Academic Success Blog

By: Sandrine Uwimana

“Without an understanding of the unique meanings existing for the individual, the problems of helping him/her effectively are almost insurmountable.”  – Arthur Combs

U of T is one of the most multicultural schools in the world. It has a lot of students from different backgrounds with different levels of English ability and yet English is the only language of instruction at U of T. The students and the faculty have the common goal of acquiring and fostering academic success. There is a need to establish a language policy such as different languages so that this goal can be achieved. Language is not only a code but also a means of social culture. There is a vital relationship between language, language as culture and the academic success.

Understanding  a language is not only a step close to understand other people ‘cultures but also a means to promote participation of students.  It is believed that language is an expression of culture and this relationship between language and culture have to be observed if were to ensure the academic success.

A student’s ability to learn is affected by his/her culture, family background, language and other social-economic factors. Although, most educators acknowledge that individuals differ in their learning, little attention has been paid to how English language ability affect most students at U of T. The University uses the same books, lectures and the same information to students who have different levels of English ability.

Language, Culture and Learning

Culture is a constructed phenomenon and so far there is no universality in culture. Culture differs and is interpreted differently among individuals.   What might be right in Canada, for example, might be wrong in Rwanda. Across the universe, people have established norms on what is right and what is wrong according to their particular society.  People have different interpretations and expectations of body language and eye contact, for example, between generations.

It is a essential to understand that different body languages affect how one asks and answers questions at school. Let’s take an example of the eye contact issue. It is assumed that for somebody to know that you are telling them the truth there is a need to make eye contact with them.  Thus, you are expected to ask your Prof a question by looking at him/her in the eye and vice versa. On the other hand, looking in the eyes of your Prof is seen as a sign of rudeness in some cultures.  So how can you progress as a student when your culture is in conflict with the culture of U of T?  If the Profs don’t take their time to learn about you and your body language, you might not get the help that you need. It’s everybody’s responsibility to understand and accommodate each  other when it comes to the learning process. For instance, U of T should put more resources in providing public speaking help.  Just as the way, we have writing centres, we should also have interaction centers as a means of improving communication since the inadequate communication in English can also contribute to poor academic performance.

Although we may not know and interpret all the cultural differences especially the language component of culture between students, U of T provide services and supports to assist students. Here are a few:

·U of T has tried to address the language barrier for students by establishing a number of programs. These help you to improve your
writing and speaking skills.
Follow this link for more info:  http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/faqs/english-as-second-language
· The English Language Learning
Program supports students whose first language is other than English. Students can earn a credit that will count towards your degree upon completion of this program. Other services include communication cafés, writing support, and mentor support: http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/advising/ell
· The English Communication
program at the Centre for International Experience offers language instruction and cultural dialogue. Though this is non-credit program it offers you the
opportunity to improve  your communication in English: http://www.cie.utoronto.ca/Programs/English-Communication-Program.htm

· The iConnect Mentorship Program
provides mentor support for new international students to help with their transition. Through conversation with your mentor, you can also improve your
English. http://www.cie.utoronto.ca/Programs/I-Connect-Mentorship-Program.htm

· In addition, different clubs at U of T offer the academic support you might need in your own language eg: http://utsu.ca/section/1

·For further writing support please take advantage of the U of T Writing Centres: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/writing-centres
and the Academic Success Centre: http://www.asc.utoronto.ca/

By: Sandrine Uwimana

Loneliness can contribute to inability to perform at your best and could even affect your grades. When new students come to U of T, they are eager to make new friends. Once at U of T this dream can turn into an illusion. In fact, some people graduate without having ever made good friends. But is it really hard to make friends at U of T? Diversity and the huge size of U of T are some of the challenges to making good friends. To add to this some people are naturally shy about initiating a conversation. Introverts find it hard to make and keep good friends

Diversity.

“Like poles attract each other and unlike repel.”  U of T is a multicultural, diverse and prestigious learning institution. It draws a lot of students from different backgrounds and continents. When students come to U of T, they are most likely to make friends with people from the same background. The perception is that somebody from your country or culture will have the same philosophy of life as you do. Effort is needed to overcome the barrier posed by different backgrounds.

Size and making friends.

U of T is the largest university in Canada.  The size of the school can be a barrier to making friends. For instance, you might meet somebody in class but never run into them again. It is important to put yourself out there and be proactive in making and maintaining friends.

It is important to make friends from other cultures, because likely after you graduate, you will be working with people from different backgrounds. Adjusting to your work environment will be easier if you have acquired these social skills at school. As well, it is vital to maintain friends as a means of understanding and solving common problems. It is also crucial to reach out to students from other cultures as a means of eradicating racism, discrimination and prejudice.

You can reach out to students from other backgrounds through participating in different clubs at U of T and various events at Hart House, the Athletic Centre and the Multifaith Centre. I would recommend the Multifaith for an introvert, because people there will most likely reach out to you and you can make friendships there which last forever.

Below are some of the links to the clubs that might help students make friends.

https://ulife.utoronto.ca/organizations/view/id/1821

http://www.cie.utoronto.ca/

Amidst the start of a new semester, it is easy to find yourself feeling a lack of motivation. However, the mid-year winter blues are not unavoidable – you can keep yourself on the right path with these 4 tips:

1. Be Social

Managing social and academic time is one of the biggest challenges for undergraduates. Personally, I have experienced the consequences of both ends of the spectrum – too much social with too little studying, and vice versa. Consistently eschewing school work for social time (a common first-year mistake) will undoubtedly lead to panic and disappointing grades down the line. As a result, students are often pressured by parents and professors to spend large amounts of time studying and not ‘wasting time’ with friends. However, the reverse is no better. Isolating yourself from social interaction in favor of studying will inevitably lead to a lack of motivation. This can be just as harmful academically when you hit a wall due to lack of drive and ambition.

If you are currently feeling unmotivated, reflect on the last semester and ask yourself if perhaps you were too far on one end of this spectrum. Of course, there is no balance between social and academics that will work for everyone – each student must find what works for them. Some tricks that I have found helpful:

a. Set Limits for Social Time - for example, allow for two social activities a week: I will go out Thursday and Saturday, but no other evenings.

b. Use Social Time as a Reward - If I want to go out Thursday I have to read Chapters 1-5 before then.

2. Reflect

Instead of looking at everything that’s ahead of you, take some time to look at what you have already accomplished. If it’s your first year, congratulate yourself on a first semester at university! If you’re in your fourth year, feel proud of your success through three years of undergrad. Try writing down all your achievements from the past semester (ie. getting that B + in that really tricky course, or being elected to an extra-curricular position).

Constantly looking forward will keep you on track, but taking time to look back at what you have already done will give you a sense of confidence and fulfillment.

3.  Keep Your Eye on the Prize

When you are feeling completely overwhelmed or uninspired it helps to think about your end goal: What is your reason for being here? Perhaps your dream is to become a doctor, so your undergrad degree is only the first step, or maybe you are majoring in Political Science, and hope to score an awesome internship after graduation. Regardless, it is important to keep that goal in mind when you are feeling lost or unmotivated. Essays and labs may seem irrelevant and futile, but in the large scheme of things, they are the small stepping stones towards your larger goal!

Maybe you don’t know what your dream is, and that is contributing to your lack of motivation. If this is the case, you could definitely benefit by visiting the university career centre (http://www.careers.utoronto.ca/index.aspx), or doing some solo research on possible careers. Find something you are passionate about to work towards!

 4. Browse the Handouts Available on the ASC Website

There are plenty of practical tips for fighting procrastination and staying motivated! http://www.asc.utoronto.ca/Handouts.htm

-Elisa

…write about what’s making you anxious, for 10 minutes, immediately before you take your exam.

Really!

Speaking recently to a number of students worried about the anxiety that might derail their ability to do well on exams, I remembered a study that any student suffering from exam anxiety will want to know about.  Researchers at the University of Chicago discovered that anxious students can address their anxiety–and perform well on their exams–by taking 10 minutes to free write about their anxious feelings before an exam.  Check out the Globe and Mail’s article on the study.  The gist is this: get to your exam early enough to write for 10 minutes about what’s making you anxious.  Do the 10 minute write immediately before the exam.  As one of the researchers of the study reports,  “We showed that students who are normally test-anxious were able to perform just as well as their other classmates.”  By freewriting before exams, anxious students improved their grades.

–Michelle

Recently, Erin, a blogger with UpbeaT, wrote about why she makes a point of sharing notes with fellow students when they ask.  If whether to share or ask for notes is something you find yourself thinking about, check out Erin’s post, “Note to Self: Why I Don’t Mind Sharing My Notes,” as well as the comments.

Michelle

Throughout my undergraduate degree, I struggled to keep up with my lecturers when I was taking notes. I always found myself a step behind and never had time to completely finish my thoughts before rushing to write down the next point. Borrowing friends’ notes didn’t really work, either, because what they thought was important to write down wasn’t always what I thought was important, leaving me with missing information. I eventually found a solution, though: the Livescribe Smartpen.

Have you heard of this pen? The Livescribe Smartpen completely changed how I took notes. Not only does it record your lecture while you’re taking notes, but it also connects what you hear to what you write. It allows you to come back later and play back your lecture at any point in time by tapping on a particular note or on the uploaded version on your computer. Another benefit to this pen is that you don’t actually need to write notes: you can draw a picture on the page and the pen will still link what you hear to your drawing. Finally, if you are someone who takes in more information from just listening to a lecture, by using the Smartpen, you can record the lecture and highlight any important information you hear by using the star feature on the tool bar at the bottom of the Livescribe notebook. Sound too good to be true? This pen actually works, and I strongly recommend it for anyone who needs to take notes, whether in class or in a meeting. For more information on the Livescribe Smartpen, check out their website.

-AR [Written by Ashley Ross, guest contributor, who will be at the Academic Success Centre on Tuesdays from 1:00 – 3:30 pm for the next few weeks.]
For more information on “The Pen That Never Forgets,” check out this article by Clive Thomas in the New York Times.

Here we are at the start of a new lunar year.  It’s nice, I think, that living in such a multicultural city affords us so many opportunities for fresh starts: if you haven’t managed to stick with the resolutions you made for January 1^st, well, here’s a second chance.  Why not turn over a new leaf, or waggle a scaly water dragon tail, at the start of the new lunar year?

My interest in this particular new year is, admittedly, tinged with more than a little self-interest since I was born in the last year of the water dragon.  So,… let’s see: people born under the sign of the water dragon are perceptive, patient, make smart decisions (oh dear, is my scaly chest puffing up like an overstuffed alligator purse???), but, uh-oh, “their actions can go wrong if they…  do not finish one project before starting another.”  Hmmm. Guilty as charged: finishing projects that I’ve started is definitely NOT one of my strengths.  If this is a trend that we’re all going to be subject to between now and the end of this lunar year, help is at hand.  Last week, someone (knowing me, ahem, all too well) sent me the link to this entry in the Lifehacker blog on “How to Prioritize When Everything Is Important.”  It might help some of you other water dragons—as well as the assorted rabbits, rats, pigs, dogs, tigers, snakes, monkeys, roosters, horses, and goats who also have trouble prioritizing and seeing projects through to completion—actually get things done this year.

-NP

I had “fresh starts” on my mind this morning when I picked up Mary Oliver’s Blue Pastures.  Even though I was thinking about “fresh starts”–the New Year, the start of a new semester, the return to regular posting on our Academic Success Blog–I turned to Oliver’s “Afterward.”  Here she is:

Writing this book has been like bathing the dog–with every go-around it has come out a little cleaner.  Still, there’s a time when the dog is in danger of becoming too clean, and losing his dogginess altogether.  Just so, in similar fear of washing too much away–for I hope some bits of the actual world, chaff and grit, will cling to these pages–I put down the towel and call the book done. (Mary Oliver, “Blue Pastures,” p.119)

I’m thinking about how a fresh start is a chance to begin our work with energy, hold onto the “dogginess” of our work, and also to look forward to completing work.  Wishing everyone a great semester!

–MF

Although “The Official SAT Question of the Day” is not meant as a teaching tool for university students, it happens to offer excellent exercises for testing and improving your knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary (as well as mathematical thinking).  There’s good variety to the questions, and you can gain a lot with a small effort: just one question a day.  Try it.  Here’s the link: http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-question-of-the-day

MF

Last night, I was lucky enough to go to the screening of the People’s Choice Award Winner, “The King’s Speech,” at the Toronto International Film Festival.  The film played to a full house at the Ryerson Theatre.  One of the things I was struck by in this often quite moving story of a relationship between a stammering prince (Colin Firth) and his speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) was its pointing to the importance of a sympathetic audience.  This resonates for me perhaps because I so often see students struggling with their academic work because they have too strongly internalized an inner critic–a voice that tells them everything that might possibly be wrong with their work in progress–that isn’t balanced by what I have come to think of as an inner listener.  For students, as with the prince in “The King’s Speech,” the ability to conceive of, experience, and imagine a sympathetic audience can make all the difference in being able to overcome obstacles and get on with one’s work.

One of the lovely–and helpful–suggestions of the speech therapist to the king: Read the speech to me, as a friend.  I think there’s a lot in this suggestion for students.

MF