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When students receive a graded assignment, especially an exam, the natural tendency is to look at the grade immediately and ignore everything else. Although this may be the inclination of many, it is not the most productive one. In order to improve, students must grasp the reasons behind the grade.
In cases where grades are significantly lower than expected, there are three common responses:
get angry or upset seek exterior causes (Who can I blame?)
get help or assistance seek internal causes (How can I improve?)
indifference or apathy simply don’t care (Whatever. . .)
Although 1) is a natural human reaction, getting angry or upset alone will never produce better results. Therefore, students must learn to move beyond this to 2). Believe it or not, the vast majority of teachers want you to improve.
Some common-sense principles are necessary for improvement, all assume that students must take responsibility for their education:
Good Attitude: Nobody can force anyone with a bad attitude to learn anything. Students must have some internal motivation.
Study Habits & Skills: reading, listening, note taking, work ethic, time management, etc.
Asking for Help: from the instructor, studying with others, tutoring, other services offered by Kirkwood, etc.
Time Management: using study time wisely, using time in class wisely, using exam time wisely & efficiently.
Practice, Practice, Practice: learning to do anything well requires lots of practice, this includes writing.
Improving Essay Exams
The following are a list of basic principles to help improve performance on timed essay examinations:
Read the Instructions: exact exam format discussed in class, sample exams available online, and clear instructions on the exam sheet.
Use Time Efficiently: anyone can claim “I would have done better, but I ran out of time,” but YOU DO NOT have more time. Therefore, you must learn to ADAPT to the situation. This an important skill because the “real world” will not adapt to suit your personal wants & desires.
Be Concise: get to the heart of the matter without extra empty or vague language. This takes practice, but is essential within the context of a timed essay. GOOD WRITING is concise writing, this is also a “real world” skill.
Be Specific: arguments require details to back them up. An essay without plenty of relevant specifics does not make a very good argument. Again, any argument in the “real world” is worthless without some reasons and evidence to support it.
Avoid Copying From Notes: an argument must have structure & relevant evidence. A list of facts copied from notes is not an essay & does not show understanding of the material. In the “real world” understanding arguments & making your own is obviously an important skill.
Write Clearly & Coherently: what an essay says is intimately connected to how clearly & coherently it is written. This is true of any piece of writing, not just history essays. Form & content cannot be divorced from one another, especially in the “real world.”
Poor performance usually reflects:
Lack of preparation haven’t put in the necessary work in class or outside of class
Lack of understanding haven’t sought help or asked questions to improve
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