Visitors rest inside a Wharenui or Maori meeting house in Waitangi, New Zealand alongside the central pou.
Image source: P. Whitehouse from London, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Waitangi-Meeting-House-interior. Available at Wikimedia Commons.
Pou are the posts that support the structure such as a poutokomanawa the central post within a whareui/meeting house or the meeting house wall pillars which are called poupou.
This section is divided into three different types of support resources: Study Resources, Future Work Resources and Life Resources.
Education in the “olden days” could be considered as a box, a classroom where everyone fitted into the same space, learnt the same things, in the same way. Nowadays education tries to fit around the person, supporting each individual in their own educational journey. And this is why the resources below are guidelines to help you work out the strategies that suit you, your learning style, your situation.
The resources below are designed to support you with anything and everything around your studies. All these resources are PDFs to download and work through with time. As always, if you need specific help or have a question, reach out to your tutor or Online Learning Support.
Learning strategies
Learning strategies are techniques that help you study more effectively and remember information better. They include methods like summarising what you've learned, planning your study sessions, and staying motivated. Using strategies can make studying easier and help you become a more successful student. Use this resource Learning strategies to get you started with two strategies that you can implement immediately.
Overcoming being overwhelmed
We all feel overwhelmed at times; this is a completely normal response. It is usually when there is a new ball thrown into the balls we are already juggling. Your new “ball” is study and everything that comes with fitting this into your life. It’s really important to recognise your feelings and work through strategies to help manage them as constantly feeling overwhelmed may affect your mental and physical health. Use this resource to help you work through this: Overcoming Feeling Overwhelmed. Quick learning: Overcoming Infographic
Motivation
The song Unstoppable by Santigold, produced by Diplo became well known because of this viral video. Motivation is the spark that creates the drive to succeed aka an individual dance party. Use this resource to work out what soundtrack you need to boogie through your studies: Reflecting on your motivation.
Procrastination
Procrastination comes from the Latin to defer until the morning, the problem is... which morning? It is usually associated with boredom or unpleasantness about a task, or you don’t see the value in doing the task. It is not about being lazy. Use this procrastination resource in conjunction with the Motivation resource above: Stop Procrastinating. Quick learning: Productivity Infographic
TIME MANAGEMENT
Studying asynchronously gives you the flexibility to adjust your schedule. This sounds great but requires a student to really focus on the tasks and schedule the time to achieve the goals. Use this resource in conjunction with the Work/Life/Study Balancing resource to develop your skill of Time Management so that you can accomplish what you need to get done and have fun. Quick learning: Time Management Infographic
Work/Life/Study Balancing
“Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act.” is a line from Dr Seuss’ last book Oh the places you will go. It is about the challenges and joys in the journey of life. Achieving and maintaining balance is the goal. Use this resource to work out how you can juggle those balls in the air during your studies, and perhaps beyond: Work-Life-Study Balance.
Watch to see a rendition of the book read at the Burning Man festival: Oh, the Places You'll Go at Burning Man!
Assistive Technologies
Being an incredible student means utilising the people, the tools and resources around you. Did you know that there are many technological tools that can make your study more effective, efficient and perhaps easier? Personally, the one that breaks down a project into manageable steps (or tasks) and then gives me a timeframe is invaluable. These resources open some possibilities that might just assist you in making your world better: Assistive Technology. Quick learning: Assistive Technology Infographic
Reading and Notetaking Strategies
Most of your study will revolve around reading content, researching more topics from the content and making notes on the topics within the content. There are different ways to approach reading and a student should know which method is best for which situation. Use this resource to help you develop your understanding of what are the reading and notetaking strategies you could use: Reading and Notetaking Strategies. Quick learning: Reading/Notetaking Infographic
Feedback - giving and receiving
Tasks, designs and projects will often involve a feedback step in the process. This provides an opportunity to gain a valuable insight into the product. Perhaps you are the one receiving the feedback, or perhaps you are giving the feedback. Whichever direction the information is flowing it is important to consider the process and the actions. Use this resource Feedback to help you develop your skills.
Groupwork
In an asynchronous environment, some may wonder why there is groupwork at all. It's because we very rarely work in isolation when working in the industry. You will be working in a team on projects, and in some cases, the team will be spread across the country or even have international members. So, this is a perfect time to build the soft skills you will need to work in those situations in the future. You may have taken a distance learning course in order to avoid having to work with people! If that's you - we get it, but it's even more important for you to take advantage of the people working around you to build skills and confidence in collaborative working. Have a look at this guideline document: Effective Groupwork. Quick learning: Groupwork Infographic
ACADEMIC WRITING
Any assessment that requires you to write a response will need you to write with an academic focus, structure and tone. How do you achieve this? Use this resource to support your understanding of the writing process and developing your academic writing skills. Academic Writing.
APA Referencing
Referencing and citing are the ways to acknowledge the research you have done and the sources you have used to create your piece of work. It’s a sign of academic integrity and one way to give mana to your mahi. There are different ways to reference and cite, and APA is the way Yoobee Colleges does it. Use this resource as a way to start developing your skills at referencing. If you need help, contact your tutor or Online Learning Support: APA Referencing.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
These are some main terms associated with academic writing and basic definitions: Glossary of Terms.
The resources below are designed to support you with getting ready to enter industry. If you have specific questions around these resources, you may like to reach out to your tutor or Online Learning Support.
CV and cover letter guide
Applying for a job in your specific industry might be competitive. You want to showcase who you are, why you are employable and why you would be the best one to select out of the people who apply. This means having a strong and memorable cover letter and CV. Use this resource to know the process of writing a CV, the aspects to include and links to external resources that support you. CV / Cover letter guide
Portfolios & Demo Reels
For creatives, portfolios and demo reels become your visual c.v. It's a way to grab the attention of the employer so that they are excited and interested to engage more with you and your work. Use this resource Portfolios & Demo Reels to cover important aspects to keep in mind when building the visual space.
The resources below are designed to support you with things that are beyond study or work. If you have specific questions around these resources, you may like to reach out to your tutor or Online Learning Support.
BUDGETING
Studying is a way to make your knowledge and skillset develop. Many people study for the end goal of moving ahead in their employment, but while studying, they may encounter financial knocks. This resource (with links to external support services) is to support you in looking at your current financial situation to improve it: Budgeting (PDF).
😃 We're still developing more resources to help you with life's challenges. Check back soon.
