���On 6 November 2009 Steven Specht wrote: > I spend some time explaining to students > that as part of "studying" they should practice > the task that they will be asked to perform...
I'm reminded of the old joke about the stranger to New York asking someone "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?": "Practise, practise, practise." P.S. Does the following say something about modern educational standards?: "Practise / Practice: ...If you are not sure about what a verb or noun is, it might be safer to just use the spelling "practice", as many Americans do!" Reference: Practise / Practice In many parts of the English speaking world (UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, and South Africa) “practice” is the noun, “practise” the verb. However, in the U.S.A the spelling “practice” is more often used for both the noun and the verb. Contrary to popular belief a significant minority of the American population also observe the distinction. If you are not sure about what a verb or noun is, it might be safer to just use the spelling "practice", as many Americans do! http://www.world-english.org/practise_practice.htm Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London http://www.esterson.org -------------------------------------------------------------- Steven Specht <[email protected]> Subject: Re: hard studying Date: Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:35:26 -0500 I spend some time explaining to students that as part of "studying" they should practice the task that they will be asked to perform on exams... that is, writing. This sometimes puzzles students. I further explain that if the coach wants you to improve your free throws in basketball, she doesn't have you read about it or necessarily look at others doing the task; but requires YOU to practice the task-- tossing up some basketballs. I get frustrated when students (esp. psychology majors) think that "looking over notes or the text" is a way to prepare to write responses. I implore them to practice writing responses to hypothetical questions as part of their studying so that they are rehearsing the task expected of them (and it won't be the first time they think about writing a response). Specht, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Psychology Utica College Utica, NY 13502 --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
