Seminar skills
Content
01 Seminar Skills
02 Difference between seminars and lectures /
Task 1
03 How can participation in seminars aid the learning process? /
Task 2
04 What to expect in seminar classes
05 Strategies for increasing participation in seminars /
Task 3
- 01 Seminar Skills
-
For most people, university study is associated with reading vast quantities of material and attending lectures. While it is true that during your time at university you will spend many hours engaged in both activities, you will also be expected to produce ideas and express opinions of your own. Studying, then, involves both receiving knowledge and ideas via the more 'passive' skills of reading and listening and then engaging in the more 'active' skills required to produce your own ideas and thoughts about your subject area.
Most of the work you produce will be written down in the form of essays, research reports and other types of written assignments. However, you will also be expected to generate ideas and display your understanding verbally by giving presentations and by participating in seminars.
[Back to top] - 02 Difference between seminars and lectures
-
[Back to top] - 03 How can participation in seminars aid the learning process?
-
For many people, seminars can provide welcome relief from lectures since they give the opportunity to socialise with others. If you are a 'people-person' you may enjoy the opportunity to find out about your class-mates and tutors through group discussions.
However, for others, seminars are considered a 'waste of time' - after all, couldn't your time be spent more profitably staying at home and reading books about your subject, rather than just listening to other classmates talking about ideas when they don't yet have expert opinions to offer?
[Back to top] - 04 What to expect in seminar classes
-
How do you prepare for seminar classes? In most cases your tutors will ask you to read through a paper, make notes and then come to class with some questions and comments to contribute to a general class discussion about the topic.
In other cases you may find that you are asked to lead a seminar by choosing a text/topic yourself and giving a very informal presentation to your class before inviting comments from your classmates and tutor.
You may additionally be asked to give a more formal presentation which may often be assessed (see Presentations section).
Seminars may often take the form of debates or semi-formal discussions where roles are assigned, such as chairperson, proposer, seconder etc.
As mentioned, the purpose of seminars is to give you the opportunity to engage in interactive communication with your classmates and tutors. Therefore the key to success is to participate and take an active role in class. If you do not make any contributions, then your tutor may assume that:
In any one of the above cases, you will certainly fail to impress your tutor and you will lose the chance to make the most of an excellent learning opportunity.
- 05 Strategies for increasing participation in seminars
-
For confident speakers, seminars offer the opportunity to 'shine'. However, for others who are less comfortable about speaking out in front of others, seminars can often be rather stressful occasions. This is especially the case for people who have not been brought up to contradict or question others, especially when the other person is a tutor. However, as stated, unless you are seen to actively participate in lively debates and discussions, it will be perceived by your tutors and peers that you have nothing to offer.
Key strategies
[Back to top]