 weeks. There are 2 main topics: internship and thesis. It is the first time that students has such a huge project: deliver a product after 16 weeks. They get general thesis support in two bachelor weeks to get through the process. The picture below shows the timeline of this curriculum.

1.2 Timings

Start: In the best case a student knows before the internship period what he is going to write about. He has discussed the topic with the supervisor at the host company. In the worst case the student knows his topic after the holidays. He has done a lot of practical work, and has unconsciously understanding but has yet nothing written.

Deadline: The final version of the thesis is ready to be hand-over on paper on Tuesday of the last week but one.

1.3 The critical question

A thesis means that a writing that answers a critical question.

Example: a web company has developed an invoice program for a specific user group on a Windows system. The internship can be to transform the existing program towards a Software as a Service (SaaS) application. The thesis can answer the critical question: Is the added value of a SaaS application a responsible action for the specific user group. The thesis describes the method to answer this question profoundly and within a broad application area.

1.4 Checklist for a written thesis

In Howest there is a (Dutch) language policy. The result is a checklist you can use to know if the basics of your thesis are good. You find the checklist in Annex 1.

week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

topic thesis

support

thesis

support

deadline

@friday:

draft

version

deadline

@tuesday:

final

version

oral

presentat

ion

internship holidays internshipinternship



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2 Learning How to Learn

All information you read in this section, is in the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Learning How to Learn at coursera.org. The underlying theme is 10 Rules of Good and Bad Studying4 (A Mind for Numbers, Barbara Oakley)

A good way of working is test yourself to know if you have understand it. According to rule number 2 of Good Studying, you find in this essay lists and quizzes to work with.

2.1 10 Rules of Good and Bad studying

Attention, here is the first test-yourself. You already know consciously or unconsciously what are rules for studying. The list below enumerate some rules. Note in de box an answer to the question. The solution is in Annex 2. The legend for the last two columns in the table is:

Good rules = Train these techniques and use them in Zombie mode5!

Bad rules = Avoid these techniques - they can waste your time even while they fool you into thinking you’re learning!

1. Which of the rules below do you recognize as a good or bad rule? Write an X in the column Good of column Bad.

My score is: I recognized ………… good rules. I recognized ………… bad rules.

Keyword Explanation

1. Use recall. After you read a page, look away and recall the main ideas. Highlight very little, and never highlight anything you haven’t put in your mind first by recalling. Try recalling main ideas when you are walking to class or in a different room from where you originally learned it. An ability to recall—to generate the ideas from inside yourself—is one of the key indicators of good learning.

2. Passive rereading.

Sitting passively and running your eyes back over a page. Unless you can prove that the material is moving into your brain by recalling the main ideas without looking at the page, rereading is a waste of time.

3. Test yourself. On everything. All the time. Flash cards are your friend.

4. Letting highlights overwhelm you.

Highlighting your text can fool your mind into thinking you are putting something in your brain, when all you’re really doing is moving your hand. A little highlighting here and there is okay—sometimes it can be helpful in flagging important points. But if you are using highlighting as a memory tool, make sure that what you mark is also going into your brain

5. Merely glancing at a problem’s solution.

And thinking you know how to do it. This is one of the worst errors students make while studying. You need to be able to solve a problem step-by-step, without looking at the solution.

6. Chunk your problems.

Chunking is understanding and practicing with a problem solution so that it can all come to mind in a flash. After you solve a problem, rehearse it. Make sure you can solve it cold—every step. Pretend it’s a song and learn to play it over and over again in your mind, so the information combines into one smooth chunk you can pull up whenever you want.

7. Space your repetition.

Spread out your learning in any subject a little every day, just like an athlete. Your brain is like a muscle—it can handle only a limited amount of exercise on one subject at a time.

4 https://class.coursera.org/learning-002/wiki/view?page=10Rules 5 Zombie mode means you do things automatically.

https://class.coursera.org/learning-002/wiki/view?page=10Rules



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8. Waiting until the last minute to study.

Would you cram at the last minute if you were practicing for a track meet? Your brain is like a muscle—it can handle only a limited amount of exercise on one subject at a time.

9. Repeatedly solving problems of the same type that you already know how to solve.

If you just sit around solving similar problems during your practice, you’re not actually preparing for a test—it’s like preparing for a big basketball game by just practicing your dribbling.

10. Alternate different problem-solving techniques during your practice.

Never practice too long at any one session using only one problem-solving technique—after a while, you are just mimicking what you did on the previous problem. Mix it up and work on different types of problems. This teaches you both how and when to use a technique. Quiz yourself randomly on different types of problems. Another way to do this is to randomly flip through your book, pick out a problem, and see whether you can solve it cold.

11. Take breaks. It is common to be unable to solve problems or figure out concepts in math or science the first time you encounter them. This is why a little study every day is much better than a lot of studying all at once. When you get frustrated with a math or science problem, take a break so that another part of your mind can take over and work in the background.

12. Use explanatory questioning and simple analogies.

Whenever you are struggling with a concept, think to yourself, How can I explain this so that a ten-year-old could understand it? Using an analogy really helps, like saying that the flow of electricity is like the flow of water. Don’t just think your explanation—say it out loud or put it in writing.

13. Neglecting to read the textbook before you start working problems.

Would you dive into a pool before you knew how to swim? The textbook is your swimming instructor—it guides you toward the answers. You will flounder and waste your time if you don’t bother to read it. Before you begin to read, however, take a quick glance over the chapter or section to get a sense of what it’s about.

14. Focus. Turn off all interrupting beeps and alarms on your phone and computer, and then turn on a timer for twenty-five minutes. Focus intently for those twenty-five minutes and try to work as diligently as you can. After the timer goes off, give yourself a small, fun reward. A few of these sessions in a day can really move your studies forward.

15. Not checking to clear up points of confusion.

Professors are used to lost students coming in for guidance—it’s our job to help you. The students we worry about are the ones who don’t come in. Don’t be one of those students.

16. Thinking you can learn deeply when you are multi focused.

Every tiny pull toward an instant message or conversation means you have less brain power to devote to learning. Every tug of interrupted attention pulls out tiny neural roots before they can grow.

17. Eat your frogs first.

Do the hardest thing earliest in the day, when you are fresh.

18. Make a mental contrast.

Imagine where you’ve come from and contrast that with the dream of where your studies will take you. Post a picture or words in your workspace to remind you of your dream. Look at that when you find your motivation lagging. This work will pay off both for you and those you love!

19. Not getting enough sleep.

Your brain pieces together problem-solving techniques when you sleep, and it also practices and repeats whatever you put in mind before you go to sleep. Prolonged fatigue allows toxins to build up in the brain that disrupt the neural connections you need to think quickly and well.

20. Letting study sessions with friends turn into chat sessions.

Checking your problem solving with friends, and quizzing one another on what you know, can make learning more enjoyable, expose flaws in your thinking, and deepen your learning. But if your joint study sessions turn to fun before the work is done, you’re wasting your time and should find another study group.



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For the targeted group this is the first large job in writing. That is the reason that I focus in the following part on only three rules of good studying: chunking, procrastination and focus. This is the chunk I prepare for you in the Learning How to Learn.

2.2 Chunck your problem or dig into top-down analysis

DEFINITION

Chunking is a lot like filing. The idea is that you want to open only one "file" at a time, so that you can stay focused and "file" the information easily. This process will save time and it will also help you to understand better and to remember more effectively.

MORE READINGS

On the Bucks County Community College is an easy reading article about breaking tasks into chunks (Breaking Tasks into Meaningful Chunks).

EXAMPLE

All students in a bachelor NMCT have learning how to program an application. An important technique is Top-Down Analysis where you write a procedure or a function. If the ‘problem’ or ‘chunk’ or ‘code’ is too long, you make a sub procedure. You can to the same in your way of studying and in your process of writing.

2.3 Tackle procrastination

DEFINITION

You procrastinate because a though gives you bad feelings. The drug here is doing something else so you temporarily feel good.

The solution is: focus on the process not on the product. Thinking of the product causes the pain.

Image credit: The narrator always win #11 @The narrator, May 10, 2010.

MORE READINGS

Enroll in the MOOC Learning How to Learn and get the key of: Clue – Routine – Reward – Belief. This basic principles are teached in chapter 3.

In the Dutch JobAt magazine read the Break with postponing tasks: 7 tips (Maak korte metten met uitstelgedrag, Heidi Does)

EXAMPLE BELIEF AND REWARD

I have difficulties to always wash my hands after I went to the toilet or worked in the garden. The solution for me was putting me a new goal: I don’t like to get rid of something (sustainable way of living). I have twenty soaps people gave them in the past as a gift. My (unconscious) thinking now is: if I wash my hands, the soaps are diminishing. This works fine the last year rather than thinking: I might not forget to wash my hands.



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2.4 Do a Pomodoro

DEFINITION

As definition I quote some key points you find on the Mind Tools website (The Pomodoro Technique®). The Pomodoro Technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s, and published in his book of the same name. The technique uses a timer to divide your work into 25-minute sessions called "pomodori." After each session, you take a five-minute break. When you have completed four pomodori, it's

time for a longer break of 20 to 30 minutes. It's a simple technique, it's easy to use, and it could have big benefits for both your productivity and your health. Frequent breaks enhance your ability to concentrate on a task, which improves productivity. They also help your body fight the negative effects that come from prolonged periods of physical inactivity while sitting at your desk.

MORE READINGS

Read the article on Mind Tools, "The Pomodoro Technique® Staying Focused Throughout the

Day,"6 to convince yourself.

EXAMPLE FOCUS

I had to concentrate me (Rule number 8 of Good Studying) to find a solution to simplify the Academic Calendar Internship: you find the source of the timeline in chapter 1 on the Internship website7. In a Pomodoro I made a first sketch. In that time in draw ten fantastic examples in my head (worthless) and finally in example a spreadsheet (= on paper).

Afterwards, the timeline has been changed eight times. Because I used Rule number 4 of Good Studying I had the time to improve the picture to a visual that is easy enough. I’m not yet satisfied with the layout but there was no time left to get it better with the graphical skills I have.

EXAMPLE TAKE BREAKS

In the past, once I started a chunk and I’m working in flow, I was not able to stop. Time was flying: I thought one hour but in reality three hours passed. The last four weeks I have learned to set a timer on my smartphone and to stop after 25 minutes. The Pomodoro Technique for me is necessary to take a break. It took me two weeks before I have experienced the profit of taking a break, even if I was working with deep focus. But I believed, because I have learned from professional people, teaching in the MOOC. Because after the break I had good ideas, even if I combine it with Rule number 4 of Good Studying and continue six hours later or a day later. Now I understand the diffused mode was doing here job in the meantime (Want to be more Creative? Take a walk, Gretchen Reynolds).

6 http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/pomodoro-technique.htm?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09Sep14 7 See calendar on http://webmaatwerk.com/nmctinternship/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/02-NMCT-jaarkalender-2014-15-semester6.jpg

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/pomodoro-technique.htm?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09Sep14

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/pomodoro-technique.htm?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09Sep14

http://webmaatwerk.com/nmctinternship/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/02-NMCT-jaarkalender-2014-15-semester6.jpg

http://webmaatwerk.com/nmctinternship/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/02-NMCT-jaarkalender-2014-15-semester6.jpg



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3 Write a thesis guided by the Learning How to Learn principles

Start to write … a thesis. I compare it with start to run… 10 miles. The first 6 weeks you train for the 5 km. When you finished here and you had a good training schedule, you still have good feelings and you’re still motivated to go one. Your heart rate meter shows during training that you’re in the safe zone of 60-70% of the maximum heartbeat. Perhaps you did not train well, and the objective measurement shows that your heartbeat was at 90% of the maximum during the race. Indeed you ran the 5 km and you might think “Ok, this was still fine, but now I really want to follow the schedule to keep it fun”. At least your goal was to finish without pain”. In the process of writing we have the same issues: following the 10 rules of Good Studying gives you satisfaction. Answer the question in the box.

2. What is your metaphor in the physic world that you like to be good at or like to change or like to learn?

Answer…

Dreaming and believing is important to reach your goal. According to Rule number 10 of Good Studying, imagine where you are come from by the start of your higher education and contrast that with the dream of where your studies you will take you to. In the box below insert a picture to remind you of your dream. When you have it hard to start to write, think of what you visualize here:

3. Visualize your world after you graduate from Howest, at the end of the semester.

Picture…

You are young and your brains are working very well. If you have an interesting idea you probably keep remembering it for some time. But nevertheless it is a good idea to assemble your thoughts. Which is your favorite tool to note? A small A6 book? Your smartphone? A recorder? Sticky notes? … That tool should be available in your working time and your personal time; Yes, I know the shower is a difficult place to note something ;-)

4. My favorite way of taking notes:

Answer…



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3.1 Your task list for writing

You have seen the timelline in chapter 1. Think of a book of fifty pages. What do you think you have to do to write that book (thesis)? Write done what you should do. Do a brainstorm for yourself for five minutes:

My task list ? The order is not (yet) important.

Answer…

Count your task. How many tasks did you extract? … … …

3.2 A chunked task list for writing

As a coach for students who are writing I also make a task list. In the list you find an extended list of tasks to successful write your thesis. The chunks are of a certain size, for a student with basic experience in writing. Perhaps your chunks are smaller. See Rule number 3 of Good Studying. There are 3 levels for doing a task:

Easy: you have routine in working out a chunk like this, you like it, you can do it quickly.

Normal: you have an idea of this chunk and what you have to do, but you have no routine in it

Hard: you have a deep sigh thinking of it and you love to wait to start this chunk.

In the table below, note in the appropriate column how much time you think you need for each chunk (a number in hours.)



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Chunk Tasks

A. Getting context 1. Read the information that your school is offering (top down): www.nmct.be/stage in the category thesis.

B. Writing a working title

1. Thing of your internship: you do concrete things. Say it loud what you do? Why do you do it? Be critical? What can be an alternative?

2. Take notes: Take a step backwards and look from a distance: What? Why? Be critical. Are there alternatives? .. Write done your thoughts (it can be keywords).

3. Make a mind map as a kind of ordering your notes. 4. Start your writing. The smallest summary is a title.

Note a first title in a new save it as that name: the temporary subject of your thesis.

C. Do readings 1. Go to http://bib.howest.be , open the catalog and find at least 3 dissertations that are relevant to your topic.

2. Open now the Database and look for professional literature. Note at least 3 sources.

D. 1st writing lap 1. Write one or two paragraphs. Without structure.

E. 2nd writing lap 1. Write more paragraphs. 2. Link the paragraphs together on a logical

connection. 3. Add titles. 4. Read your work. 5. Use the checklist. 6. Add an introduction and foreword.

F. Draft version 1. Search a critical friend to read your work. 2. Review the feedback in your writing. 3. Do the professional layout. 4. Read your work again. 5. Submit your draft version. 6. Review the feedback of the promoter.

G. Final version 1. Review for the second time the feedback of your critical friend.

2. Do the final professional layout. 3. Read your work again with the checklist. 4. Submit your final version.

5. Count your tasks (not the chunks) for the 3 different levels:

…… tasks that I find easy. ………… normal tasks and …….. tasks hard to do for me.

http://www.nmct.be/stage

http://bib.howest.be/



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3.3 Work out the task list with the 10 Rules of Good Studying

At the beginning you will use Rule number 1 intensively because your thoughts should also be in diffuse mode to be creative. More readings in an inspiring article (Hit the Reset Button in Your Brain, Daniel J. Levitin).

You did not chunk yet: I have given you my chunks. It is not the same as if you chunk the writing process for yourself ! So put on your task list “make my own chunck” according to Rule number 3. See chapter 2 for details. You can plan your chunks with the retro schedule technique8. You have to finish the final version on Tuesday in week 17. You can then counting backwards from that date taking into account the time it takes for each chunck (noted in the level column).

When you are making your schedule take into account Rule number 4 : add extra timeslots for the tasks you have marked as difficult.

After you finished the first version of your retro schedule take a closer look and shift tasks according to Rule number 9.

Once you start writing round 1, use Rule number 2. Look at the (sub)chapter that you are writing and recall the content as if you speak to your critical friend. Or even plan a short (web)meeting to share your thoughts.

In the second week of holidays you might feel bad because up till now you only have one page and you know without saying it with words that you are procrastinating. Use Rule number 10 and go bake to box 3 and look at the picture. Why not starting, you have here in front of you where you dream of. Reaching this dream gives more satisfaction than not sit and start to write.

The draft version has to be submitted in the week after the holidays. Make an appointment with a critical friend rather than sending him your paper. Your critical friend is not a specialist so you need to explain it in a way he can understand it. That communication will certainly bring positive results. It is based on Rule number 7.

If your are tightened up in the 2nd writing lap with structuring the information, think of alternate problem solving techniques. That is applying Rule number 5 of the Good Studying and not the one of Bad Studying.

The last week of your internship will not be stress less. This is your first book writing, so even with extra attention not to procrastinate, you will have extra work. Plan Pomodoro’s to work focused (according to Rule number 8) and don’t forget to take a break (Rule number 6).

8 backward schedule - looked a the time by which the project needed to be completed and worked the logic of activities backwards. Thus, for me, retro-planning = backward schedule. Found at https://www.ikhebeenvraag.be/vraag/788/Wat-is-een-retroplanning

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/opinion/sunday/hit-the-reset-button-in-your-brain.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/opinion/sunday/hit-the-reset-button-in-your-brain.html?_r=0

https://www.ikhebeenvraag.be/vraag/788/Wat-is-een-retroplanning



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Conclusion

In this paper I hope the reader is encouraged to dig deeper into good Rules of Studying. Taking the (free) MOOC Learning How to Learn at coursera.org is a very good first step. You can explore the website brainfacts.org. BrainFacts.org seeks to share what neuroscientists know, explore what they don’t yet know fully, and discuss how today’s research advances understanding (website Explore the Brain and Mind). With subsidies of the European Community the Age Platform has the same goal (website Hello Brain) second goal is that the work of submitting a thesis is not necessary as difficult as the reader thought because if you use techniques your time is more effectively used, it is even a pleasant time. And don’t forget, the thesis will be of a more professional level!



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Bibliography

A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel in Math and Science (Even if You Flunked Algebra), by Barbara Oakley, Penguin, July, 2014

Breaking Tasks into Meaningful Chunks. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 28 oktober 2014, van http://faculty.bucks.edu/specpop/chunks.htm

Explore the Brain and Mind - BrainFacts.org. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 11 oktober 2014, van http://www.brainfacts.org/

Hello Brain. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 28 oktober 2014, van http://hellobrain.eu/en/

Hit the Reset Button in Your Brain - NYTimes.com. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 14 oktober 2014, van http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/opinion/sunday/hit-the-reset-button-in-your-brain.html?_r=1

Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects | Coursera. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 11 oktober 2014, van https://class.coursera.org/learning-002

Learning how to learn | TrainingZone.co.uk. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 11 oktober 2014, van http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/blogs-post/learning-how-learn/187818

Maak korte metten met uitstelgedrag: 7 tips - Jobat.be. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 28 oktober 2014, van http://www.jobat.be/nl/artikels/maak-korte-metten-met-uitstelgedrag-7-tips/

Start to Run - Evy Gruyaert. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 29 oktober 2014, van http://www.start-to-run.be/evy-gruyaert/

The Pomodoro Technique® - Time Management Skills From MindTools.com. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 28 oktober 2014, van http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/pomodoro-technique.htm?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09Sep14

Want to Be More Creative? Take a Walk - NYTimes.com. (z.d.). Geraadpleegd 29 oktober 2014, van http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/want-to-be-more-creative-take-a-walk/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=health&_r=0



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Annex 1 – Howest checklist for a written thesis

The checklist is written in Dutch and has 3 categories: structure, academic writing and professional layout.

Ik heb de vijf stappen gerespecteerd om mijn rapport te schrijven.

Ik heb me georiënteerd (doel, onderwerp, publiek, randvoorwaarden)

Ik heb me voorbereid (brainstormen, werken met vaste vragenschema’s).

Ik heb een schema opgesteld.

Ik heb mijn rapport gecontroleerd (herlezen, herschrijven, …)

A Mijn rapport is logisch gestructureerd.

1 Mijn rapport heeft een correcte lengte conform de vereisten van de opleiding (richtlijn : 50 blz.)

Mijn rapport heeft een titelblad conform de vereisten van de opleiding.

2 Ik heb een duidelijke titel gekozen en een eventuele ondertitel die de inhoud dekt.

3 Mijn rapport heeft een kaft, blanco blad en titelblad: ik gebruik het sjabloon van Howest met logo, academiejaar, campus, opleiding, promotor, titel/onderzoeksvraag, subtitel, naam student.

4 Ik heb een titel gekozen die de inhoud dekt.

Mijn rapport heeft een woord vooraf.

5 Ik vermeld de promotor, het kader, de doelgroep, schets het gebruik van het rapport en formuleer een dankwoord; persoonlijke stijl mag.

Mijn rapport heeft een abstract. (opm. : indien nodig voor de opleiding)

6 Ik formuleer de probleemstelling en doelstelling, werkwijze, resultaten en conclusie.

Mijn rapport heeft een verklarende woordenlijst/lijst met afkortingen (facultatief).

7 Ik stel de lijst alfabetisch op en verklaar terminologie op een duidelijke manier.

Mijn rapport heeft een inhoudsopgave.

8 Ik gebruik een correcte indeling met titelnummering volgens de decimale code, met max drie niveaus.

Mijn rapport heeft een inleiding.

9 Ik geef het doel van het onderzoek mee (probleemstelling/onderzoeksvraag).

10 Ik verantwoord waarom mijn onderzoek relevant is (= waarom).

11 Ik licht een duidelijke methodologie toe (= correct toepassen van de regels voor toegepast wetenschappelijk onderzoek) en verantwoordt die (= hoe).

12 Ik geef de inhoudelijke hoofdlijnen en belangrijkste bronnen van informatie mee.

De kern van mijn rapport is goed opgebouwd.

13 Ik heb aandacht voor literatuuronderzoek.

14 Ik beschrijf het onderzoek (hypothesen en verwachtingen, materiaal en methoden, onderzoek zelf, resultaten, interpretatie resultaten).

15 Ik voer de gebruikte methodologie correct uit.

16 Het aantal hoofdstukken is logisch en gelijkmatig en in verhouding tot het aantal bladzijden (richtlijn 50 bladzijden, maximum 5 hoofdstukken).

17 Hoofdstukken hebben een duidelijke en betekenisvolle titel.

18 Bij elk hoofdstuk hoort een bondige situerende vooruitblik.

19 Ik heb oog voor een logische indeling in hoofdstukken, paragrafen (= subhoofdstukken) en alinea's.

20 Mijn rapport bestaat uit alinea’s (ongeveer 5 zinnen, één hoofdgedachte en gescheiden door een witregel.

Mijn rapport heeft een conclusie.

21 Ik geef een samenvatting van de resultaten en formuleer elk besluit bondig en kernachtig.

22 Ik haal geen nieuwe informatie aan, tenzij voorstellen voor verder onderzoek.

23 Ik koppel terug naar de inleiding.

Mijn rapport heeft een referentielijst.

24 Ik gebruik voldoende, recente en relevante literatuurverwijzingen.

25 In de referentielijst staan alle werken die ik heb gebruikt en enkel werken die ik heb gebruikt.

26 Ik pas de APA-stijl (American Psychological Association) consequent toe.

Mijn rapport heeft functionele bijlagen.

27 De bijlagen zijn genummerd en getiteld.

28 Ik gebruik enkel bijlagen waarnaar ik heb verwezen in mijn hoofdtekst.

B Mijn rapport is professioneel geformuleerd.

Het rapport is zakelijk geformuleerd.

29 Ik schrijf op een zakelijke, neutrale en professionele toon (geen spreektaal, sms-taal, facebooktaal).

30 Ik gebruik de correcte vaktaal.

31 Ik vermijd aanspreekvormen als ik, wij, je, u men.

32 Ik omschrijf handelingen met werkwoorden en niet met substantieven.

Ik schrijf duidelijk en exact.

33 Ik varieer mijn zinsbouw en woordkeuze.

34 Ik vermijd overbodige woorden.

35 Ik schrijf concreet en objectief.

36 Ik schrijf volwaardige zinnen met een onderwerp en een persoonsvorm.

Ik schrijf taalkundig juist.

37 Ik gebruik signaalwoorden om redenering op te bouwen: ten eerste, ten tweede/allereerst, vervolgens….

38 Ik vermijd dialectische woorden, gebruik de juiste vaktaal en enkel standaardafkortingen.

39 Ik controleer mijn tekst op type- en spelfouten, lees- en woordtekens.

40 Ik schrijf in de juiste tijd.

C Het rapport heeft een professionele vormgeving om de leesbaarheid te stimuleren.

41 Ik gebruik een consequent lettertype en gepaste interlinie.

42 Mijn tekst is goed geschikt op het blad

43 Alle tekeningen (ontwerpen) hebben een nummer en korte beschrijving. Ze zijn geïntegreerd in de tekst.

44 Alle verwijzingen binnen de tekst corresponderen met het juiste hoofdstuk of de juiste bladzijde.

45 Ik houd de nummering van de onderdelen/grafieken/foto's logisch en eenvoudig.



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Annex 2 – 10 rules of Good and Bad Studying

SOLUTION OF THE QUIZ

1. good, 2. bad, 3. good, 4. bad, 5. bad, 6. good, 7. good, 8. bad, 9. bad, 10. good, 11. good, 12. good, 13. bad, 14. good, 15. bad, 16. bad, 17. good, 18. good, 19. bad, 20. bad.

The rules are excerpted from A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel in Math and Science (Even if You Flunked Algebra), by Barbara Oakley, Penguin, July, 2014.

10 GOOD RULES OF STUDYING

1. Use recall. After you read a page, look away and recall the main ideas. Highlight very little, and never highlight anything you haven’t put in your mind first by recalling. Try recalling main ideas when you are walking to class or in a different room from where you originally learned it. An ability to recall—to generate the ideas from inside yourself—is one of the key indicators of good learning.

2. Test yourself. On everything. All the time. Flash cards are your friend.

3. Chunk your problems. Chunking is understanding and practicing with a problem solution so that it can all come to mind in a flash. After you solve a problem, rehearse it. Make sure you can solve it cold—every step. Pretend it’s a song and learn to play it over and over again in your mind, so the information combines into one smooth chunk you can pull up whenever you want.

4. Space your repetition. Spread out your learning in any subject a little every day, just like an athlete. Your brain is like a muscle—it can handle only a limited amount of exercise on one subject at a time.

5. Alternate different problem-solving techniques during your practice. Never practice too long at any one session using only one problem-solving technique—after a while, you are just mimicking what you did on the previous problem. Mix it up and work on different types of problems. This teaches you both how and when to use a technique. (Books generally are not set up this way, so you’ll need to do this on your own.) After every assignment and test, go over your errors, make sure you understand why you made them, and then rework your solutions. To study most effectively, handwrite (don’t type) a problem on one side of a flash card and the solution on the other. (Handwriting builds stronger neural structures in memory than typing.) You might also photograph the card if you want to load it into a study app on your smartphone. Quiz yourself randomly on different types of problems. Another way to do this is to randomly flip through your book, pick out a problem, and see whether you can solve it cold.

6. Take breaks. It is common to be unable to solve problems or figure out concepts in math or science the first time you encounter them. This is why a little study every day is much better than a lot of studying all at once. When you get frustrated with a math or science problem, take a break so that another part of your mind can take over and work in the background.

7. Use explanatory questioning and simple analogies. Whenever you are struggling with a concept, think to yourself, How can I explain this so that a ten-year-old could understand it? Using an analogy really helps, like saying that the flow of electricity is like the flow of water. Don’t just think your explanation—say it out loud or put it in writing. The additional effort of speaking and writing allows you to more deeply encode (that is, convert into neural memory structures) what you are learning.

8. Focus. Turn off all interrupting beeps and alarms on your phone and computer, and then turn on a timer for twenty-five minutes. Focus intently for those twenty-five minutes and try to work as diligently as you can. After the timer goes off, give yourself a small, fun reward. A few of these sessions in a day can really move your studies forward. Try to set up times and places where studying—not glancing at your computer or phone—is just something you naturally do.

9. Eat your frogs first. Do the hardest thing earliest in the day, when you are fresh.



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10. Make a mental contrast. Imagine where you’ve come from and contrast that with the dream of where your studies will take you. Post a picture or words in your workspace to remind you of your dream. Look at that when you find your motivation lagging. This work will pay off both for you and those you love!

10 BAD RULES OF STUDYING

Avoid these techniques—they can waste your time even while they fool you into thinking you’re learning!

1. Passive rereading—sitting passively and running your eyes back over a page. Unless you can prove that the material is moving into your brain by recalling the main ideas without looking at the page, rereading is a waste of time.

2. Letting highlights overwhelm you. Highlighting your text can fool your mind into thinking you are putting something in your brain, when all you’re really doing is moving your hand. A little highlighting here and there is okay—sometimes it can be helpful in flagging important points. But if you are using highlighting as a memory tool, make sure that what you mark is also going into your brain.

3. Merely glancing at a problem’s solution and thinking you know how to do it. This is one of the worst errors students make while studying. You need to be able to solve a problem step-by-step, without looking at the solution.

4. Waiting until the last minute to study. Would you cram at the last minute if you were practicing for a track meet? Your brain is like a muscle—it can handle only a limited amount of exercise on one subject at a time.

5. Repeatedly solving problems of the same type that you already know how to solve. If you just sit around solving similar problems during your practice, you’re not actually preparing for a test—it’s like preparing for a big basketball game by just practicing your dribbling.

6. Letting study sessions with friends turn into chat sessions. Checking your problem solving with friends, and quizzing one another on what you know, can make learning more enjoyable, expose flaws in your thinking, and deepen your learning. But if your joint study sessions turn to fun before the work is done, you’re wasting your time and should find another study group.

7. Neglecting to read the textbook before you start working problems. Would you dive into a pool before you knew how to swim? The textbook is your swimming instructor—it guides you toward the answers. You will flounder and waste your time if you don’t bother to read it. Before you begin to read, however, take a quick glance over the chapter or section to get a sense of what it’s about.

8. Not checking with your instructors or classmates to clear up points of confusion. Professors are used to lost students coming in for guidance—it’s our job to help you. The students we worry about are the ones who don’t come in. Don’t be one of those students.

9. Thinking you can learn deeply when you are being constantly distracted. Every tiny pull toward an instant message or conversation means you have less brain power to devote to learning. Every tug of interrupted attention pulls out tiny neural roots before they can grow.

10. Not getting enough sleep. Your brain pieces together problem-solving techniques when you sleep, and it also practices and repeats whatever you put in mind before you go to sleep. Prolonged fatigue allows toxins to build up in the brain that disrupt the neural connections you need to think quickly and well. If you don’t get a good sleep before a test, NOTHING ELSE YOU HAVE DONE WILL MATTER.

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