3 types of handouts and how to use them effectively

How to study from a handout?

It can be pretty disconcerting when you’re given a sheet of paper in class with some information, some questions and maybe a few dot points. What should a good student do with these seemingly simple pieces of paper?

I used to diligently hold on to them in the belief that the simple possession of these pieces of paper would bestow upon me the concept that they were meant to explain.

This obviously is not entirely true. Holding onto them, while useful, doesn’t teach you anything that you didn’t already know.

To study from a handout you need to classify it into three groups.

1.    Simple concept

This handout is to cover one idea within one topic. It usually contains a few paragraphs, maybe a diagram and some summary dot points underneath.

Since this handout doesn’t cover anything particularly vital to your course, don’t be too stressed about keeping it in the handout form. The best way to get the most information from these pieces of paper is to perform the following analysis.

A.    What is the layout?

If the hand out sets out an answer or information in a way that you don’t usually it’s important to evaluate and compare your normal answer to the example answer. Sometimes you may find that the example answer will reap higher marks or allow you to answer something faster because it is more efficient and displays the information that the examiner wishes to find.

B.    Is this information in the textbook/workbook?

If your course has been assigned a textbook or workbook, you should check to see if this topic is covered in the workbook. If it isn’t, it’s important that you transfer the information to your notes so that you don’t forget about the topic. While it may not be critical, it’s fairly evident you’ll need it on the final.

If it is in in the textbook, your next step is to assess which information source is the best. Your teacher may have said ‘I don’t like the way this is set out in the textbook’ – which is more common than you think. If this or something similar as said make a note in your book not to use this information and transfer the handout to your notes. If nothing like this was said, compare the two answer and see which you understand best.

It may be that explanation in the textbook is better than the one in the handout – other students may find the opposite, and that is why the teacher has chosen to explain two methods. Once you’ve chosen the ideal information source for you transfer it to your notes with a written example if necessary.

2.    Underlying feature

These handouts will explain something that is critical to the understanding of the entire course. Some common topics that these handouts cover are academic theories, grammar and ‘how to answer essays/questions.

To determine how to get information from these is a little more involved that with a simple concept. The process for getting the best information from these concept handouts is the following;

A.    Highlight keywords

Handouts which use words to summarize will often hold critical keywords that will assist you in answering questions. Specific jargon like; ‘marxism,’ ‘independent variable,’ or ‘market value’ if used repeatedly will be a clear indicator that they are needed in answer exam answer or essay.

B.    Assess diagram quality

Sometimes information will be summarized in a diagram. Depending on your learning preferences this may or may not assist you in understanding how the information works together. If it does help you, copy a version of this diagram into your notes. That way you’ll be able to refer to it whenever you need without having to hold onto a piece of paper.

C.    Connect key phrases to form concept paragraphs

Refer back to your highlighted keywords. When you look at the ideas that surround these keywords, you should be able to pick out smaller phrases that make up a larger idea.

For example, if you saw the keyword; ‘legislature’ you would then look at this keyword and find phrases about the legislature such as a definition. If after skimming through the paragraph you find that the rest of the writing adds to the definition then simply write the single summary phrase. Do the same until you reach the end of the handout.

Make sure to highlight your summary phrases as you go along so when you revise at a later date you can see where these summary sentences have come from and draw upon the extra information if necessary.

D.    Don’t lose the handout

Because this handout covers more information than a simple handout, it is best that you don’t throw it away. It can be useful later if you find that you need extra help to cover the necessary information on a topic.

To make sure that my files don’t get crinkled I have a special handouts folder in my bottom desk drawer where I can keep them all together.

3.    Guidance Notes.

You should be able to recognize these pretty quickly. Generally, they’re about five or more pages, and they guide you through the entirety of a topic or course. Common examples of these include your course syllabus or study notes. Other examples might be a reading guide or tutorial outlines.

These critical to your academic success and you should never ditch this beore you’ve synthesized the information they provide.

A.    Highlight keywords

Again it is important first to skim read the document and highlight any keywords that you see. It may be useful to cross reference this with your concept handouts so that you know which words might be more important than others.

B.    Highlight and summarize the first and last sentence of every paragraph

This may sound odd, but most would know that the first and last sentence contain the critical ideas of a paragraph. When you structure your paragraph, the first sentence should introduce the idea, and the last sentence should summarize and maybe explain how it links to your next idea.

This means that when you’re reading a long document like a guidance note you can use the first and last sentence to construct a succinct summary of what the entire handout explains.

Depending on the length of the notes, you could have a summary between 200-500 words.

C.    Prioritize your reading

Documents like these can be very overwhelming. So use your above summary and go straight to the paragraphs that talk about the topics you are least familiar with.

D.    Underline critical phrases and annotate

As you read underline the critical sentences that succinctly explain the idea it is trying to convey. If you’re reading a long paragraph, you may find that half of one sentence and another half of a different sentence form an exact summary phrase. It is best then to highlight these pieces and write them as one sentence in your own notes.

As you go through each paragraph, and highlight important phrases – summarize dot points in margins what the paragraph’s critical points are.

For example, if you were reading a paragraph about voting you might put dot points like

-    Commonwealth government only

-    18 and over

-    Right under constitution

-    Preferential system

That way when you’re revising this quickly, later on, you don’t have to read every word to remind yourself of the important information.

Lulu Hensman

Study with me (No Music)

Lulu Hensman

The Perfect Weekend DIY; A Practical Person's Command Center

The Perfect Weekend DIY

A Clerk's Guide to Stress Free Organization

For those of you who don’t know I love pintrest. Pintrest is an online social media website (no affiliate links don’t worry!). It is a series of pictures which you can choose to ‘pin’ to a specific board that you create. Each of these pictures will lead you to a related website, like a how to instructable or a shopping website where you can but super cute outfits.

For busy people, pintrest is the perfect outlet. There’s no time commitment – and you always leave it with something semi-useful.

Lately I’ve been super into the DIY section of pintrest. Although I usually struggle to find time to make the adorable hand knitted crafts that I love to look at – one DIY had continually caught my interest.

The instructable is aimed towards parents of children – particularly those with multiple children. However, as a young college student I can definitely see the value in this DIY, so I altered it a little so that it can be used for any person wishing to get a better handle on what exactly is going on in their life.

The DIY I’m following today – is the ‘command center for the home. ’ Mine was a lot simpler than the ideas you’ll find on pintrest. I was going for something functional and easy to create that I could hang on the back of the door. (But this may update as they year goes on!)

To begin with figure out how exactly you want to use your command center. Some things that this little spaces are often utilized for include;

-        Organizing important documents like notices, letters, bills etc.

-        Tracking the day and events of the month

-        Leaving notices to alert others about what’s happening

-        Tracking important goal progress

I chose to use this space for

Ø Reminding myself about things I had to get done that day

Ø Tracking my study progression

Ø Tracking my goals for the week

Ø Organizing important documents

Ø Keeping the assignments I had to finish in one single folder

Ø Maintaining the events of the week

The materials I used were              

                                          

-        Command strips (like double sided tape, but they don’t rip paint when you pull them off

-        Washi tape (decorative and doesn’t destroy paint

-         Weekly planner

-        Daily list

-        A couple of paper envelopes

-        Paper decorations

-        3 plastic folders

-        Motivational cards (little printed ones)

-        Miscellaneous pens (just to draw stuff with)

In the folders I put

1.    Important notices

2.    Printables that I could grab when running to class

3.    Assignments that were due within the next two weeks

Instructions

Just the calendars that I used

1.    Begin by making the arrangement that you’d like on the floor before you place anything on the door. This is because it’s much harder to move things around once the adhesive is attached to the object

2.    Once your arrangement is made begin placing on the biggest features first. It is easier to arrange the smaller details once you have put in the main features.

Calendar

1.    Check the height of the calendar and ensure it is eye height and that you can comfortably write on all of the squares.

2.    Once at the appropriate height, attach two adhesive strips and press down firmly.

3.    To organize the calendar write in all the activities you have the cannot be missed ensure you have the time written next to every event

4.    Write down all the events that you would like to attend, keep the times near the activity

You should always write in the compulsory events first and then fill out noncompulsory events because this ensures that you maintain a realistic schedule that won’t lead you to burn out.

Tip; If you have a busy schedule you made be better off using grid paper and coloring in a square to block out the times that you will be away. This makes it much easier to see your free time when you’re in a hurry and can avoid double booking!

Folders

1.    To arrange a folder ensure that it is at a position that your arm can reach. The recommended heights are;

·       Shoulder height

·       Rib height

·       Hip height

Any lower or higher than this may mean that the folder is ill placed for daily use. We want to make sure that this is a ‘functional’ space, so try to make sure it’s at a height that is within easy reach.

2.    Then attach two strong command strips to the back of the folder and press down firmly.

Is that one folder too many?

3.    Place the items that you choose within your folder, making sure to remember what goes where.

Some people recommend adding labels, but it if this space will only be used by yourself it is not necessary.

Daily organizer

1.    I chose to organize my daily list by writing out the tasks that have to be done in red

2.    Then writing out the tasks that I would like to be done in black

3.    Social plans are usually written in green

4.    Due dates are written in red

Motivational quotes and other materials

And the final result!

You may choose to use quotes in your space to make it a more inviting place to look at. This is a great idea, I’d recommend choosing quotes that you personal relate too. Be mindful not to use too many as over cluttering the space can decrease its functionality.

Paper envelopes

If you’re like me you don’t just want a functional space – you want something that looks good. Sticking motivational quotes and paper decorations can help your display look good – but using different sized folders can help give it that extra little bit of ‘aesthetic.’

I used plain white envelopes to hold a few light stickers and some quick-grab note paper but feel free to pick up some patterned ones from the craft store.

I decided to keep to my gold theme and use gold washi tape (only visible in the last photo because I changed my mind a few times!)

Using the same coloured tape can be a great way to mix in vibrant colours without letting things get too hectic!

Good luck making your command spaces! Post a picture of your space on Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr using the hashtag #theunderagelawyer or comment below. 

Lulu Hensman

Study with me (with music)

The Clerkship Chronicles; On Wednesdays We Wear Black

You’d think that the professionals of law would be serious dignified people who never kowtowed to the vices of the public. The television series and movies certainly make it clear that the law is a special profession in which emotions are stripped away after your law degree and instead are replaced with a desperate desire to tear down all other competitors.

 This image of a lawyer is certainly the greatest pop culture reference -and you will see many jokes in which lawyers are referred to as ‘sharks.’ However, after spending six months embroiled in the reality of the legal profession I think perhaps the more apt description of a lawyer – at the very least a barrister – is a teenage girl.

Getting stereotypical here, teenage girls love to gossip, wear the right clothes and heaven forbid that you fall out of the right crowd. If any of these things happen it’s next to the end of the universe and you cannot possibly imagine continuing on with your day.

Let me tell you – this is EXACTLY what it is like as a clerk. Watching the barristers in court is hilarious – and if you ever go in to court to watch a trial (Which you totally should) these analogies will play over and over in your head.

To begin with; You must wear the right clothes.

#rebellion; young clerk dares
to wear pink!

The title of the article is ‘on Wednesdays, we wear black’. It was a phrase that stuck in my head when I was attending a trial last week. I was wearing an orange skirt -which seems like a whimsical fact to give you, but I must tell you that I gathered so many odd looks and security asked me if I was lost because if you’re not a client you must wear black. Trust me – when you’re clerking you want a wardrobe like Wednesday Addams, because you will wear black, with black accents. Occasional whites and greys are forgivable on juniors like myself-  but oh-my-god should you not wear ‘orange.’

The clerkship chronicles are all about honesty and truly telling you what it’s like to be a clerk so I will begrudgingly admit that I found this hilarious. I spent half the day reminding myself to act like a grownup every time someone commented on the color of my skirt. I never imagined that something so simple would mean so much.

What’s more amusing than the tragic fashion decisions of a junior clerk is the submission made by flustered barristers most Monday mornings. Usually it’s the junior barristers who make this mistake but once or twice an elder barrister will be caught out, and its comedy gold.

Picture this; it’s 8:00 am in the morning at the supreme court. Bleary eyed and clutching the first coffee of the day a barrister enters the court room. They sit down and set their coffee on the table before spinning in their chair to tell their colleague the latest update to the brief when they realize that their learned friend is sitting, with their gown elegantly draped behind them and a wig adorning their head.

You can see the blood drain out of their face when they realize that they were meant to wear robes on this occasion - and to their horror they have not worn their robes!

The humiliation of this occasion is only made worse when the Queen B of the court room - the judge raises their eyebrows at them upon entering the room. The ultimate despair of a barrister is for the judge to notice that they’ve done something wrong. As, much like teenagers, to lose your image in front of the most popular girl in school (or the one in charge) is to forfeit your entire reputation.

The barrister then must be forced to stutter their way through an apology, and thank his honor for their kindest curtesy when they are told they may be permitted to appear at the bar ‘unrobed.’

Even better than wearing the wrong clothes – is what barristers do when they’re both in robes. I like to compare it to a peacock dance.

Instead of laughing I take discrete
pictures of the court room ;)

A barrister’s robe (At least in Australia) is reasonably long, and can be flung about when you’re walking. It also has a tassel and a small bag near the nape of the neck. This heralds back to the early practice of law in England where those wishing for the advocacy of a barrister would place money in the pouch before the barrister would speak for them. Now it remains empty -  but don’t think the robe no longer serves a purpose!

Before a defence barrister stands up to speak they will always make sure to swing the end of their robe towards the center of the bar and then stand up with a flourish. The result looks something like a peacock throwing its tail towards an enemy to frighten them. I think in many ways this is what’s going on, because the implicit suggestion is that ‘my robe is bigger than yours, therefore I am correct.’ But, be warned, I haven’t had the gall to ask any barrister why exactly they do this yet – so I am only speculating.

Prosecution barristers tend to leave their opposition to flick their gowns about the court room. Yet, don’t think they’re innocent of this postulation. Prosecution barristers prefer to grab at the lectern (I like think the sheriff officers like to leave only one at the bar table so that they can watch the tug of war between the two sides). Once they grab the lectern they pull it over to their side, making it obvious that it is ‘their turn’ to speak and that the defence shall have no lectern to speak at. This obviously indicates that the prosecution has more important things to talk about than the defence, who are usually left to stand without a lectern – unless they grab back at the stand.

What makes this even better is when there is a dispute over an objection in which the defence and prosecution only stand up for a minute to thirty seconds at a time and there’s a constant; flick, grab, flick, grab that goes on.

At least I'm still a student! Finding out
I had to limit my wardrobe at a later date
could've been /devastating/ !!

 The Australian legal system is an adversarial legal system meaning that there are two sides which battle it out in order to seek the truth behind an event and determine the guilt or innocence of an accused. The adversarial nature of this system brings about one of the most complex social arrangements that I think exists in Australia. And to explain the judge’s role in this weird social verse, they are the Queen B. Think back to high school where there was the super popular girl with her two best friends who were always battling it out to be the only best friend of the popular girl. Defence and prosecution are the two best friends of the popular girl – and at the end of the day she’ll only favor one.

So, if you were wondering what it was like to be a clerk and you’re still too young to do an internship just watch mean girls – you’ll get a good idea of what it’s like to be in a real-life court room ;) 

Lulu Hensman

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