Yr 12 RS Study Skills Induction Booklet

Name -

Tutor Group -

Class Teacher -

Expectations of the courseOrganisation- A4 file, paper, stationary.- Well organised notes – file for each teacher? Sub-divide into different areas of study?

Essential for revision. - Equipment and folder needed every lesson. - Use free periods wisely.Getting the most from lessons- Attendance and punctuality are vital as this could affect exam entry. If you miss a

lesson it is your responsibility to catch up on missed work.- Note taking is a key aspect of the course. Do not expect to be spoon-fed the answers –

a big difference from GCSE. Good note taking requires active listening – really engaging in the lesson, asking questions etc.

- Ask for help if you are unsure of anything!Reading- This course requires lots of reading – the library will become your friend and prepares

you for undergraduate study.- You must read all the texts provided in class as these are core texts and you will not

pass the course if you don’t read them – you can’t ‘blag’ it. - Try to read from other books or magazines as examiners will always give marks for

evidence of up to date reading. Improving subject knowledge- Ethics is constantly in the media and your arguments will be much stronger if you can

use recent examples (and get more marks in the exam!). - Read a good quality newspaper (not The Sun) and watch the news for examples of

ethical/moral issues. Try the internet news pages or the BBC Ethics website. - Keep a scrapbook for your findings as this will help considerably with revision and

essay writing. Cut out or write notes on key moral and ethical debates in the news.

What will you be studying?

1. Utilitarianism(a) Introduction to

Ethics

What is ethics?

Deontology and Teleology

Metaethics

Ethical Theories

Absolutism and Relativism.

(b) Bentham’s Utilitarianism

What is Utilitarianism?

Act Utilitarianism

Hedonic Calculus.

(c) Mill’s Utilitarianism

Additions to Bentham

Higher and Lower pleasure

Rule Utilitarianism

(d) Application of Utilitarianism

Genetic Engineering

IVF/Surrogacy

Strengths and weaknesses

Compatibility with religion

Key Issues

Strengths and weakness of the ethical systems of Bentham and Mill.

Which is more important – the ending of suffering and pain or the increase of pleasure?

How worthwhile is the pursuit of happiness, and is it all people desire?

How compatible is Utilitarianism with a religious approach to ethics?

What will you be studying?

2. Situation Ethics(a) Introduction

What is Situation Ethics?

Legalism and Antinomianism

Idea of situation

Conscience

Moral Decision making(b) Fletcher

Six fundamental principles

Christian love

(c) Fletcher pt 2

Four Presumptions

(d) Application of Situation Ethics

Sexual ethics

Genetic engineering/Designer babies

Strengths and weaknesses

Compatibility with Christianity

PracticalityKey Issues

Strengths and weaknesses of Situation Ethics as an ethical system.

Does Christian love allow people to do anything, depending on the context, and how far is it true that love should be the highest Christian law?

How practical is Situation Ethics?

How compatible is Situation Ethics with other Christian approaches?

What will you be studying?

3. Nature and value of human life(a)What does it mean

to be human?

Religious responses

The human condition

Diversity of humanity

(b) Fatalism and Free Will

Religious responses

Do humans control their own destiny?

(c) Equality and Difference

Diversity of humans – race, gender and disability

What is equality?

Religious ideas on race etc

(d) Value of life

Core idea of value of life

Gift from God

Stewardship

Self sacrifice

Key Issues

How far must a religious view of life be fatalistic?

How far can religion support the idea of equality?

Human life must be given priority over non-human life and some human lives are more valuable than others – how far could religion accept this view?

What will you be studying?

4. Abortion and Euthanasia(a)Abortion

When does life start?

Case studies

Legislation

Application of ethical theories

(b) Euthanasia

Definitions

Case studies

Legislation

Application of ethical theories

Slippery slope argument

(c) Arguments for and against

Is abortion murder?

What is a ‘good’ action?

Is a right to life an unquestionable human right?

Key Issues

Does the definition of human life stop abortion being murder?

Can abortion and euthanasia ever said to be ‘good’?

Do humans have a right to life?

How will you be assessed?

• 1hr 15 exam in June.• 90 marks.• Two essay questions from a choice of four. • Questions broken into (a) worth 30 marks and (b) worth 15 marks. • Opportunity to re-sit in January. • Q1 tests A01 (Knowledge and Understanding)• Q2 tests A02 (Evaluation)

See the more detailed breakdown sheet for howthe examination essays will be marked.

What do the Assessment Objectives mean?

This tests how much you know andunderstand. Q1 30 marks

This tests your evaluative skills. Q2 15marks.

Exam command words – you must learn these!

Carrying out research in the school library

• The library provides a convenient place to work and an atmosphere that encourages study. In addition it provides you with up-to-date books, magazines, periodicals and other sources on your subject.

• School and college libraries vary tremendously in terms of the stock they hold. It may be necessary, therefore, to use your local public central library for research or, depending on where you live, the academic library of a local university (you will not be allowed to borrow books, however). By getting to know the library you intend to use the most, you will:

Feel more at home there Be able to locate the books you want Be able to settle quickly to your work

How to locate booksThe Dewey Classification System• In most libraries the Dewey

classification method is used. This divides knowledge up into 10 main divisions. Each main division is then divided into 10 major headings with these headings further divided into 10 important subjects. This does mean that standardisation of numbering takes place between libraries.

Your taskTo use the resources in the school library to

answer the following questions:1. Where in the library can you find the

social sciences section? (history, geography, RS, sociology)

2. What services does the library provide?3. Where is the reference section of the

library? Why might this be useful for your RS studies?

4. How can the computers help with your research?

5. Find a book that deals with the issues we have discussed in class – write down its classification number, title and author.

Active Reading – don’t take everything at face value

• A key difference between GCSE and A-Level study is to critically engage with the reading materials.

• Just because the author may have spent years studying the topic it doesn’t mean you can’t have an opinion on it! You might even disagree with certain aspects of their work.

Characteristics of Critical Thinkers- They are honest with themselves - They resist manipulation - They overcome confusion - They ask questions - They base judgments on evidence - They look for connections between subjects - They are intellectually independent

SQ3R Reading• Effective reading requires you to vary your rate and style of reading according both to the type of

reading material and your purpose in reading it. When reading for pleasure you may read quickly, with few breaks and without worrying about having to recall details later. By contrast, when consulting a reference book you may read only one or two paragraphs, but you read them very carefully, making sure you understand the details. When reading complex material, since your objective is to understand it as well as possible, you will need to adapt your reading style to this purpose. One technique is what Derek Rowntree in his book Learn How to Study labels SQ3R which stands for: Survey - Question - Read - Recall - Review.

• Survey: examine the whole before you read the parts - survey the book first, then the chapter, then the paragraph. Also look at the title, headings, and subheadings, captions under pictures, charts, graphs or maps, introductory and concluding paragraphs and any summaries.

• Question: ask yourself why you are reading this. What do you already know? What do you want to know? What is new or interesting about this material? Does this support / supplement / contradict what I already know? Try turning the title, headings, and/or subheadings into questions

• Read: skim read at the first reading, looking for the main ideas and general structure of the text. Only then read for the purpose of making notes on the key points. Look for answers to the questions you first raised. Reduce your speed for difficult passages - stop and re-read parts which are not clear. Read only a section at a time and recite after each section

• Recall: can I recall the key points without re-reading the text? Recall helps you to concentrate, and to make your reading active rather than passive. Orally ask yourself questions about what you have just read and/or summarize, in your own words, what you read. Take notes from the text but write the information in your own words. Underline/highlight important points you've just read. Use the method of recitation which best suits your particular learning style but remember, the more senses you use the more likely you are to remember what you read -

Triple strength learning: Seeing, saying, hearing Quadruple strength learning: Seeing , saying , hearing, writing!!!

• Review: Look back at the text to check your recall. Have you missed anything of importance?

Difficult Reading Material

• Effective reading requires you to vary your rate and style of reading according both to the type of reading material and your purpose in reading it. When reading for pleasure you may read quickly, with few breaks and without worrying about having to recall details later. By contrast, when consulting a reference book you may read only one or two paragraphs, but you read them very carefully, making sure you understand the details. When reading complex material, since your objective is to understand it as well as possible, you will need to adapt your reading style to this purpose. One technique is what Derek Rowntree in his book Learn How to Study labels SQ3R which stands for: Survey - Question - Read - Recall - Review.

• Survey: examine the whole before you read the parts - survey the book first, then the chapter, then the paragraph. Also look at the title, headings, and subheadings, captions under pictures, charts, graphs or maps, introductory and concluding paragraphs and any summaries.

• Question: ask yourself why you are reading this. What do you already know? What do you want to know? What is new or interesting about this material? Does this support / supplement / contradict what I already know? Try turning the title, headings, and/or subheadings into questions

• Read: skim read at the first reading, looking for the main ideas and general structure of the text. Only then read for the purpose of making notes on the key points. Look for answers to the questions you first raised. Reduce your speed for difficult passages - stop and re-read parts which are not clear. Read only a section at a time and recite after each section

• Recall: can I recall the key points without re-reading the text? Recall helps you to concentrate, and to make your reading active rather than passive. Orally ask yourself questions about what you have just read and/or summarize, in your own words, what you read. Take notes from the text but write the information in your own words. Underline/highlight important points you've just read. Use the method of recitation which best suits your particular learning style but remember, the more senses you use the more likely you are to remember what you read -

• Triple strength learning: Seeing, saying, hearing • Quadruple strength learning: Seeing , saying , hearing, writing!!! • Review: Look back at the text to check your recall. Have you missed anything of importance?

Active reading checklist

• When was it written? Does it reflect the views of its time in any way? • What intellectual standpoint is it written from? Many books make

certain assumptions. Sometimes these are spelled out in the Introduction. They may be conservative, liberal, Whig, Marxist, nationalist, feminist...

• Whose experiences and attitudes are not considered? • What is the topic of the book or reading? • What issues are addressed? • What conclusion does the author reach about the issue(s)? • What are the author's reasons for his or her statements or belief? • Is the author using facts, theory, or faith? Facts can be proven. Theory

is to be proved and should not be confused with fact. Opinions may or may not be based on sound reasoning. Faith is not subject to proof by its nature.

• Has the author used neutral words or emotional words? Critical readers look beyond the language to see if the reasons are clear

• Be aware of why you do, or do not, accept arguments of the author

Models of note taking

1. Cornell note taking system• This format is often suggested to students who wish

to produce reviews and summaries of key ideas. These can be useful when it comes to preparing for exams

• You need to use an A4 or large notebook. Prior to the lecture divide your page into two vertical columns; one is one third of the page wide. The left hand side column is for recall. After the lecture you will write the key words and phrases here.

• During the lecture, record your notes in the right hand side column. Try to capture the general ideas. Use abbreviations.

• After the lecture, read through your notes. Use the left column to jot down any key ideas or words from the lecture. Re-read the lecturer's ideas and record your responses to these ideas (in your own words).

2. Mind Maps• Mind maps offer you a non-linear and diagrammatical

way to organise key ideas from your lectures, seminars and reading.

• In a mind map the main topic or argument is placed at the centre of the page. Main ideas which relate to the main topic are placed on branches that directly connect to the central topic. Each of these main ideas then develops their own branches of ideas. Mind maps have the potential to present a large amount of information on one page.

• Some students find mind maps difficult to use in lectures, when they are unsure of the structure of the lecture in advance. You might find this format more useful when you are reviewing or summarising your lecture notes, or when you are taking notes from written materials. Mind maps can also help you brainstorm and organise your ideas about an essay topic.

Models of note taking

3. Skeleton Prose • This is the most common form of note-taking. Notes are structured as

a sequence of numbered points and paragraphs, with headings and indentations - a little like an essay plan. This is useful for those books/articles where arguments are static and built up slowly and sequentially. However they can have drawbacks:

- They are difficult to add to or amend. - They do not indicate the relationship or connection between different parts of the argument. - It is more tempting to copy sentences/passages verbatim. - People ask to borrow them!

4. Time-Line Table • A less common but equally effective form of notes is structured quite

clearly in terms of a descending chronological time-line (in the left hand column) and its relevance for four or five major themes (across top column). This can be a useful way of assessing the relevance of particular events for specific arguments, and for providing different explanations of the same events. It also enables one to quickly grasp the chronological sequence of events. However, it too has its problems:

- Inflexibility: difficult to change themes or develop new sub-themes half way through.

- Difficult to sustain in a lecture covering a century. - Tends to prioritise chronology.

Models of note taking

Useful Abbreviations and Symbols

• e.g. for example • i.e. that is, that means • etc. and the rest • NB important, notice this • p. page • para. paragraph • Ch. Chapter • edn edition • info. information • & and • + plus, in addition to • > greater/better/more

than • < less than/smaller • = is the same as

w/ with w/o without cd could wd would bc because Govt Government vs against \ therefore Educ. Education impt important devt development C19 nineteenth century c. or ca. circa, about c.1800 cf. compare this with... ct. contrast

How to break down the questionAssignment questions contain direction words: verbs, which arecrucial in telling you how you should answer the question

How much should I write?

How should I structure my work?