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learning styles quiz

WCholly — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:43:43 CDT

what type of learner are you?

knowing how you learn will enable you to make good decisions about when, where and how to study. take a few moments to answer teh questions below, figure out your style, and then see helpful tips and tricks that will set you up for success!

have fun!

Consider: How could knowing your learning style be of benefit to you, personally? How can it be helpful in your interactions with others? How do you think this could help you in your studies? How do you think this could help you in lectures? How do you think this could help you in note taking?

Grab a piece of scrap paper and jot down the letter of the answer that best describes you. For these questions, choose the first answer that comes to mind. Don't spend too much time thinking about any one question...

1. When you study for a test, would you rather
a) read notes, read headings in a book, and look at diagrams and illustrations.
b) have someone ask you questions, or repeat facts silently to yourself.
c) write things out on index cards and make models or diagrams.

2. Which of these do you do when you listen to music?
a) daydream (see things that go with the music)
b) hum along
c) move with the music, tap your foot, etc.

3. When you work at solving a problem do you
a) make a list, organize the steps, and check them off as they are done
b) make a few phone calls and talk to friends or experts
c) make a model of the problem or walk through all the steps in your mind

4. When you read for fun, do you prefer
a) a travel book with a lot of pictures in it
b) a mystery book with a lot of conversation in it
c) a book where you answer questions and solve problems

5. To learn how a computer works, would you rather
a) watch a movie about it
b) listen to someone explain it
c) take the computer apart and try to figure it out for yourself

6. You have just entered a science museum, what will you do first?
a) look around and find a map showing the locations of the various exhibits
b) talk to a museum guide and ask about exhibits
c) go into the first exhibit that looks interesting, and read directions later

7. What kind of restaurant would you rather not go to?
a) one with the lights too bright
b) one with the music too loud
c) one with uncomfortable chairs

8. Would you rather go to
a) an art class
b) a music class
c) an exercise class

9. Which are you most likely to do when you are happy?
a) grin
b) shout with joy
c) jump for joy

10. If you were at a party, what would you be most likely to remember the next day?
a) the faces of the people there, but not the names
b) the names but not the faces
c) the things you did and said while you were there

11. When you see the word "d - o - g", what do you do first?
a) think of a picture of a particular dog
b) say the word "dog" to yourself silently
c) sense the feeling of being with a dog (petting it, running with it, etc.)

12. When you tell a story, would you rather
a) write it
b) tell it out loud
c) act it out

13. What is most distracting for you when you are trying to concentrate?
a) visual distractions
b) noises
c) other sensations like, hunger, tight shoes, or worry

14. What are you most likely to do when you are angry?
a) scowl
b) shout or "blow up"
c) stomp off and slam doors

15. When you aren't sure how to spell a word, which of these are you most likely to do?
a) write it out to see if it looks right
b) sound it out
c) write it out to see if it feels right

16. Which are you most likely to do when standing in a long line at the movies?
a) look at posters advertising other movies
b) talk to the person next to you
c) tap your foot or move around in some other way

SCORING: count up the number of a's, b's and c's you have. find out what kind of learner you are and read below for a description of your style and some tips on studying!

more As - Visual
more Bs - Auditory
more Cs - Kinesthetic

If you scored mostly a's you may have a visual learning style. You learn by seeing and looking.

Visual Learners

· take numerous detailed notes · tend to sit in the front · are usually neat and clean · often close their eyes to visualize or remember something · find something to watch if they are bored · like to see what they are learning · benefit from illustrations and presentations that use color · are attracted to written or spoken language rich in imagery · prefer stimuli to be isolated from auditory and kinesthetic distraction · find passive surroundings ideal
STUDY TIPS:

For lectures

Avoid visual distractions in classroom seating (windows, open doorways, etc.)
Look for opportunities to break up lectures with reflective, yet active, exercises (question-write-pair-share) and brain-storming sessions
Illustrate your notes with images and graphs
Review and organize your notes after class with concept maps
Keep and organize a file of handouts and summary documents after lectures for review
Request "guided notes" or blanks in handouts that provide you with cues for completion

Reading text books

Look through titles, charts, graphs, and pictures to get an overall idea of the content before reading a chapter
Use color highlighers to emphasize important material
Write or illustrate in the margins to emphasize important material

Test taking/assessment

Write out/illustrate steps in a sequence as a checklist to keep on task
Think of visual cues and associations in remembering information - you may also see the location of an answer rather than the answer itself!
If you are challenged by standardized and/or timed tests, meet with your teacher to discuss alternatives
Essay and/or short answer tests, or class presentations/demonstrations may be optional assessment techniques

If you scored mostly b's, you have an auditory learning style. You learn by hearing and listening.

Auditory Learners

· sit where they can hear but needn't pay attention to what is happening in front · may not coordinate colors or clothes, but can explain why they are wearing what they are wearing and why · hum or talk to themselves or others when bored · acquire knowledge by reading aloud · remember by verbalizing lessons to themselves (if they don't they have difficulty reading maps or diagrams or handling conceptual assignments like mathematics).

If you had mostly c's, you may have a kinesthetic learning style. You learn by touching and doing.

Kinesthetic Learners

· need to be active and take frequent breaks · speak with their hands and with gestures · remember what was done, but have difficulty recalling what was said or seen · find reasons to tinker or move when bored · rely on what they can directly experience or perform · activities such as cooking, construction, engineering and art help them perceive and learn · enjoy field trips and tasks that involve manipulating materials · sit near the door or someplace else where they can easily get up and move around · are uncomfortable in classrooms where they lack opportunities for hands-on experience · communicate by touching and appreciate physically expressed encouragement, such as a pat on the back

[adapted from: http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/style.html]

resources

WCholly — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:43:26 CDT

use this page to find reliable academic sources on the web.

please feel free to share your favorite sites
here for other students to use!

for an extensive list of academic resources, available in many languages, visit: http://www.studygs.net/

physics study tips: http://www.oberlin.edu/physics/dstyer/StudyTips.html

note taking tips: http://www.academictips.org/acad/literature/notetaking.html

time management tips: http://www.academictips.org/acad/timemanagement.html

...and don't forget to stop by the PTC for further information and assistance!
remember: your tutor is also a great resource! feel free to ask them questions about studying - that's what they are here for!

Home

WCholly — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:42:50 CDT

Welcome to the

Polytechnic Tutoring Center's Wiki!

This is a place where students can come together to ask questions, form study groups, share tips and

collaborate informally.

So roll up your sleeves, have a look around and enjoy the PTC's new virtual home!

subject-specific feeds

WCholly — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:42:23 CDT

Want to keep up with the latest news from your field?
Need inspiration for a paper topic?

Check out these feeds from Poly to help
get your brain going!

tutoring staff

WCholly — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:41:24 CDT

Nahida: Nahida Sultana is a Brooklyn native who tutors Chem I & II at the PTC. She is a senior at Poly, finishing up her Chemical & Biological Sciences and Engineering degree. While not tutoring for the PTC, she also works with HEOP students in the tutoring department. If you can not find her at Poly, most likely she is at the movies, reading or touring around visiting new states. She likes the PTC because it is a place where she can help make students' lives easier, motivate them in their studies and bring their confidence back.

Andrew: Andrew McFague is a junior CS major who tutors CS at the PTC. Originally from Roanoke, VA, Andrew now spends most of his time at the PTC when he is not busy playing WoW.
He loves working people, and even before he joined the PTC, he realized he spent most of his evenings in the dorms helping people with CS. He figured he might as well make it official, and is glad he did -- there's nothing quite like the feeling of helping someone reach that "aha!" moment!

office staff

WCholly — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:33:40 CDT

Alison: Alison is a graduate student at Columbia's Teachers College studying Psychology in Education. She enjoys bowling, giving her dog belly rubs and baking. She works in the PTC office coordinating timesheets, logistics, and keeping the place running.

Danny: Danny is a graduate student from China studying Electronic Engineering. He likes PC games, basketball and reading self-help books. He works in the PTC office helping to coordinate conversations groups and conversations cafe.

Tina (Qian Wu): Tina works as an assistant at the Conversation Cafe. She is originally from Mount Emei, Sichuan,China and is and sophomore undergraduate Technical Communication major. She loves to travel and is looking forward to meeting new people and having fun at the PTC!

Yin Chen: Yin Chen is a junior construction management major, originally from Ningbo, China. While not at the PTC he can be found studying, studying, taveling and studying. Even though he used to dream that he would be a famous soccer player, he now works in the PTC office.

writing center staff

WCholly — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:15:11 CDT

Holly: Holly is a graduate student at NYU studying Gender Politics and Library and Information Science. She enjoys reading rss feeds, crocheting and learning new things by reading Poly student's papers. She works as a writing consultant and runs the Conversation Cafe every Friday from 4-5:30. Come and join her, Lexie, Ting and Tina on Fridays for conversation, fun, and treats!

Bill: Bill Gullo received his BA in English/English Education from Syracuse University and his MA in Literature and Writing from the University of New Orleans. Over the years he has taught in colleges, high schools, and after school programs. Now, he splits his time between the education field and his writing career. He is constantly impressed by the Poly students who have the discipline and maturity to improve their writing and language skills.

Shivani: Shivani Manghnani studied writing at Brown University and Columbia
University, where she received her MFA in fiction in 2005. She has
been awarded residencies and grants to support the completion of her
first book from the MacDowell Colony, the Lower Manhattan Cultural
Council, the Urban Artist Initiative/NYC grant program and the
Insituto Sacatar in Brazil. Prior to coming to Poly,she taught in the
English Department at New York City College of Technology.

Denise: Denise Ivanoff, Writing Consultant, has a master's degree in piano and
is a professional piano and voice teacher and vocal
coach/collaborative pianist. She especially likes working with
students who are new to the country. In her free time, she enjoys
going to plays, traveling, photography, playing with web sites and
databases, and spending time with friends. Her guilty pleasures are
Bette Midler and Barbara Streisand!

Ben: Benreceived his BA in English from the University of Iowa and an MFA, with a concentration in poetry, from The Iowa Writers' Workshop. Since graduating from the workshop two years ago, he has worked as a solar power technician in San Francisco, and taught high school English in rural Japan. Ben has just moved to New York City and is excited to work with students interested in things he can't even begin to comprehend--such as math, and chemistry. He is looking forward to meeting with students one-on-one and getting to know them, not only as a student, but as a person.

writing guides

WCholly — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:12:07 CDT

check out the tabs on the left for easy-to-follow advice on common writing mistakes and troubles:
- citing sources
- article usage
- active/passive voice
- comma splices

...feel free to add your own questions or resources to this page! and remember, the PTC writing consultants are here to help! stop by JAB373 for an appointment!

schedules

WCholly — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:15:59 CDT

for the most up-to-date schedules, stop by the official PTC website:
http://www.poly.edu/tutoring/

collaboration

WCholly — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:14:21 CDT

ideas for group study session topics?
conversation cafe topic ideas?
staff development outings or games in mind?

...post ideas here so the PTC can better serve our students!

avoiding comma splices

WCholly — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:59:20 CDT

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined by a comma with no conjunction.

For example:It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

Simply removing the comma does not correct the error, but results in a run-on sentence. There are several acceptable ways to correct this:

Change the comma to a semicolon: It is nearly half past five; we cannot reach town before dark.

Write the two clauses as two separate sentences: It is nearly half past five. We cannot reach town before dark.

Insert a coordinating conjunction following the comma: It is nearly half past five, and we cannot reach town before dark. OR It is nearly half past five, so we cannot reach town before dark.

Make one clause dependent on the other: As it is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

* Comma splices are sometimes acceptable when the clauses are short and alike in form, such as:The gate swung apart, the bridge fell, the portcullis was drawn up.

Compound Sentence Commas

1. Skim your paper, looking only for the seven coordinating conjunctions:

and, nor, but, so, for, or, and yet.

2. Stop at each of these words to see whether there is an independent clause (a complete sentence), on both sides of it. (For more help, see our handout on independent clauses.)
3. If so, place a comma before the coordinating conjunction. Examples:

She wanted to buy a new car, but she didn't have enough money to do so.
The wind blew fiercely, and the rain poured down.
Alaska was not the last state admitted into the US, nor does it have the lowest total population.

Comma Splices

1. Skim your paper, stopping at every comma.
2. See whether you have an independent clause (a sentence) on both sides of the comma.
3. If so, change the sentence in one of the following ways:

reword the sentence to change one clause into a subordinate (or dependent) clause (see our handout on dependent clauses)
add a coordinating conjunction after the comma
replace the comma with a semicolon
replace the comma with a period, question mark, or exclamation point, and capitalize the first word of the second clause comma splice: Americans speak too rapidly, this is a common complaint by foreign visitors.
correct: Americans speak too rapidly; this is a common complaint by foreign visitors.
correct: Foreign visitors commonly complain that Americans speak too rapidly.

active vs. passive voice

WCholly — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:52:22 CDT

Active Voice

In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts.

In each example above, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb.

Passive Voice

In sentences written in passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon. The agent performing the action may appear in a "by the . . ." phrase or may be omitted.

(agent performing action has been omitted.)

Choosing Active Voice

In most nonscientific writing situations, active voice is preferable to passive for the majority of your sentences. Even in scientific writing, overuse of passive voice or use of passive voice in long and complicated sentences can cause readers to lose interest or to become confused. Sentences in active voice are generally--though not always-- clearer and more direct than those in passive voice.

passive (indirect)	active (direct):

Sentences in active voice are also more concise than those in passive voice because fewer words are required to express action in active voice than in passive.

passive (more wordy)	active (more concise)

Changing passive to active

If you want to change a passive-voice sentence to active voice, find the agent in a "by the..." phrase, or consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb. Make that agent the subject of the sentence, and change the verb accordingly. Sometimes you will need to infer the agent from the surrounding sentences which provide context.

Passive Voice	Agent	Changed to Active Voice
	most of the class
	agent not specified; most likely agents such as "the researchers"
	the CIA director and his close advisors
	agent not specified; most likely agents such as "we"

[adapted from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.html]

english article usage

WCholly — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:49:59 CDT

proper use of articles:
[adapted from http://www.law.cuny.edu/wc/multilingual/articles.html]
Two important concepts are linked to article usage: "countability" and "definiteness." Understanding these concepts will help you decide whether to use an article or not and on which article to use.

DEFINITENESS

Articles in English have two types of reference: DEFINITE (referring to a specific member of a group, e.g. THE) and INDEFINITE (referring to any member of a group, e.g., A, AN). A "definite" article is used to give specific reference to a noun and to refer to something known to both the writer/speaker and the reader/listener.

I welcomed THE visitor today.
(Definite reference: both the writer/speaker and the reader/listener know what visitor you are referring to)

vs.

I received A visitor today.
(Indefinite reference: you are not specifying what visitor you are referring to and you are the only one who knows that)

The definite article THE is used when BOTH the writer/speaker and the reader/listener know what is being referred to. If neither of them or only one of them knows what is being referred to, then the indefinite articles A/AN should be used.

COUNTABLE VS. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS It is important for multilingual writers to recognize crosslinguistic differences in this area. A noun considered uncountable in one language may be considered countable in another and, consequently, pluralized, e.g., soap is an uncountable noun in English and cannot be pluralized except by preposing the phrase a bar of to it (I like to use scented soap vs. I bought two bars of soap but: I bought two soaps is wrong). However, in Spanish the same form can be pluralized, e.g. Me gusta usar jabón (singular) desodorante vs. Compré dos jabones (plural).

Countable nouns refer to people, places, or things that can be counted (one contract/two contracts, one witness/two witnesses). A countable noun can always be made plural--usually by adding -s or -es or some other plural marker (e.g. trial[s], parti[es], child[ren]).

Some words do not show any variation in form between the singular and plural (e.g., The sheep is in the field / The sheep are in the field).

Uncountable nouns often refer to drinks and food, other general substances, or concepts (meat, tea, steel, information, justice)

THE USE OF ARTICLES WITH PROPER NOUNS

Do's

Don'ts

geographical areas (the South, the Middle East, the Far West)
names of seas, oceans and rivers (the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Hudson)
gulfs, peninsulas, forests, and deserts ( the Persian Gulf, the Valdez Peninsula, the Black Forest, the Sahara)
points on the globe (the Capricorn, the South Pole)

names of countries (Argentina, Ireland, Iraq), but the US and the Netherlands
names of continents (America, Africa)
names of states, towns or cities (Illinois, Edison, Philadelphia)
names of streets (Main St., Astoria Blvd., Jewel Ave.)
names of islands (Fire Island) but: the Hebrides, the Faroe Islands (island chains)
names of mountains (Mount Sinai, Mount Fuji) but: the Andes or the Alps (ranges of mountains)
names of lakes and bays (Lake Ontario, San Francisco Bay) but: the Great Lakes (a group of lakes)

citing soruces

WCholly — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:48:46 CDT

how to cite sources:
APA: http://apastyle.apa.org/
MLA: http://www.mla.org/style
Chicago: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html

PTC Staff

WCholly — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:43:22 CDT

tutors, writing consultants and office staff - this page is for you!

use it to collaborate and bounce around ideas, questions or concerns that have come up during work.
there is also a page for everyone to add a short bio so we can get to know each other better - feel free to create your own personal page too and fill it with content that is useful and appropriate for the PTC comunity :)